Do you think Sonic Coulors Ultimate will save the Sonic Franchise?

[Chezi]

Putting fans in charge of official game development is a heavily risky investment. Making a 2D game like Mania is one thing, but handing off production of a large scale 3D title to fans is heavily unlikely, if such a thing were to go wrong it could heavily damage the reputation of the overall franchise, and as such cut into it's profitability long term. Making such a thing is a heavily complicated endeavor.

Most fan games are composed largely of re-used assets. It's not very often a 3D fan game appears made entirely of original assets that can at all compare to the quality of assets made by a proper team of professionals. I love the idea of fan games acting as inspiration for official devs to draw from to improve their products, but going so far as to hand over the responsibility of making a full scale large budget game to fans would be a heavily risky and reckless endeavor.

It's much more sensible, at least in my eyes, to hire talented fan game devs (Emphasis on talented, not someone who plops a model into Unreal Engine and turns up bloom) to work alongside the other professionals.

Not only that, but the whole "Sega hire this man" mentality is just really really stupid. One of the main reasons people make fangames is to practice game development. Sure, STJr seems like they spend their free time working on SRB2, but they are also working on their own games. Snap the Sentinel is a great example of this because Sev was able to use what he learned making SRB2 to make his own unique game, which he is allowed to profit off of. Another great example is Toby Fox. He started off with the Earthbound Halloween Hack and then used lessons learned there to make Undertale, which has made him a hell of a lot of money as well as given the opportunity to compose two songs for Nintendo

 

[Icarus]

Putting fans in charge of official game development is a heavily risky investment. Making a 2D game like Mania is one thing, but handing off production of a large scale 3D title to fans is heavily unlikely, if such a thing were to go wrong it could heavily damage the reputation of the overall franchise, and as such cut into it's profitability long term. Making such a thing is a heavily complicated endeavor.

Most fan games are composed largely of re-used assets. It's not very often a 3D fan game appears made entirely of original assets that can at all compare to the quality of assets made by a proper team of professionals. I love the idea of fan games acting as inspiration for official devs to draw from to improve their products, but going so far as to hand over the responsibility of making a full scale large budget game to fans would be a heavily risky and reckless endeavor.

It's much more sensible, at least in my eyes, to hire talented fan game devs (Emphasis on talented, not someone who plops a model into Unreal Engine and turns up bloom) to work alongside the other professionals.

Maybe, Sonic Omen is kinda flawed as a fangame and making a AAA-like one would require a lot of work.

But on the other hand fans have put more love and effort than those who made Forces..

Post automatically merged: May 9, 2021

Not only that, but the whole "Sega hire this man" mentality is just really really stupid. One of the main reasons people make fangames is to practice game development. Sure, STJr seems like they spend their free time working on SRB2, but they are also working on their own games. Snap the Sentinel is a great example of this because Sev was able to use what he learned making SRB2 to make his own unique game, which he is allowed to profit off of. Another great example is Toby Fox. He started off with the Earthbound Halloween Hack and then used lessons learned there to make Undertale, which has made him a hell of a lot of money as well as given the opportunity to compose two songs for Nintendo

I'd say that Nintendo is a special case because they're more protective for their IPs... this is why most Nintendo-inspired games are unique IPs or fangames that gets C&D.

PS: I wish I could put both replies but the system doesn't allow me to cut/paste my first reply.

 

[Mr Kixx Reborn]

Adding Fans to the Team Is a risky thing to do, SEGA is a big company already on it's own and while it is nice that we have fans who can make thing like Omens, World, hell even SRB2, it just dosen't feel right. SEGA already has new writers and developers, I'm pretty sure whatever they will give us will be fine without fans helping develop the game.

SEGA has their own choice of direction and what they want to do with the Sonic Franchise as a whole, whatever choice they make will be the outcome of what happens next, nothing that we can decide about it.

 

[Icarus]

Adding Fans to the Team Is a risky thing to do, SEGA is a big company already on it's own and while it is nice that we have fans who can make thing like Omens, World, hell even SRB2, it just doesn't feel right. SEGA already has new writers and developers, I'm pretty sure whatever they will give us will be fine without fans helping develop the game.

SEGA has their own choice of direction and what they want to do with the Sonic Franchise as a whole, whatever choice they make will be the outcome of what happens next, nothing that we can decide about it.

Having new writers is nice but scenario shouldn't be the top priority in a Sonic game.

Many of the competent level designers are already gone and Forces only had two rookies for it.

I still think that Iizuka should stop directing the series.

 

[Darknik]

I still think that Iizuka should stop directing the series.

The blame for the decline of sonic is not Iizuka or the Sonic team, it is the fault of sega and their bad decisions over the years many people always blame the sonic team but Sega is the one who sets the budget and it is Sega who chooses the delivery times, not the Sonic team or Iizuka.

 

[Mr Kixx Reborn]

The blame for the decline of sonic is not Iizuka or the Sonic team, it is the fault of sega and their bad decisions over the years many people always blame the sonic team but Sega is the one who sets the budget and it is Sega who chooses the delivery times, not the Sonic team or Iizuka.

Well sort of, since Sega did rush sonic team when they were doing 06, but that dosen't mean that Sonic Team also makes it's mistakes as well

 

[Axolex53]

Well... If the Remaster goes well and they improve at the level design and so many things, it may be a good start for future projects

 

[Darknik]

Well sort of, since Sega did rush sonic team when they were doing 06, but that dosen't mean that Sonic Team also makes it's mistakes as well

I know that and is not what I wanted to say, what I wanted to express is that everyone blames the sonic team as if they were the only ones responsible for Sonic's current situation when the most responsible is sega I do not deny that the sonic team makes mistakes

 

[Mr Kixx Reborn]

Well... If the Remaster goes well and they improve at the level design and so many things, it may be a good start for future projects

It isn't confirmed that an 06 remake or dreamcast era remakes will come out, those are just speculations at the moment

 

[Axolex53]

I know that and is not what I wanted to say, what I wanted to express is that everyone blames the sonic team as if they were the only ones responsible for Sonic's current situation when the most responsible is sega I do not deny that the sonic team makes mistakes

Mainly is because Sega rush the Sonic Team to make games at the speed of sound (which obviously is NOT the right method), and well... Because somehow the Original Colours went well at vents... They decided to continue with the formula.

I think that Sega itself and Sonic Team doesn't know how to make Sonic work with the boost in a 3D environment

 

[Icarus]

The blame for the decline of sonic is not Iizuka or the Sonic team, it is the fault of sega and their bad decisions over the years many people always blame the sonic team but Sega is the one who sets the budget and it is Sega who chooses the delivery times, not the Sonic team or Iizuka.

The current Sonic Team is barely like the ones from decades ago and Iizuka is still responsible for games such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 2006.

He just doesn't know what people liked about Sonic in the first place.

And yes, Sega as a whole is to blame, not only because of the Rushing but also for shoehorning ideas and always wanting to change what actually worked.

If it ain't broken don't try fixing it.

 

[Chezi]

The current Sonic Team is barely like the ones from decades ago and Iizuka is still responsible for games such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 2006.

He just doesn't know what people liked about Sonic in the first place.

And yes, Sega as a whole is to blame, not only because of the Rushing but also for shoehorning ideas and always wanting to change what actually worked.

If it ain't broken don't try fixing it.

Honestly, I think Yuji Naka might need to come back to the series. The reason he failed at Balan Wonderworld was because he tried to make simplistic gameplay for a complex game and having to be rushed by Square Enix. He could probably come up with a great design for a new type of Sonic gameplay as well as for other character like Tails and Knuckles

 

[Darknik]

The current Sonic Team is barely like the ones from decades ago and Iizuka is still responsible for games such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 2006

Takashi Iizuka is not responsible for Sonic 2006 or Shadow the Hedgehog, he was not the director of the Sonic team until Sonic Unleashed the real responsible for these games is Yuji Naka

 

[lnferno]

Takashi Iizuka is not responsible for Sonic 2006 or Shadow the Hedgehog, he was not the director of the Sonic team until Sonic Unleashed the real responsible for these games is Yuji Naka

Yuji Naka left during '06, and those games failed for their own reasons. Such as the '06 team being split in half and overworked and rushed? Also, uh... Iizuka was the director of Shadow the Hedgehog, and Shun Nakamura directed '06.

As you were just saying, the blame is with the higher-ups with SEGA primarly.

 

[Icarus]

Because of Balan and how Naka basically quitted Sega when 2006 was far in development, I'm beginning to think that he was actually not that good of a game designer.

I know that it may annoy people to say that but he should take a pause of just be a game adviser/supervisor rather than a game developper... Even Miyamoto is barely touching his own franchises nowaday.

 

[Chezi]

Because of Balan and how Naka basically quitted Sega when 2006 was far in development, I'm beginning to think that he was actually not that good of a game designer.

I know that it may annoy people to say that but he should take a pause of just be a game adviser/supervisor rather than a game developper... Even Miyamoto is barely touching his own franchises nowaday.

He wasn’t allowed to do his own thing for Balan. If anything, it could be a wake up call for him. I’d really hate to see him not be able to make games anymore as he does have some really good ideas

 

[lnferno]

Even then, Naka leaving didn't doom '06. SEGA doomed '06 when it split it's development team in half and rushed both, leading to '06 and The Secret Rings.

Also, remember, Naka wanted to leave SEGA for YEARS before '06. He attempted to leave as early as right after Sonic 1! Naka has always suffered when not allowed to do his own thing, and Balan Wonderland was just a great example of this.

 

[Darknik]

He wasn’t allowed to do his own thing for Balan. If anything, it could be a wake up call for him. I’d really hate to see him not be able to make games anymore as he does have some really good ideas

Yuji Naka was not a good game designer because he was not, he is just a programmer, he had no experience at the time of making baland wonderworld, he did not design any of the classic Sonic games, the one who made it was Hirokazu Yasuhara, Yui Naka was only the chief programmer

 

[lnferno]

Yuji Naka was not a good game designer because he was not, he is just a programmer, he had no experience at the time of making baland wonderworld, he did not design any of the classic Sonic games, the one who made it was Hirokazu Yasuhara, Yui Naka was only the chief programmer

Also, yes and no. Whilst Yasuhara and Oshima did the main designing, Naka did have his own hand, especially whilst establishing the original gameplay style and coming up with some setpieces.

 

[Chezi]

Yuji Naka was not a good game designer because he was not, he is just a programmer, he had no experience at the time of making baland wonderworld, he did not design any of the classic Sonic games, the one who made it was Hirokazu Yasuhara, Yui Naka was only the chief programmer

He’s the one that came up with Sonic’s original moveset. Do your research