Sonic Generations technical oddities & flaws (Unpaid betatesting)

Sonic seemingly doesn't recoil if hurt

 

Did I mention that I fell through the floor at the end of the spiral? TWICE?

 

Ryan Drummond kept the spirit of the Dreamcast alive! :specialed:

(Alternately, Big the Cat kept the spirit of the Dreamcast alive!)

On a serious note: twice today, the S-tube in the upper route—the one directly at the end of a corkscrew—spat me back out all the way through the corkscrew. Amusingly, this also revealed that the collapsing platforms do in fact re-spawn if you get far enough away. But that's beside the point. The ramp at the end of the S-Tube seems a bit buggy, and, actually, it seems Sonic has a bit of trouble in general when it comes to interacting with collapsing platforms—specifically, the part where two collapsing platform pieces connect. This causes him to sometimes inexplicably slow down when jumping up through the collapsing platform after the tunnel, before the upper-route corkscrew/S-tube tag-team.

As a guess, I'd say the S-tube spat me back out because the collapsing ramp at the end of it actually repelled me back into the S-tube as a freak accident of physics. Usually, I just notice Sonic's speed stutter as the collapsing ramp first slows him down and then speeds him up as a pre-scripted ramp takes over (one "flaw" covering for another), but it's not a sure thing. At this point I think it'd be easier on the game if they just put a non-collapsing ramp in place of the collapsing one, as there's really no point to having a collapsing ramp where Sonic couldn't actually stay on it long enough to fall if he tried. But fine-tuning the way collapsing platforms work in general is the comprehensive fix.

...said Solaris, talking straight out his ass about shit he doesn't rightly understand.

 

They skipped Sonic 3.

 

Or picked a REALLY odd time to acknowledge S3&K as a single game.

Actually, since it seems Classic remixes of stages like City Escape are the freshest thing on offer, the 2/3 modern/Dreamcast majority may actually be a good thing.

 

They're going to acknowledge S3K as two games when they can make more money off of it obviously, and as one game when it means less effort for them. :specialed:

 

I only ever ran into two "issues" when I played the demo.

1. In that last spiral platform at the end, it's possible to jump off and die because of it. I can understand being able to fall off due to a lack of momentum, but being able to jump there isn't a good idea. (Of course, there's also no reason to jump there, so the chances of that changing are slim)

2. When trying to maintain the upper route, where you jump across 2 sets of falling platforms and then onto a spring, Sonic occasionally gets high enough to make the jump successfully, but gets caught on the platforms corner and falls because of it. That ruined a few of my attempts at speed running.

Neither is particularly bad (and in #1, if you jump there, it's your fault, really), but they would benefit from some minor changes.

 

Playing the demo again...under the assumption that they actually are reading this thread...this is directed at you, SEGA, Sonic Team, lackey of one of the above, whatever. I won't go into great detail here because I'm sure everyone else has already covered it, but...

I'd like to echo what a lot of people are saying just so we're all clear that it's an objective observation and not just whiny nitpicking:

I want. To be. In control. Of Sonic. All. Of. The. Time. Not just during certain sections, not just at the top of the spring bounce height, but all of the time. I spindash up a quarter pipe, and I want to jump halfway through it? You let me. I want to come to a full stop during that spiral mountain thing? You let me. I want to start rolling down a slope? You let me. I could go on, but you get the idea.

And the rolling, as everyone else has said, needs to be fixed. Desperately. I won't patronize you and explain how simple laws of physics work. Just, please, take a look into it, alright?


Now don't get me wrong, what you've got here is solid, but it can be much, much better if you simply fix a few things.

 

#1 is your own damn fault if it happens. #2 might—MIGHT—benefit if the spring were shifted ever so slightly downward, but as I've successfully made this jump countless times, I'm inclined to disagree.

@ Nomad:

SEGA, listen to this man. He knows.

 

Nomad is the hero we deserve.

 

I seem to have uncurled out of a jump attack. I pressed the jump button again close by the enemy, almost as if I executed a small homing attack.

I don't mind scripted parts like the mountain path, but I really don't like the scripted loops where Classic Sonic goes up all on his own.

When I got to a U-trench section, I couldn't jump off the wall while spinning to jump higher, unless I rebounded right next to an edge.

Classic Sonic feels a little bit heavy when he jumps as well. Just lighten it up a bit.

 

Happened to me once. Given the number of times I've played, "once" is about equal to the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field. Still, worth pointing out.

 

At the cave section near the end of the level, the platform that you stand on to jump on to the swinging platforms above the Crabmeats on the Tiki heads, if you jump near the edge, you'll do this weird high jump which is really the result from that scripted ramp area where you lift off.

And that scripted mountain area where you swirl down from is extremely glitchy. At times when I spin dash at full speed, Sonic would just float in mid air and do a 360 for no reason, and sometimes just fall straight through the floor. And, when you're going too fast, at times, it won't even appear up on the screen until the scripted run begins.

Also, those corkscrews are buggy. When I jumped into one of them, it just shot me right back out in the air.

Edit: Also, for some reason, bouncing from enemies seem to be inconsistent? For example, when I rev up my spin dash after the bridge in the beginning of the level and moon jump from the hill and land on a crabmeat, I would bounce off of him, but would uncurl and get hit from the Buzzbomber.

And I don't know why Sonic can break through every enemy from each side, but when it comes to an item box, he just falls flat, and can only break it from the top or from under. I have a couple vids of these things happening during my speed run trials that I'll post up tomorrow.

 

Also one last thing though I doubt it'll have any impact on the final product (and is directed moreso towards Modern Sonic):

Whenever we're running through a corkscrew or a loop or any other type of wacky level geometry, I'd like the ability to jump out of those at any time and not die instantly. Here, let me give you an example of what I mean:

In Generations, Classic's GHZ, you jump out of the corckscrew, and you die. Period. The end. I think that's kinda lame, considering how the level design is stellar everywhere else in the stage. Now let's take a look at how the older titles handled this type of situation:

In Sonic 2's Emerald Hill Zone, you jump out of a corkscrew. Well, what happens? You fall to a lower path with some spikes or a badnik or two, maybe some powerups that you wouldn't be able to get to otherwise. Something along those lines. Here's a more recent example:

In Sonic Adventure, in Speed Highway, there's another corkscrew section that allows you to jump off freely at anytime during the corkscrew. Afterwords you'd fall down to a lower section on top of a building, with some powerups, badniks, and rings. Followed by a way to get back onto the main path.

After SA1, however, (to my knowledge) this never happens again as far as this type of level geometry is concerned. In SA2's Radical Highway you jump out of a corkscrew and you fall into a pit and die. Heroes followed suit, and so on. Is it really asking that much to place some area below these types of objects to fall onto? Would that really throw a monkey wrench into your plans for the game?

Look, I could surely go on for hours about this, but the gist of it is more or less what I was talking about in my other post from earlier:

Let me do what I want as Sonic and not get punished for it.

Corkscrews and loops and what not are great and all, but at the end of the day, I'm just holding right (or X, depending on which Sonic I'm playing as) and not much else during them. Sometimes it's not even that, sometimes it's automatic and scripted. When you have to sacrifice player interaction and discourage exploration for it...well you have to take a step back and reassess things, I think. I wouldn't even bring this up if it were just an isolated incident, but lately in recent Sonic titles what I'm talking about is more the rule rather than the exception.

Again, I'm sure this isn't something you get a lot, but please at least consider what impact this type of thing has on the gameplay overall.

 

I think there might be two levels in the demo. Posted this in the megathread but thought it might be better here.

Having a look through the file structure on the PS3 version there's 2 folders with one being called ghz100 and the next ghz200. Now I can't file switch these around to see if there's the modern zone in it because the PS3 version wants to update time via internet to even play the demo, dose anyone know a way around it? The ghz200 is twice as big. (using a custom firmware PS3).

Also there's 2 stage files (one in each folder) that an extension of pfd. The ghz200 is bigger again. (this was after unpacking the bb.cpk file)

 

There are 4 stages in the demo. Both Green Hill and City Escape.

 

Ah, I don't see the problem with that last corkscrew. All it is, at the end of the day, is a flashy extension to the long stretch of nothing that precedes every goalpost. Inconsequential in every sense of the word. Although, I do prefer when such things are implemented like the other corkscrew in the stage, which you can actually jump out of and land in a lower path. (But in either case, why the hell would you want to?)

What? I'm pretty sure I've busted item boxes from the side...

 

Unable to locate any evidence. Although I've found the modern music files for Greenhill. Wait.. you must be talking about the E3 demo? I'm talking about the demo released on XBL and PSN?