Damizean’s 2.5D Engine Should Get Big Boost
There may be hope to see something close to last week’s Mushroom Hill recreation in playable form after all.
Joining up with Sonic Retro, Robert Medina, the creator of the video, said Sunday he will donate the Sonic model used in the visual masterpiece to Damizean, with the intent of using it for his new 2.5D creation, the Egg Engine.
“I’ve been chatting a bit to Damizean, and I’ll most likely be donating my Sonic model/animation to his cause, but that’s probably about where my involvement will end,” Medina said. “His engine is very promising, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.”
For those unaware, the Egg Engine saw its first video release last week. Still in the early stages, it most closely aligns itself with Sonic Unleashed in style, with physics similar to the original classics. Particle effects are included, as are the core of Sonic’s moves–jumping, braking, and the spin dash. That video is available for your review below.
This particular development is exciting, especially for those who long to see Medina’s Mushroom Hill in a playable form. Though he may just be donating the model, it offers the groundwork for Egg Engine development to continue at full speed. We’ll let you know of any further developments on this front.
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I’m not VocieofReason. He’s not the only one who only likes the old style of Sonic games. Besides that I’m the deviantart ID carjackosama and people know me.
Don’t make this an ego war. I’ve been keeping up with Sonic fans for years and I know exactly what every major subset of the fandom asks from SEGA.
You’ll block out any other viewpoint than the Sonic Team worshipers, but since you’re attacking my ID I’m going to bore you with a long detailed rant about why you’re wrong:
Oldschoolers want the old toon/anime style Sonic, his friends, (silent, operatic) story and world. Gameplay wise they want pinball mechanics, speed and complex, adventurous platforming all bundled into one in a new game with new content. Back in 2008 and 2009 they specifically said they want new content and that’s the very reason they ask for anything, they already played the old games to death.
Newschoolers want focus on whatever character they worship, epic cinematic plots, Sonic Adventure style mechanics, speed and platforming.
The cartoon fans just want their cartoons.
Sonic Team and DIMPS are both stationed in Japan. They don’t hear that much directly from the fans in the Americas and Europe and don’t understand them like, say, the SEGA of America PR team. Even if they did, they’re the guys who replaced Yasuhara, Naka and Ohshima. They have too much invested mentally in their vision of Sonic.
Their Sonic is a slim teen hip hop looking dude who grins constantly, runs, does tricks, talks about the powah of teamwork, etc.
Oldschool Sonic has strong expressions and an edge to him but he’s slightly cute looking because he’s a woodland animal that rolls up in a ball all the time and has cutesy animal friends.
Their Sonic runs and does scripted tricks.
Oldschool Sonic runs and does precise, pinballslashparkour.
Now lets go on to Sonic 4:
In America, the PR team knew what the fans want and advertised it with Sonic 1 imagery and oldschool Sonic movement patterns.
In Japan, Takashi Iizuka decided to make a 2D Sonic game, so he wrote up a plan and sent it to DIMPS. DIMPS used their experience with the newschool Advance and Rush series.
They used their usual mechanics which are built for running, grinding, homing, etc, designed the levels and most of the other work. Yuji Uekawa (who redesigned Sonic in 1998) oversaw character design. Jun Senoue made the music on a synthesizer with drum samples because he doesn’t know how to use an emulator for Genesis sounds.
Iizuka never directed a 2D Sonic game like Yasuhara or Naka and didn’t pass on the knowledge that made those games good. He was a level designer for Sonic 3, worked under Yasuhara and got promoted to producer and game planner.
The game was going to be modern Sonic, his gameplay physics and his moves. You can’t have the homing attack everywhere with a big crosshair and use the pinball mechanics at the same time. They’re exclusive of each other, both together is confusing and redundant.
So the levels were designed with homing attack chains instead of trampolines and seesaws. Star springs instead of the ones you jump onto. Grind rail style zip lines that plant you at the right end instead of letting you swing on them like in Angel Island Zone, etc. Even in the later stages the gimmicks are right out of Advance and the level design is dumbed down.
The art style is way different too, and yes it matters. You need that escapist fantasy to feel like you’re doing something and getting somewhere or it’s an arcade game and not adventure/platformer.
The plot has Sonic ditch his friends like in all the 3D games and randomly explore some unnamed place. This kicks the whole Genesis era in the balls.
From Sonic 1, Sonic was fighting to save a named place like South Island, with symbolic plot elements and items like the chaos emeralds. From Sonic 2 Tails was supposed to be the number 2 character and the permanent sidekick to Sonic, not “hey Sonic, long time no see *gets in airplane, goes to destination and disappears*”.
Iizuka’s plan was for either episode 1 or the whole game to be a nostalgia trip, like you’re doing the same things again.
It’s not a sequel. It’s a revisiting of the old without what made it great. It’s a spin off like Sonic Chaos or Rush.
It won’t shut the oldschoolers up because it’s not what they asked for and there are seven or eight newschool Sonic sidescrollers already.
Sonic *Advance* 4
Ok im going to respond to your argument only beacuse you seem more levelheaded and competent than voicefullofreason.
“He’s not the only one who only likes the old style of Sonic games. Besides that I’m the deviantart ID carjackosama and people know me.”
-Sorry its just that you people sound alike.
“Don’t make this an ego war.”
-I didnt, he did, critisicing people’s taste and saying how right he his, and all that good stuff.
“Their Sonic is a slim teen hip hop looking dude who grins”
-I hope you realize his character has calmed down considerably since Heroes, hes mostly laid back now.
“runs,”
-Well that IS his main ablilty :/
“does tricks, talks about the powah of teamwork, etc.”
-You mean in that one game? That was all about teamwork in the first place?
“Oldschool Sonic has strong expressions and an edge to him”
-Which I admit fits perfectly in a game where he cannot talk, expressions was all he had. (Im mean think about it, in all the cartoons he never shuts up).
“but he’s slightly cute looking because he’s a woodland animal that rolls up in a ball all the time and has cutesy animal friends.”
-Yes but cute is subjective, but then again, most people would agree.
“In America, the PR team knew what the fans want and advertised it with Sonic 1 imagery and oldschool Sonic movement patterns.”
-Which they have been trying to accomplish since day 1.
“Grind rail style zip lines that plant you at the right end instead of letting you swing on them like in Angel Island Zone, etc.”
-Seems to me both zip lines are the same, clearly depended on the spped you built up before hand.
“Even in the later stages the gimmicks are right out of Advance and the level design is dumbed down.”
-Considering they are still working on the game and weve seen bits and peices of the stages at best.
“The art style is way different too, and yes it matters. You need that escapist fantasy to feel like you’re doing something and getting somewhere or it’s an arcade game and not adventure/platformer.”
-Its diffrent but people at least have knowledge to know its still Sonic, and apply that knowledge acordingly
“It’s not a sequel. It’s a revisiting of the old without what made it great. It’s a spin off like Sonic Chaos or Rush.”
-Other than being 2D Sonic Rush is nothing like the classics and was never meant to be, it has its own very diffrent style.
“It won’t shut the oldschoolers up because it’s not what they asked for and there are seven or eight newschool Sonic sidescrollers already.”
-Everything was designed with the intention of being classic, all the gimmicks you mentioned where them trying to bring in new concepts to the classic formula, in order to make it fresh
Sonic *whatever the hell anyone makes it out to be* 4
“-Well that IS his main ablilty :/”
Focusing on just running is boring.
Focusing on running with homing attack style button mashing maneuvers is fun for about four hours and then boring.
When he’s actually good, Sonic runs, sprints, bounds, jumps, grabs and swings on things, rolls into a ball, and launches himself places by rolling to build up momentum.
When he has pinball mechanics, he gains infinite replay value and a unique gameplay style. You can do harrowing maneuvers with extreme precision at almost any speed with no scripted hand holding. It doesn’t matter if there are a few places to climb or break momentum for variety as long as Sonic’s core gameplay allows this:
“-I didnt, he did, critisicing people’s taste and saying how right he his, and all that good stuff.”
But he’s right. There is some level where there’s an objective good taste.
Liking something mindless like the Teletubbies over Wagnerian opera is not becoming of any sane human.
“-I hope you realize his character has calmed down considerably since Heroes, hes mostly laid back now.”
He wasn’t supposed to be laid back. I don’t want him so laid back he leans on his rear leg with his pelvis thrust forward with a never ending shit eating grin.
Just look at this failure: http://imgur.com/FeQgz.png
The problem is Sonic had an almost perfect art style and that was very entrenched in the identity of the old games.
The Adventure redesign made the characters all hip hopified, and that stuff was a passing fad that always looked stupid.
Sonic CD and Sonic the Movie nailed it. His character was dynamic and he could almost be a real person if not for doing the impossible every two seconds. Having a voice in cartoons didn’t stop his expressions from being good.
“-Seems to me both zip lines are the same, clearly depended on the spped you built up before hand.”
Angel Island’s zip line wasn’t just an obstacle course zip line. It was a swing.
You swing on the end of it and time your release to launch yourself in any given direction.
The Splash Hill zip lines from what I see don’t really have much momentum. You go a fairly consistent speed down them and then you’re just at the end. Old Sonic games were filled to the brim with good platforming gimmicks that put Advance/Sonic 4 to shame.
“-Considering they are still working on the game and weve seen bits and peices of the stages at best.”
I’ve played all the Genesis games and some of the 8-bit games and fangames. I’ve tried all the major Sonic moves. It’s easy to tell when a level was designed by Yasuhara and his team vs. when pinball mechanics were barely considered.
And who cares about torch carrying and (all these other new gimmicks that miss the point equally well) when the game has shitty level design?
“-Its diffrent but people at least have knowledge to know its still Sonic, and apply that knowledge acordingly”
It’s inferior to what it replaced.
“-Other than being 2D Sonic Rush is nothing like the classics and was never meant to be, it has its own very diffrent style.”
Sonic Rush is a spin off. It doesn’t follow logically from the Genesis series and doesn’t pretend to. It stands on its own merits.
“-Everything was designed with the intention of being classic, all the gimmicks you mentioned where them trying to bring in new concepts to the classic formula, in order to make it fresh”
Maybe they should have studied the classics more in between making their fighting games.
I’m never going to be interested in a “newschool” Sonic game in oldschool nostalgic wrapper. I got into it in 2008 and am not blinded by nostalgia or some long held desire for a new game with a 4 in its name. Fangames are better.
Nice job pointing out how full of shit Buttsore is
Though sadly this will all go over his head since his only interest is to worship Sega and continue to mistakenly believe how perfect they are.
Oh well, some people just prefer to be part of the problem, it can’t be helped
Golly. Sonic fans can be so argumentative. Can we at least try to go through one argument without insulting anyone for dis/liking anything you don’t?
“Nice job pointing out how full of shit Buttsore is”
-The only one full of shit is you voicefullofshit
“Though sadly this will all go over his head since his only interest is to worship Sega and continue to mistakenly believe how perfect they are.”
-Wow, you dont fucking get it do you? Just beacuse I dont despise them with every fiber of my being dosent mean I think thier perfect, there you go using fucking extremes yet again like an idiot.
“Oh well, some people just prefer to be part of the problem”
-Its a fucking video game, let me enjoy it damn it.
@Crysore:
Y’know, mon, while VoiceOfReason’s overall attitude is less than stellar (to say the least), insulting him doesn’t exactly cast you in a positive light, either. Just sayin’.
^OK then, ill stop now