Okay, so me and the guys over at #srb2fun have been looking over this project a few days ago, and we weren't exactly keen on it. However, due to the general elitism among us, some of us not wanting to touch the forum with a 10 foot pole anymore, and general laziness, nobody among us bothered to... y'know... Tell ya' about it. However, I decided that's bullcrap, so I'm here to tell you why
your wad is not fun.
I played the mod both in Single Player (though I ended up cheating around Ice Cap), and then in Co-op with said 'fun usuals to get their imput on the level while playing it, and then once more in Single Player, this time without cheating, and trying to find all the emblems. I know the mod wasn't made for co-op, so I wont criticize too much in regards to co-op bugs, but experience taught me that misery likes company. We only got to Speed Highway before the host had to leave.
ZONE 0: BEFORE WE DISCUSS THE LEVELS...
Okay, right off the bat, the hell is with the poor quality of this music, especially for how LARGE it all is? Monster Iestyn tells me you previously loaded all the music into a giant bloat to the filesize before he told you to make it OGG and split it, but man, the quality on these is terrible! I also don't even know if these are looping, or the same music repeated to disguise the lack of looping, making the filesize even BIGGER.
I take it you didn't even compress this. Considering how great Adventure's music was, and of course, you have to hear it the whole game, I already wasn't liking what I was hearing, and I was gonna have to deal with it the whole way through.
Also, the character select. You know you can
hide the visability of these characters, right? If we can only pick Sonic for the main game, Sonic should be the only one there. Also, you changed Amy's stats (for the worse), so telling us she Double Jumps is an outright
lie. She can't do anything, and you KNOW it.
ZONE 1: EMERALD COAST
From the Logs said:
<@Sryder13> Button hunts!
<D00D64> I'd like to point out this big fat warning sign
<D00D64> I actually thought this button was for a secret
<D00D64> only to realise it was to get to the main path
<D00D64> that's not a good sign
<@Sryder13> Indeed
ButtonSwitchTriggerThing Hunts are the bread and butter of this mod, and that's one thing you don't want as your main gimmick. They're harmless here, and if done okay, you usually don't retread a lot of ground or anything, but it gets far more annoying as the mod goes on.
Also, one thing that immedietly bugged me; why don't these buttons make any kind of confirmation noise? When I first saw the switch, I thought it was some kind of sector spring or something, but it sinks down. Adventure 2 switches made noise, so why not these?
...In fact, why ARE there so many switches? Adventure didn't have this many. Come to think of it, how many levels in Adventure even HAD switches? All that come to mind are Final Egg, Hot Shelter, Red Mountain, and the hub for Station Square. Even then, whatever they activated was usually right next to it anyway.
From the Logs said:
<D00D64> Warning sign #2:
that ring box
<D00D64> its not only difficult to get to
<D00D64> but for something tricky
<D00D64> its only 10 rings
<D00D64> this mod is DEVOID of shields and 1ups
<@Sryder13> I think I saw 1 shield
<D00D64> there's a few, maybe like 3 or 4 in the entire game
<D00D64> so finding secrets, when they ARE around, is unrewarding
<@Sryder13> Yeah, nothing very much in good items
<D00D64> also makes the game way harder
<D00D64> like,
see these waterfalls?
<D00D64> I went into EACH of these
<D00D64> nothing
<D00D64> they're right there, easily accessible
<D00D64> its a sneaky place to hide something
<D00D64> but... nope.
And here's another thing that persists for the entire mod; the almost complete lack of powerups. I don't remember seeing a single 1up in the whole game, and shields are absurdly rare. Even ring boxes arn't as common as other SRB2 levels. Not only does this usually mean the emblem is the only real secret in the level, it makes the game way harder, up to a difficulty spike that we'll get to later.
Okay, at this point, I entered the rather bland cave area (If you arn't sure how to make a good cavern, look at Red Volcano's sector scenery, it's a pretty good example), and after breaking through a door that didn't look breakable, and hitting a switch to go underwater, I had to wonder,why is there no colormap down here? Just tint it dark blue, the wiki has the common color codes on its colormap page. It's pretty jarring to go through an underwater area that looks just like the surface but with more bubbles.
...And immedietly as you escape, you get THIS guy. This one crawla can see you from inside the cave, and if he spots you, and you take too long by, say, trying to catch a breath and getting hit by a mine, you'll get hit, and fall down, but chances are, instead of falling back into the cave, you fall in the water and die! Because the cave actually exits out of the water, it's SUPER close to the death pit water surrounding it. This could easily be worked around by making you come out of some pillar or something instead, but this is a pretty cheap shot as it is.
Now, that's all my real complaints with this map. So as for the good parts, I will say I did enjoy your sector scenery. Sector Scenery isn't as common as it should be, especially with Adventure's more realistic textures. Aside from the whole cave section and leaving said cave, there wasn't anything annoying about it, it was a nice, breezy beginning level. I wouldn't call it bad.
ZONE 2: WINDY VALLEY
Alright, so this level is shorter but better than the last. While the textures make long repeating walls look a bit iffy, the wider open air areas and the closed in areas have some pretty good sector scenery going on yet again. It's a nice level, not much to say about it. However...
First off, is the first appearance of the badnik bopping segments, which nobody liked. And I mean NOBODY wants to do these. They just get in the way and don't add anything to what you normally do. Again, like the switches in Emerald Coast, its pretty harmless here, but it sure gets worse.
Also, the level was really devoid of any gimmicks to make it stand out. The way springs are used just end up like a different flavour of spring, and the breakable pillars threw me off for awhile, but I'd hardly call that a gimmick. As a result, as much as I like this one, it's still not anything outstanding.
ZONE 3: CASINOPOLIS
From the Log said:
<D00D64> I have no idea how this works in mp
<D00D64> like, if its the total for all players
<@Sryder13> would it take the total of all players?
<D00D64> okay, I got 5 rings
<D00D64> ;etsall stand on this at once
<D00D64> and see if it works
<@Sryder13> 27
<@Sryder13> 17*
=*Nothing happens*=
<Majro> Well, crap
<@Sryder13> Nope :v
<~Rowellina> yeah fuck that
=*We use setrings to get through*=
=*...but then Marjo goes through a doorway and locks us out*=
<@Sryder13> pfft
<Majro> Hooray, I trapped you
<D00D64> ...are we locked out
<D00D64> welp
<@Sryder13> let's see...
<Majro> I didn't know that will happen
<D00D64> well, might as well skip it
...Again, your mod wasn't really made for co-op, but if you decide to make it co-op friendly at some point, you might wanna factor this stuff in.
At this point in the game, the quality dips REAL low. The scenery hear is definetly the weakest so far, with the textures and lighting not really conveying the darker, glitzier atmosphere of the original. But that's not what makes it real bad, oh no...
For whatever baffling reason, you threw this at us.
This leads to the most boring part of the mod, where you have to slowly and carefully get 250 rings. And getting hit by a single badnik fails the mission, basically. Now, let's go through why this works in Adventure and not here.
First off, Adventure had a bank. You could deposit your rings in it at any time. This immedietly takes the pressure off. Second, there's hardly any enemies in the main room, so there's no real risk to losing rings. Third, if you use the pinball minigames, you can never be stuck in an unwinnable situation. And finally, it had an ACTUAL stage you could take instead, which gives you more than enough rings on its own and has shields and invincibility to get you by safely.
In the mod, you get a dull slog through a big room with barely anything in it, and slowly and carefully pick up the required rings. It's a snorefest, but one slipup will cost you big time. There just... isn't anything to it. Ugh. This is the second lowest point of the Sonic path.
Oh, and special mention to this. See that flower? I turned 'soniccd' on so that you know where the enemies were defeated. If I hit that switch, the cutscene that ensues would have caused the red crawla to hit me, with no control over my actions and no visability to whats going on. Not good.
ZONE 4: ICE CAP
...And this is THE lowest. Oh boy, here we go...
From the Log said:
Map is now "MAP04: ICE CAP"
<D00D64> ICE CRAP MORE LIKE
<Monster Iestyn> ice cave music out in the open
<Majro> Why the hell would you use the cave music for outdoors
<Monster Iestyn> doesn't fit at all
<@Sryder13> It's not that bad
<D00D64> well, its a slower paced level
<D00D64> maybe if the sky and lighting were darker
<~Rowellina> even Be Cool Be Wild Be Groovy would fit
<~Rowellina> not this
So yeah, a common complaint was how unfitting the music choice was. Snowy Mountain would work much better than Limestone Cave.
From the Log said:
<@Sryder13> oh so you CAN make this
<D00D64> yeah, again
<D00D64> case of the 'you can crumble this?' block
<D00D64> again, no clue you can do so
<Monster Iestyn> lol
What's even the point of putting all these bustable blocks in the levels? They're used all of once in a level and never come up again. It's pretty pointless.
From the Logs said:
<Majro> The entire collumns crumble?
<D00D64> YEAH, ENTIRE LANDMASSES WILL FALL
<@Sryder13> best level
<D00D64> THE ONE THING THAT SHOULD BE SAFE
<D00D64> nope
<@Sryder13> exactly what I thought when I died there :v
<Majro> Is this huge path crumbling?
<Monster Iestyn> yeah
<D00D64> YES.
<D00D64> thats the path
<Majro> Christ
<D00D64> and the end... is right there
<D00D64> COULDA MOVED THAT CHECKPOINT BACK Y'KNOW
=*Iceman404 joined later and didn't see what floors were crumbly...*=
<Iceman404> THE FUCK DID THAT CRUMBLE FOR
<Iceman404> AAAAA
<@Sryder13> everything crumbles
So here's the biggest flaw of the level right here. Crumble floors you don't see untill it's too late. And one is curved around a hallway so you can't see where to go. This mod loves its crumble floors, and we sure as hell dont.
From the Logs said:
<D00D64> bop the badniks, jump around the back, hit a swithc, get in the water, spring to the crumble floor
<D00D64> and then haveNO IDEA when to jump
<D00D64> and die
<Monster Iestyn> button hunts
<D00D64> repeat untill you have one life
<Iceman404> like fuck I'll wait 1 hour to download 2 music files
<D00D64> and then repeat, while ALSO getting 100 rings
<D00D64> because the game never wants to give lives
<D00D64> or shields
I express my discontent for the long strech between a badnik bop room and the curved crumble floor ice hallway. I don't even want to discuss this in detail. I'm sick of it.
Sick of it.
So yeah, I can't stand this level. Aside from the castle at the end, which looks really nice but not much else, I can't think of anything good to say about it. I don't want to talk about this one any further.
ZONE 5: TWINKLE PARK
From the Logs said:
<Majro> Does anything that made this level interesting appear here?
To answer his question: No.
From the Logs said:
<Iceman404> HOLY SHIT
<@Sryder13> lol
<Iceman404> why does everything CRUMBLE!?
<@Sryder13> that part was bs
<D00D64> IKNOW
<Monster Iestyn> he is crumbling insane
<D00D64> NOTHING IS FUCKING SAFE IN THIS MOD
<D00D64> the world crumbles before your eyes
<Iceman404> that's how the cookie crumbles I guess
Seriously, what is your obsession with crumble floors!? They even look just like platforms from earlier that DONT crumble! What gives!?
From the Logs said:
<@Sryder13> OH MY GOD A SHIELD
<Iceman404> yeah
<Iceman404> and be warned
<D00D64> A RARE BREED
<Iceman404> it's the only shield in the entire mod IIRC
<D00D64> there's like
<D00D64> one more
<Monster Iestyn> really?
Again, point out how devoid of shields the game is, the one time there is one, in a bizzarely easy to find place. This level also has the only 1up I've seen all mod.
And there's also this asshole. Out of nowhere, this deton comes out and it's nigh impossible to avoid. In any place with detons, there should be some form of cover to protect yourself, but there's nothing of the sort here. You only get out of getting hit if you're VERY lucky.
From the Logs said:
<Monster Iestyn> oh good it's the end
<D00D64> alright, next level?
<Iceman404> this map pack is like
<Iceman404> the same level design style
<Iceman404> OVER AND OVER
<Iceman404> with texture variation
<D00D64> yes, thats EXACTLY it
<D00D64> hit the nail on the head, iceman
Finally, this is the point of the mod where everything gets really same-y. Every level has switches, badnik bop rooms, crumble floors, and that's it. That's all there is, and thats extremely apparent in Twinkle Park. Where's ANYTHING from the actual Twinkle Park, for starters?
ZONE 6: SPEED HIGHWAY
From the Logs said:
<D00D64> YO REMEMBER SPEED HIGHWAY'S HOTEL INVADING SEQUENCE, RIGHT
<D00D64> WHERE YOU BROKE THROUGH A WINDOWPLANE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY
Since the levels are almost the same at this point, I'm basically forced to talk about all the bits I didn't like. So yeah, let's discuss that.
First off, why is the starting left path far, FAR faster than the upper right one? The right path is also way more difficult, with this one jump you can just BARELY make up. There's no real reason to take the upper path.
And then there's the sequence where you gotta find a button by breaking through glass, something you couldn't do before, and then breaking a box that doesn't even LOOK breakable, and then hitting a switch to progress.
So aside from Speed Boosters, the level has no real sense of speed and is exactly like the others. Speaking of that, the crumble floors in this stage are actually two platforms, so if you only go on the outside or the inside, only that part will crumble. I'll take it that's not intentional.
ZONE 7: RED MOUNTAIN
One thing that crops up once more in a zone; Little reason to go off the main path, if even for just a bit. Here, there is no reason to go to the left at all. From where you start on this path, you can go straight ahead until you see a way up to the right. So why would I go to the left? You coulda' put a monitor or some loose rings there, and there's even a 10 ring monitor just out in the open up above on the main path, so why not put it here?
But after that, we have this annoying-ass pully section (why don't the sides of these pully FOFs move?) which is annoying because of a flamethrower you CANT SEE until it's far too late. This goes for a lot of the flamethrowers in the level, but this is one of the more assholeish examples. It also doesn't help that it turns off, so it can turn on when you least expect it or possibly don't even KNOW about it. If you can get around every flamethrower by jumping, why are they ever turning off anyway? They'll just ambush the player!
I also notice this, and I know exactly why you did this, because I did it for te same reason; the pully will make you go backwards if you hold onto it as you touch the wall. That's why all the pullys in Arid Canyon go in one line going around and then back in a loop. Now, I can understand if you just want a one directional pully, but again, I cant help but think that the player might not notice until its too late. It was almost too late for me!
Within the volcano itself (the one time the music changes midlevel in a Sonic stage), it was way too dark to me. I had to turn up the brightness to see anything. Aside from that and the volcano being a button hunt, I didn't have too much beef until this one particular moment.
UGH. Okay, I land on this platform, and because the platform has buoyancy it sinks JUST enough for me to take damage from the lava, because it sunk under it. Why am I taking damage because of this? Clearly you must have seen this happen, right? I actually died because of this! Either make it solid ground, or don't make buoyant platforms over something hazardous!
And the reason I died at all is because this lava isn't lava. It's water. Really hot water from where there is no escape. I died twice because I fell in and could not get out. You need to specifically flag the water FOFs to be lava, so the tops are solid. Right now, its water. That hurts you.
ZONE 8: SKY DECK
So to make up for the lack of crumble floors, they're back.
And they're everywhere.
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH
So you take one of the worst gimmicks you can spam, and just making a level where NONE of these paths, of which there are many, can be trusted. I even herd Monster Iestyn telling me one of these crumble platforms falls
up. I don't even know how you manage that, but this results in a level that is INFURIATING to play.
To get anywhere, I had to do this. Just get on the beams to the side and walk from there. It's bad enough that this huge chunk of the level is just open air hallways, but to make me either have to go on this super narrow part or risk falling to my death at random, that's just dickhead level design.
This is more of a nitpick, but why does the gravflip thing look like a button? I thought it was just a different switch design, but no, it's a button. Weird.
Anyways, I continue along all this and make it to a part where
huge chunks of the level are ALL GIANT CRUMBLE BLOCKS. That's the least likely place anyone would think something would crumble! No matter what, a new player is gonna lose a life, because they had NO WAY to see this coming! There's enemies and rings implying all of this is stable, but no, it all falls apart.
I believe this is to imitate that one part where the planes are flying off and the runways are collapsing, but just because it worked okay THERE doesn't mean it'll work just the same HERE. Nothing can be trusted in this stage.
After this, I continued onto a thankfully far more enclosed room where there was a bit less linearity... I think. I don't really know, I just broke through a wall, hit a button, jumped on the elevator that activated because of it, and
crashed the game. At this point, I was way too annoyed to continue. I thought Ice Cap was the worst, but you sure outdid yourself!
ZONE X: CONCLUSIONS
So, that's the review for now. Will I bother to finish Sky Deck? I don't know. Will I finish the rest of the game? I don't know! Will I do those other character paths! Well, I don't know about doing them in depth, but I played some of those levels via some sneaky methods, so let me talk about them a bit.
Tails Adventure is the exact same as the Sonic ones, only some platforms are gone, there's some silly blockades, a few awkward teleports, and not much else. He's therefore the most boring to talk about, but he does get to skip annoying bits of Sonic's stages on his flight alone.
Knuckles Adventure's use of Sonic's stages for its levels really brings it down here more than the real Adventure, Speed Highway and Casinopolis being the most obvious. The emerald shard bug I won't hold against you, but since these levels are just the old ones with emerald shards, it just feels lazy and boring.
Amy Adventure, from what little of it I tried, is a
nightmare. She's super slow and has no abilities, in addition to doing almost the exact same levels as Sonic, badnik killing blockades included. She is simply unfun to play as, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Even her unique level, Hot Shelter, is a real bore. I never did like those gargoyle pushing bits in Deep Sea, and I don't like them here either.
So yeah, it's pretty clear I don't like this. It starts out okay and then just gets worse and worse and
way worse as it goes along. I'm so annoyed at it I can't even finish it. It took me days to write this review because I got so sick of it, I had to stop and come back later! And I
still didn't finish the mod!
But I can't say its all bad. It's clear a lot of effort went into this, from you converting the assets yourself and not trying to jack level design from the original games in an engine that doesn't work, but effort alone only goes so far. The same flavour of level design remains constant throughout the map, and the abundance of crumble floors and lack of powerups just make it a slog of cheap deaths with little room for mistakes. I doubt I'll give this another go.
