Sonic 1 - Comet Edition v2 (Beta/Demo)

Discussion in 'Showroom' started by B. Comet, Jul 30, 2017.

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  1. B. Comet

    B. Comet Is fun still infinite? Member

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    [​IMG]
    Cool banner, but just a simple hack again.

    For some time, I have been teasing this thing on screenshots topic, but now, I can finally show this properly to everyone, and there is my second attempt at hacking.

    Once again, the main focus is in the level desing, which I made from the zero again, getting some ideas from the past version too. There is some good amount of secrets in the levels, try to search for them!

    Only Green Hill and Marble Zone were changed, the rest remains exactly the same.

    The real reason I am releasing this is mostly to get more feedback about the layouts and polish this hack to release it in the next SHC, possibly with new zone names, music and a new zone.

    Green Hill Zone

    [​IMG].[​IMG].[​IMG].[​IMG]

    Marble Zone

    [​IMG].[​IMG].[​IMG].[​IMG]

    If possible, give me some feedback in this topic. Is very appreciated.

    And I know the sky in the Title Screen has a ugly green color. I am going to fix that later.

    Alternative download link: http://www.mediafire.com/file/wa72t20k56q310k/Comet+Edition+V2+-+Beta.bin
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jul 30, 2017
  2. Jefftastic

    Jefftastic n00blet Member

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    Hey dude, I really liked your hack, its a good look for what the future of this holds, but here is some recomendations...
    • I seriously love the direction the art is heading, but the title screen needs to change.
    • The music needs to be refreshing, try remixing old tunes, or use some free assets if you aren't ready for smps making (give credit!)
    • Look, I know asm isn't exactly everybody's thing... But could we at least get a spindash? Feels off not being able to do that.
    • New pallets? Would be lovely then to see the "original" Green Hill v2502623562 pallet.
    • Please do a bit of touching on small bits, like the level names or the level select. Give some new names here and there.
    • The title of your hack, "Comet Edition", I personally don't like "edition" to be in a title. Try maybe Comet Chaos or something similar. (you don't have to do this but just think about it.)
    Current rating of the hack: 7/10. Keep up the work dude, there is potential ;)
     
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  3. B. Comet

    B. Comet Is fun still infinite? Member

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    Thanks for the tips.

    - I am aware of the ugly title screen, as I said in the first post, I am going to fix that.
    - I still don't know how to work with music, even using those free assets. I will try to learn about it.
    - I will think about it.
    - Huh... I honestly don't know what you are talking about.
    - Going to do that. I just need ideas for the new names. :V
    - I just call it "edition" because is still kinda of a simple change from the original Sonic 1, despite my efforts.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2017
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  4. Jefftastic

    Jefftastic n00blet Member

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    Oops, when I said "change the pallets" I meant along the lines of some levels like GHZ, the pallets are almost identical (excluding the bg).
     
  5. LuigiXHero

    LuigiXHero Well-Known Member Member

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    Oh boy color pallets my favorite
    [​IMG]
    It's palettes not pallets.

    Anyways music is easy to replace if you have the files. If you download ones that are for sonic 1 just put them into your sound folder and search for "music81:" in your disasm. You'll see a bunch of music includes. Go into the level select to see what each song is, "music81" is ghz for example. Then just edit the include line to include the custom song instead.
     
  6. Jefftastic

    Jefftastic n00blet Member

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    Its how they spell it from where I am.
     
  7. B. Comet

    B. Comet Is fun still infinite? Member

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    Nah, I don't think the new palette is that similar. But, I was already thinking the default green hill palette was blending well with the new BG, then I just changed it to match the feel of the stage.

    I used to say pallets too.

    Also, I used one of Gamma V SMPS on my hack, and it worked pretty well. But, I still don't know how to ASM, converting sound formats and changing drivers. But, I will try to learn and do something before the SHC.
     
  8. TheInvisibleSun

    TheInvisibleSun Visible Member

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    Is the spindash really necessary? I'd say think of an interesting new move/gimmick that might fit the 'comet' nomenclature. Not every hack needs the spin dash.
     
  9. Jefftastic

    Jefftastic n00blet Member

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    I was thinking along the lines of a new move. Or perhaps something like a gimmick, i.e a wall jump or shield change.
     
  10. Razor

    Razor Active Member Member

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    I really liked the hack. It was very fun to explore these levels. Hope the rest of them will be made in the same style.
     
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  11. NiphFM

    NiphFM Host of the Mega Drive Music Contest Member

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    Yay, a new hack to play!

    EDIT: Here we go!

    Green Hill:
    General:
    + BG is spectacular
    + Nice addition to the fg with the palmtree (shamelessly taken from Palmtree Panic, i see :p)
    + Smooth level design, intuitive and has lots of alternate paths​

    Act 1:
    + Nothing seemingly out of the orderly here!​

    Act 2:
    - This and many other bottomless pits break the golden rule of first levels (which is basically "no death pits in level 1 of any game")
    [​IMG]

    + Sneaky life just before the finish post, I like little tricks like this!​

    Act 3:
    - Pesky pits again!
    [​IMG]

    ~ Maybe make bits like the one that Sonic is facing solid
    [​IMG]

    - Make this part solid, as Sonic went through the wall here. Twice.
    [​IMG]

    Zone Summary:
    + The aesthetic is beautiful and creates a really laid-back feel
    + Levels are usually quite smooth, flow very well and also have multiple pathways, which is a major plus
    + I must give applause for making new chunks as well, as I don't often see too much of this
    - There is a lot of bottomless pits, which happen to be one of my pet hates.
    - A few Obj44 issues here and there, though they're easy to fix and aren't too big of an issue in this hack​

    Marble:
    General:
    + Once again, art is spectacular! BG is very detailed and fg gives a more mechanical impression. It seems to give the zone a whole new flavour
    - The FG pipes make the level a bit too busy. At least vary the planes that they're on so Sonic goes in front of some
    ~ Level layouts, again, superb! Other than a few questionable sections, it's really good.​

    Act 1:
    + The cheeky little trap that sends you back up the ramp if you're too fast and careless​

    Act 2:
    ~ Not sure how to feel about these pillars. The shading is all over the place, but the design is alright.
    [​IMG]

    - This trap requires you to be fast enough to push the block towards the left, but the horizontal spike thingy will crush you if you are too slow, but we don't get enough time to move the block out of the way before being crushed.
    [​IMG]

    Act 3:
    + Interesting start. It reminds me somewhat of Lava Reef's opening
    + Now this is just clever, however I would change it so that lava is beneath the collapsing platforms, and not death pits
    [​IMG]

    - Initially confusing here, as the spring didn't spawn the first time
    [​IMG]

    - Not sure how you would get back up here if you fall down or miss the jump
    [​IMG]

    - Strange spring placement that can be quite annoying
    [​IMG]

    ~ The hidden checkpoint doesn't work (it could be caused by my next point though)
    [​IMG]

    - just realized that i was stuck in a looped bit all along, and I find that really annoying and cruel :(

    Zone Summary:
    + Art is really good for the most part. The only real problems I have here are some of the shading choices here and there, and the level sometimes being too cluttered to tell what's FG and BG.
    ~ Marble seems to be riddled with cheeky little traps, and while they are clever for the most part, some really get on my nerves.​

    MY THOUGHTS ON THE HACK
    :
    Your hack really is only a level layout + aesthetic hack, but it delivers exceptionally well in both areas, especially for someone who has just begun in Sonic hacking in the last year. Your level layouts, like any, have their flaws, but if I put them aside, we see a well polished, thought out and smooth design for both levels in this version. Your art only adds to the polish and pushes your efforts to the next level. The only things you need to focus on are to cut back considerably on the bottomless pits, and strike a good balance between empty and cluttered in the more blocky zones. Overall, a great hack, though not without its flaws​
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
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  12. Trinitronity

    Trinitronity Well-Known Member Member

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    I'm sorry, but I disagree. It's the Spin Dash that makes Sonic playable in the first place.
    The lack of a spin dash would be absolutely cancerous.
     
  13. TheInvisibleSun

    TheInvisibleSun Visible Member

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    I guess Sonic 1 and Pana der Hejhog are unplayable!

    Fun fact, Sonic 2 is entirely completeable without the spin dash (and it's not even a pedantic, slow thing to do, you just need to be skilled at the game). Sure, it's a fun move, but is it really that vital? My point is that there could be a more imaginative move set designed into the game without just defaulting to the spindash just because. 'Comet' Edition as a name, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of gameplay than just 'add a spindash'.
     
  14. Pineapple Arse

    Pineapple Arse I ironically hate cold temperatures. Member

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    My opinion about the hack is simple. The art, is very original and has a lot of detail to it. The only think I would change is the water in GHZ, such as making it seem like the skys colors are reflecting on the waters surface. As for level design, some is hold right to win, and others are cluttered/confusing. My least favorite example of this is the section of swinging platforms. If you make one false jump, you are met with a bottomless pit, which is just downright unfair. My final thought is that the hack has a lot of potential, but it just needs some edits here and there to perfect it.

    What? Please explain how? The spindash is not needed for a game to be playable, it is just needed for speed. Like the boost in Generations. You rarely needed it to complete levels (except the walk on water sections of seaside hill). You only boosted to go fast. As in the classics, the only time you needed the spindash is for gimmiks revolving around it, such as the spinning wheels in Marble Garden, ice blocks in icecap, a lot of specail stage entries, etc. (Damn, the only gane where the spindash was needed was in s3k). Now lets go to the game where the spin dash came from. In s2, the spindash was just for fun and going fast. You did not need it to win at all, so the term "it is cancerous not to have a spindash" is illogical, and it just boils down to you wanting a spindash in every hack.
     
  15. Jefftastic

    Jefftastic n00blet Member

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    Well, to be fair, you don't have to have a spindash to make a good hack, just look at Pana der hejhog! Still has vital Sonic gameplay without breaking any design.
     
  16. redhotsonic

    redhotsonic Also known as RHS Member

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    So I gave this a go, and it's pretty good, but a lot to improve on. All my thoughts can be found here:



    YouTube link
     
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  17. kenny0989

    kenny0989 Well-known idiot Member

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    In fact, you don't need spindash to gotta go fast at all, as long as you know how to do trick, such as jump at middle of the loop, spin when going down, hold 'jump' button to break the badnik that is at the bottom of the zone.
     
  18. Misinko

    Misinko Oh SHIT it's the Biolizard! Member

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    You're missing the entire point of the spindash, mate. It's not a tool to simply "go fast", it's instant speed in exchange for any speed you currently have. Risk/Reward. Of course you don't need the spindash to "go fast", but using the spindash at the right time nets you a bounty of speed.
     
  19. Gamma V

    Gamma V Well-Known Member Member

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    I just finished playing this demo, and I agree that it looks gorgeous. I personally don't think the foreground palette for Green Hill should be changed from what it currently is as it gives off a nice late sunset vibe, which I think the creator was going for. I also appreciate the visual changes to Marble Zone. It makes it look like the ruins of some very high-tech lost civilization.

    I agree with everyone who said this hack could use some custom music, and that checking out some stuff from the Free Assets Thread would be a good start if you're not ready to learn SMPSing. My latest SMPS pack is compatible with the vanilla Sonic 1 sound driver. Either Splash Hill Act 1 or the Sonic Adventure 7 Non-Earrape Mix might be good for GHZ. I don't know if any of the other songs in there will fit future levels, but this pack might be a nice start for custom music.

    Level design was very hit-and-miss. While Sonic games have never necessarily been 100% Gotta Go Fast, there is still a prominent focus on speed in official games, at least in the first Zone. There were some places where I could easily pick up plenty of speed, but they were broken up by platforming sections that seemed far too difficult for a first Zone.

    I couldn't get past Marble Zone Act 3 because there's a part where I got either stumped or stuck. There was a pool of lava with a ledge topped with a Yellow Spring on the left side, Getting up there would require jumping into the lava, and forced damage is never a good thing. Even then, the spring on top the ledge makes it too high to jump onto. Was there supposed to be a platform in the lava that just wasn't spawning for me?

    Either way, I made a video of this hack.
     
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  20. B. Comet

    B. Comet Is fun still infinite? Member

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    Yeah, a pushing block was supposed to spawn there, but, because that area had too many objects, some of them disappeared and made the rom lag. Fortunately, I already fixed this and some other issues regarding the layout.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2017
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