Zone Ideas for Episode 2!

[Hyper-Shan]

I don't know why, but I seem to picture that faint yellowish-white background on the banner/top of the page to be the moon from the SA2B opening... Moonliten Ruins/or Ancient City? =S

Edited January 23, 2012 by Hyper-Shan

[Marcello]

Might be my imagination, but I think I see some greenery between the two columns. It looks like it's covered in fog.

Then there's that blue spire type thing behind Tails' ear.

Also, I notice some differences between AR's and these (Besides the color now). The line in the capital bends down by AR while this goes straight. E2's pillars are thinner, too. They're both Ionic capitals, though.

[Dantemustdie00]

They are indeed Greek/Roman styled Columns, no question about it. And yes their is greenery in the back. Whether or not this is a nod to Aquatic Ruin is still unknown at this point.

[Blue Blood]

Take two regular tropes.

Combine them.

See if the result is interesting.

That's how I'd go about it. A lot of tropes have been completely exhausted, but combined forms, less so. I really like the ideas from earlier in the thread for a dilapidated Eggman fortress (Dead Egg) and a snowy forest; they're ideas I've thought should be attempted, too, and I think they come with a lot of immediately accessible gimmicks.

Colours did this to an extent. Battle ships + carnival = Starlight Carnival, base + GHZ = Planet Wisp, Oriental + underwater = Aquarium Park. You get some really cool ideas out of it. But you don't necessarily need to merge trope to get something interesting. Unleashed is one example, where practically every stage was a city. And say for example, Sonic has been to a lot of ruin stages before. But he's rarely gone to Greek, Roman or European ones. There's infinite potential in existing tropes.

[Salamander]

But you don't necessarily need to merge trope to get something interesting.

Oh, I agree, and you have some good examples. I was just giving another stratagem that would produce some good combinations - even combinations that weren't as wacky and surreal as in Colours. I'm not sure I'd want another Sweet Mountain in Episode 2, for instance; for me, the classics have this kind of... aesthetic of only-just-possible, or only-just-impossible. Which is part of the reason levels like Music Plant and Toy Kingdom stuck out in the Advances; they were weird. Popular and weird, though, so maybe it's just me, but it really depends on what other levels you have around it and how many levels there even are.

Plus they could take an old trope and give it a new flavour in the way you suggest and still combine it with another trope to give it a fairer whack at having its own identity without people looking at it and thinking what old levels it's playing off or what standard trope it's rehashing. (Not that it necessarily would be doing that - rehashing anything, I mean - but that accusation is pretty much unavoidable in this context now.)

[Spooky Mulder]

Personally, I'd like 'Classic' Sonic games to stay out of weird places like Music Plant and Sweet Mountain. I prefer that they stick with more realistic environmental/industrial tropes.

[Marcello]

What's so weird about Music Plant or Toy Kingdom when compared to things like Casino Night or Carnival Night?

[Blue Blood]

What's so weird about Music Plant or Toy Kingdom when compared to things like Casino Night or Carnival Night?

Casino Night is the Sonicification of a city like Las Vegas.

Carnival Night is the Sonicification of a carnival in a city.

Toy Kingdom, Music Plant and Sweet Mountain are... whut? They're a bit generic platformer/every other kids game for my liking, though the first two could be made a lot more reasonable with some adjustments. Case in point- Stardust Speedway. Like Music Plant but more woven into the city trope so it's less generic and for more true what we'd expect from Sonic games. Something like Toy Kingdom would just have to be a little less outlandish to work. Think Twinkle Park. There's no saving Sweet Mountain though. It's just... no.

And since I bought up SCD, THAT'S what I want the levels to look like. Downright trippy and bursting with imagination. Even Tropical Resort and Aquarium Park fall into this category almost. The results are fantastic.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Marcello]

That doesn't explain what's so weird about them. Casino Night has giant pinball tables and slots and Toy Kingdom has giant toys. I don'r see it as any weirder than CN.

[Blue Blood]

That doesn't explain what's so weird about them. Casino Night has giant pinball tables and slots and Toy Kingdom has giant toys. I don'r see it as any weirder than CN.

They don't have any foundation in reality.

Casino Night- A neon city

Green Hill- A green hill

Ocean Palace- The leftovers form an anicient civilisation

Sky Canyon- As as above, but this time it's in the sky

Sweet Mountain and Toy Kingdom- Giant food and toys?

That's what's weird about them. They stick out amongst everything that's got some real life basis however unrealistic. It's not like they're particularly offensive, mind. Candy Chateau from Rayman would be more much less fitting for a Sonic game than Sweet Mountain, which was explained as Eggman's bakery and was littered with machinery.

You know, I've lost count of the number of times this discussion has been had. It's always the same, too.

[Marcello]

No, they're based off of amusement parks.

[Hyper-Shan]

That doesn't explain what's so weird about them. Casino Night has giant pinball tables and slots and Toy Kingdom has giant toys. I don'r see it as any weirder than CN.

I always thought that Toy Kingdom was a Sonification of Disneyland kind of (especially with that palace in the background), except everything is toys of course.

[Blue Blood]

No, they're based off of amusement parks.

No, they aren't. Colours was set in one, but wasn't the source of inspiration for Sweet Mountain. There's nothing 'amusement park' about it. Toy Kingdom was more that likely an exaggeration of Casino Night to make something more unique (same for Music Plant).

[Marcello]

Of course they are. Especially Toy Kingdom

.

Theme parks constantly build things larger than life, so it's seems quite logical to me.

[Blue Blood]

Still too out there, ugly and generic for Sonic games.

[Hyper-Shan]

Still too out there, ugly and generic for Sonic games.

I dunno about ugly, but for each their own I suppose.

I personally loved Toy Kingdom & I wouldn't mind a Zone based on Disneyland in some way.

[EXshad]

I'd love to see an icy ruins zone, preferably something resembling an existing ruins zone frozen over. I think that would certainly be unique. "Frosty Temple Zone", maybe. Another zone I'd love to see is one where Sonic is scaling a massive, rocky mountain, complete with landslides, clapsing pathways, and the works. To make it more interesting though, maybe it can be a mix between this idea and the lush greenery of Hill Top zone from Sonic 2, depending on where you are in the level.. that could be cool. "Mad Mountain Zone", anyone?

Another 2 zones that could be cool to see is perhaps a Classic-style take on a city or construction-themed level, and finally, perhaps a digital-themed Eggman base, a la Mad Matrix from Shadow the Hedgehog? That could be pretty cool

[Dantemustdie00]

Toy Kingdom, Music Plant and Sweet Mountain were definitley some of the more creative stages, creative that is in the Sonic Games, doesn't matter if they've been done in other games before.

If anything, these Sonic games need more creative stages like those, saying their generic & ugly kinda doesn't even compute in the Sonic-verse, But whatever floats your boat.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Dantemustdie00

[Hyper-Shan]

Toy Kingdom, Music Plant and Sweet Mountain were definitley some of the more creative stages, creative that is in the Sonic Games, doesn't matter if they've been done in other games before.

If anything, these Sonic games need more creative stages like those, saying their generic & ugly kinda doesn't even compute in the Sonic-verse, But whatever floats your boat.

I suppose almost anything can go for a series about a blue hedgehog that hardly looks like a hedgehog at all.

[Dantemustdie00]

I suppose almost anything can go for a series about a blue hedgehog that hardly looks like a hedgehog at all.

lol, yep It's a wacky version of Earth, you gotta get creative, think like a child. Be imaginative with stuff people wouldn't expect.

[Nintendoga]

I'd like to see a one act falling station level.

Like in the previous zone, after Sonic beats Eggman, the station starts to fall apart, so Sonic has to coordinate around the self destorying/falling station onto a floating island in the sky.

The enviorment would constantly change, with things falling in your way, destroying your path and making you either find a new one, or traversing across the broken path with platforms used from the beams/walls of the station.

They'd never do this, but it would be cool to see it one day.

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

I think a frozen jungle would be a pretty cool idea.

[Johnny Boy]

I think a frozen jungle would be a pretty cool idea.

Or a Christmas themed level

[act3phantom02]

ummm i think they should make one with a rollacoster theme

[KazunaRei]

I know its been done in Advance 1, but a zone kinda like the Egg Rocket Zone would be cool.

Making your way to the top of Eggman's base/ship for a final battle and after you beat him everything goes to shit.

I'd like to see a one act falling station level.

Like in the previous zone, after Sonic beats Eggman, the station starts to fall apart, so Sonic has to coordinate around the self destorying/falling station onto a floating island in the sky.

The enviorment would constantly change, with things falling in your way, destroying your path and making you either find a new one, or traversing across the broken path with platforms used from the beams/walls of the station.

They'd never do this, but it would be cool to see it one day.

Then this happens~. ^