-UPDATE- Mossy Ruins Zone 1 (Part of the upcoming Sonic Surge LP)

[Shiron]

As none of you may know, I'm still working on Sonic Surge (AKA a failed attempt at a map pack that happened about two years ago).

-UPDATE- New beta. Some visual fixes in Act 1, new content in Act 1, and the moss has been tweaked to reduce sluggishness.

Here's a list of upcoming zones in this pack:

Spoiler

Mossy Ruins Zone
A dense forest overrun with ancient temples and moss. You can use the moss to progress further in the level and access secrets.

Act 1 is a normal forest area with a ravine and a moss-filled tree. Items and power-ups are common in this act.
Act 2 starts off in a temple, then something goes terribly wrong and the entire forest is set on fire. Everything becomes more hostile and dangerous in this act as torch hazards fill the area, wooden bridges break down, and broken trees block numerous paths. It's up to the player to decide how it wants to navigate the hostile forest to get to the floor ring.
Act 3 takes place just outside of the burning forest, a lush yet hazardous shore which has been forgotten by time. Old ruins and messy vines are shown ashore, with Robotnik's mechs terrorizing the area.

Chilled Forge Zone
A huge, empty, forgotten factory that Robotnik is using to power his new machine. Fortunately, the wind used to power this evil thing has frozen and cluttered the vents.
Act 1 is set in the main halls and rooms of the factory. Pop-up turrets, broken vents, and metal platforms will be present.

Act 2 starts off in the vents of the factory, the player having to get out and get past Robotnik's tight security. If the player falls into his tricks, alarms will go off and enemies will come to stop the intruder. Once the player finds the mad scientist, the two will battle until Robotnik gives up and flees.

Act 3 takes place outside of the factory, a vast valley of snow and villages. Think of this as a breather act, as not many enemies are present and there's little platforming. The player can also relax inside the houses and enjoy the cozy atmosphere, take a few goodies, or just break furniture.
Dessert Desert Zone
A dangerous, arid, sweet, and sour landscape. This is one of Robotnik's scrapped attempts at making Robotnikland (it was too sweet for his tastes), but is still some-what functional. The difficulty starts to beef-up in this zone.

Act 1 is set in a huge, dry, colorless valley just outside the actual desert. In a hasty attempt to keep Sonic from catching up with him, Robotnik has ordered his robots to build a giant wall blocking the desert off from the three heroes. The only way to get past it is to climb up an old wooden tower and fire a conveniently placed cannon at the wall.
Act 2 starts off right at the other side of the wall. The player is greeted with pieces of sugary sweets, harsh enemies, and obligatory yellow desert ruins. There are also small oases scattered across the map with goodies hidden around them.
Act 3 takes place directly in the center of Robotnik's failed attempt at an evil theme park. All of the traps and gimmicks are still active, however. The sand has been tainted with pink sweetener, although it still functions the same.
Mighty Kingdom Zone
You've finally made it to what seems to be Robotnik's base of operations. It's perfectly okay to expect traps, powerful badniks, and lava.

Act 1 is set in the downtown area of Robotnik's futuristic city. Guard robots and cyber traps fill the area, making this the toughest act yet.

[/URL] Act 2 starts off in the more ancient-looking parts of the base. Robotnik has prepared traps suited to a castle theme just for Sonic and friends. Watch out for maces, lava, spike pits, and some shocking hazards.
[/URL]
Act 3 takes place inside the main castle. Sonic Team is trapped in the large and dark halls of this mystical prison, forced to go through even more deadly traps and intimidating rooms. The time it takes you to finish this act almost completely depends on your ability to think outside the box. You might even find a few spooky, hidden rooms if you stick around long enough.
Gloom Cavern Zone
You've managed to get trapped in another spooky area. Only this time it's not... literally spooky? Like, not the kind of spooky that little kids' mothers try to decorate their houses based on, but the kind of spooky that isn't really in-your-face. You're not quite sure what this means, as you're only worried about getting out of this dark cave and finding Robotnik.

Act 1 is set in a tight cavern system with tons of multiple paths. As one could guess, there are lots of hidden goodies and rooms scattered about.

Act 2 starts off in an open ravine just outside of the actual caverns. Ancient vegetation and dusty rocks take up the area, along with the doctor's obnoxious robots. Although this act is more open than the last, it's much more challenging.

Act 3 takes place atop the mountain that holds the cave system you were just in. Eggman has done some serious work here, it seems. Be sure to watch out for detons, crushers, and lasers.

Feedback/criticism/compliments are always encouraged and taken.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

Well the level is a bit lengthy (good thing) but it is kind of difficult to evade the 'snailer's' attack.
Also what's with the quicksand behaviour in the bushs. especially when you have to climb up them to reach a small platform that is still in slight contact with the 'quicksand bush' therefore disabling you from jumping properly to another platform.
Also in other areas where the quicksand bush is on the floor, it slows you down and hides too many enemies from the player, you can hardly evade them you need to make them more visible and allow the player to move properly throughout the level (IMO).
I like the design but it's just a bit hard to play the level.

 

[Shiron]

Also what's with the quicksand behaviour in the bushs. especially when you have to climb up them to reach a small platform that is still in slight contact with the 'quicksand bush' therefore disabling you from jumping properly to another platform.

I don't quite see what you mean. Are the ruins attached to the moss too small? If that's the case, an easy fix would do.

Also in other areas where the quicksand bush is on the floor, it slows you down and hides too many enemies from the player, you can hardly evade them you need to make them more visible and allow the player to move properly throughout the level (IMO).

That's the point. As you progress through the stage, it should become harder as you go. I guess that inside-tree area is a little too hard, though. I'll lower the top height of the moss.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[WellDoneSnake]

1) Yeah the ruins are too small but you can fix that by making it wider.
2) I know that it says that on wiki but it also states this:

Spoiler: Quote from srb2 wiki

Don't create unavoidable hazards. Make sure that if the player doesn't know about a trap or hazard and triggers it, it's still possible to avoid taking damage.

Even though that mainly applies to traps I think you get my point, the snappers do suit the level but they shouldn't be almost invisible to the player.(IMO)
This is just my opinion so if I were you I would listen to others opinions before agreeing with mine (that's if you agree).

Also the level theme is neat :)!

 

[SeventhSentinel]

Just played this for the first time.
Pros:
Interesting gimmick.
Decent level design.
Logical-ish placement of enemies.
Cons:
That rock texture is ugly.
Teleporters don't really make sense in a forest or a ruin.
Those Snailers feel...out of place.
There's no exit sign.
Dubstep in a forest?
The "moss" looks like bushes. I recommend you find an actual moss texture to use.
Visuals in general are kind of boring. Maybe add some different colors of trees?

I'll probably give this another playthrough soon.

 

[Shiron]

2) I know that it says that on wiki but it also states this:

Spoiler: Quote from srb2 wiki

Don't create unavoidable hazards. Make sure that if the player doesn't know about a trap or hazard and triggers it, it's still possible to avoid taking damage.

Even though that mainly applies to traps I think you get my point, the snappers do suit the level but they shouldn't be almost invisible to the player.(IMO)

I don't remember placing any Snailers in invisible spots, IIRC. I'll dumb down the difficulty by SOCing Easier Snailers, and by making them more obvious to see.

There's no exit sign.

You see, I didn't want to just put another boring exit sign at the end of every map. Instead, I went with "Floor Rings".

Dubstep in a forest?

lawl

Anyway, the music is just a placeholder. I don't want to spend the time making a mediocre track for this map in the first place. I'll probably end up using SRB2's music for this entire pack.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

I actually said snappers:

Even though that mainly applies to traps I think you get my point, the snappers do suit the level but they shouldn't be almost invisible to the player.

You know those green turtle-like looking bots with spikes sticking out around it.

 

[SeventhSentinel]

"Floor Rings"

*Shrug*

Anyway, the music is just a placeholder.

I know, but still, weird stuff to hear in a forest.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

Actually...

I know, but still, weird stuff to hear in a forest.

Sonic Adventure 2 (and Battle) had dub step in one of the jungle levels for Shadow called White Forest. The music is called "Rhythm and Balance" it kind of suited the level and created a eerie jungle effect.

 

[Shiron]

I actually said snappers

Oh. Well, I guess I'll organize those too.

Next act should be coming later this week.

EDIT: Just to be clear, the only reason I chose this song as the placeholder theme was because it was so dark. I mean, the first eight bars are so dark and deep, I thought of this map whenever I heard the song.

This is the song, btw.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

I'll dumb down the difficulty by SOCing Easier Snailers, and by making them more obvious to see.

Or instead of making them dumber you could make the areas of map where they're placed bigger. Therefore it's still difficult but you are able to evade their attacks.

 

[SeventhSentinel]

On the subject of the music, I wouldn't mind if you borrowed music from Sonic Riders. It has a forest level, and all of the game's music is electronic.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

But the Sonic Riders jungle music would suit a map that looks lively and vivid. It brings a exotic effect.

 

[SeventhSentinel]

Shouldn't all maps look lively and vivid?

 

[WellDoneSnake]

This one isn't vivid but it kind of has a sense of liveliness, IMO this music would suit something like the music used Deep Woods or Shrouded Forest in the game Sonic and the Black Knight. (also I can't check the videos properly since my FUP has run out so if there is any problems with these links or the video please inform me)

 

[D00D64]

Sonic Adventure 2 (and Battle) had dub step in one of the jungle levels for Shadow called White Forest. The music is called "Rhythm and Balance" it kind of suited the level and created a eerie jungle effect.

That's... not even relatively CLOSE to dubstep. I wouldn't be able to classify exactly WHAT genre it was, but dubstep it certainly is not by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

That's... not even relatively CLOSE to dubstep. I wouldn't be able to classify exactly WHAT genre it was, but dubstep it certainly is not by any stretch of the imagination.

To be honest I really don't know what it is either, my guess decided it was dubstep, only because it sounds like a remix of something. Probably a wolf howling and a Gothic singer is it's genre.

 

[Shiron]

First post has been updated with more information on the pack.

Expect an actual map update this week.

 

[WellDoneSnake]

Chilled Forge Zone
A huge, empty, forgotten factory that Robotnik is using to power his new machine. Fortunately, the wind used to power this has frozen and cluttered the vents

I'm liking the sound of this, I can't wait to see the level itself.
Also I searched if wind freezes but all I find is information from sites telling me that it just goes icy cold but I might be wrong.

 

[Shiron]

it just goes icy cold but I might be wrong.

Exactly.