don't click here

"Debug mode", the origins

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Black Squirrel, Jan 10, 2021.

  1. RibShark

    RibShark

    Member
    111
    34
    28
    I dug into the text files for Sonic Mega Collection Plus, and there's some interesting differences. There is different cheat text for each region setting (JP, EU, US).
    For Sonic 1 JP and Sonic 2 EU/US, it refers to the mode as "character change":
    For Sonic 2 JP, Sonic 1 EU/US, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles (all regions) it refers to it as "edit mode".
     
    • Informative Informative x 2
    • List
  2. Hm, from the US and thinking back I'm not 100% where I first heard the name. I know that I had my hands on lots of magazines back in the day and they often had cheats listed, but the only cheats that stuck in out in my memory are ones for Mortal Kombat II; I wrote them down on a piece of paper then tried the codes when I got home. I know around '99 or 2000 when I stumbled across the Simon Wai's site and got into the community everyone was calling it Debug Mode and I understood what that meant, but that doesn't help much when it comes to finding the original name for the mode.
     
  3. Vangar

    Vangar

    Member
    3,654
    62
    28
    I took some photos of my old 'official power tips books' and 'action replay' cheat books. circa 1992. None of them call it debug, they just kind of describe what the cheat does:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  4. Speeps

    Speeps

    Member
    125
    48
    28
    The equivalent in the Adventure games was called EDIT:

    [​IMG]
    These ones weren't around in the final game though, only debug prototypes.
     
    • Informative Informative x 4
    • List
  5. Prototype

    Prototype

    Member
    296
    68
    28
    I find it interesting that they were still using that janky old font.
     
  6. Gryson

    Gryson

    Member
    384
    343
    63
    This. "Debug mode" was standard lingo for the concept (in both Japanese and English) - many games included debug modes or debug menus that weren't removed in the commercial release. Whether or not the particular debug mode in Sonic had another name, it's still a debug mode by nature.
     
  7. Laura

    Laura

    Brightened Eyes Member
    It seems conclusive that it was called edit mode internally, but I still think fans called it debug mode because that's what it seems to be. That was always my thought pattern. I'm not a programmer and have no idea if it really is a debug mode, would debuggers have used it? But that's what it seems to be to me.
     
  8. Sid Starkiller

    Sid Starkiller

    Member
    1,457
    358
    63
    Virginia, USA
    Paying off student loans
    I'm not a programmer either, but I could see it being useful to place objects to easily test their behavior, rather than having to actually find one in the levels.
     
  9. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

    Model2wannaB Tech Member
    1,608
    406
    63
    ALWAYS Sonic the Fighters
    You mean the edit prototypes.

    Sonic the Fighters calls it "debug" mode.
     
  10. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

    no reverse gear Wiki Sysop
    8,543
    2,465
    93
    Northumberland, UK
    steamboat wiki
    It's not a traditional debugger in the sense that it doesn't monitor the program's "state" - it's not going to tell you what's in memory, or which lines of code are being executed or whatever (although it tells you the sprite count so that's something I guess). But it is a tool, and all sorts of tools are useful when you want to "debug" a video game. The level select is another tool.

    Yuji Naka would have had more to work with.
     
  11. Nova

    Nova

    Member
    3,755
    178
    43
    Literally every magazine or comic I had that mentioned it referred to it as Debug Mode so I always just called it that. I assumed it was a way for them to test the behaviours of various objects in weird combinations and stuff.
     
  12. I think you hit the nail on the head. Otherwise, what are we "debugging" when using the mode?
    I always seen this as a test-like mode to test out objects-- because they don't stay in one spot if you move too far away from them, and you can't really 'save' your creations.
    So it makes more sense to call it a debug rater than an edit mode--despite what it was initially called. At least for me.
     
  13. Scarred Sun

    Scarred Sun

    Be who you needed when you were younger Administrator
    7,745
    127
    101
    Tower 8 ️
    Welp, this.
    I agree with this; it's really not a leap to say something along the lines of "Edit Mode is an internal term used by Sega and/or Sonic Team for object placement debug functions created for Sonic the Hedgehog video games." What external people call it is only relevant when explaining the term.

    Granted, that's a really dry and boring sentence that could use some wordsmithing.
     
  14. Mercury

    Mercury

    His Name Is Sonic Tech Member
    1,740
    21
    18
    Location Location
    AeStHete
    I, too, grew up using the term "debug mode" exclusively, almost certainly as a direct result of US magazines. Specifically, I owned that GamePro 29.

    It's always seemed very colloquial, so it's not surprising to me it's not the name that was used internally. It's wild that we have attestation of "edit mode" from that Nick Arcade module, though, what a stroke of luck.
     
  15. cornholio857

    cornholio857

    The Great Cornholio Member
    445
    11
    18
    Jacksonville, FL
    In search of TP
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2021
    • Informative Informative x 2
    • List