Sonic 2 Unimpossible

Okay, well, I mostly post on the irc. In fact, this is the first time I've ever posted on the boards, even though I've been a member here for... what, a year now? Anyway, I'm a n00bish hacker, but amazingly, I've managed to cobble this together.

Sonic 2 Unimpossible started out as a joke hack. I was screwing around and made it so that you gain a life every time you die, you can't drown, and you don't need rings or emeralds to go Super (and it doesn't consume rings). Needless to say, this was all just for the lulz. And it was good. But then I realized it was impossible to get a game over (hence where the name of the hack came from), and being Oppositionally Defiant, as I am, I was determined to get a game over in the un-game overable game. So I did some more hacking, and now here we stand. The current concept of the game? Everything listed above.

But you might ask "Wait, doesn't that mean it's still impossible to get a game over?" No. See, the game runs on 8 bit hexadecimal. What does that mean? It means there is no number larger than 255. It basically means that 256 = 0. Now I've made the hack so that in addition to gaining a life every time you die, you gain a life for every ring you pick up. By this method, you get 256 lives quite quickly. Now recall what I said: 256 = 0. Because of its 8 bit programming, the game automatically resets your life count to zero once you have 256 lives.

Initially, this didn't give you a game over. You could have zero lives without getting a game over. This is because you're not supposed to be able to have zero lives without dying, so the original game only ran a game over check upon dying. I rewrote the game over subroutine and added a branch to it in Sonic's main routine, so that every frame it checks if you have lives, and if you don't, your game is over. So now, having 256 lives is the end for you. And believe me when I say that it makes the game incredibly difficult.

Currently, the game is in its second demo version, v1.75. Starting with v2, I plan to have completely new level layouts (where there isn't a single place in the game that FORCES you to collect rings, like there are plenty of in the original game). I fully intend for v2 to be not only the next release, but the final release.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014: I'd just like to point out at this time that the demo version is PAAAAAIIINFULLY outdated.




Current features:
• Super Sonic without emeralds or rings (consumes no rings)
• Sonic moves faster than Tails
• Can only drown in your normal state
• Dying gives you one life
• Rings give you one life each
• Ring monitors give you 10 lives
• 1up monitors take away 10 lives (I like to call them 10downs)
• Sonic 3 style activator for Super Sonic
• Tails' flight ability
• Invincibility monitors allow you to get rings without gaining lives, and can be broken open even as Super Sonic
• End of level 1up bonus changed to a 1down bonus
• Ashura code implemented (replacing the 14 continues code, which is now 10 0B 0D 19)
• Ashura code can be used on either the options menu or the level select sound test
• Debug mode removed
• Seven emeralds code changed to 01 01 02 04 (the original 14 continues code, though you still have to be on the level select)
• Three digit life counter
• LIGHTNING SHIELDS LOL
• 2P mode removed
• Options menu changed to a standalone sound test
• You don't get any continues until you have all seven emeralds, at which point you get seven

Currently known bugs:
• None that aren't really present in the vanilla game, and they'll probably get crushed eventually

Planned features:
• New level layouts (you'll thank me when you reach Casino Night)
• Character selectable on the title screen (similar to Sonic & Knuckles, but side to side rather than up and down)






Need someone to do level layouts. The ASM side of things is constantly being tweaked here and there, but really the game could be released right now if it had new levels.

Oh, and here's the link. And yes, it actually is possible to beat legitimately, just a pain.
Sonic 2 Unimpossible v1.75

 

Oh, crikey, I forgot to mention one of the most important planned features. It's edited into the first post now.

I've been trying and trying to find a way to get invincibility monitors to be usable by Super Sonic without making him vulnerable when they wear off. I've just been unsuccessful so far.

 

This is actually pretty much what was finished when I was talking about it on the irc. Since then, I've been trying to learn ASM and fix that damn ring monitor bug (and implement the invincibility feature), but I still haven't had any luck. So I just decided to release the demo, and maybe if people like it, they'd be willing to help finish this up.

 

When you're in the 230s and 240s, you see a right arrow in your lives counter. When you're in the 250s, you see a gamma sign.