The best way to experience Sonic Adventure?

The Dreamcast conversion mod for the steam version is what you're looking for.
It's packing all the improvement of the DX version but removes the weird changes and glitches. It also as its own share of QoL improvements, and is pretty customisable too.

I'd say go with this version, it's the ultimate Sonic Adventure experience imo.

Edit: I was actually thinking of the B̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶S̶A̶D̶X̶ SADX Mod Installer, which includes the Dreamcast conversion mod by default. Sorry!

 

Does this BetterSADX mod work for both Sonic Adventures or only the first one?

 

I believe it's only compatible with the first one.
There isn't an all in one mod to improve SA2 like for DX as far as I'm concerned, but with a bit of digging around you can find a lot of neat mods to improve the game in little ways.

This video is a pretty good starting point (so good I probably should've linked it in my original post now that I think about it)

 

BetterSADX is outdated. SADX Mod Installer is pretty much the successor to it.

 

Jesus, THAT'S the one I was thinking of, too. I edited my main post.

 

PC version with mods. You get the best of both worlds. 60 FPS, high resolution and Mission Mode, along with Dreamcast's DLC, environments, lighting, and even the low-poly character models if you're a hardcore purist

 

Honestly, the only thing that you might miss out on if you don't play on Dreamcast or an emulator are the charming chao animations that appear on the VMU during gameplay. It's not a big deal though, so I'd go with the converted PC version.

 

So for the last 2 or 3 months I've been working on some Sonic Adventure analysis and retrospective videos...

And like you I had the same question. I knew the DC version is 'better' than the DX one... but in terms of accessibility the DX is just so much easier to get and run.

Now just because I'd heard a few people say it. I installed the Steam version of the game + the modloader and literally just picked it's default options.

It was like... playing literal magic. Even the basic recommended mods alone utterly transform the game into something unbelievable.

Treat DX like a car enthusiast would. You have the basic game, but then you bung the mod loader on it and pick the defaults to get it running.

Then it's just a case of picking and choosing different mods depending on the experience you like.

I've not played S.A. since the PS3 port, so I was expecting a rough experience on PC... But... Good God. With modloader it was like actual magic.

 

When you say PC version, you're talking about Steam right? Not the original PC version? I've got the original but it has the camera glitch. I've tried using MainMemory's (I think) mod for it, but I couldn't fix the glitch.

 

Read the page about the SADX mod installer. It converts the Steam version into the original PC version. https://sadxmodinstaller.unreliable.network/

 

Here's a good video showing both the improvements and downgrades from the SA2 cutscenes:



To me, the thing that stands out the most was how mangled Amy's model was. She always looked goofy to me, being more familiar with the GC version as a kid since I didn't play the DC one too much before the GC one released.

The lighting always looked really bad for Tails too, since his eyes are still bright, but everything else on him is very dark. He almost looks brown like in AoSTH.

Of course, these are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things compared to what happened to SADX, but definitely worthy of the cutscene revamp mod that fixed all of this.

 

Finally, someone besides me said it lol

 

It's even worse for her because her cutscene model always looked really bad to begin with. As a kid I always thought she looked like a monkey somehow.

 

I have two recommendations. First (to answer your question), do what others have suggested and use the PC version with SADX Mod Installer and the DC conversion mod. It really is the best of all worlds involved for reasons others have already stated.

Second, if you have your DC still even after the drive died, I'd get a DC drive emulator like a MODE or GDEmu. I believe every DC deserves a second lease on life. These devices replace the drive itself and load games from SD cards. I've done this myself and it has been great for me.

 

Make sure you give the proto version of Windy Valley a spin if you haven't yet, it's a real treat and way better than the final version imo

 

Might as well ask.

Does SA2 have it's equivilant of BetterSADX/Modloader?

P.S.

Highly recommend going into the codes section of S.A. 1 modloader and enabling No HUD. Really makes me wish all Sonic games had his option.

 

There is an easy to install modloader.

I consider the most crucial mods to be:

Fixed SFX Volume

Cutscene Revamp

Dreamcast Characters

This wiki lists a good, comprehensive list of other fixes, since there's no all-in-one Dreamcast restoration mod right now.

The level oddity patch is a good one that fixes issues in stages like White Jungle where an unused set of Green Forest objects were out of bounds, meaning there were more rings than you could collect, preventing a perfect ring bonus in that stage.

I also like the Amy eyeliner fix, since it makes her model look better:

The Cutscene Revamp mod has an option for this in the cutscenes, but this makes the in game model consistent with that.

There are others that have quality of life improvements that I like, such as the Hedge Panel mod, which tweaks lots of little gameplay related things with Sonic and Shadow.

I like using the Physics Swap mod, alongside the Super Hedgehogs mod to give Sonic and Shadow the Super form models, with the SADX Super Sonic physics from time to time. I like setting the mech characters to use Gamma's SA1 physics, as it makes their stages speedier and more fun.

 

By coincidence I've started using the SADX Mod Installer for the first time recently. Man... this is a wonderful way to revisit the game. You can get it looking like the Dreamcast version, but at 60fps, and with support for HD resolutions. The various mods included can be toggled on/off and some include a lot of settings to customize to your tastes. My current mods include the amazing Dreamcast restoration stuff, the bugfixes, post-game Super Sonic in levels, and a music swap for the crashed Egg Carrier to this close-to-unused theme. One of the mods I had on even restores bits of unused content, but some of that stuck out like a sore thumb to me so I turned a few of them off, haha.

I haven't revisited the Dreamcast version in over 15 years and this experience is reminding me of why I initially loved Sonic Adventure so much. Feels good to see the game done justice like this.