Alright, my previous post today got me to thinking about something I have put a lot of time into thinking about (is that even proper grammar?)
Sonic the Hedgehog was at one time the only character to challenge and occasionally defeat Mario at his own game. That is, games. Sonic's 2D glory days are sadly done. And his 3D outings haven't been good since 1999. Ouch.
So how do you make Sonic successful in 3D? Most would say you don't. It's impossible...right?
Wrong.
So how to make Sonic succeed in 3D:
STEP 1: CONTROL
Sonic should have two different modes of movement. Fisrt isslower, methodical, and jogging. This is so he can successfully navigate platforms and tight spaces where speed is not possible. The player uses the left thumb-stick to move this way. Second is fast, naturally, and is controlled with the right trigger, much in the same way as a racing game. This frees the left thumb stick for more controlled and tighter, easier turns. Also, the left trigger will work much in the same way as a break; in 90 degree turns, squeeze this trigger and Sonic will drift into the turn.
With this new control scheme, there will be no boost pads. Sonic will boost naturally depending on the speed desired by the player. Hitting a select button (the O on the PS3 and B on the 360) will cause Sonic to burst forward. So, combining the trigger speed controls with the boost button, a typical scene would appear like this: Sonic is racing forward at full speed when the player comes upon a 90 degree turn; releasing the right trigger and tap squeeze the left trigger puts Sonic into a drift slide into the turn (yes, the player will press the Thumb stick in the the direction Sonic is sliding). Once Sonic is on the middle of the road the turn moves into, the player taps the Burst button to shoot Sonic forward and into running speed.
STEP 2: CAMERA
Simple: The camera is no longer free flowing by default. It is fixed to a point close to Sonic's head and allows the player the best possible view of the road ahead. Any treaures or power up boxes will be lit with a light color that will allow the player to react if noticed. The camera can be changed to other views, much like a racing game.
STEP 3: LEVEL DESIGN
Levels in Sonic should feel natural, and have the same aesthetic as the old 2D Sonic games. This provides a sense of familiarity and character not seen in a Sonic game since Sonic & Knuckles. The levels should also be vast, wide open in many places, and several different paths to reach the goal. Each Zone will be broken up into two acts, and each act will have a boss, with ROBOTNIK as the 2nd act boss for each Zone, minus the final Zone, where he would be the 3rd act boss. Loops and corkscrews would be plentiful.
An example of the paths in the acts would be like this: Zone 1, Act 1 would feature 3 paths, a middle above ground, lower and below ground, and upper in the air. The lower path involves more traps, spikes, and crushing pillars, but also more bonuses such as power-ups, rings, and extra-lives. The above ground middle level is more for high speed, and features a moderate amount of bonuses and traps. The upper level is platforming, feature more enemies, but fewer traps and a decent amount of bonuses, but mainly a point scoring, treacherous path.
STEP 4: CHARACTERS
There should only be three playable characters at the start, each representing a difficulty level. Tails is for beginners and is the easiest difficulty, then Sonic at moderate difficulty, and Knuckles at the hardest difficulty. Each also moves fast, but has their own special abilities. Tails can fly, and is more suited for the upper paths of select Zones, Sonic is blazingly fast and can home in on targets, and Knuckles can break armored enemies, glide across chasms, and has the most ways to deal with enemies. Certain unlockable characters such as Shadow at the hardest difficulty for example, would be fine rewards.
STEP 5: GAME MODES
Easy, a lengthy single player campaign and various multiplayer race modes and cooperative campaign. The single player campaign should at least last 11 Zones, and take at least 11 hours to beat the game entirely (all three difficulty levels at 10 minutes an act on average, if each Zone was 2 acts (the final 3rd Zone Act 3 would be the final Boss). Each Zone should be distinct and offer distinct challenges and rewards. After completion time attack, enemy attack, and boss modes open up for the player. Multiplayer is battle, race, and coop campaign.
STEP 6: MUSIC
No more punk rock. No more 80's singers and cheesy lyrics. More synthesizer and cool piano tunes; a return to the early 90's R&B, pop synth, Michael Jackson, and JPOP that influenced Sonic music before. For ideas of what this sounds like, listen to music from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 2. Each level should have fun music, not necessarily music that is themed or head banging.
STEP 7: ENEMIES
The enemies need personality. Enough with the modern robots; more bug eyed Buzz Bombers and Caterkillers from the olden days. The enemies need as much personality as Sonic. They shouldn't look threatening like the Terminator, but easily identified as the bad guys. Act 1 bosses need to provide decent challenge, but serve mainly as a setup for Act 2 and 3 bosses, which should be suitably large and tricky to defeat. The final boss should be a doomsday machine type boss ala Sonic & Knuckles where the player faces off against the entire machine, such as Sonic 2.
STEP 8: WRAP UP
The final product should have an aesthetic similar to the hayday of Sonic, so it would be acceptable to recreat certain levels, such as Emerald Hill, Ice Cap, Lava Reef, and the Death Egg. Enemies such as Silver Sonic, featured in Sonic 2, could make a comeback. Plus, the theme song should be music you can hum. Oh...and bring back the old power ups such as water shield, where the player will be impervious to projectiles like bullets, but also have specific weaknesses and strengths like in Sonic 3.
So far, that is what I have to build a better Sonic. Inspired a great deal by racing games and how to keep an older franchise relavent: Go back to what made you good in the first place while innovating and forging ahead into new frontiers.
11/14/ 2009.
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