Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Fate of the Master Emerald

[Cyber Rat]

Hey Blue Emerald, out of boredom, I've tweaked up your badnik sprite... Even though I didn't know it was supossed a slug (I assumed it was some sort of caterpillar, like in the original games), so well.... I only realized that after I had made this.

Use it if you like, anyway. I have one big suggestion for your future works, though. The colors you choose didn't have enough contrast between them, so they're pretty much unnoticiable. Try using more contrasts on the colours if you want to make shadows and highlights. Take a look to my choice on the image:

[qimg]http://www.sonicfangameshq.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=925&stc=1&d=1223501683[/qimg]

You should get bored more often.

[Blue Emerald]

Hey Blue Emerald, out of boredom, I've tweaked up your badnik sprite... Even though I didn't know it was supossed to be a slug (I assumed it was some sort of caterpillar, like in the original games), so well.... I only realized that after I had made this.

Use it if you like, anyway:

[qimg]http://www.sonicfangameshq.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=925&stc=1&d=1223501683[/qimg]

I have one big suggestion for your future works, though. The colors you choose didn't have enough contrast between them, so they're pretty much unnoticiable. Try using more contrasts on the colours if you want to make shadows and highlights.

Holy sweet jeez, that looks cool!

Thanks for the advice. I'd tried making contrasts before, but to me they always seemed like bad clashes of color. I'll try to do something like that, though; it might take time, but it's probably worth taking time to do.

I just got an idea today on how I can make Bioslug look more like a slug Badnik, so I'll start some work on that. I'll keep the eyes from your design, though; they're really cool.

EDIT: So, I kept Bioslug's basic slug look, but I swapped the top and bottom halves back to their original places; I realized that was what made the new one look so strange. I also added a new spike to the bottom to make the bottom half more symmetrical. It's going to help, too; I used Damizean's idea with his extendable pillar sprite and decided that that will be how Bioslug moves around. It solves the issue with the rigid look. I didn't think the Caterkiller v0.5 function was going to work too well for Bioslug, but I just had the wrong idea at first; all I have to do now is split Bioslug's two halves for the crawling motion.

I worked on the contrast, and I will say that it looks like a much bigger improvement over the first Bioslug. I even switched up the shading on the red veins to give them a nice electric-like glow, which I think is appropriate for a mechanical creature. Well, here's the new Bioslug, everyone.

Thanks for the advice, Damizean; this looks much nicer now than it ever did before. I'm giving you a rep for the help.

Also, I'm thinking about making an upside-down (or, rather, rightside-up) version of Bioslug that will already crawl around, to add some challenge to the game. It would act as kind of a motivation for players to use the Spin Dash or Super Spin Dash, too. (Not that players don't already, but it may emphasize the use of the basic Spin Dash)

So, what do you all think of the new Bioslug?

[lmerrill]

Very nice-looking game so far, looks like something to keep my eye on. Keep up the good work, and if you need somewhere to host your game when you get it done (demos, downloads, screens, and whatnot) let me know and I'll hook you up on my 600GB server.

Again, nice job so far! You've created a very promising game.

[Blue Emerald]

Thanks for the offer, lmerrill. I've always been open to the option of having a website for this game. I'll let you know when I get a substantial amount of information to create a site on your server, and thanks again.

Well, progress is slow, but still steady. I've added a few more tunes to the game's soundtrack, and I've been sketching up rough drafts of each of the zones' backgrounds. From the looks of things, Techno City Zone's background is going to pose a real challenge when I start creating it, but in the end it should turn out to be a fun stage.

Anyway, it's that time again, everyone. It's time for me to show off a shiny new Badnik, so feast your eyes on the newest mean machine in Sonic 4:

Sure, it looks pretty and colorful, but be warned: this Badnik packs some serious heat!

Its name is Pyro Plant, and you can only find this fiendish flower in Summer Forest Zone. For those who remember this Badnik's cousin, the Bloominator, from their treks through Sonic 3's Angel Island Zone, you should already be familiar with this flower's fighting style. However, instead of shooting iron brambles (like the Bloominator), this Badnik spouts orbs of fire!

Pyro Plant stores warmth within the heating chamber at its center. The heat gives the central heating chamber its orange color. Then, when an unsuspecting blue hedgehog stops by, that's when this Badnik opens fire with a pair of scorching flames from its metal petals.

Of course, Sonic can avoid damage from the blazing barrage altogether if he finds a Fire Shield. Also, unlike Bloominator, Pyro Plant has leaves which give it a wider profile, making it a bigger target for Sonic to hit; but if he's on the run, it's also a harder obstacle for Sonic to miss! Spin Dash is recommended for busting this botanical 'bot!

[Blue Emerald]

Summer Forest Zone gets an upgrade today!

Remember the old picture of Summer Forest Zone from the first page? Take a good long look at it, because there's a good chance that you won't be seeing that one anymore. (At least in the game, anyway; I might keep the old pic for something)

I got a lot of feedback regarding these mock-ups, a lot of it being that Summer Forest looked too much like a mix of Angel Island and Mushroom Hill, or like a sort of S3K ROM-hack. Well, that issue is no more! Feast your eyes on the new mock-up for Summer Forest Zone!

Ta-da! So, how does everyone like the new look?

[Serephim]

think its beautiful personally.

[Cyber Rat]

Looks foresty and summery at the same time, so I think it's a successful attempt.

[Cstyler]

As for me, I don't like that pieces from Emerald Hill. Everything other looks cool! Flower with rings is awesome.

[Blue Emerald]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'm going to start work on the new Indigo Ruins, too, so I'll show that off once I'm done.

Anyway, about the ground pieces from Emerald Hill. I was looking for a ground piece that could be destructible, and Emerald Hill's pieces fit the bill. Should be fun for these levels. The only other ground pieces I could see myself using for this zone are Palmtree Panic's Past and Present and Collision Chaos' Past.

Cstyler, you've been a lot of help to my progress as a spriter, and I thank you for all your constructive criticism. So, as a courteous connoisseur would ask the chef which wine they would pair with a meal, I'm calling for your artistic knowledge for this zone. Which ground pieces would you prefer to use for this zone?

(As for how I know about restaurant courtesy, my family has some experience in the gourmet food department)

[Shadow Hog]

I don't really like the trees for some reason. Not entirely sure why it's bothering me, honestly, but there's something about them... maybe the shading? Or the design? I do wish I could be less vague about it, but there's just something about the leafy part that doesn't click.

Also the shading for the enemies don't match up with the shading for Sonic. Not earth-shattering, since this IS a fangame (and for that matter, the trees aren't particularly earth-shattering either for the same reason), but it does look odd.

[Slingerland]

I like, I like. When people mix-n-match well, I really enjoy it.

My only concern, a minor one, is that the foreground is all geometric and the rest of the level is well shaded and realistic. I don't know if that makes any sense to anybody, but if you get what I am saying, Blue Emerald, then yeah...

[Cstyler]

Cstyler, you've been a lot of help to my progress as a spriter, and I thank you for all your constructive criticism. So, as a courteous connoisseur would ask the chef which wine they would pair with a meal, I'm calling for your artistic knowledge for this zone. Which ground pieces would you prefer to use for this zone?

I think that you can use the way of compiling sprites in one big piece, as seen in Emerald Hill.

Here's a little example created by me:

You can use sprites from it if you want.

[Blue Emerald]

I just tried the sprites out today, and they have a lot of potential. I'll go with what you said and use the log pattern for the tiles. Looks great, and it may just be what this level needs in terms of fun explorable level with destructible tiles.

I'll work with these some more and show a new picture of the zone when I finish. Thanks so much.

[Rael0505]

Cstyler did a great job with those tiles. I wouldn't even be able to tell it was based off of Emerald Hill's pattern if I didn't see the previous version! Definitely go with it, man.

[Blue Emerald]

Well, I finally finished the log pattern. I have to say, I think it looks great. However, I didn't exactly use the tiles from Cstyler's sheet; when I tried them, they looked a little too saturated. But, like I said, the logs had a lot of potential-- they were very creative, and I never would have thought of them as being great tiles, so I definitely went with this idea in mind.

I wanted to stay further back from the EHZ motif, as it didn't ring well with my fellow viewers. I decided to go with something that kind of resembled Wood Zone from Sonic 2 Beta, since that zone's foreground was primarily made up of logs. So, I used the trees and logs from my mock-up to make this:

As you can see, the checkered pillars from the EHZ model are still there. I wanted to keep those to make the log pattern look a little less repetitive and more pleasing to the eye. (Consider them to be "checkered logs," instead) If you guys don't approve of them, though, I had a stripe pattern in mind for the pillars to replace these ones.

Another idea I had for the log pattern was this one:

This one looks like it would be just as great of an option as the one before it. After making the first log pattern, I thought it would be just as cool an idea to have the stage be made up of ancient logs instead of fresh ones (and, since some of these logs are supposed to be breakable, that would make sense). So, I converted the logs from reddish-brown to bluish-gray. It complements the sky background, and channels a bit of that artistic surrealism the old Sonic games contained.

Both are great choices, and it's really hard to decide which one to use.

Again, thank you, Cstyler, for this idea!

[Cyber Rat]

Use the normal ones for Act 1 and the blue ones for a nighttime Act 2?

[Cstyler]

[qimg]http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k151/cloudstrife2006/SFZwoodR-1.png[/qimg]

It looks good!

Another idea I had for the log pattern was this one:

[qimg]http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k151/cloudstrife2006/SFZwoodB.png[/qimg]

It looks good too, but if you want to make 2 acts with different patterns then recolour grass, background and others.

Again, thank you, Cstyler, for this idea!

I'm glad you like it.

[Daniel]

I reckon you keep the 1st one (the one with brownish logs).

Anyways, this game looks awesome!

[True_Sonic]

The one with the brownish logs is better it matches the feel of it, looks nice so far though.

[OverbounD]

Use the normal ones for Act 1 and the blue ones for a nighttime Act 2?

Yes.

[Blue Emerald]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. As for nighttime levels, Summer Forest Zone takes place entirely in the daytime, so those night levels are a no-go.

To conclude, I'll be using the brown log pattern for this zone. Now, I'll get back to work on the new Indigo Ruins mock-up.

[Blue Emerald]

And here it is, folks! The new mock-up for Indigo Ruins Zone is complete!

Remember back when I said I was looking for a rocky, ruins-like environment when I was making the mock-up for this zone? Well, I found it, and it fits the zone perfectly. The entire place is nothing but blue, with hints of purple here and there. I successfully made the bricks less contrasted, as was Cstyler's request (sort of; he said it lacked color, but that was because I set the bricks to high contrast when I first did the mock-up). The pieces from Hidden Palace and Marble Zone make for a great set-up for this ancient underwater stage.

As for the spiny crab Badnik in the picture, he may not need introduction, as Sonic 1 veterans will recognize this familiar foe, but I may just reveal his information anyway, at a later date.

So, how does everyone feel about the new Indigo Ruins?

[Cyber Rat]

The topic is 8 pages long so sorry if I missed this or someone already asked, but I've seen a lot of mock-ups and nothing... well... real. I mean, you could get much better feedback if the screenshots were from the actual game, and not fabricated. Heck, I have a project of my own I could do mock-ups of, but I'm actually waiting to do something playable and screenshot that. So, the question is: when do we get to see something interactive? (I only recall you saying you would use the Sonic Worlds engine.) So far I've only seen a lot of info with mock-ups as 'proof' of it. I'm not accusing you of anything, mind you, but with a thread this long, you should give us something more than mere mock-ups, since your game is receiving a decent amount of attention.

[Blue Emerald]

I'd hate to admit it, but you're absolutely right.

I've been updating a bunch here to show people that I'm still making progress with this game. In fact, just yesterday I added some new tracks for the game. But, you are right, instead of worrying about how it looks for now, I should start making something playable, especially since I want this game to be in the next SAGE. I wanted to get some of the minor stuff out of the way before working more on Worlds, but... maybe I have been away from the engine too long?

All right, I guess I'll stop the graphics previews for now and start making some headway with Worlds. I won't be updating as much, but I want you all to know that, despite the deluge of homework I go through each week and the work I get involved in day after day, I am working on this game every day.

I'll update the thread once I've got the engine personalized to my liking.

[Rael0505]

Hey man, your backgrounds are looking more and more awesome. I did edit your grass colors in one:

Shown in the red boxed area. Use it if you like, I think the contrast makes it look much better.