[Sonic Hachelle-Bee]

I wanted to make a research on the Internet about the meaning of the words "Dust Hill" and "Hill of Dust" to see what I can find and what the other people think about this.
With a lot of objectivity and without any existence of Sonic and Sega, or their related levels, there is the results I found all over the Internet, all over the world:

Extract "Faliraki Rhodes Hotels Uncovere":
(Faliraki is a city near the bay of Kallithea in Rhodes, Greece)

"(...) the pool is of a average size next to a hill of dust and cactus with excellent views of the building sites. the bar was a hot and dusty little hut with a tv you couldnt watch as the owners sons sat all day with there hands on the remote. it is also VERY EXPENSIVE. A bag of crisps and a can of coke costing 3E 50C/£3. it also took 4 days and a complaint for us to get our linen changed and bin emptied. (yes the toilet bin) it not nice at all. there are also resident chickens living in the small garden. good alarm clocks if you get up at 6am. 
we found the staff to be loud and unhelpfull. (...)"
http://www.holidaysuncovered.co.uk/holiday..._faliraki_a.htm

Extract from Peace Corp Online-December 1st:

"(...) My forehead resting on the window glass, I try to concentrate on the paper-thin moon following me out of Kerak and the mysterious black cloud resting next to it. A moving figure in blue holds a child’s hand; they’re looking toward bundles of Bedouin tents settled in a sea of sand. Scenery changes so quickly here, from the smallest concrete home on a hill of dust to rows of olive trees surrounding a grandiose mansion. Should I absorb everything I can, watching each object that passes by the car window, since it’s probably the last time I will ever see it? Or should I close my eyes, pretend this isn’t real, and try to focus on still being in Jordan? (...) "

Extract of an article, The Examiner-World tour-13:

"(...) Hundreds of rescuers worked night and day, digging away the hill of dust and shards by the clattering bucketful rather than move in heavy machinery where there might be victims.
The six floor building collapsed early Thursday morning, trapping 70 to 75 people (...)"

Canyon Country, Adventure cyclists tame the 'beast' on White Rim Trail.
Read the full article here: http://www.coloradoa...ve/t011302.html

"(...) At the bottom we let out a sigh and continued riding. It would be our longest day and we needed to get to our campsite at Potato Bottom by dark. We passed one camping area and then later in the afternoon another. Then in front of us appeared our first uphill test. We named it the "hill of dust or sand". We ended up having to team up and push each rig together for much of this hill. It was tough going. At the top we were rewarded with a beautiful high traverse over to our camp area for the night. (...)"

Others images:
http://home.tele2.fr/s2long/screenshots/DH...e/Colorado1.jpg
http://home.tele2.fr/s2long/screenshots/DH...e/Colorado3.jpg

Random images and photos, with their names:

EricPeterDustHill.jpg


RunnerOnDustHill.jpg


DustStorm.jpg


Dust.jpg


Other links to some images:
HillDust.jpg
SecondHill.jpg
WhatDust.jpg

Obviously, this proves absolutely nothing about the desert level, but now, you know what some others think about the words "Dust Hill"...
Another word: I found nothing about caves, BUT I read (In a French magazine) "travailler dans ces collines de poussière..." ("work in these dust hills...") talking about workers in a mine of Diamonds.

Make your opinion about this research, or try to find some others informations to post here...

This post has been edited by Sonic Hachelle-Bee: 08 September 2004 - 06:40 AM

[Drakmyth]

Maybe it's just me but it seems that the mojority of those pics are of a desert-like setting.

[Ben2k9]

I think that was the point of the post....

[Sonic Hachelle-Bee]

Quote

Maybe it's just me but it seems that the mojority of those pics are of a desert-like setting.

That's why I post them.
There is almost nothing about caves or mines or underground locations when you talk about a dust hill or a hill of dust. This expression, "Dust Hill", seems to be a metaphor, an image to talk about sandhills, dunes or also powdery snow, everywhere in books, photos, articles, musics...

There is some things else found this afternoon:
Powdery snow comes from powder, and the word "poudreuse" in French, referring to this powdery snow, can be translated as dusty...
A sand storm can be called also as a dust storm. I see it in a lot of articles talking about this and the beginning of the war in Iraq.
...
At last, the word "dust" is highly used as a metaphor to talk about very quick and fine sand.

Another time, this is very objective. This is all I can find about "dust hill" so far.

EDIT: After verification on a map, this town near Northampton (UK) is "Dost Hill", not "Dust Hill". This mistake belongs to the site I saw it...Deleted from this research.

This post has been edited by Sonic Hachelle-Bee: 08 September 2004 - 10:58 AM

[Qjimbo]

Quote

sandhills, dunes or also powdery snow,

Which would mean it would be an effing good choice for a zone that starts of as a desert and becomes a winter wonderland, or in fact any zone that featured both these landscapes - calling it "Dust" keeps it generic because it can mean either Sand or Snow.
Gah I don't know what to believe now! Maybe the whole "no dust hill thing" just pushed the Desert Zone's Name into speculation, rather than fact. Though if I remeber correctly, the last time I said that QuickMan had a go at me for not reading the topic fully :P
Good post Sonic Hachelle-Bee!

[ICEknight]

I FOUND IN GOOGLE WHAT SEEMS TO BE A DUST HILL ZONE SKETCH!!!1!


OMG I EXPLAINED DUST HILL!!!1!11



Seriously, Dust Hill is Mystic Cave's old name, nothing else.

[Sonic Hachelle-Bee]

Quote

Seriously, Dust Hill is Mystic Cave's old name, nothing else.

I can't say Dust Hill zone is the desert level. Obviously, in our beta, Dust Hill zone is the old name for Mystic Cave and nothing else. We can't say this is not true because...well...choose DHZ under the level select and you are in a cave level like MCZ, and that's all!

I think my opinion and theory about this desert level shouldn't be posted here (PM or e-mail me to have it, so I can talk with you easily). This topic is just to reveal what in real life, the words "dust hill" and "hill of dust" are used for. With this research, I'm convinced that this name is better for a sand/winter level than for a cave level. Maybe that's why Sega changed it after to Mystic Cave, we'll never know...

This post has been edited by Sonic Hachelle-Bee: 08 September 2004 - 03:57 PM

[8-Bit Dragon]

ICEknight, on Sep 8 2004, 02:12 PM, said:

Seriously, Dust Hill is Mystic Cave's old name, nothing else.

So if that's true, than what is the name of the desert level? If Beta Mystic Cave is Dust hill than what is the beta Dust Hill? Mystic Cave?? :P I like the name just the way it is, and it could have been that Sonic Team simply scrapped Dust Hill in favor of Mystic Cave but forgot to change the name in the level select.

Or I could be talking out of my ass again, I've been doing that alot lately.

[Syren]

8-Bit Dragon, on Sep 8 2004, 03:50 PM, said:

ICEknight, on Sep 8 2004, 02:12 PM, said:

Seriously, Dust Hill is Mystic Cave's old name, nothing else.

So if that's true, than what is the name of the desert level? If Beta Mystic Cave is Dust hill than what is the beta Dust Hill? Mystic Cave?? :P I like the name just the way it is, and it could have been that Sonic Team simply scrapped Dust Hill in favor of Mystic Cave but forgot to change the name in the level select.

Or I could be talking out of my ass again, I've been doing that alot lately.

What about the idea of Dust Hill zone being scrapped but not from the level select, and instead the pointers go to Mysic Cave zone instead of where Dust Hill was?

[Sonic Hachelle-Bee]

That was an edit, but you replied faster than me editing...

Anggun, Snow on the Sahara, 1998, extract of lyrics:

Only tell me that you still want me here
When you wander off out there
To those hills of dust and hard winds that blows
In that dry white ocean alone
   
Lost out in the desert...
You are lost out in the desert...
   
But to stand with you in a ring of fire
I'll forget the days gone by
I'll protect your body and guard your soul
From mirages in your sight
   
Lost out in the desert...
   
If your hopes scatter like the dust across your track
I'll be the moon that shines on your path
The sun may blind our eyes I'll pray the skies above
For snow to fall on the Sahara
If that's the only place where you can leave your doubts
I'll hold you up and be your way out
And if we burn away I'll pray the skies above
For snow to fall on the Sahara

[Drakmyth]

I've been agreeing with the view that Dust Hill was the desert name from the beginning and when the level was scrapped the pointers in the level select were changed to Mystic Cave or Mystic Cave now occupies the slot that Dust Hill was once in. I just can't see Dust Hill being a cave. Something just isn't right.

[8-Bit Dragon]

If there's one thing I'm good at, its making an ass of myself. But I won't lie to you, I'm not a big rom hacker, but I did stay at a Holliday Inn once. And From the evidence gathered thus far on the definitions of "Dust" and "Hill" and all phrases in between, Dust Hill Zone suits the desert level just fine IMO. And if it truely is the original name of Mystic Cave (the name that Sega originaly planned), all I can say is :wtf:

And befur yu ask, no I havun't been drinking. :P

[Qjimbo]

ICEknight, on Sep 8 2004, 02:12 PM, said:

I FOUND IN GOOGLE WHAT SEEMS TO BE A DUST HILL ZONE SKETCH!!!1!


OMG I EXPLAINED DUST HILL!!!1!11



Seriously, Dust Hill is Mystic Cave's old name, nothing else.

rofl, even though it's been covered in the other massive topic, a nice summary of how the people came to the conclusion would be handy. So I made one:

o Ok, so Nemisis find the supposed desert zone sprites are actually from another game. This means that what little info was known has shrunk to even less. He also points out that the Desert Zone mag pic is a mock up made from level art.
o Black Squirrel makes a retorting comment which gets ignored " Wait a sec. just because those 'lost sprites and tiles' are from another game doesn't mean there wasn't a dust hill zone!"
o Finally a good explanation from Rika Chou:
"Just because there are no tiles from it in the game doesn't mean anything. There are no tiles from genocide city, but do we doubt it's existence? NO! So shut up!

Actually, yes. Because all we have of genocide city is the level select text, and that's all. There is no proof anywhere that the actually level was made at all. And all we have of DHZ now is one mock up screen shot."

and then this one:

"But why won't anyone tell me how this mystically "proves" that Dust Hill doesn't exist? that just tells you that those tiles are not from DHZ.

Because we have no technical evidence. It may have existed at one time, but now we have not even one piece of data from Dust hill. So NOW it doesn't exist, but it may have at one tile long ago."

o Last word from Simon
"What we currently know: There is no proof to suggest Dust Hill Zone was ever implemented.

It doesn't prove Dust Hill was never implemented in earlier builds. That doesn't mean you can wishfully and religiously believe it was made, either. Clues gathered throughout these years allow us to make an educated guess, that very little of Dust Hill was ever made, or even compiled into a build."

~~~

So there's nothing to prove it existed, which does not mean it didn't exist. I think Sonic Team are quite capable at pressing the delete button even on Beta ROMS. The only evidence is the "name" which most people debunk because it's so flimsy. And SHB here has been performing research into the name, in order to establish how solid this "name" evidence is. Good job to SHB is all I can say.

[T.Q.]

And so, once again, we can all call that Sonic 2 Genesis desert level mock-up picture Dust Hill whether or not there was an existence of the level before this beta.

[Drakmyth]

and "That's what it's all about. bum bum". Sorry, sorry, I don't know where that came from.