Annoucement and Request

Needless to say, I think most people here probably remember Sonic 2Z. It isn't anything new. I'm currently working on Metropolis 1, and hopefully I'll be able to complete the thing this time.

That being said, I've noticed a lack in research in a very critical area: Practical knowledge.

When I created Sonic 2Z initially, the level design of Sonic wasn't documented, and henceforth, I pretty much was running into a pitch black forest with a pocket flashlight. We already knew the format, we knew the design, but what we didn't know was the practical stuff and the details. The object listing was non-existant. Many things weren't editable.

It's been about 2 years since I left, and that hasn't changed at all. The object listing is still very similar to how I left it. It seems that no one has ventured out of EHZ and CPZ on the level design end, and those that have haven't talked much about it. I'm still using the same process for level design that I used back in 2001 when I started Sonic 2Z: Get a piece of paper and write down what all the objects are when I start a new zone. Then harass Stealth (Ultima now) to add them to the SonED configuration. I did that with Emerald Hill back when I started, and here I am three years later doing it with Metropolis.

Everyone is doing really amazing things in their hacks, no question, but the lack of the simple things is making it very hard to do those simple things. We still don't know the format of many level design things, like the Chemical Plant warp pipes. We have no clue how the Solidity Plane Switches actually function. These things will be necessary if we're ever to make level hacks that compare to the original product. I don't care what my fans say, Sonic 2Z is nothing compared to the original game's level design.

I'd like to see some people try to document the less exciting stuff in Sonic research. I know it's not as cool as altering the assembly code or adding Hidden Palace into the final, but it's very important towards the long-term goal of being able to understand how Sonic 2 really works. If we master the little things, we can make the big things that much bigger.

 

The other thing is, where did all the new editors go? Back when I was making Sonic 2Z originally new editors and tools were coming out all the time, helping those of us who don't have any actual hacking skill (Read: me) make a hack out of Sonic 2 with very little technical knowledge. I still don't have a clue how you people do all this insane stuff, but I know how to make an okay level using the tools. It would be really nice if some people started coming out with more tools to allow us less skilled members of the community to use these more advanced features.