Classic 2D Sonic has a "Camera" Problem

When I say that classic Sonic games have a "camera problem," I mean that the field of vision is far too low for games designed around high speed platforming. Sonic 1, CD, 2, and 3&K are excused due to the limitations of the day. This argument mainly applies to Mania, and any potential classic Sonic games going forward.

As someone who grew up on S3&K, the field of view wasn't an issue for me at the time and is something I've learned to adapt to, as I'm sure most of us here have. However, when you compare Sonic Mania to other modern platforming games, I argue Mania stands out as the most unwieldy in terms of being able to pick up and play with a real sense of flow.

This is not a critique of Mania's level design, art, or animation, since Mania excels in all of these aspects. This is a critique of Mania's outdated field of view or "camera" when it comes to the amount of screen filled up by the playable character vs. what you can see in the level.

To demonstrate, I've grabbed a 1280 x 720 screenshot of a standard moment from the games Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Maker, Rayman Legends, & Cave Story. I've roughly measured out the size of the characters on screen vs. the screen space dedicated to the level by dividing the 1280 width and 720 height by the pixel count for the width and height of the playable character. Comparing Sonic to these other modern platformers, Sonic in Mania takes up more screen space than any other playable character. After the picture I have the math. If you don't like that I didn't include Diddy Kong's tail in Donkey Kong's character size I apologize. :specialed:



Sonic Mania's screen is:
13.61 times wider than character
6.67 times taller than character

DKCTF's screen is:
16.84 times wider than character
6.86 times taller than character

Mario Maker's screen is:
23.70 times wider than character
7.13 times taller than character

Rayman Legends' screen is:
22.86 times wider than character
13.33 times taller than character

Cave Story's Screen is:
24.62 times wider than character
14.4 times taller than character

These measurements are of course approximations, but I think they're close enough to make the point, and the differences are clear on their own just with the screenshots. In my opinion, all these other games are friendlier and fairer on the player than Sonic Mania due to the larger screen space dedicated to being able to see what's coming down the road. In addition, these other games aren't as fast, further improving a player's ability to react without having to memorize level layouts and enemy placements.

Sonic's 2D camera should not continue to be restricted by Genesis-era tradition. Games like Terraria, a 16-bit ish game, allow the player to scale the visuals however they'd like. You can max out the screen and make your character a small spec in the game world, or zoom super far in if that's your thing.

Future 2D Sonic titles drastically need an option to zoom out the camera. This would improve the experience for new players and allow experienced ones to play based on reaction time, rather than memorization.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

 

Fair to disagree! Even if you think the camera is fine, I'd still argue zooming the camera out would at least improve the experience. Sonic Mania's excellent level design is hindered by how limited the field of view is. During my first playthrough of Mania, I found it was somewhat difficult to tell where I was going until I got there. If the camera was 2x farther out, I think the whole experience would be improved.

 

I think for a customizable camera, during boss fights, the camera could dynamically zoom to the distance designed for the fight. Since boss fights have far less emphasis on platforming, I think it'd be fine to take control away from the player for the benefit of the fight.

For secret areas, I'd imagine they would just need to be hidden outside the range of the maximum camera zoom. This would involve an adjustment in the usual way secret areas are designed, but I think it's possible.

 

With an option to adjust the camera, "hardcore players" could still keep the original camera positioning if that's their jam. Giving players the option to zoom out just makes the game more accessible and doesn't take anything away from those already satisfied.

 

This is a great point, I totally forgot that Generations featured this! I played the classic levels back when the game came out but didn't really revisit them due to the somewhat un-fun physics.

The camera perspective in those screenshots is definitely more in line with what I had in mind for potentially improving the field of view in 2D Sonic games. However, like you point out, the camera in Generations was designed around a more cinematic 3D level layout. Generations' classic levels are more straightforward and scripted than the open, exploratory design of Mania. I think the dynamic camera in Generations was largely used to show off certain set pieces and 2.5D shenanigans.

With this is mind, I don't think a dynamic camera during standard platforming tied to specific level moments like in Generations would be appropriate for a Mania styled 2D game. However, a different dynamic approach could be useful.

Maybe a dynamic camera based around the players speed could be implemented? Like if you are moving slowly in a tight platforming section, the camera could position itself close to Sonic, but once you reach a certain speed threshold the camera dynamically zooms out. I'd image this might be disorienting after hitting a spring or spin dashing, but maybe it could be done in a smooth way.

I think the option to have a static zoomed out perspective would be great, but I could see a dynamic camera working based on the player's speed as long as the motion of the camera is fine-tuned to avoid quick and confusing perspective changes.

 

That's just it though, a lot of us here probably have a biased view of the 2D camera because we've been playing 2D Sonic titles for literal decades. I didn't realize that the field of view in 2D Sonic games could be an issue until I tried playing Mania with some friends who had never played a Sonic game before. They struggled to balance the speed of the game with how limited the field of view is. Then, I got into a bunch of other platformers like Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Rayman Legends, and Mario Maker, and the field of view in those games significantly improves the experience in my opinion.

Assuming we get any other 2D Sonic titles, there's really no reason to limit the field of view to the default Genesis camera other than for nostalgia points.

And this isn't an issue limited to Sonic, it'd be great if more 2D platformers allowed camera customization for accessibility, but it usually isn't an issue in other games because most characters have a set speed. The issue is particularly prevalent in Sonic games due to the unusual speed and the more limited field of view when compared with other platformers.

I think a good comparison to my point is with 3D racing games due to an emphasis on maintaining speed as a reward for performing well. Most driving games allow for a number of camera options suited to player preference. The goal is to drive fast, and it's significantly harder to do if you can't see where you're going, so driving games have incorporated overhead cameras, far back cameras, cameras from the car's perspective, and others to ensure the player has options to perform well. I argue 2D Sonic games should have similar options.

Also it's true 3D Sonic games have troubling cameras, but that's a whole different issue.

I didn't know Freedom Planet 2 will be including that as an option, that's great!

And you're right, zooming the camera out would diminish the feeling of speed, I don't think there's any way to help with that. However, that's not something that would bother me. I'd rather have a greater field of view than a greater sense of speed based on forced perspective. Some would disagree though, and that's totally fair. The option to either zoom the camera out to a static position or use a dynamically zooming camera would absolutely need to be an option. If you want to play with a Genesis style field of view, more power to you, any future games should allow this. I only argue that the option to zoom out is necessary for improving accessibility for any future titles.