This thread is as good as any to talk about these questions.
I think we actually have answered most of these, but here ya go:As you can see, these are the kind of questions that will satisfy everyone's want for information without spoiling anything. I don't see why you wouldn't want to answer them.
No, they have not. CEZ3's boss is currently in the works.Have any of the upcoming bosses been programmed, are any of them currently being programmed, or has nobody done anything on that yet?
Fixing path balance is actually kinda hard. Personally I'm a little more concerned with more dramatic imbalances, such as ERZ1. We do know about these problems, but I admit they're a little low on the to-do list.Will somebody fix the imbalance of the paths in the last half of THZ2? (This is sort of my "personal question" that has little to do with the actual progress on the game. I just wonder if anybody thought about fixing it.)
The cannon room in CEZ2 was completely reworked and plays nothing like the original. Everything that was after the cannon room on that path is gone, so the RedXVI secret room and the floating block room were deleted. Most all of the rest of the stuff in CEZ is still there, albeit the crappier parts have been reworked to not be as crappy.It would hurt nobody if you told us what sort of content is going to be cut from CEZ, although I do understand that you kinda don't want to spoil what kind of content you added.
There are multiple started versions of ACZ2, but none of them go very far. Nobody is working on it currently.How much of ACZ2 is finished and is anybody even working on it?
The plan is to expand it, but not significantly. As with ACZ2, nobody is currently working on this.Will RVZ1 be expanded or not?
Volcano.What theme will RVZ2 have? Ice or volcano or both?
I dunno. I haven't even thought about it, but it's likely DCZ will never get done, so eventually we're going to need to come up with a solution for this problem.Will ERZ3 keep Brak Eggman as its boss as long as DCZ isn't done?
We have three completed special stages, and a fourth half-completed. There are also two more stages that need to be reworked to set them up properly to be used as a special stage. They work by simply spawning the player directly in Nights mode (no jumping onto the temple), and otherwise operate as you would expect. If you run out of time you fall, get hit, and are kicked out of the special stage. They are themed based on the normal single player stages.How far is progress on the special stages? More importantly, how are they gonna be organized? One special stage for each zone (themed after that zone) or the same format as what we currently have (only with NiGHTS)?
..Does that mean Blue Mountain zone is going to be trashed?Volcano.
It's not that hard in this case. The problem is mainly the huge gap that leads down to the button and the excruciatingly slow elevator that goes back up. If you removed those and put the button in a more convenient location, the problem would most likely be solved.Fixing path balance is actually kinda hard.
Oh yeah, I totally forgot to ask about ERZ1. Then again, I think someone already said that ERZ1 is unfinished.Personally I'm a little more concerned with more dramatic imbalances, such as ERZ1.
If they're themed after the single player stages, does that mean that you can only access each stage from the zone that it's themed after? Or would you be theoretically able to enter the GFZ special stage from ERZ?We have three completed special stages, and a fourth half-completed. There are also two more stages that need to be reworked to set them up properly to be used as a special stage. They work by simply spawning the player directly in Nights mode (no jumping onto the temple), and otherwise operate as you would expect. If you run out of time you fall, get hit, and are kicked out of the special stage. They are themed based on the normal single player stages.
Well, duh...Does that mean Blue Mountain zone is going to be trashed?
I'm probably thinking the latter, what would the point of collecting emeralds if you miss one in x stage and not be able to collect it?If they're themed after the single player stages, does that mean that you can only access each stage from the zone that it's themed after? Or would you be theoretically able to enter the GFZ special stage from ERZ?
-.-Well, duh.
The entry method remains unchanged and enter whatever special stage the next uncollected emerald is. The only difference is that they're themed based on zones instead of colors. This is more to make the levels look more interesting than our previous special stages have, since NiGHTS mode involves flying around open rooms.If they're themed after the single player stages, does that mean that you can only access each stage from the zone that it's themed after? Or would you be theoretically able to enter the GFZ special stage from ERZ?
One of the huge differences in the new numbering scheme is that we don't know the answer to that question. If a major bug comes up that needs to be patched (such as a massive netplay exploit), we may have a 2.0.7. We may not. Honestly, it's only a name anyways, to help you understand what is a major change and what is not.Is it true that the next version will be 2.1 (or in other words, that there will be no 2.0.7)?
Well, we can finish the game with what we have. Again, does this mean that huge modifications aren't possible? Of course not, but only if one of our coders is bored and has a strong interest in it.Is it true that the engine is pretty much complete aside from bugfixes and new features used in new levels?
Probably. We might determine it's not necessary. Part of the problem with making statements like this is that when things haven't been done, we might determine there's a better way to get what we want. Instead, I'll outline what we want: a better way to have certain mechanics explained to the player, especially the spindash mechanics. We may do the modifications in GFZ, or we may decide it's better to do the modifications elsewhere in the early game. Honestly, I don't know. The current plan is to do it to GFZ1.Is it true that there will be a few modifications to GFZ1 to make it more suited as an introduction level?
We're going to try it. Whether or not it works out kinda depends on how it looks.Is it true that a larger version of GFZROCK will be used on some large walls in GFZ2?
I'd like to. Other things are more important, though.Is it true that ERZ1 will be expanded?
Not saying a word on what, if anything, is planned beyond ERZ.Is it true that a Super Sonic exclusive level named Final Fight is eventually supposed to be made?
Nobody is working on it right now if that's what you mean. Some of the higher resolution sprites have been made, but again, the main game takes priority.Is it true that coding the bosses for the SRB1 Remake is not a priority?
Yes. Multiplayer stages will use extended map numbers. This is to allow us to have more than 10 maps in the rotation.Is it true that the multiplayer levels will use the map slots the OLDC currently uses?
Again, planned, but not implemented. This has actually been in the plan since the game was originally designed way back in 1998.Is it true that the shield sprites are eventually supposed to be distinct from each other instead of colored orbs?
Now, see, here is the big one I can't answer. The reason is that we legitimately don't know what will be in 2.1. All 2.1 is is a version number. Part of the idea of resetting our version numbers was to make it so that we don't ever end up in the weird limbo we ended up in with "Final Demo". I won't say what 2.1 will include as far as single player content because I don't know, and I won't know until we're at a point where we're actually starting to box things up for release. There is a list of things we'd LIKE to include, but obviously that list isn't necessarily the list of things that WILL be included, and therefore I'd rather not spill all the beans here to say what is and isn't going to make the cut, because the last thing I want to do is say X is going to be included where X is something a segment of our audience really wants to see, and then disappoint them when X doesn't make the cut.Oh, and then another one, which I asked myself today (you might not want to answer this one): 2.1 will obviously include a finished CEZ. Will it also include a finished ACZ and RVZ, and am I right by assuming that it will not include DCZ and GEZ? Put more simply, what is slated for 2.1 and what will be done sometime later?
My original post added something like "unless there's a critical bug that needs to be fixed", but then I lost it and rewrote the whole thing. That's exactly what I expected you to say.One of the huge differences in the new numbering scheme is that we don't know the answer to that question. If a major bug comes up that needs to be patched (such as a massive netplay exploit), we may have a 2.0.7. We may not. Honestly, it's only a name anyways, to help you understand what is a major change and what is not.
Also what I expected, thanks.Well, we can finish the game with what we have. Again, does this mean that huge modifications aren't possible? Of course not, but only if one of our coders is bored and has a strong interest in it.
Huh, really? I always thought those modifications had already been made...Probably. We might determine it's not necessary. Part of the problem with making statements like this is that when things haven't been done, we might determine there's a better way to get what we want. Instead, I'll outline what we want: a better way to have certain mechanics explained to the player, especially the spindash mechanics. We may do the modifications in GFZ, or we may decide it's better to do the modifications elsewhere in the early game. Honestly, I don't know. The current plan is to do it to GFZ1.
I'm pretty sure you were the one that originally mentioned Final Fight Zone, although I can't seem to find the post where you did. Well, whatever...Not saying a word on what, if anything, is planned beyond ERZ.