Sonic 2 Recreation

As a suggestion, I'm working on something that could fit to this zone and you may like. (My work is still unfinished, but ok)
PM me if you get interested on it.


Also, great new changes you did to the bosses. I'm impressed with the new way that the ARZ boss works in its time of fury.

 

Cool. If you need a hand I'm here to help and there are alot of other people too.

I fucking love that Eduardo!

 

My immediate thought, "Crash Bandicoot!"


I really like it, but there's a problem. It just doesn't fit West Bay in my opinion. BUT, from 0:44 upto 1:51 seconds, that's it; that's West Bay. That would really suit! I just doesn't suit before 44 and after 1:51.


I wonder what ValleyBell thinks of this too? I will point this out to him. Either way, good work. How did you come up with this tune?

Maybe nearer the final product. When I finish the hack, I do plan to have it on a cartridge so I can have my own MegaDrive game.

 

I'll need to learn how to put my hacks on a cartridge. Never once have I thought that this was possible.

 

Not trying to steal the song or anything... but man that would be great for a level I'm making.

If you didn't know, its Tropical Resort from Sonic Colors and a very good port so far EK!.

 

I didn't really care for Sonic Colors, but I really do like the music from the Sound track.

 

Nice to know you don't like my music. You might as well let ValleyBell do everything, I might have other uses for my stuff.

 

I never said I didn't like your music. It just doesn't suit West Bay too much. I haven't forgotten about you helping me start off my hack again.

 

Well to be fair, the music came from Sonic 4. Of course it wouldn't fit anything.


Not trying to start a fuss, keep up the good work.

 

Sorry, I'm a bit late, but I had a very busy weekend.

The Sonic Colours port is very good, but like rhs said, only the part in the middle really fits West Bay Zone.


The song would work well in a park-like zone, IMO.

 

I've been thinking about this boss for a while now. The bouncing gems seem weird without gravity. How about say a blue ball that bounces along the bottom making it harder for you to hit Eggman with.


Also this looks more like a gem than just a random ball.

 

The balls/gems do have gravity. Can't you tell? Without the gravity, the boss is way too hard (if the ball misses, you have to wait for the next ball to be shot).


As for the new gems:



I don't think it looks as good, but it's a good idea =P

 

I just realized that your boss makes me think of a boss that would fit in Sonic CD. Your gems look much better than before. Keep up the fantastic work!

 

I have submitted my hack to the competition. I have my eye on one or two trophies, but I won't say what ones otherwise I will jinx it!

Here, is a couple of pictures that the judges are to expect during their main game play (not including stuff accessable from level-select).

Please be aware, that some of these video demonstrations are old and may be slightly different to what it is now. Pictures are practically up-to-date.

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I submitted this game as partial-private. That means only media is avalable to you; the public. I was seriously considering making it fully-public, so you lot can enjoy. But there is only 4 levels that are completed so far. And I didn't want to keep updating the ROM every week like many others. I want to release it in its full potential glory (if that ever comes =P). So until then, here are all the main points to the game so far. What the judges will see and what to expect, what the game contains to this date, thanks and credits, the works.

The High Points

• S3K-RM Object Manager. S3K Object manager with more oomph. The RM stands for redhotsonic and Module. It features the same as S3K but with y-deletion. Module kindly help me port the original manager in, then I added extra checks for the y-deletion and Module fixing a bug, then me fixing another, and now it's perfect. Now, if you move vertically away from an object, it will delete itself; freeing more processing time!
• S3K Touch Response (Thanks, Module)
• S3K Priority manager
• S3K Rings manager, improved! (original guide by shobiz, improved and optimised by me)
• S3K ObjectMove(andFall) rotuines
• Improved layer deformation code
• A huge improvement to the S2clonedriver, and optimised greatly, for details, read on (by ValleyBell)
• Many, many many optimisations here and there (too many to list).
• Un-editable SRAM. Saves your progress after each level (or character selection). Loads up your progress when you next play the game. The SRAM in S2R is jumbled and data gets shifted and changed all the time. A lot of the data is dud. If you make an edit yourself to the SRAM, when you next load the game, the SRAM may delete your progress without warning, and you'll have to start again.
• Extra security to the game, so you can't cheat your way through (RAM changes, code changes, conversion, etc).
• Underwater mode. When the main character goes underwater, the sound driver changes its properties to make the music and SFX/DAC's sound like you're underwater (ValleyBell). Video demonstration 2
• New SEGA screen. The SEGA logo is there and shouts, "SEGA!" Then Sonic runs into it, making the SEGA logo break apart. Video demonstration 1
• SSRG screen, by MarkeyJester, slightly edited for S2R Video demonstration 1
• Improved fading on the colours (guided by MarkeyJester)
• Improved fading on the music. Music/PSGs/FMs/DACs are now more balanced when fading in and out. Also, can change the speed of the fade in/out to really fast to really slow(ValleyBell)
• SFXs are no longer affected by the fading in/out of music
• SFXs are no longer affected by the 1-up jingle
• NTSC initially, but compatible with PAL. Music will be the same speed in PAL mode as it was in NTSC mode. Timer is still synced with the game in either mode.
• Main level music will NOT restart after invincibility music or drowning music, instead, it will resume from where it left off (ValleyBell)
• And lots more

The game

• Characters are Sonic and Tails, Sonic alone, Tails alone, Knuckles alone, Knuckles and Tails, Sonic and Knuckles, redhotsonic. It's unknown if Mighty will come back.
• Sonic can air-dash (press jump in mid-air). He can also burst (run fast for a long time and he will enter burst mode). He will automatically go into burst mode in certain conditions (speedboots, booster, etc). Video demonstration
• Tails can fly, and carry other characters. Also, unlike most games, when Tails is flying, pressing the B button will stop him flying and make him drop. Perfect if you want to get to the ground quickly.
• Tails will now spawn if Sonic is in the water, like S3K. If underwater, Tails will swim, and not fly.
• If you have Knuckles as a sidekick, he will drop next to you as he spawns, whether you're in water or not.
• Knuckles can glide and climb as usual (not as a sidekick...yet...)
• redhotsonic has no special abilities. But there may be a lava level in the future, where RHS will be invulnerable to it.
• Portal is your home. Here you can enter options to change character, switching time-over on or off, or the sound test. Portal is also responsible for getting you to new levels. Logo 1 is first, and then goes in numeric order. After you've completed logo 4, all logos become available, and the cheat is enabled (press start then A to exit game, and then at title screen, press start whilst holding A, and you're at level select. Picking a level, hold A to enable debug).
• You can enter the cheat code yourself, good luck getting it.
• So far, there are 4 completed levels; West Bay Zone, Great Gate Zone, Gem Runway Zone and Chaos Angel Zone.
• Each level contains two main acts, and a boss act. Gem Runway contains the brand new boss. Chaos Angel has 3 main acts but no boss as yet.
• Each main level and act will have a "B" logo right at the start. This will take you back to Portal. This means you can go back to Portal at any time.
• Any original Sonic 2 boss you come across will have a pinch mode, so all bosses will be different in some way.
• From level select, you can take a peek of what may appear in the future. Please be aware that any of these level can contain bugs and is more than likely not complete-able.
• 2player no longer exists. All code has been taken out. This includes all checks, which can help improve the speed of the game (barely)

What's new from Sonic 2?

• New level art and designs. Nothing from the old Sonic 2!
• Multiple routes in many levels.
• At the end of most levels (some have new transistions instead), instead of the characters running off the screen, they do their celebrations, like Sonic 3. The camera also moves up near the end so you have a better view of the background.
• Some levels start differently than just the characters standing there. More to come
• Gem Runway Act 2 has a different route for Knuckles. More Knuckles-only routes to come
• New badniks here and there (as well as old ones)
• Brand new boss, Gem Runway Zone. Video demonstration here
• 2 original bosses, they act the same for the first 8 hits but then Eggman enters pinch-mode (music change) and things will get tougher! Video demonstration 3
• Boss explosions now move a little bit rather than staying still. This looks better in my opinion. Video demonstration 3. EHZ boss blows up differently too!
• When boss explodes, nuts and bolts fly everywhere too, similar to Sonic Advance series. Video demonstration 3
• Eggman occasionally shouts "Ow", "You little..." and "You're going to pay for this!" Changes and additions to come
• A smooth boss counter
• Centi-seconds that hits every digit
• New HUD
• New music!
• Underwater ripples
• Monitor icons on HUD. Similar to how Knuckles Chaotix works. When you get a certain monitor, it will be displayed on the HUD. But, it won't have it's certain location like Chaotix. It will move up and down on the HUD. It will flash when you're running out (like speed-boots or invincibility), or flash when hurt (shield). New video demonstration
• Random Monitor. Works the same way as it does in Sonic 2's 2 player, except it flashes different images very quickly. And it only gives you certain monitors (like no teleport or no Tails 1-up). Video demonstration
• New standing animations for Sonic and Knuckles before their waiting animation.
• In-Progress, new title screen. Video demonstration 1
• New title cards. Video demonstration 1
• New layer scrolls. With almost-instant background changes. Video demonstration 2
• New restart routine. Instead of the title cards loading again, when you die, the camera will scroll back to the beginning or last checkpoint and will start from there (except for Chaos Angel Act 3, Eggman-earthquake during Great Gate act 2, and when you've drowned).
• Lots of old bugs, gone!
• A few cut-scenes, explosive passages, underwater movements and challenges, earthquakes, etc.
• A few transitions from one level to another, more to come

What to expect in the future in S2R

• More new levels
• More Brand new bosses (I have a couple of designs ready to start).
• New badniks
• Time-attack mode. Show us your fastest times in S2R.
• More cut-scenes!
• More thrills that other Sonic hacks can't bring to you.
• A proper story line, as there isn't one at the moment.
• Brand new special stages

The team

• redhotsonic - creator, programmer, designer, beginner-artist
• ValleyBell - musician, sound programmer
• StephenUK - Artist

People I'd like to thank

• ValleyBell and StephenUK, helping making this game go to the next level.
• All the creators of programs that I used in the creation of S2R.
• SMTP, even though I haven't spoken to him properly for a while, he helped me with this many years ago. And frankly, this hack wouldn't have got far without him.
• Module, for the guidance he gave me.
• flamewing, for his advice and tips
• Zana, for creating Gem Runway's background art
• Jamie Bailey and Dragon XVI, for permission to use the midi for Gem Runway act 1 (act 2 remixed by ValleyBell)
• Sonica and jasonchrist for permission to use their monitor art

Special thanks

• MarkeyJester, PsychoSk8r, KingofHearts, Soti/Spanner, and anyone else I may have forgotten (let me know)
• OrdosAlpha and the other SSRG admins; for giving me my own webspace so I can show the world S2R
• And at last, but not least, the members of SSRG and SonicRetro, for your support.

Since the submission for the hacking contest, all I've done is edited the art of the HUD (from the shading tip from StephenUK), and change the centiseconds from 0:00:00 to 0'00"00. Here is a typical screenshot to demonstrate:



And until the results of the contest, I am going to take a little break from hacking. Not the forums itself, just hacking in general.

Well, I hope you liked these stats. Any question and/or comments, always welcome.

And now, I leave you with a list of changes ValleyBell has implemented to the game:

 

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JUDGED TROPHIES


Lava Reef Trophy – Best Level Layouts


Sonic 2 Recreation by redhotsonic


Carnival Night Trophy – Most Innovative Feature


Sonic 2 Recreation by redhotsonic


Crystal Meth Trophy – Most Replayable Hack


Sonic 2 Recreation by redhotsonic


Casinopolis Trophy – Most Entertaining/Fun Hack


Sonic 2 Recreation by redhotsonic


Dust Hill Trophy – 3rd Place


Sonic 2 Recreation by redhotsonic


It looks like Sonic 2 Recreation took home the most trophies!


This was my first ever submission to the contest, and I am extremely pleased with the results. The two trophies I was expecting, we didn't get (D.A Garden and Eggman trophy), but the other four came to a shock.


Then, we got awarded a fifth, 3rd place! I wasn't even aiming for that, but who's to complain?


Thanks to all the judges who voted for Sonic 2 Recreation! And I would also like to congratulate all other hacks and their creators for the competition. Truly deserved.


And I would also like to thanks ValleyBell and StephenUK for helping create this project, and to all others that have given advice, help and support.

​

 

​

So, ValleyBell and I have been chatting. In all honesty, I'm losing interest in hacking, for many various reasons. I haven't done too much to S2R since the last contest, but I will be submitting this year. Not as a partial private this time, but fully public. Yup! That's right, you all finally get to play this game. It's not complete and there is only 4 "playable/complete-able" levels. We were thinking of releasing a demo with just one level, but I thought, that's just pointless and no one will want that. So, we're going to release it as it is and call it "Sonic 2 Recreation: Part 1".

The game and ROM will be available to download once the hacking contest begins. Here is what to expect (spoilered for size)

Spoiler

The High Points

• S3K-RM Object Manager. S3K Object manager with more oomph. The RM stands for redhotsonic and Module. It features the same as S3K but with y-deletion. Module kindly help me port the original manager in, then I added extra checks for the y-deletion and Module fixing a bug, then me fixing another, and now it's perfect. Now, if you move vertically away from an object, it will delete itself; freeing more processing time!
• S3K Touch Response (Thanks, Module)
• S3K Priority manager
• S3K Rings manager, improved! (original guide by shobiz, improved and optimised by me)
• S3K ObjectMove(andFall) rotuines
• Improved layer deformation code
• A huge improvement to the S2clonedriver, and optimised greatly, for details, read on (by ValleyBell)
• S3K's Render_sprites instead of S2's Build_sprites (thank for the assistance, flamewing).[*}S3K's mappings instead of Sonic 2's mappings*
  
• Many, many many optimisations here and there (too many to list).
• S2TA's SRAM manager
• Extra security to the game, so you can't cheat your way through (RAM changes, code changes, conversion, etc).
• Underwater mode. When the main character goes underwater, the sound driver changes its properties to make the music and SFX/DAC's sound like you're underwater (ValleyBell). Video demonstration 2 (v.old video)
• New SEGA screen.
• SSRG screen, slightly edited for S2R[
• SonicRetro screen, edited for S2R
• Improved fading on the colours (guided by MarkeyJester)
• Improved fading on the music. Music/PSGs/FMs/DACs are now more balanced when fading in and out. Also, can change the speed of the fade in/out to really fast to really slow(ValleyBell)
• SFXs are no longer affected by the fading in/out of music
• SFXs are no longer affected by the 1-up jingle
• NTSC initially, but compatible with PAL. Music will be the same speed in PAL mode as it was in NTSC mode. Timer is still synced with the game in either mode.
• Main level music will NOT restart after invincibility music or drowning music, instead, it will resume from where it left off (ValleyBell)
• Brand new special stages
• And lots more

The game

• Characters are Sonic and Tails, Sonic alone, Tails alone, Knuckles alone, Knuckles and Tails, Sonic and Knuckles, redhotsonic. Mighty will not be in Part 1.
• Sonic can air-dash (press jump in mid-air). He can also burst (run fast for a long time and he will enter burst mode). He will automatically go into burst mode in certain conditions (speedboots, booster, etc).
• Tails can fly, and carry other characters. Also, unlike most games, when Tails is flying, pressing the B button will stop him flying and make him drop. Perfect if you want to get to the ground quickly.
• Tails will now spawn if Sonic is in the water, like S3K. If underwater, Tails will swim, and not fly.
• If you have Knuckles as a sidekick, he will drop next to you as he spawns, whether you're in water or not.
• Knuckles can glide and climb as usual (not as a sidekick...yet...)
• redhotsonic has no special abilities. But there may be a lava level in the future, where RHS will be invulnerable to it (not in Part 1).
• Portal is your home. Here you can enter options to change character, switching time-over on or off, or the sound test. Portal is also responsible for getting you to new levels. Logo 1 is first, and then goes in numeric order. After you've completed logo 4, all logos become available. It also shows how many emeralds you've collected
• You can enter the Master cheat code yourself, good luck getting it.
• So far, there are 4 completed levels; West Bay Zone, Great Gate Zone, Gem Runway Zone and Chaos Angel Zone.
• Each level contains two main acts, and a boss act. Gem Runway contains the brand new boss. Chaos Angel has 3 main acts but no boss as yet.
• Each main level and act will have a "B" logo right at the start. This will take you back to Portal. This means you can go back to Portal at any time.
• Any original Sonic 2 boss you come across will have a pinch mode, so all bosses will be different in some way. Music will slightly alter and the Eggman counter's text will go red to indicate pinch mode.
• From level select, you can take a peek of what may appear in the future. Please be aware that any of these level can contain bugs and is more than likely not complete-able (and probably contains S2 mappings so things will appear glitched).
• 2player no longer exists. All code has been taken out. This includes all checks, which can help improve the speed of the game (barely)

What's new from Sonic 2?

• New level art and designs. Nothing from the old Sonic 2!
• Multiple routes in many levels.
• At the end of most levels (some have new transitions instead), instead of the characters running off the screen, they do their celebrations, like Sonic 3. The camera also moves up near the end so you have a better view of the background.
• Some levels start differently than just the characters standing there. More to come
• Gem Runway Act 2 has a different route for Knuckles. More Knuckles-only routes to come
• New badniks here and there (as well as old ones)
• Brand new boss, Gem Runway Zone.
• 2 original bosses, they act the same for the first 8 hits but then Eggman enters pinch mode (music change) and things will get tougher!
• Boss explosions now move a little bit rather than staying still. This looks better in my opinion. EHZ boss blows up differently too!
• When boss explodes, nuts and bolts fly everywhere too, similar to Sonic Advance series.
• Eggman occasionally shouts "Ow", "You little..." and "You're going to pay for this!" Changes and additions to come after Part 1
• A smooth boss counter
• Centi-seconds that hits every digit
• New HUD
• New music!
• Underwater ripples
• Monitor icons on HUD. Similar to how Knuckles Chaotix works. When you get a certain monitor, it will be displayed on the HUD. But, it won't have it's certain location like Chaotix. It will move up and down on the HUD. It will flash when you're running out (like speed-boots or invincibility), or flash when hurt (shield).
• Random Monitor. Works the same way as it does in Sonic 2's 2 player, except it flashes different images very quickly. And it only gives you certain monitors (like no teleport or no Tails 1-up).
• New standing animations for Sonic and Knuckles before their waiting animation.
• New title screen. Colour of the background changes colour to represent as the main characters current selection
• New title cards.
• New layer scrolls. With almost-instant background changes.
• New restart routine. Instead of the title cards loading again, when you die, the camera will scroll back to the beginning or last checkpoint and will start from there (except for Chaos Angel Act 3, Eggman-earthquake during Great Gate act 2, and when you've drowned).
• Lots of old bugs, gone!
• A few cut-scenes, explosive passages, underwater movements and challenges, earthquakes, etc.
• A few transitions from one level to another

What to expect in the future in S2R

• More new levels
• More Brand new bosses (I have a couple of designs ready to start).
• New badniks
• Time-attack mode. Show us your fastest times in S2R.
• More cut-scenes!
• More thrills that other Sonic hacks can't bring to you.
• A proper story line, as there isn't one at the moment.

The team

• redhotsonic - creator, programmer, designer, beginner-artist
• ValleyBell - musician, sound programmer
• StephenUK - Artist

People I'd like to thank

• ValleyBell and StephenUK, helping making this game go to the next level.
• All the creators of programs that I used in the creation of S2R.
• SMTP, even though I haven't spoken to him properly for a while, he helped me with this many years ago. And frankly, this hack wouldn't have got far without him.
• Module, for the guidance he gave me.
• flamewing, for his advice and tips
• Zana, for creating Gem Runway's background art
• Jamie Bailey and Dragon XVI, for permission to use the midi for Gem Runway act 1 (act 2 remixed by ValleyBell)
• Sonica and jasonchrist for permission to use their monitor art

Special thanks

• MarkeyJester, PsychoSk8r, KingofHearts, Soti/Spanner, and anyone else I may have forgotten (let me know)
• OrdosAlpha and the other SSRG admins; for giving me my own webspace so I can show the world S2R
• And at last, but not least, the members of SSRG and SonicRetro, for your support.

And now, I leave you with a list of changes ValleyBell has implemented to the game:

More news on release when it's closer to the time.

 

that means S2R will never be complete?? It's too bad, I find your hack AWESOME!!!!

 

Its a shame that the source code will be left alone, but I honestly think its for the best.

 

He never said he's abandoning it completely, and he will probably come back to it in the future sometime. In the meantime I'm still going to make all the zones for it that I said I would and conceptualised, so the game will at least get updates in that regard. The release of any future updates however is down to RHS.

 

​

Well, guys! You've been patiently waiting, and now, the wait is finally over! Introducing Sonic 2 Recreation - Part One. I am happy to be finally releasing this to the public. I've wanted to do this for ages, but I wanted to get a full-game release. But due to life and other reasons, it's just not possible without even more delay. So it is going to be released in two parts, starting with part one.


Most of you already know the main features from the list in previous posts (spoiled again in case you've missed it).

Spoiler

The High Points

• S3K-RM Object Manager. S3K Object manager with more oomph. The RM stands for redhotsonic and Module. It features the same as S3K but with y-deletion. Module kindly help me port the original manager in, then I added extra checks for the y-deletion and Module fixing a bug, then me fixing another, and now it's perfect. Now, if you move vertically away from an object, it will delete itself; freeing more processing time!
• S3K Touch Response (Thanks, Module)
• S3K Priority manager
• S3K Rings manager, improved! (original guide by shobiz, improved and optimised by me)
• NEW Random Cheat Code Generator
• S3K ObjectMove(andFall) routines
• Improved layer deformation code
• A huge improvement to the S2clonedriver, and optimised greatly, for details, read on (by ValleyBell)
• S3K's Render_sprites instead of S2's Build_sprites (thank for the assistance, flamewing).
• S3K's mappings instead of Sonic 2's mappings*
• Many, many many optimisations here and there (too many to list).
• Extra security to the game, so you can't cheat your way through (RAM changes, code changes, conversion, etc.).
• Underwater mode. When the main character goes underwater, the sound driver changes its properties to make the music and SFX/DAC's sound like you're underwater (ValleyBell).
• New SEGA screen.
• SSRG screen, slightly edited for S2R
• SonicRetro screen, edited for S2R
• Improved fading on the colours (guided by MarkeyJester)
• Improved fading on the music. Music/PSGs/FMs/DACs are now more balanced when fading in and out. Also, can change the speed of the fade in/out to really fast to really slow(ValleyBell)
• SFXs are no longer affected by the fading in/out of music
• SFXs are no longer affected by the 1-up jingle
• NTSC initially, but compatible with PAL. Music will be the same speed in PAL mode as it was in NTSC mode. Timer is still synced with the game in either mode.
• Main level music will NOT restart after invincibility music or drowning music, instead, it will resume from where it left off (ValleyBell)
• Brand new special stages
• And lots more
  The game
  
• Characters are Sonic and Tails, Sonic alone, Tails alone, Knuckles alone, Knuckles and Tails, Sonic and Knuckles, redhotsonic. Mighty will not be in Part 1.
• Sonic can air-dash (press jump in mid-air). He can also burst (run fast for a long time and he will enter burst mode). He will automatically go into burst mode in certain conditions (speed shoes, booster, etc.).
• Tails can fly, and carry other characters. Also, unlike most games, when Tails is flying, pressing the B button will stop him flying and make him drop. Perfect if you want to get to the ground quickly.
• Tails will now spawn if Sonic is in the water, like S3K. If underwater, Tails will swim, and not fly.
• If you have Knuckles as a sidekick, he will drop next to you as he spawns, whether you're in water or not.
• Knuckles can glide and climb as usual (not as a sidekick...yet...)
• redhotsonic has no special abilities. But there may be a lava level in the future, where RHS will be invulnerable to it (not in Part 1).
• Portal is your home. Here you can enter options to change character or the sound test. Portal is also responsible for getting you to new levels. Logo 1 is first, and then goes in numeric order. After you've completed logo 4, all logos become available. It also shows how many emeralds you've collected, and how many levels you've done. But, what's that warp doing there?
• You can enter the Master cheat code yourself, good luck getting it. Or, you can enter your very own cheat code, more on that in a moment...
• So far, there are 4 completed levels; West Bay Zone, Great Gate Zone, Gem Runway Zone and Chaos Angel Zone.
• Each level contains two main acts, and a boss act. Gem Runway contains the brand new boss. Chaos Angel has 3 main acts but no boss as yet.
• Each main level and act will have a "B" logo right at the start. This will take you back to Portal. This means you can go back to Portal at any time.
• Any original Sonic 2 boss you come across will have a pinch mode, so all bosses will be different in some way. Music will slightly alter and the Eggman counter's text will go red to indicate pinch mode.
• From level select, you can take a peek of what may appear in the future. Please be aware that any of these level can contain bugs and is more than likely not complete-able (and probably contains S2 mappings so things will appear glitched).
• 2player no longer exists. All code has been taken out. This includes all checks, which can help improve the speed of the game (barely)
  What's new from Sonic 2?
  
• New level art and designs. Nothing from the old Sonic 2!
• Multiple routes in many levels.
• At the end of most levels (some have new transitions instead), instead of the characters running off the screen, they do their celebrations, like Sonic 3. The camera also moves up near the end so you have a better view of the background.
• Some levels start differently than just the characters standing there. More to come
• Gem Runway Act 2 has a different route for Knuckles. More Knuckles-only routes to come
• New badniks here and there (as well as old ones)
• Brand new boss, Gem Runway Zone.
• 2 original bosses, they act the same for the first 8 hits but then Eggman enters pinch mode (music change) and things will get tougher!
• Boss explosions now move a little bit rather than staying still. This looks better in my opinion. EHZ boss blows up differently too!
• When boss explodes, nuts and bolts fly everywhere too, similar to Sonic Advance series.
• Eggman occasionally shouts "Ow", "You little..." and "You're going to pay for this!" Changes and additions to come after Part 1
• A smooth boss counter
• Centi-seconds that hits every digit
• New HUD
• New music!
• Underwater ripples
• Monitor icons on HUD. Similar to how Knuckles Chaotix works. When you get a certain monitor, it will be displayed on the HUD. But, it won't have its certain location like Chaotix. It will move up and down on the HUD. It will flash when you're running out (like speed-boots or invincibility), or flash when hurt (shield).
• Random Monitor. Works the same way as it does in Sonic 2's 2 player, except it flashes different images very quickly. And it only gives you certain monitors (like no teleport or no Tails 1-up).
• New standing animations for Sonic and Knuckles before their waiting animation.
• New title screen. Colour of the background changes colour to represent as the main characters current selection
• New title cards.
• New layer scrolls. With almost-instant background changes.
• New restart routine. Instead of the title cards loading again, when you die, the camera will scroll back to the beginning or last checkpoint and will start from there (except for Chaos Angel Act 3, Eggman-earthquake during Great Gate act 2, and when you've drowned).
• Lots of old bugs, gone!
• A few cut-scenes, explosive passages, underwater movements and challenges, earthquakes, etc.
• A few transitions from one level to another
  What to expect in the future in S2R
  
• More new levels
• More Brand new bosses (I have a couple of designs ready to start).
• New badniks
• Time-attack mode. Show us your fastest times in S2R.
• More cut-scenes!
• More thrills that other Sonic hacks can't bring to you.
• A proper story line, as there isn't one at the moment.
• Although, two features have been taken from what I said was going to be:
  

• S2TA's SRAM manager. To be honest, when I started porting this, it was too advanced for S2R's needs. S2TA has lots of data to hold, whereas S2R, nowhere near as much. So instead, I've given S2R its own SRAM manager and encryption. It's nowhere near as good as S2TA, but it'll do.
• Time Over Option. This was in options, but made way for "Underwater-Mode" for sound test. I was desperately running out of time and thought this was more important to add. Who these days can't do a level under 10 minutes anyway?
  
  Anyway, onto the basics and some important gameplay features. If you cannot be arsed to read and just want to download and play, just scroll to the near-bottom of this post.
  
  Logos and warps
  
  
  
  Portal is your home. This is where you can enter levels, or options to make character selections or listen to the Sound test.
  
  -
  
  In Portal, you'll see some logos numbered 1 - 4. 1 takes you to level 1, and so on. You must do it in order, and cannot go back to previous levels. Once you've finished level/logo 4, you can then enter any level/logo afterwards. I wonder what that warp does once you've done all 4 levels and have all emeralds?
  
  
  
  Also in Portal, to the left, is an "Options" logo. This will take you to the options screen where you can change character, or listen to some music/SFX's with underwater-mode on or off.
  
  
  
  In each level/act, there is another logo at the beginning; the "B" logo. This simply takes you back to Portal, for if you want to make any changes.
  
  Playable characters and their abilities
  
  There are 7 selections altogether:
  
  - Sonic and Tails
  
  - Sonic Alone
  
  - Tails Alone
  
  - Knuckles Alone
  
  - Knuckles and Tails
  
  - Sonic and Knuckles
  
  - redhotsonic
  
  Sonic can air dash. Jump and press the jump button again in mid-air to do an air dash. This can help you gain great speeds, but at a cost; you will be vulnerable whilst air-dashing. Sonic can also burst. If you're running with Sonic at a great speed for a long time, he will suddenly burst, and gain tremendous speed!
  
  Tails, the usual. He can fly, carry characters and swim. Whilst flying/swimming, press B, and he will cancel his flying/swimming and fall to the ground. Knuckles, the usual, he can glide and climb. redhotsonic has no abilities as yet, at the moment, he's more of a cameo.
  
  Levels and Bosses
  
  - - -
  
  There are 4 complete levels to be played. West Bay Zone, Great Gate Zone, Gem Runway Zone and Chaos Angel Zone. The first 3 levels have 2 acts and then a boss act, whereas Chaos Angel, just has 3 acts (no boss as yet).
  
  The first two bosses you'll recognise from Sonic 2, but after 8 hits, watch out! Because Eggman will change his mood! This is called Pinch mode. The 3rd boss, is my brand new boss, not seen anywhere else. Hope you have fun destroying him; I always do!
  
  
  
  New monitors (electric shield, ?rings, random monitor)
  
  
  
  There are 3 new monitors compared to the original Sonic 2. The electric shield, which is the exact same as the normal shield, but you attract rings. You can lose this shield entering the water though. A "? rings" monitor, that will give you 1, 5, 10, 20 or 40 rings. 20 and 40 rings are a little bit rarer to obtain. And a random monitor that will cycle through all the ones you can get, but once destroyed, it will randomly give you a prize, or a nasty shock!
  
  Special stages
  
  -
  
  If you collect 50 rings or more at the end of the level, you can enter the special stage (not available on boss acts, or Chaos Angel act 2 or 3, cheats enabled, or all 7 emeralds already obtained). The sidekick will grab the plane, and you're off! There are 7 special stages. All you need to do, is survive the Sky Chases! If you survive, you win an emerald!
  
  Super form and Random Cheat code
  
  
  
  First of all, I apologise for that there is no Super form in Part One. I was stressed for time. I managed to get Knuckles working as Super, but Sonic was being a pain in the ass. And to be fair, there were more important stuff to get done. So I took Super Knuckles out as well. So what's the point in collecting 7 emeralds now then?
  
  
  
  Ah, this is what the warp is for! Once you've completed the game with all emeralds, the warp will become animated (meaning it's now active), and you can sacrifice all your emeralds for a random generated cheat code! Say yes, you lose your emeralds, but gain a code. Write your code down! The code is only shown once. From then, it will never tell you again. You can never get another code either (even if you get all the emeralds back). For a new code, you'll have to delete the data and start the game again from scratch. Once you've got your code, at the title screen, enter your code, you'll hear and see that you've entered it correctly, then hold A and press start to enter Level Select. If you don't hold A, you'll go to Portal, although cheats will be disabled.
  
  Once you're in Level Select, you can pick levels you've already done, or take a sneak peak at other levels that may be coming to Part Two. When selecting a level, hold A and press start to enable debug (not avail. in Portal or Special Stages). You know how debug works. Please be aware, there will be bugs and glitches when going to levels through Level Select and when using debug. After all, you are cheating!
  
  Delete Data Page
  
  
  
  To delete all your saved data (including emeralds and your generated cheat code), at the Title screen, hold A, B and C and press start. It'll ask you just to be sure. If you press yes, it will delete all your data and go to the SEGA screen. To be on the safe side, "No" is already highlighted.
  
  99% Lag-free
  
• S2R has lots of improvements to its engine, the game is almost lag-free. I would love to guarantee it, but there are 3 conditions where I cannot:
  
• 2nd half of Great Gate Zone Act 2
• Any level with cheats/debug enabled
• PAL mode
  Otherwise, the game is 99% lag-free!
  
  Future updates and errors
  
  First of all, is your emulator up to scratch? Can it display flamewing's error report? To find out, go to Sound test and play $FF. You should then get something similar to this:
  
  
  
  If not, your emulator may not be up to scratch. Your emulator may just hang instead (or glitch up). So far, Regen reports and real hardware reports. Kega doesn't seem to and neither does MD.emu.
  
  As for future updates, there will be an update in a months' time. This update will contain any bug fixes you lot find. If the bug is game-breaking or mega-urgent, I will update ASAP. Otherwise, in a months' time. After the bug updates, the next update will be Part 2, but not until ages yet.
  
  This list will be updated everytime someone reports a new bug. Once it has been striked out, it means it will be fixed in the next update. Known bugs so far:
  
• If you enter Chaos Angel Zone Act 2 via level select, the ending of the level will crash (just before the "End of Level results"). This only happens via level select. During normal gameplay, it's fine. I should really stop using + as labels =P
• When you defeat the ARZ boss, 1% of the time, he may leave early. This bug is present in the original Sonic 2. The level is still complete-able though., just may appear glitched if this bug occurs.
• The fading in/out/volume commands do not work correctly on the options menu (again, stupid branch error from me)
  
  
  Emulators and Hardware
  
  This game is working 100% with Regen, 100% with Kega, 100% with MD.emu, works 100% with Real Hardware (Tested with an Everdrive flash cart, OS v35 and Firmware v14 on a TMSS Asian MegaDrive system, running on Jap language at 60Hz). All other emulators are either not fully tested, or not tested at all.
  
  Regen
  
  As you may know, there is an SRAM bug (explained in this thread), but S2R has internal coding to deal with this problem, although, it's not perfect. Eventually, it may fail (I do not know what triggers this fail). Once it's failed, it will always fail, due to Regen.
  
  Downloads
  
  No more waiting, download the game here! Same as the contest version:
  
  S2R Part1 at SHC
  
  Next links are available seeming as the SHC is currently down. These links provide to the exact same version as the SHC2013.
  
  RAR file
  
  ZIP file
  
  BIN file
  
  Download is only available at the SHC. Once the contest is over, the other links will be available.
  
  Contest 2013
  
  Now that this game will be public, if you're a member of SSRG or SonicRetro and you've enjoyed this game, do not forget to vote for it in the Sonic Hacking Contest 2013! And good luck too all other entries; it's a tough year this year!
  
  Enjoy!
  
  That's it! I hope you enjoy this game as much as I've enjoyed making it. Yet again, I'd like to say a huge thanks to valleyBell for his knowledge on the music and sound driver, and other useful stuff. StephenUK, for the magnicificant art he created for Great gate and West Bay Zone. Seeming as Part One has no staff credits yet, I'll list the credits here:
  
  The team
  
• redhotsonic - creator, programmer, designer, beginner-artist
• ValleyBell - musician, sound programmer
• StephenUK - Artist
  People I'd like to thank
  
• ValleyBell and StephenUK, helping making this game go to the next level.
• All the creators of programs that I used in the creation of S2R.
• SMTP, even though I haven't spoken to him properly for a while, he helped me with this many years ago. And frankly, this hack wouldn't have got far without him.
• Module, for the guidance he gave me.
• flamewing, for his advice and tips
• Zana, for creating Gem Runway's background art
• Jamie Bailey and Dragon XVI, for permission to use the midi for Gem Runway act 1 (act 2 remixed by ValleyBell)
• Sonica and jasonchrist for permission to use their monitor art
  Special thanks
  
• MarkeyJester, PsychoSk8r, KingofHarts, Spanner, and anyone else I may have forgotten (let me know)
• OrdosAlpha and the other SSRG admins; for giving me my own web space so I can show the world S2R
• My Friends and Family for their support.
• And at last, but not least, the members of SSRG and SonicRetro, for your support.