New Special Stages

It's too bad that SRB2 uses sprites instead of models (I know it's based off the Doom Legacy engine so you can), otherwise extra character NiGHTS forms would be simple. But I wouldn't mind having Super Sonic in Special Stages, just some yellow faces of Tails and Knuckles for the life icon would make a tiny bit more sense so that you can look down and go "Oh, I'll be Tails/Knuckles after this" just in case you've forgotten/used the map command. Just my little insert into this.
I hope that the special stages will have different strcutures depending on which stage.

Edit: Now that I think about it, would it be possible to have a character line in the S_SKIN that can specify which sprites to be used for NiGHTS (normal and drilling) which defaults to normal. I know this would probably be useless, but look at that Sol-Emerald WAD by Dr.Pepper, he replaced all the Super Sonic NiGHTS sprites with Burning Blaze so it's definitely possible. So it would be cool if you could choose NiGHTS sprites for certain characters if you wanted, but wasn't necessary.

Edit 2: Sort of like how you could have separate Super Transformation sprites (sonic.plr).

glaber said:

Besides, the current special stages still will be compatible when this version is up and running, right?

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Removing all compatibility for the old format would break so many addons that I don't think they'd be stupid enough to do it. In fact, there's already an "NSStage_Start" option that can be added in the MAINCFG (not sure if it does anything yet), so I assume it's just gonna stay there so you can decide via the MAINCFG which format you're gonna use.

Code for the NiGHTS special stages is and has been complete since 2.x. You could make your own custom series, if you wanted.

Here's an idea: Tails and Knuckles don't become Super Sonic in the special stages at all. Instead, they fly through the stage just like Super Sonic, with Tails using his flying sprites (frames U and V) and Knuckles using his gliding sprites (frames U and V as well.) When they drill, a sort of vibrating energy drill will surround them, but they won't actually spin, sort of like this:



For character WADs, the energy drill will appear automatically, unless specified using a Thing freeslot in the S_SKIN (perhaps a variable: DRIILITEM = 0 or something like that.) Their Special Stage flying sprites will be automatically set based on their ability: 1 (flying) and 2 (gliding) will use frames U and V, and everything else will use a cycle of the spinning frames (L, M, N, and O), or, if SUPERANIMS = 1, their moving superframes (W and X). That prevents character WAD designers from having to make seperate flying sprites for characters with abilities other than 1 or 2. So, basically it's this:

*The energy drill will appear while drilling automatically unless a Thing is used in its place, using the new command DRILLITEM.

*Tails and Knuckles will both use frames U and V for flying.

*For character WADs, the rules are like this: The character will use a cycle of frames L, M, N, and O for flying, unless their ability is 1 or 2, in which case they will use frames U and V, or SUPERANIMS = 1, in which case they will use frames W and X. SUPERANIMS overrides ability 1-2, since you're supposed to go super in the NiGHTS stages anyway, and it would make the most sense with the whole de-transforming-after-you-run-out-of-time thing.

So, how much sense does my idea make?

I already thought of that idea back when I was making the NiGHTS mode. I decided, 'no'.

Is there any particular reason why you disliked it?

Because it'd look half-assed?

Just making the Super Sonic sprite is very time consuming. Making one for all three characters would be killer.

SSNTails said:

Just making the Super Sonic sprite is very time consuming. Making one for all three characters would be killer.

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You cleaned up each rotated frame by hand after shrinking the high resolution picture, didn't you? That's kind of crazy.

Neo Chaotikal said:

You cleaned up each rotated frame by hand after shrinking the high resolution picture, didn't you? That's kind of crazy.

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Yes, I did. I rotated the larger image and then shrunk. Looks great, but takes forever.
Plus, I was planning on eventually drawing ALL of the Z-axis rotation angles (like regular sprites) for all of the rotation FRAMES...that takes not just forever, but FOREVER.

Then don't do the rest of the Z-axis angles? It's not like many people noticed that their missing anyway; the 2-D camera can only show so much. And as it's been said a billion times, Tails and Knuckles already have the frames in SRB2 riders right? If not we could just do something with the spring jump frames.

But as I said before, no Super Form discussion would be necessary if you guys just make Sonic normal in the Special Stages. No one really cares if he's just randomly floating somehow, they'll just think it's the effects of the Special Stage. Let the wadders get over it like they did with the 2.0 update, it's for the better anyways.