All-Stars Racing Transformed: The Track Roster Thread

[Barry the Nomad]

http://segabits.com/...-a-new-trailer/

Since it's going to be posted here anyway...

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD is an arena, which means it is a track. I'm going to assume it will be a returning track, but we'll have to wait and see.

So how many returning tracks have we left if HotD is one them? None? Is Billy Hatcher dead??

As for arenas:

We know of Super Monkey Ball, and now we know of HotD, Starlight Carnival, JSR and After Burner. So there are our five. Five was the arena count, right?

Edited October 4, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[LukA8]

I actually kind of expected Sky Sanctuary after seeing this panel of SU #45: http://www.destructo...post_key=235365

I must say I'm really happy that Sky Sanctuary is in the game, considering it's one of my favourite levels in the series ever since Sonic Generations happened. I don't care at all if it's the second level representing Sonic & Knuckles. Egg Hangar is a returning one, anyway.

However, I was more expecting something like Chemical Plant with three transforming section, because right now we have one Road/Air track and one Road/Water track, and Sky Sanctuary sounds like another Road/Air one to me. But who knows what they might have in store?

Now I'm eager to find out the track's name!

Edit: Oh my god new trailer. Gonna watch!

Edited October 4, 2012 by LukA8

[Pawn]

It's nice to see HotD confirmed, and to finally get a look at the Shinobi track. My hype is starting to return. =D

Edited October 4, 2012 by Pawn

[Balding Spider]

Sky Sanctuary huh? *insert Komodin meh here* At this point I expect Stardust Speedway to be a course.

[S0L]

I keep feeling like the budget for this game is not massively huger than the budget for the last one, and they're having to be very careful with how much "new" stuff they can produce considering they can't pull the "three tracks with the same aesthetic" stuff like last time. All the Sonic tracks thus far have re-used assets, with the exception of maybe Starlight Carnival, but that's so recent I imagine all the full quality assets (that would have been toned down for perfomance etc in the final game) are still avaliable for that too.

I get the feeling that they've put all the main time and budget into the tracks that don't have existing HD assets to work from to reduce workload.

I mean it completely makes sense from a realistic standpoint, and I don't want to seem unappreciative, I'm sure all these tracks will have new things in like the octopus in Seaside Hill etc, but... still.

It's a shame because it's a bit of a "negative" subject to talk about with regards to the development so I imagine anyone from SUMO would be obligated to not comment. Which if it's the case, again that totally makes sense, ANY kind of bad PR is foolish, but it does mean we'll probably never know either way how much the track choices were for convenience and how much they were because they really wanted to do these particular tracks.

Ah well, at least I didn't cave and spend the ridiculous asking price on the Death Egg DLC, so that'll be brand new to me. 8D And Starlight Carnival is still gonna be a treat in HD.

[Ferr]

So... Sky Sanctuary is a confirmed thing then?

Edited October 4, 2012 by Ferr

[Jango]

Yeah, but still, there are more iconic Sonic levels than Sky Sanctuary for sure, especially the ones from Sonic 2 and 3! Casino Night and Hidrocity/IceCap are probaly the most recognized levels from their games, so why Sky Sanctuary? If it's because of the obvious flight segments, why not Sky Chase + Wing Fortress?

[JezMM]

Thanks for commenting, really thought that might be too in-depth a curiousity! It's great to know they were all deliberate choices then. I guess it's hard on us Sonic obsessives because we've seen all of them in modern-gen graphics already, I can't really argue with the logic that the rest are super iconic and not every general SEGA fan will have been keeping up with the series as a whole like most of us here have.

It's good to know they'll all use new assets too. It's hard to tell from the flashy trailers and such, so I look forward to seeing SUMO's renditions of them (as said, Starlight Carnival already looks pretty damn amazing from the limited bits we've seen).

(And I apologise for the budget comment too, you're quite right, I often forget just how much extra time and effort is required for all the consoles, especially when you're porting down to handhelds too, and all the development happens before the game is even hinted at existing).

[Ferr]

Yeah, but still, there are more iconic Sonic levels than Sky Sanctuary for sure, especially the ones from Sonic 2 and 3! Casino Night and Hidrocity/IceCap are probaly the most recognized levels from their games, so why Sky Sanctuary? If it's because of the obvious flight segments, why not Sky Chase + Wing Fortress?

Well I dunno, IMO Sky Sanctuary is one of the more iconic stages of Sonic franchises. It have an awesome art design and music, and the layout of the original stage was pretty good. Theres also the Metal Sonic battle, Knuckles helping you, the Death Egg rising in the sky... it made a big impact to the player at that time, probably because it was more a "story level" inside S3&K.

[JezMM]

I will admit I can agree with Jango that Sky Chase and Wing Fortress are WAY more well-known than Sky Sanctuary (I mean tons more people know Sonic 2 than S3&K) however I could see that being crossed off the list of ideas on the basis of how, thematically, it'd be really similar to that uhh... (Afterburner? I does not SEGA much) track with the aircraft carriers, but... in the sky instead of the sea.

It'd also pretty much be a daytime, more beige version of Final Fortress. Wing Fortress is just one solid mass whereas Sky Sanctuary does have far more potential for mid-air hazards. Sky Chase itself after all, has literally zero level design. It's just Sonic, Tails, and a load of floating enemies.

Edited October 4, 2012 by JezMM

[Chooch]

Sky Chase and Wing Fortress are so.. boring tho'. You're saying those two stages are more popular and recognizable than Sky Sanctuary of all things? I find that hard to believe.

I dunno I'm not really big on anything from Sonic 2 outside of Chemical Plant and Mystic Cave. I feel like it's easily the weakest of the 1-3 and Knuckles.

[JezMM]

Sky Chase and Wing Fortress are so.. boring tho'. You're saying those two stages are more popular and recognizable than Sky Sanctuary of all things? I find that hard to believe.

I dunno I'm not really big on anything from Sonic 2 outside of Chemical Plant and Mystic Cave. I feel like it's easily the weakest of the 1-3 and Knuckles.

I just feel if I chatted to my friends who played Sonic as a kid but not as an adult, and asked them to name the most memorable level where you're in the sky, they'd think Sky Chase.

For the record, I agree that Sonic 2 is the most "meh" classic game, but it is still the most well-known.

Edited October 4, 2012 by JezMM

[Pawn]

This is more Sky Sanctuary from Generations than it is Sky Sanctuary from S3&K anyway. Any level from Generations is going to be more iconic to the general audience than those that were back in the good old days. That is not to say I wouldn't like to see a new Mega Drive/Genesis level make the cut, but just that I can understand their choice.

Edited October 4, 2012 by Pawn

[Chooch]

I just feel if I chatted to my friends who played Sonic as a kid but not as an adult, and asked them to name the most memorable level where you're in the sky, they'd think Sky Chase.

Dare I say your friends are weird? Hahaha.

Really tho', in my experience Chemical Plant and Casino Night are synopsis with Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Sky Chase is "that stage where you ride the wings of the Tornado."

Sky Sanctuary has the Death Egg looming in the background sending out robots. It has a Mecha Sonic boss fight too. It just seems way more memorable.

Edited October 4, 2012 by Chooch

[ArtFenix]

With all my respect to SUMO guys, I think the only really believable argument is the one about the budget. Almost everything else is not so essential in my humble opinion especially since there are A LOT of other levels (especially classic levels) that have more tropes variety and are more iconic than, say, Death Egg. And speaking of newcomers (non-Sonic fans) who don't know any of iconic levels. Going by that logic you can just keep copying Seaside Hill or Green Hill in every single game because, well, there might be newcomers who see these levels for the first time, right?

If you try to make the game as great as possible considering the money you are paid for it, then props to you and you have my gratitude.

I'm sorry if this sounded rude. I really appreciate the work you do on the game. I'm (like many other Sonic fans) just tired and bored to death of constant rehashes in the series.

Edited October 4, 2012 by ArtFenix

[FourCartridge]

The Oriental track has been confirmed to represent Shinobi

http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?409253-Semi-official-fire-questions-at-SUMO-and-get-vague-responses-thread&p=7586924&viewfull=1#post7586924

That I can reveal is the Shinobi track

What is the other track? Who can say? Looks like Zobio and Zobiko have been busy doing some graffiti though!

[S0L]

With all my respect to SUMO guys, I think the only really believable argument is the one about the budget. Almost everything else is not so essential in my humble opinion especially since there are A LOT of other levels (especially classic levels) that have more tropes variety and are more iconic than, say, Death Egg. And speaking of newcomers (non-Sonic fans) who don't know any of iconic levels. Going by that logic you can just keep copying Seaside Hill or Green Hill in every single game because, well, there might be newcomers who see these levels for the first time, right?

If you try to make the game as great as possible considering the money you are paid for it, then props to you and you have my gratitude.

I'm sorry if this sounded rude. I really appreciate the work you do on the game. I'm (like many other Sonic fans) just tired and bored to death of constant rehashes in the series.

Except... you're seeing it from a perspective as a Sonic fan, and you're also not seeing it from a design point of view.

We picked Seaside Hill as it's got an ocean to race on. We picked Starlight Carnival as it allowed us to have a virtual track through space and an asteroid field. We picked Sky Sanctuary as it's cool to race through a set of collapsing ruins.

Could we have picked the other levels you've mentioned? Maybe, but we have already got a good spread of tropes through the rest of IP's picked. As you don't know them all, you can't say for sure we've not already got the kind of things you wanted to see in the Sonic levels represented in other levels in the game.

Will we pick them again for future games? Maybe. Depends on the game. There will likely always be something Seaside Hill/Green Hill Zone related as they're typically SEGA, blue skies, green grass, sculptered rock and beautiful blue water.

We have tried to make sure there is more variety than ever in this game, it was a criticism we took on board from ASR. I think we've pulled it off, and whilst you may not entirely agree with the choices we've made, we've made them to make sure that variety is there for our entire audience, fans new, old and fans who don't realise it yet.

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S0L

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[DaN]

SOL, are we going to see a snow level in some form?

[Johnny Boy]

Sky Sanctuary? Eh would've preferred to see ice cap but oh well.

[Shego13]

Sky Sanctuary from Sonic and Knuckles has been confirmed? Cool. As well as Ulala also made her returned. Sweet.

[Marcello]

Except... you're seeing it from a perspective as a Sonic fan, and you're also not seeing it from a design point of view.

We picked Seaside Hill as it's got an ocean to race on. We picked Starlight Carnival as it allowed us to have a virtual track through space and an asteroid field. We picked Sky Sanctuary as it's cool to race through a set of collapsing ruins.

But Seaside Hill could've easily been switched out with levels like Emerald Hill, Emerald Coast, Angel Island etc. Why go with a level that's been used so many times in recent years, while there's plenty of stages that can fulfill the roles you mentioned and haven't been used to death? Especially since apparently you guys aren't reusing anything. And Sky Sanctuary could've been switched out with Marble Garden or Levitated Ruins and you could still be flying throgh collapsing ruin without reusing a level from a game one year ago.

Are there at least anymore Sonic levels?

Remember people will get the game and never have seen a single Sonic game ever, shouldn't they get to see all the iconic Sonic levels?

Kinda hard if the same stage keeps getting reused

Edited October 5, 2012 by MarcelloF

[ArtFenix]

Except... you're seeing it from a perspective as a Sonic fan, and you're also not seeing it from a design point of view.

We picked Seaside Hill as it's got an ocean to race on. We picked Starlight Carnival as it allowed us to have a virtual track through space and an asteroid field. We picked Sky Sanctuary as it's cool to race through a set of collapsing ruins.

Could we have picked the other levels you've mentioned? Maybe, but we have already got a good spread of tropes through the rest of IP's picked. As you don't know them all, you can't say for sure we've not already got the kind of things you wanted to see in the Sonic levels represented in other levels in the game.

Will we pick them again for future games? Maybe. Depends on the game. There will likely always be something Seaside Hill/Green Hill Zone related as they're typically SEGA, blue skies, green grass, sculptered rock and beautiful blue water.

We have tried to make sure there is more variety than ever in this game, it was a criticism we took on board from ASR. I think we've pulled it off, and whilst you may not entirely agree with the choices we've made, we've made them to make sure that variety is there for our entire audience, fans new, old and fans who don't realise it yet.

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S0L

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Thank you for your time and answer but I don't buy it, No way. You said you "picked Seaside Hill as it's got an ocean to race on.". But alright, there are a PLENTY of stages using same tropes: Wave Ocean, Emerald Coast, Jungle Joyride (this one would amaze everyone, trust me since it is a very beautiful level and it hasn't been re-used even once). Or you can even look at this

http://info.sonicret...l_Island_cliché

While I somehow don't think of Starlight Carnival as something unique (the level is just 2 years old and appeared in a modern game), I can tolerate the choice but then comes Sky Sanctuary.

I don't want to repeat MarcelloF.

I understand that you try to convience as many people as possible to buy the game (and we will buy it anyway) but those are poor reasons. There is no real excuse for including Seaside Hill AGAIN. Just imagine how many games it appeared in already (not counting heroes):

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Sonic Generations

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

..and now Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Am I being reasonable? I do think so.

Edited October 5, 2012 by ArtFenix

[ChaosXVI]

Well I for one am happy to see Sky Sanctuary again, it was by far my favorite level from Generations, and its iconic as hell for me since S3&K is my absolute favorite Sonic game. Looking forward to seeing if this rendition can be even more faithful to the original than Generations'...Mecha Sonic could pop out somewhere! That particular Sonic robot would look beastly in HD...Just sayin'...

Having said that, I still have my fingers crossed for either Hydrocity or Ice Cap, though it seems unlikely with 2 other levels from S3&K already chosen...prove me wrong Sumo!

[Blue Blood]

My stance: I don't like the roster of Sonic levels so far. Starlight Carnival is the only good choice, and even then it's very recent. There were plenty of alternatives to Seaside Hill and I'm seriously surprised it got picked after people complained about it in the original. If the whole thing was made from scratch I see no good reason it had to be picked again.

At the end of the day though... well, I couldn't care much less. It's a party game. A party game built around fanservice. Yes I would have liked to see different levels, but it's hardly a deal breaker. I'm sure they'll still be very fun to race on. End of.

[PsychoJosh]

I don't know how in the world S0L lowers himself enough to listen to you all and your entitled whining. He must've lost a bet or something.