[Icewarrior]

Damn, that BG will be so awesome when it will be animated, that gotta have to be one of the most beautiful BG I've ever seen.

[Resel]

I'm not really too happy with the way I sprited this, but here's another possible concept for what the ground tiles could look like.

(It may also resemble Ristar's scorch zone a bit much at the moment, but Its just a concept.)

[NinjaMan]

Rensel's concept looks neat. The patterns on the pillars are very ornate.

The new foreground palate also jives with the lava a bit more, though I really like the contrast on the mockups in the first post.

Speaking of the original mockups, Tweeker is right; they could use some shading where the rock meets the lava. I smudged some stuff and overlayed a transparent filter over one of the images to try to get a quick idea of how it might look. My work is horrible, but I think additional shading for the glare would help convey a sense of heat.



Original

[Blue Emerald]

Perhaps this idea seems like a no-brainer, but since this is an ice level placed smack dab in the midst of a lava zone, should we have a lot of crumbling ice platforms?

[PC2]

This stage should totally have a snowblower badnik. It can spew out piles of snow that make it harder for Sonic to run fast when he ends up in them.

[Resel]

Blue Emerald, on Dec 6 2008, 06:44 PM, said:

Perhaps this idea seems like a no-brainer, but since this is an ice level placed smack dab in the midst of a lava zone, should we have a lot of crumbling ice platforms?

I've had that in mind the whole time. The level will often "melt" right underneath you as large chunks of ice and even ground are being submerged into the lava sea. Plus the classic Marble Zone "push a block into the lava and ride it" gimmick, but this time with an ice cube that slowly melts.

This post has been edited by Resel: 07 December 2008 - 11:28 AM

[Blue Emerald]

PC2, on Dec 6 2008, 08:51 PM, said:

This stage should totally have a snowblower badnik. It can spew out piles of snow that make it harder for Sonic to run fast when he ends up in them.

When I read this, my first thought was that it would sort of look like the buzzsaw beetle from Sonic CD, but with a snowblower attachment instead of a buzzsaw.

Resel, on Dec 7 2008, 10:27 AM, said:

I've had that in mind the whole time. The level will often "melt" right underneath you as large chunks of ice and even ground are being submerged into the lava sea. Plus the classic Marble Zone "push a block into the lava and ride it" gimmick, but this time with an ice cube that slowly melts.

I can see there being some sort of puzzle-like quality to that melting ice cube idea. Let's say Sonic pushes the ice cube into the lava and it melts, so Sonic has to reach another platform and push an ice cube off that platform, then continue riding on that one until he either needs another ice cube or reaches solid ground. That'll definitely work.

This post has been edited by Blue Emerald: 07 December 2008 - 04:59 PM

[McGuirk]

Alright, are you folks familiar with some writers keeping notebooks by their bed for when they wake up with an idea?

Well, I've had a similar experience with music for this level. I kind of threw this together, but it's an idea for a a slower chorus-esque portion of the level music. I had the first act in mind with this, going with the lava in future acts idea, implying something less pleasant is around the corner (act 2). I've imagined this level, being toward the end of the game, as having more serious music, perhaps even a bit dramatic at some points.

Here it is: http://www.xmission....s/music/BM1.ogg

I think it sounds like something from Sonic 3D Blast...

Anyway, I just wanted to know if you guys thought that this was fitting enough to consider developing any further.

This post has been edited by McGuirk: 10 December 2008 - 06:03 AM

[Black Squirrel]

[McGuirk]

Both of those tilesets fit well; I'd say some sort of mixture is in order.'

Such as the blue rocky tiles in the upper portions in the level nearer to the mountaintops, whereas the large stone pillar-esque tiles would be in the lower lava regions.

[filmzombie]

Am I right in thinking this is to be the final zone? Or has such a thing not been decided yet.

Not that I mind. I think if it was it would be amazing. I just happen to notice this isn't in the game plan diagram and seems quite "epic".

[Ollie]

I think the final zone should be some kind of Robotnik Empire/Factory like usually.

[Phoebius]

filmzombie, on Jan 20 2009, 02:55 AM, said:

Am I right in thinking this is to be the final zone? Or has such a thing not been decided yet.

Not that I mind. I think if it was it would be amazing. I just happen to notice this isn't in the game plan diagram and seems quite "epic".

No, this is just the last zone we officially decided. That's not the last zone of the game.

[filmzombie]

Ah, fair enough. Although if it was to be the final zone it would be excellent. Robotnik's Fortress could have been located in this area.

Adoring the artwork by the way.