Let's be honest, how is development going along?

[Fred]

No, no, I disagree that the interior parts should even have the blue textures. Maybe a couple of them should, but on the whole I think most of them should look pretty much exactly like scenes from Act 1.

So does that mean I don't get to have my own opinion anymore? For the record, the part that was a quote of your post ended when the quote box closed, and after that I typed in something which came out of my own brain. Perhaps you got the two confused.

 

[MascaraSnake]

Who ever said you don't get to have your own opinion? Fawfulfan simply disagrees with you and states his own.

 

[Fred]

The "no, no" implies that I was just vetoing whatever he thought would be best, and that I had misinterpreted his opinion. I didn't, I just expanded on it.

 

[Fawfulfan]

Well, I apologize. I didn't mean to imply that your opinion is somehow less important than mine, and I certainly do not think that is the case. I merely meant to state my own opinion.

 

[JEV3]

Personally, I'd like to see some of RVZ2 take place outdoors, but use an ash motif to give it a little variety and not look like ACZ with lava. That said, I think that the displaced themes are a bigger problem than cases like Red Volcano Zone.

For example, we have three zones planned that will all use factory themes. ERZ, GEZ, and THZ, and while we have ways to make ERZ and GEZ stand out in the way they use them, THZ's gonna be a bit underwhelming as a factory stage because of that. We also have lava used in ERZ in some places, which puts pressure on us to make sure the use of lava in RVZ is still interesting without bringing in a bunch of factory junk. DCZ is going to be tough too, as I'm not sure what we're going to do to set it apart from CEZ.

Oddly enough, I think GEZ has more potential than DCZ or RVZ, at this stage. Of course, this is just my opinion at this time. Things will probably change throughout development like they always have.

 

[MascaraSnake]

We also have lava used in ERZ in some places, which puts pressure on us to make sure the use of lava in RVZ is still interesting without bringing in a bunch of factory junk.

I personally don't wanna see any more factory elements in RVZ than there are currently. As you already observed, factory theming is already borderline overused. RVZ1 needs expanding, there's no way you guys are ever gonna think of enough stuff for a volcano-themed RVZ2. Stick with the BMZ2, even if possibly combined with volcano theming, there are infinitely more possibilities that way. Also, why does DCZ need something to set it apart from CEZ? The only thing these two have in common are bricks.

 

[Fred]

Also, why does DCZ need something to set it apart from CEZ? The only thing these two have in common are bricks.

Gameplay, not graphics. CEZ already uses hanging gimmicks quite significantly, which are supposedly returning in DCZ so the player is eased into Black Eggman's missile controls. Apart from that and generic "factory" gimmicks, what other ideas do you have for a city themed stage?

 

[MascaraSnake]

Well, steering around a missile is something else that hanging on a swinging chain. And to be honest, I don't have any other gimmick ideas. How convenient that I don't have to think them up.

 

[SSNTails]

Originally, DCZ1 was going to be a persistent chase by Black Eggman ala Jet Stingray in MMX4. So the stage wouldn't last very long. Then act 2 would be in the sewers/subway/downtown with Black Eggman still pursuing you to the rooftops where the DCZ3 battle would take place.

 

[JEV3]

A fairly linear first act which transitions into a far more complex second act with structure-based design. This applies to THZ, CEZ, and DCZ.. except THZ also has factory stuff in the second act so its not just about the structures.

Anyway a few years ago I might have considered the cold/hot thing in RVZ2 to be an original and creative solution, even if its just copying what LRZ2 had done. However, after seeing it used extensively in both Mario Galaxies, I'm kinda tired of it. Ash looks like snow anyway, and we have slippery stuff in ACZ... so just having it go outdoors into a mountainous region now and again might be just enough.

I just need to finish that sky...

 

[BlazingPhoenix]

Waitwaitwait, you start the adventure during Spring/Summer, and then by the time you're at Red Volcano Zone, it's Winter?


Either that or you go across to the other side of Mobius.

You do realize that tall volcanos are usually really cold at the top, right? :|

 

[Knuckles MetalMind]

Well, I´m not a SRB2 developer, but there are still plenty of Sonic gimmicks that could be used for DCZ, just naming a few already existing ones in classic Sonic games:

* Seesaws are common in classic Sonic games, but they aren´t implemented in SRB2. Hardest part would be to make them look good in 3D, and how Sonic stands on it (as it´s technically a slope, although it wouldn´t need to be like this in SRB2 to work).

* Some kind of bumper. It would make Sonic constantly jump up below jumping max height.

* Some kind of platform with different core gameplay, like Marble Garden Zone on Sonic 3, screws in Metropolis from Sonic 2... Sonic stays on it and can move the platform while on it. Jumping makes you jump from it.

Some more platforming sections wouldn´t hurt too, there aren´t too much of them in SRB2 yet, and it would fit the city theme quite well. Players need some more platforming elements before getting to ERZ too. I don´t know, I believe thinking more gimmicks is easy (specially looking back at classic Sonic games) but implementing them is always hard. I personally was amazed about things like the chains in CEZ, I didn´t expect them on SRB2. Those are the little things that makes this fangame so special.

About Red Volcano, I personally think that both zones should be named the same. Beating RVZ1 to reach BMZ2 would be confusing. I love the idea of an ice/snow zone with some lava, if the interior parts of the levels keep the red theme it wouldn´t be confusing at all. Another way of doing it would be having some kind of different titlecard for RVZ2. You would start the level going up on the platform of Red Volcano 1, with the title card of Red Volcano Zone Act 2. Then you would get outside and the "Red Volcano" letters would switch to the "Blue Mountain" ones. That would be more of a surprise than a confusing change.

Just throwing some random thoughts at the topic.

 

[A Cat]

That may be cool. The name changer.

 

[kkc]

I think what you said is right they need to stop working on stuff like glitches and graphics that you cant notice but fix the huge thing finish unfinshed levels, make more levels because nothing makes sense.From gfz to thz makes sense,but there should be something in the middle of dsz and cez,and what about from a castle to a caynon should have some sorta of mine that sonic and co goes underground to escape the castle.Acz to rvz makes sense but what about blue mountain zone how does a volcano take you to space oughta be a hyper volcano to do that. What about dark city zone or doom ship zone add levels not fix glitches.

 

[ThunderNova]

^Making levels takes time, even if they mainly focus on just that. Add school starting (for my state, anyways) and other projects, and you barely have any time to do anything, let alone fix glitches.

Also, I don't see why you are complaining about transitions on this Sonic game when in Sonic 2, they went from a green and grassy hill to a chemical plant to old drained ruins to a casino course. It's not the transition that matters; it's the execution which is most important.

 

[MascaraSnake]

add levels not fix glitches.

How about both, like what they are doing right now? You might not notice it right now, but the devs are working on new levels. It just takes some time. It's been a year since the last version was released, that's not much time to make a whole bunch of new level. Also, fixing glitches doesn't interfere with making levels. Levels are made by the mappers, glitches and bugs are usually fixed by the coders. So just because bugs are fixed that doesn't mean progress on the maps is any slower.

 

[Josh]

It's been a year since the last version was released, that's not much time to make a whole bunch of new level.

Last release or beta because v2.0.6 came out in May.

 

[sphere]

fix the huge thing finish unfinshed levels, make more levels because nothing makes sense.From gfz to thz makes sense,but there should be something in the middle of dsz and cez,and what about from a castle to a caynon should have some sorta of mine that sonic and co goes underground to escape the castle.Acz to rvz makes sense but what about blue mountain zone how does a volcano take you to space oughta be a hyper volcano to do that. What about dark city zone or doom ship zone add levels

Logical transitions? In a Sonic game?

Last release or beta because v2.0.6 came out in May.

I think he meant 'major release' :P

 

[Kaysakado]

Logical transitions? In a Sonic game?

sonic 3 and knuckles bro

EDIT: Sonic 1 had them from Scrap Brain to Final Zone and Sonic 2 had them for Sky Chase to the Credits Sequence.

 

[sphere]

sonic 3 and knuckles bro

EDIT: Sonic 1 had them from Scrap Brain to Final Zone and Sonic 2 had them for Sky Chase to the Credits Sequence.

Okay, I worded my last reply incorrectly. What I meant to say is that it shouldn't be the main focus or reason of development, unlike what kkc thinks.