Sonic on PC

[sluggard]

While I found out about Sonic from having Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for Gamecube (and soon enough, Sonic Advance on GBA, Rush/Rush Adventure...and of course, the internet), I'd say that one of my fondest old memories was finding out the Sonic Adventure DX Demo and playing it over and over and over...until I eventually got the full SADX game. Only it was the "every song is Windy Valley" version but we can leave it at that
Eventually I got the proper game, and at that time I was real hooked to whatever mods came out for it, and at one point I made my own mod project to replace the textures with the Dreamcast version textures back in 2016. The whole history about stuff with modding and SADX is a long journey and I wrote about it in my site since there was a LOT of stuff to cover (including that mod I made which ended up influencing the creation of Dreamcast Conversion).

Lol same, Pirated SADX was a big part of my childhood, lots of really good hacks on PC, modded the game to hell and back. It's a shame the original SADX hacking forum was shut down but at least the modding scene isn't dead yet.

 

[Linlam]

Only it was the "every song is Windy Valley" version but we can leave it at that

jksdfhssdjfkhafsjhfasljf at least the song is good

Post automatically merged: Mar 9, 2021

I never mind when they're easy instead of being frustrating (yes, Sonic 2's special stages with Tails were frustrating) like Colors DS for exemple but when the special stages are bland and too easy it's not good either.

I hate Sonic Colors' special stages, they are too easy and take too long to finish

 

[ACStriker]

Is there a special reason about why every musics were that one (as much as I love it and consider it as one of the best and "classic-esque" theme of the game it would be annoying to always have to hear it).
I guess it's to make it less heavy for the download.

Aye, the pirated version was made by a group called MYTH (I remember this because the installer music was super dope), which pretty much repacked games for...well, you get it. The point is that they probably did that to save space and less size on the upload/download. Only reason I could think they picked that song of all the songs possible is because it may have been the smallest song out of all the files in SADX PC (not counting any jingles).

 

[someSRB2dude]

You mean a Flash game? Because it looks like one of those early Sonic fangame you see on the internet.

I don't hate them but they're just bland. You can also gain more just by taking one mine (that removes like 5 rings) to slow down and snag even more while you'd get less if you were at full speed.

Also: you can jump to the moon in them.

yeah it does look like flash


but if you dont know what scratch is


yeah its really crappy

 

[Icarus]

For SADX PC, isn't the launcher and most current mods made for the Steam version? I don't recall seeing mods being made for the 2004 version.


Objectively speaking, Sonic & Knuckles Collection is now the worst way to play Sonic 3&K on PC because you can either emulate Sonic 3 Complete or load up Sonic 3 A.I.R. instead but I still get a sense of nostalgia when I play that version (I cannot really explain).

Same for Sonic 3D Blast or Sonic R.

Officially, Sonic Mega Collection Plus is one of the best way to play the classic games in a legit way (especially S3&K) and for Sonic 3D Blast there's the Director's Cut hack that is better in almost every way (unless you really prefer the Saturn version's ost and visuals).

 

[time gear]

For SADX PC, isn't the launcher and most current mods made for the Steam version? I don't recall seeing mods being made for the 2004 version.

As far as I know, the mod launcher requires steam but the game somehow gets converted to the 2004 version.

 

[Icarus]

As far as I know, the mod launcher requires steam but the game somehow gets converted to the 2004 version.

I'm a bit confused now.

 

[time gear]

I'm a bit confused now.

It's been a while (years) since I got everything set up so I don't remember the details, but my copy of SADX on steam is converted to the 2004 version, and runs all the mods I have installed just fine. It might be related to the "Better SADX" mod.

 

[Icarus]

It's been a while (years) since I got everything set up so I don't remember the details, but my copy of SADX on steam is converted to the 2004 version, and runs all the mods I have installed just fine. It might be related to the "Better SADX" mod.

I guess that it changes the exe to the 2004 one.

This video explains Sega and Sonic on PC pretty well.

On another subject there was also the Tera Drive which was a computer with a Genesis integrated in it and the sega dreamcast divers 2000 cx-1 (which was more like a TV but I wanted to mention it).

Post automatically merged: Mar 10, 2021

I've completely forgotten about the Sega Smash Pack which was one of the first official Genesis compilation on PC but the emulation was kinda bad.

It was the first time Sonic 2 was officially playable on PC.

 

[clairebun]

After Sonic 2 for the Game Gear, I believe the first collection of Sonic games I came to own was in a CD-ROM 4-pack that included Sonic CD, Sega Smash Pack 2, Sonic R, and Sonic 3&K PC Collection. Much like the Sonic franchise itself, it was good in some areas, flawed/broken in others, but endlessly fascinating all the same.

Sonic CD unfortunately wouldn't run. I believe the disk was built for compatibility with Windows 95, and I was running XP at the time. I did get a sneak peak of the gameplay once on my grandma's 95 computer, but she had zero diskspace, so the soundtrack couldn't be installed. It would be a long time before I could play CD proper, and by that time I was well aware that CD had two soundtracks, so it left me in an interesting position to where I could consider them both on their own merits without rose-tinted glasses.

Sonic R did run, and was perhaps my first exposure to PC games with convoluted keyboard controls. Rather than being set off by this, I gradually adapted to it and learned how to set up the controls in a way that was more manageable. (Perhaps because I'm left-handed, this may just be something I'm used to.)

To this day, I will contend that Sonic R is not a good game, but I am also very nostalgic for it due to its distinct Saturn charm and the PC's customizeable weather. Sadly, that also ceased to run 98% of the time once I moved over to Windows 7.

Sega Smash Pack 2 was a collection of Sega Genesis titles, most notably including Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Flicky among others. I actually don't recall having any problems with the emulation at the time. But I was only a kid, so my memory could be selective here.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC collection was a little quirky in its emulation; it wasn't framerate-limited when it was windowed, so it had to be played in full screen in order to be... well, playable. There were also framerate dips on the special stages, which worked to my benefit by making them significantly easier. This was my first exposure to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, so for me this had always had the "original" soundtrack. I suppose it's mildly vindicating that it these compositions turned out to be the actual originals anyway, but that's another story altogether.

I'd be remiss not to mention the Sonic Screen Saver that came with Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC collection, if only because it stored a treasure trove of Sonic art, a lot of it only previously seen in Japanese magazines and then Sonic Jam. Nowadays they're fairly common knowledge, but there was something mystical back then about chancing on these images, as if I had found the city of Atlantas; perhaps in part it's because there was nothing like it in the American commercial advertising or "brand" for Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise. In retrospect, the works are genuinely whimsical and drawn/colored in a beautiful art style. To date these are still some of my favorite works.

 

[Icarus]

After Sonic 2 for the Game Gear, I believe the first collection of Sonic games I came to own was in a CD-ROM 4-pack that included Sonic CD, Sega Smash Pack 2, Sonic R, and Sonic 3&K PC Collection. Much like the Sonic franchise itself, it was good in some areas, flawed/broken in others, but endlessly fascinating all the same.

Sonic CD unfortunately wouldn't run. I believe the disk was built for compatibility with Windows 95, and I was running XP at the time. I did get a sneak peak of the gameplay once on my grandma's 95 computer, but she had zero diskspace, so the soundtrack couldn't be installed. It would be a long time before I could play CD proper, and by that time I was well aware that CD had two soundtracks, so it left me in an interesting position to where I could consider them both on their own merits without rose-tinted glasses.

Sonic R did run, and was perhaps my first exposure to PC games with convoluted keyboard controls. Rather than being set off by this, I gradually adapted to it and learned how to set up the controls in a way that was more manageable. (Perhaps because I'm left-handed, this may just be something I'm used to.)

To this day, I will contend that Sonic R is not a good game, but I am also very nostalgic for it due to its distinct Saturn charm and the PC's customizeable weather. Sadly, that also ceased to run 98% of the time once I moved over to Windows 7.

Sega Smash Pack 2 was a collection of Sega Genesis titles, most notably including Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Flicky among others. I actually don't recall having any problems with the emulation at the time. But I was only a kid, so my memory could be selective here.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC collection was a little quirky in its emulation; it wasn't framerate-limited when it was windowed, so it had to be played in full screen in order to be... well, playable. There were also framerate dips on the special stages, which worked to my benefit by making them significantly easier. This was my first exposure to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, so for me this had always had the "original" soundtrack. I suppose it's mildly vindicating that it these compositions turned out to be the actual originals anyway, but that's another story altogether.

I'd be remiss not to mention the Sonic Screen Saver that came with Sonic 3 & Knuckles PC collection, if only because it stored a treasure trove of Sonic art, a lot of it only previously seen in Japanese magazines and then Sonic Jam. Nowadays they're fairly common knowledge, but there was something mystical back then about chancing on these images, as if I had found the city of Atlantas; perhaps in part it's because there was nothing like it in the American commercial advertising or "brand" for Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise. In retrospect, the works are genuinely whimsical and drawn/colored in a beautiful art style. To date these are still some of my favorite works.

This pack? I see that it's an upgraded version of the pack with Sonic 3&K, CD and R (which now has Sonic 2 via the Smash Pack added).

I really wish I could get Sonic CD on PC without spending as much as an actual Sega CD copy.

Good thing there's a launcher and a patcher to make several PC Sega game to run on modern computers (like S&KC, CD, 3DB and Ecco the Dolphin).

Sonic R isn't great but it's not as terrible as people are trying to make it appear to be (especially when you learn how to brake and not use the forward key/joystick up to run but rather the X button on the pad). The major issue is the unbalanced roster and the lackluster content (5 tracks with little to no bonus modes) which was pale in comparison to most Mario Kart-like racing game (even if Sonic R dared putting exploration and platforming to it).

Sonic & Knuckles collection isn't emulation but its own compilated game like Jam on the Saturn. Good thing I got a patch for the frame limits.

 

[clairebun]

Sonic R isn't great but it's not as terrible as people are trying to make it appear to be (especially when you learn how to brake and not use the forward key/joystick up to run but rather the X button on the pad). The major issue is the unbalanced roster and the lackluster content (5 tracks with little to no bonus modes) which was pale in comparison to most Mario Kart-like racing game (even if Sonic R dared putting exploration and platforming to it).

I can certainly think of worse titles, but Sonic R definitely had systemic issues. Besides the obvious control and game balance problems, Sonic R actually demonstrates why labyrinthine level layouts aren't always a good idea. It does encourage exploration -- which is emblematic of classic Sonic design philosophies -- but a lot of level design becomes superfluous once collectibles are already found. Afterwards, optimal routing in a map like Regal Ruin ends up cutting down the used level geometry down to a fraction of what it might have been before, regardless of which character you are. Unfortunately, the fact that level layouts are so complex is probably also why there aren't more of them.

 

[Icarus]

I can certainly think of worse titles, but Sonic R definitely had systemic issues. Besides the obvious control and game balance problems, Sonic R actually demonstrates why labyrinthine level layouts aren't always a good idea. It does encourage exploration -- which is emblematic of classic Sonic design philosophies -- but a lot of level design becomes superfluous once collectibles are already found. Afterwards, optimal routing in a map like Regal Ruin ends up cutting down the used level geometry down to a fraction of what it might have been before, regardless of which character you are. Unfortunately, the fact that level layouts are so complex is probably also why there aren't more of them.

I said that controls can be improved just by using the triggers and not the forward button.

Also multiple pathway is good to encourage replayability, this is what several people are complaining about some boost game and some levels in the Adventure games.

And finding the optimal route isn't the point of any racing game?

 

[clairebun]

I said that controls can be improved just by using the triggers and not the forward button.

I'm speaking more on the problem of the controls being unintuitive and seemingly tanklike. They can be adapted to, but that doesn't change the barrier to entry.

Also multiple pathway is good to encourage replayability, this is what several people are complaining about some boost game and some levels in the Adventure games.

And finding the optimal route isn't the point of any racing game?

Ideally yes, but you also want all pathways to receive some degree of usage. Sonic R's issue is that, once you know which paths are optimal, the normal routes will never be chosen.

A lot of modern racing games had ways of resolving this issue. A lot of the more recent Sonic racers for instance would restrict certain "optimal" paths to specific racer archetypes (e.g. flying/speed/power), and games like Mario Kart would require some sort of booster item for the shortcut to be taken. There are no such barriers in Sonic R, and so a lot of the map goes totally unused if emeralds and tokens are already out of the picture.

I will make a couple exceptions though, in that R has ring gates and ring boosters that allow for certain level geometry shortcuts to be made. These aren't generally used in ways which really balance out the level geometry though, and areas like Regal Ruin still have plenty of routes that need to just be avoided entirely.

 

[Icarus]

I'm speaking more on the problem of the controls being unintuitive and seemingly tanklike. They can be adapted to, but that doesn't change the barrier to entry.

Sonic Riders also suffered from being very technical and not that intuitive. Sure, R is tank-like (especially since you don't have a reverse command when you're at full stop but then again the triggers are helping make you turn quicker) but people think that it's a platformer and not a racing game just because Sonic was on foot.

Ideally yes, but you also want all pathways to receive some degree of usage. Sonic R's issue is that, once you know which paths are optimal, the normal routes will never be chosen.

A lot of modern racing games had ways of resolving this issue. A lot of the more recent Sonic racers for instance would restrict certain "optimal" paths to specific racer archetypes (e.g. flying/speed/power), and games like Mario Kart would require some sort of booster item for the shortcut to be taken. There are no such barriers in Sonic R, and so a lot of the map goes totally unused if emeralds and tokens are already out of the picture.

I will make a couple exceptions though, in that R has ring gates and ring boosters that allow for certain level geometry shortcuts to be made. These aren't generally used in ways which really balance out the level geometry though, and areas like Regal Ruin still have plenty of routes that need to just be avoided entirely.

The Riders sub-series also suffers from some unbalance when it comes to certain track with an archetype.

Maybe Sega should just let the whole "Mario Kart items" to a different game and eventually make another on-foot racing game between several characters with platforming rather than putting Sonic in a car (for lore and balance reasons). TSR was a real disappointment.

But this isn't the point of the thread and there is already an improvement mod for Sonic R.

 

[clairebun]

Sonic Riders also suffered from being very technical and not that intuitive. Sure, R is tank-like (especially since you don't have a reverse command when you're at full stop but then again the triggers are helping make you turn quicker) but people think that it's a platformer and not a racing game just because Sonic was on foot.

That really isn't the player's fault, R doesn't advertise itself as the kind of racing game you'd use a steering wheel for.

 

[Icarus]

That really isn't the player's fault, R doesn't advertise itself as the kind of racing game you'd use a steering wheel for.

You're right about that, people expected either a Mario Kart clone or a real 3D Sonic game.

As for the wheel I'd say it's better for realistic racing games.

Before I leave the subject I'd say that I'm not really a fan of racing game (on the exception of F-zero, Nitronic Rush and Distance) so one with less emphasis on the racing itself but on a bit of exploration is fine to me.


Going back to PC, why Heroes' modding was a nice idea but why not for Riders as well?

 

[Sour Sonic]

Sonic Adventure on the dreamcast (emulated/widescreen and on my phone because i lost my dreamcast)

 

[Icarus]

Sonic Adventure on the dreamcast (emulated/widescreen and on my phone because i lost my dreamcast)

I'm sorry but this thread was mostly for the PC releases of Sonic games, not about emulation (as much as Widescreen SA1 sounds cool)...