Download
32-bit Windows Executable - SAGE 2011 build 1
Known Bugs
- Complete list coming soon. Between bugs with the various things in Worlds and the ones exhibited by the various additions, they are numerous.
Cast of Characters
Check back soon for a dossier list of the enemies and the boss present in this demo.
Objectives
First and foremost, you should try to get through the level. Second, it's a good idea to hunt down those red rings. They don't really give you anything right now, but if you collect them all, you'll know you've played the stage pretty throughly. It isn't a huge stage, so it shouldn't take long to explore. You might even find something that hints at future development!
Explanation
Back a few years ago, Damizean made a Multimedia Fusion 2 engine called Sonic Worlds. I was pretty psyched up about it at the time, because it was by and large the best thing that was openly available at the time. I joined up with the project early on and helped to make a number of improvements, and even helped for a while to work on the late but much beloved Sonic Nexus after it transitioned to the engine. That project eventually moved on while I was busy with every little thing, but I've come back to Worlds for a little while to do something I never actually thought I'd bother to do.
I made a 2D Sonic level, mostly from scratch, but largely from scavenged concepts and art work. It's a little rough around the edges... naturally so, since it's the first level I've ever made. This wasn't really meant to become a large ordeal, but it has lead me into something.
I've always talked a rather big game about how I feel a Sonic level should play out, so it might seem a little odd that I've never actually made a level before this. This SAGE, I'll be showing off the early concept.
It's a rather simple level. The branching is a little amateurish and there is a signficant lack of weaving that goes on. The level is incredibly light on layers and a lot of the other stuff frequently employed in making various little 'wow!' moments in Sonic games... but what I focused on were a few fundamentals. The ideas that embody this little project are the following:
- Design a level around simple, self contained challenges
- Make every path contain unique elements. If a path is redundant and adds nothing, it shouldn't be there.
- Over the top enemies and gimmicks are at the core of a game's memorability... and if something is memorable, people will love it.
I mostly used this level as a creative avenue for making enemies with weird behaviors and learning to bend an engine I used to love in new twistier ways.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I'd like to thank Overbound (SFGHQ admin and leader of Sonic Time Twisted, another Sonic fan project) for both encouraging me to do this and providing a huge amount of help in creating the content. He is responsible for the base parts of almost all the level art and he has provided me use of other resources from Time Twisted as well. I'll be joining up with his project later this year... after learning some GMScript and how to use a certain new engine. In addition, I'd like to thank Mercury, Blazefire, Hinchy, Tweaker, and anyone else who has ever put any time into Time Twisted.
Obviously this probably wouldn't be happening without Sonic Worlds, so Damizean also deserves a lot of acknowledgement. His engines have been an invaluable resource to the SFGHQ community, and he's just an awesome guy... not to mention someone I personally would consider a genius. Mad props. Also Lark for working to keep the Sonic Worlds project going once Dami had moved on to other projects.
I've also got to credit KGB525 of Sonic Retro, who was gracious enough to accept my request to use some of his Sonicesque music for this level. The talent that hangs around this community is just enormous and hugely varied.
Of course, I can't forget SEGA for creating one of my most beloved mascots. I might go on tirades about them every once in a while, but at the end of the day I wouldn't do so if they hadn't created a real gem.
Lastly, I'd like to thank SFGHQ's staff (especially Smidge) for being a useful support net to me and of course for arranging my web hosting and this event.
Legal Spiel
Obviously, I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, the characters associated with the franchise, or anything along those lines. In fact, most of the artistic assets in this game are shamelessly boosted and tweaked to suit the needs of the level. This is a non-profit fan project, made only in tribute to the franchise. Neither I (DimensionWarped from SFGHQ) nor this game have any association with SEGA outside of what is stated in this disclaimer.
If I have used any of your assets without permission and/or have failed to credit you, I promise it wasn't out of malice, so please contact me and I'll do my best to correct the situation. The easiest way to get in touch with me is to leave me (DimensionWarped) a private message at the Sonic Fangames HQ forum. If you do, I'll probably get back to you in a couple days. If that isn't acceptable, you can send an email to dimensionwarped at popular mail site related to google with a g in it. If you do, it'll probably be a while before I respond, possibly forever, so remember that you can't really expect correspondence from that avenue. SFGHQ really is the best solution.