DDR: Sonic The Hedgehog?

[SefHighwind]

Personally I feel like Sonic music would just fit well with Beatmania. The style of the music just seems to flow with the keys for Beatmania. Not to mention some of the old Songs have notes that would just be killer on the another difficulty. Man I can just imagine Flying Battery Zone if it had a Black Another Chart. However, I also do see it working with games such as (shutter) Guitar Hero.

As far as DDR go, a lot of the Sonic Step-files I've got have really good steps that go to the beat. Hell, all I need is a connection for my T.V and a PS2 to USB, and then I'm all set to go!

[KittyNakajima]

I think it speaks volumes that a newer player already notices the difference in sensitivity, and I agree with you totally! The American/European DDRX machines really are that bad. The game itself is alright, but I prefer Extreme's timing. The sensitivity issues are the Betson cabs they use outside Japan, they're really poorly made with much fewer sensors and notable screen lag compared to the older mixes because the screen is LCD. The Japanese DDRX machines are perfect. London had the Japanese beta machine before (for some crazy reason) getting a Betson instead. WHYYYYYY.

Blacklightning: Though the lag could be manageable and consistent using movement based systems (and I would just deal with it and get used to it), trust me when I say you'd get the hardcore players going BAWWWWWW over it and bitching about it being the worst mix ever. It happens every time DDR changes its timing formula, let alone for a game that has lag making you step early. To be fair DDR's timing is so tight anyone who's played a while would notice the lag fairly quick. I imagine the programmers would have to find a way to compensate, perhaps by working out the offset and adjusting the timing for movement based input over pad based.

Aptiva: Haha, high five my friend! We all had to start somewhere though... I know I have a fair few mediocre files from when I first started learning to sync. xP

Also, heck yes newer Sonic songs would work on GH!

EDIT: JezMM - Genius idea for naming difficulties! What about mods like adding Asterons instead of the mines/shock arrows that DDR/ITG use? xD

I'm not a new player to DDR - I've actually been playing sporadically since 2002. It mostly has a lot to do with me preferring the arcade machines over the home versions with the shitty $20 dance mats that break down after a few months. It also has more to do with a shitload of arcades in my area (northern NJ/NYC) closing down. My favorite arcade mixes were 3rd Mix Korean, 5th Mix, DDR MAX, Extreme, and Super Nova 2.

[EuroMIX]

Don't put yourself down about the flaws - Everyone has to start somewhere! What was important is despite the freeze heavy nature your steps flowed and made sense. Your syncing seemed fine across all three songs as well from what I inferred past the lag, but one thing to note is that some songs have a slightly variable BPM (most non-synth songs will have variable BPM due to the nature of human error) and the Solaris song may need a slight resync of a few BPM for a few seconds. It's nothing huge at all, a few arrows after the first freeze sound a tiny bit out to me according to Assist Tick. That's my only niggle though, and it's VERY slight (the difference between a Marvellous and a Great, really).

It's worth noting that Solaris Phase 2 is one of my older simfiles and thus amongst my worst in terms of syncing and style. Put simply it's TERRIBLE compared to stuff I've done more recently so I totally understand how "bad" it seems for those of us who know how simfiles work.

Stepwise you are right, each difficulty should bring something new to the player, be it complexity of steps or increased intensity. You were introducing complexities that a new player could choose to do or not to do at that speed, which is really good. Slow crossovers are easily performed normally for those that do not see the pattern with no added difficulty, but for those that want to try them properly they are there and are slow enough to practise to build up confidence.

I've always believed that Beginner should always be easy enough that anyone could do it with at least single step gaps between alternating steps but streams for the same arrow at relevant points with freezes thrown in here and there. Basic should have heavy emphasis on using both feet and longer more fitting streams. Difficult is where 8th's (I think they are called that right? I've never been fully savvy on the simfile lingo) should be implemented and it should generally be harder and more constant. Expert should be a cumulation of all these ideas and probably be the most constant at following the rhythm. Challenge should only be included for songs that it suits and be nothing more than an Expert+ or have some sort of "gimmick" to test the players abilities.

At least, I've always made my simfiles following those ideas.

I really like your Story mode idea. That allows coverage of many eras of Sonic songs in the same game/pack, and would work for a real release too.

I planned the pack like a real game, as if I could make one. The story focused on a series exclusive character I called "Aria" who watches over the the unheard music of heroes. Sonic is drawn into Aria's dimension where he samples the music we have all been hearing and of which he is unaware. The various music ties to his history which basically serves as a glorified "Sonic: This Is Your Life". Plus I always thought that it'd be funny to hear Sonic's views on his own music.

One idea I had that after the story mode is over it turns out that the whole game was simply Sonic's delusion or imagination trying to help him remember who he was after a scheme by Eggman wipes his memories, though that concept was probably much too silly and cheesy.

Instead of having Sonic "dance to the music to power this boat!!11" I'd rather the game feature either videos and/or game level recreations. Another huge idea I had was that the game could auto-generate areas from various games and have what was happening in them reflect your current progress i.e. get a full combo and Sonic will jump into the Special Stage ring at the end of a Sonic 1 song; break a combo and Sonic will get hit by something.

For the Sonic R songs I planned that the race status will reflect your success on the song: hit every step correctly and your character will race the fastest and win; miss steps and your character will fall behind and lose. Their race position could possibly reflect what grade your likely to get at the end of the song based upon your current score.

I understand as a personal project you may fear outside interaction for fear of headbutting between people along the way, but equally the right people can only help your project further by adding ideas and levels that you would not feel able to do justice to, such as the harder difficulty steps.

That's quite true. If I were to take this project truly seriously like the DDR MAX3 one then I would no doubt need some sort of crack team of helpers to make it possible.

I'd be more than happy to help you with Heavy/Oni steps as I play at that level but I would not want to interfere with your zone idea as that's definitely your baby and you know best how that will work. Ironically I cannot write decent easier simfiles as my mind just doesn't work at that level! If you do have an interest in restarting this project, count me in for helping. I imagine it'd be more than just people here who would love to see such a pack get finished!

The project never truly stopped it just depends on if I get the inspiration to work on anything or not. I mean, I've been listening to more Sonic songs recently like Crisis City, His World, Endless Possibility, Dark Gaia Phase 2 and the Sonic Heroes vocal tracks and just imagining how they could work as simfiles and how I could cut and edit them.

May I ask what a few of your planned setlists were?

From memory:

#1 - Sonic 1

1. Green Hill Zone/Green Hill Zone (Euroclub '95 Mix)
   
2. Marble Zone
   
3. Spring Yard Zone
   
4. Labyrinth Zone
   
5. Star Light Zone
   
6. Scrap Brain Zone
   

#2 - Sonic 2

1. 
   
   
2. Emerald Hill Zone
   
   

#3 - Sonic 3

#4 - Sonic & Knuckles

#5 - Sonic CD

1. 
   
   
2. You Can Do Anything
   
3. Sonic Boom
   

#? - Sonic R

1. 
   
   
2. Super Sonic Racing
   
3. Can You Feel the Sunshine?
   
4. Living in the City
   
5. Back in Time
   
6. Work it Out
   
7. Diamond in the Sky
   

#? - Sonic Adventure

1. 
   
   
2. It Doesn't Matter
   
3. Believe In Myself
   
4. Unknown From M.E.
   
5. Lazy Days ~Livin' in Paradise~
   
6. Open Your Heart
   
7. Open Your Heart (Crush 40 vs. Bentley Jones Remix)
   
   

#? - Sonic Adventure 2

1. 
   
   
2. Unknown From M.E. (Remix)
   
3. Escape From The City
   
4. Live And Learn
   

#? - Sonic Heroes

1. 
   
   
2. Sonic Heroes
   
3. We Can
   
4. This Machine
   
5. Follow Me
   
6. Team Chaotix
   
7. What I'm Made Of
   

#? - Shadow The Hedgehog

1. 
   
   
2. I Am... All Of Me
   
3. Waking Up
   
4. All Hail Shadow
   
5. Never Turn Back
   
6. E.G.G.M.A.N. (Doc. Robeatnix Mix)
   
7. Westopolis
   

#? - Sonic 2006

1. 
   
   
2. His World
   
3. Dreams Of An Absolution
   
4. Crisis City ~The Flame~
   
5. White Acropolis ~Snowy Peak~
   
6. Solaris Phase 2
   

#? - Sonic and the Black Knight

1. 
   
   
2. Knight of the Wind
   
3. With Me
   

#? - Sonic Unleashed

1. 
   
   
2. Endless Possibility
   
3. Super Sonic vs Perfect Dark Gaia
   

...more or less. The list was still undecided and incomplete.

And that post took way too long to type up...

[SuperStingray]

I was thinking it should work as a bit of a branched story. I'm pretty much a universal fan of Sonic music, but face it, the range of genre's are everywhere and not everybody who likes the classic songs likes the modern rocky songs and even vice versa. I propose a spectral, two dimensional story progression system system where you get to choose the next song and, thus, the plot. On one end, the story has a lighter tone and has with classic pop-rocky music from titles like the original trilogy, CD, 3D Blast or the advance games (at least some of it may have to be remastered to fit current musical standards, though.) The other end would have the hard rock and metal, i.e. Crush 40 and Runblebee. The middle would compromise into things like, say, Sonic R or Sonic Rush songs.

Edited April 5, 2010 by SuperStingray

[novelty]

I thought of this idea. "Club Rouge" was a skin I was trying to make for Stepmania 3.9, which is a DDR Engine in itself.....

[NiGHTS]

I think it could work. I know for the Wii. The Samba de Amego game, there was a few songs to dance with Sonic. I can totally see a DDR game (similar to Mario) working the same and seeing Sonic dance in the backround.

[Rabbid A]

The characters should really dance, not repeating the same damned penguin movements throughout a song. And when their life bar maxed out, they changed into their Super Form counterparts! (No, really. DDR:WinX Club manages to do both of these.)

Super Sonic dancing~

Edited April 5, 2010 by FreeloadeR

[SuperStingray]

(No, really. DDR:WinX Club manages to do both of these.)

They made a WinX Club DDR game? What?

[Rusty Spy]

Frankly, I'd rather Sonic NOT stoop to the same level of sellout whore as Mario was when his came out....

Regardless, Sonic + Sonic MUSIC + Sonic breakdancing >>>>>>>>>> Mario + Mario Music + Mario breakdan-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

This, the fact that DDR Mario had as much story as a mainseries Mario game made it all the more embarrassing.

WAIT, MARIO DDR OF ALL THINGS HAD A STORY?!

*looks up youtube vid*

"Oh noes, this incredibly tiny river is in our way, what ever will we do?!....... SHAKE IT LIKE YO BAD SELF!!!"

Edited April 5, 2010 by Black Spy

[Rabbid A]

They made a WinX Club DDR game? What?

Not that surprising really. When you know that Konami's been making Winx Club games since 2005 ranging from Ps2 to PC to PSP.

EDIT:

And just in case anyone wonders, DDR Winx Club has a story too.

Edited April 5, 2010 by FreeloadeR

[Tori Himemiya]

Why hasn't anyone brought this up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-tzvw_41Qw

It's on topic. So DDR: Sonic might not be too far off...

Though I think a general Sega DDR would work better just because of Ulala and Amigo.

Edit: Noir's link made me copy the wrong thing... >.>

Edited April 5, 2010 by Caligari

[Double Agent Motobug]

If anything about Sonic has kept strong over the years, it's the music. A rhythm game would work nicely for Sonic. And failing that, I finally have a chance to post this old picture.

I can finally use this, too!

[Nemain]

And I can finally use this! :'D

[Rabbid A]

Forget 8-directions mode! Big needs two dance pad and that's only for left and right.

[SuperStingray]

"Oh noes, this incredibly tiny river is in our way, what ever will we do?!....... SHAKE IT LIKE YO BAD SELF!!!"

Seriously, Mario DDR's story was like a Dora the Explorer cartoon with dancing instead of Spanish.

At least Waluigi was finally given a decent story role, though.

Edited April 5, 2010 by SuperStingray

[AdventChild]

Sonic and DDR goes well together like bread and butter. Though for adding a story? Not really entirely needed IMO. Even though I am terrible at playing this game, I just like to see Sonic and friends break dancing during good dance/techno music in front of colorful and cool looking backgrounds or maybe just music videos with different styles with Sonic chars like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1u1l0ErHb0.