Star Struck
Saturday, 11th July 2009, 5:37pm (UTC), 1 Comment
Update: Stardust Speedway added to the Sonic CD section
Sonic CD's rather insane penultimate level now has a home at Zone: 0. Apologies for the levels not coming in quite as thick and fast as I would have hoped this summer so far - freelance jobs, new projects, preparation for Uni, you name it. Still, this turned out to be a fairly straightforward level to assemble, despite having possibly the most complicated level maps in history. I often go on about my uncertainty on the blue arrows in all my maps, but I think this is a case where they live up to what they were intended for. It seems to me at least that you need a little guidance with which turning to take in Stardust Speedway as there are loads of dead ends and it can be difficult to be sure whether certain routes connect to each other and so forth. Hopefully you'll find them handy. Anyone who has never played or seen the level in action might be interested in checking out its classic race against Metal Sonic.

So, we're nearly there with Sonic CD, just one level remains, but boy is it a big'un. Expect Metallic Madness to be almost certainly my biggest level guide yet - what I've got written for it right now comes out at over 11,000 words! One of the Time Travelling Tips sections in itself is seven paragraphs long. Maybe I should see if I could hand it in for my dissertation next year..

Might be a little while putting that one together but I'll try and hurry along - I know everyone's eager to get cracking on Sonic 3 afterwards, as am I!
Comments   1 Comment has been posted.
#1. Comment posted by smiley225 on Saturday, 11th July 2009, 7:44pm
*gg* you're right... at least I, personally, am waiting eagerly for Sonic 3 & Knuckles! ;-)
Sonic Site Awards 2009
Wednesday, 24th June 2009, 12:15pm (UTC), 3 Comments
Every year (except last year), the Sonic Stadium hosts the Sonic Site Awards, an opportunity for new, up-and-coming sites in the community to get a bit of recognition and exposure to new visitors. In 2007 I was overjoyed that Zone: 0 was nominated in three categories, and actually came runner up in the big Sonic Site Award, itself! Well, the opportunity has come round again for 2009 and I think it's the perfect opportunity for those in the community that have never been here to get to know Zone: 0, especially since we now have so many new guides by so many new writers coming up! I suppose it's still quite a small, relatively unknown site, just about..!

The first round is for nominations, up until 26th July, and I would massively appreciate any for this site, in any of the categories! Simply load up the SSA page and send them off an email listing the sites that you want to nominate for each category. I'd like to think that Zone: 0 can do even better this year and maybe even win one of them, but I'll need your help to do so, so get emailing!
Comments   3 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Wednesday, 24th June 2009, 12:40pm
Zone:0 MUST earn some awards. I'm e-mailing immedately!
#2. Comment posted by Mercury on Thursday, 25th June 2009, 9:33am
I nominated Zone: 0 for Best Layout/Design, Information Station, and The Sonic Site Award.

I hope it wins in at least one category. It's awesome now, and it's only going to get cooler as time goes on. :)

(Speaking of awards, Wacky Workbench gets "stupidest zone name"? I'd have thought Gimme Shelter or Panic Puppet would have beat it easy ;P )
#3. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Thursday, 25th June 2009, 9:43am
Thanks guys! Fingers crossed!

(Ah, I never said it won the award I just said it was a contender! Gimme Shelter and Panic Puppet are definitely contenders too, and I can't decide between them!)
Sonic CD Gameplay page now up (P.S. Happy 18th, Sonic!)
Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 4:09pm (UTC), 0 Comments
Update: Gameplay page added to the Sonic CD section
Wish our favourite hedgehog a happy 18th birthday by.. reading about the basic gameplay features of Sonic CD..

Have fun!
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Whack the Workbench!
Wednesday, 17th June 2009, 8:05pm (UTC), 2 Comments
Update: Wacky Workbench added to the Sonic CD section
Wow, only a week and a half later and another level, you lucky people! Oh Wacky Workbench, with your silly name and your annoying bouncy floor and your weird crushers and your secret angel room. How we love you. You know, I was reading someone's analysis of Sonic yesterday and they claimed Quartz Quadrant and Wacky Workbench as 'dull'. To say the least, I highly disagree. For a factory level, Wacky Workbench is far from dull and Quartz is a work of art.

Speaking of great levels, I'd like to flag up an official poll being held by the Sonic Facebook page, which I've already been a little vocal about. Their poll presents you with lists of all the levels from the ten primary Sonic games, plus Secret Rings and Black Knight, and asks you to pick your favourite from each. It's fantastic to see an official poll focus on what I always argue as the very most crucial part of all of Sonicdom, levels, goddamn it! Nevermind about characters and plots and all that. It all comes down to stages, and now we've a chance to see what the most popular ones actually are, so I'd urge everyone to participate, as an experiment more than anything. I'd be very very interested in a complete list of results for this, it would be great to see an exact order of popularity for the levels of each game. There's a "no preference" option too for people who haven't played a given game (or perhaps refuse to accept it as having any levels of merit), so it'd be interesting to see exactly which games are the most-played amongst the community.

For those dying to know what I picked myself (and that's all of you, I can tell) - Star Light Zone, Chemical Plant Zone, Quartz Quadrant, Ice Cap Zone, Lava Reef Zone (..or may have been Sky Sanctuary, I can't remember, but both worthy anyway), Lost World, City Escape, Rail Canyon, Crisis City, Skeleton Dome, Cool Edge, Molten Mine. Almost all choices were very difficult as there are so many other levels that I love just about as much as the ones I chose. You'd think with all the time I spend thinking and writing about these levels I'd have firm favourites cemented in my head, but clearly not. I think most choices though were based on the overall enjoyment factor that I get from them, rather than appreciation for clever design. Ultimately, that's all a great level needs to do I guess - make you feel good when you play it. For me, the music actually plays an extremely vital role in that too. Anyway, I'll be interested to see how that all turns out and may put together a short analysis in a later blog, providing that the full details are published.

I've finally been able to get my Xbox back online and so have proceeded to purchase every Sonic Unleashed adventure pack, and I can't say I've been disappointed. Each pack adds an additional set of acts for both day and night and although by throwing in a few floating platforms in an extra act, or having it loop in laps doesn't really properly feel like a stage in itself, they can still be long enough and filled with sufficient content and interesting ideas to be entertaining (I particularly enjoyed Apotos' extra offerings), and I do generally like this recent "mini acts" approach to Sonic games, which started with Sonic Rush Adventure's Hidden Islands, of course. Sure, there's a few stinkers in there that I would never really want to play again after completing them, like the acts where you must just drift round corners before time runs out, but there's a lot of interesting platforming ideas to be found too, particularly those that require very precise timing on exactly when to hit that homing attack, for example. Even many of the werehog levels can be fairly enjoyable (by werehog standards anyway), not to mention pleasantly short! I also like that the nature of the daytime levels means that the "hard mode" versions of the main stage can't just get away with having more enemies this time. Although I would liked to have seen more variation in terms of routes in these, which the DLC for Sonic '06 did quite well at, I thought, there's still a lot of changes made to the object placements such that they feel like whole new challenges. Can't say that in an ordinary play-through I'll pick them over the original versions, as I rather like to soar through levels nice and neatly, but the options are always nice to have.

I was considering providing something of a short review for each and assessing which are the best buys, which I still might do if I find myself with nothing to do any time soon (VERY unlikely), but they're all about as good as each other really, so if you can only go for a certain amount of packs, just pick your favourite levels.

I think I might put up the gameplay page for Sonic CD next. Generally I go through all the levels first but it struck me there's a fair few mechanics you should probably know about Sonic CD before attempting to play it, and for those that aren't so familiar with those, it might be best to ensure they're covered. Better late than never, eh? It's "Sonic Day" on Tuesday too, so what the hell, I'll aim to have it up then.
Comments   2 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Meph on Wednesday, 17th June 2009, 8:28pm
Great! I can't wait to have a look at the Wacky Workbench stuff!
#2. Comment posted by supersonicsmash on Friday, 19th February 2010, 11:21pm
What's skeletion dome? since its between about 06 (do I really have to spell it out) and 08 (unleashed) I'd say its on Sonic and the secret rings.
A Quick Quadrant
Saturday, 6th June 2009, 9:16pm (UTC), 0 Comments
Update: Quartz Quadrant added to the Sonic CD section
Quartz Quadrant now up! A lovely little level really - one of those that's perfect to wile away a lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon, I always think. My summer is now wide open, save for a bit of freelance work here and there, so I'm hoping to attain an average of a new level or page every one or two weeks until September. Don't hold me to that, but it's sigificantly more likely that updates will become much more regular during this time, anyway.

My campaign last month to try and drum up some interest from writers seemed to prove rather successful! I'm glad my big "dream" seems to have struck a chord with a lot people. Sometimes I do think I'm the only one, but then I guess I tend to be something of a reclusive Sonic fan, as I don't spend much time on forums. Perhaps I should, and perhaps the time is coming closer to a Zone: 0 forum of some sort. A simple one, but I think some potential for it is developing. Anyway, the quest for writers will continue and I'll advertise it a bit more around the various pages of the site too. Really looking forward to Monty Eggman's Tails Adventures guide. Admittedly, it's the game that I probably know the least about in the whole series really, so all the better to have a full guide all about it, I guess! From what I've read of it so far, we're in good hands for it. :) There's also a Sonic 3D guide coming too, and it would be great if there could be several more on the go too, so if you're interested, check out the previous post and please get in touch!

It's post-E3 and if you haven't checked out what has been revealed, see Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic Unleashed Mobile. Racing seems something of a sequel to Superstars Tennis, which I wouldn't class as a Sonic game as such, but perhaps this one should be, depending on exactly how prominent Sonic-based material is in the game. Seems a nice enough little game but nothing to get too excited about. I'm more interested in the seemingly rather in-depth mobile phone take on Sonic Unleashed. Until now I've never thought of any mobile Sonic game as a legitimate entry into the series, but this one seems like it could be about as significant an adventure as pretty much any other 2D platformer really. I guess technology is moving in such a direction that you can no longer really go by the rule of "it's not a true Sonic game if it isn't on a machine that is primarily a games console" which is what I've been following thus far. One to keep an eye on I think, if only because there's always something particularly exciting about a new 2D platformer.

So two "maybe" Sonic games and Winter Olympics (speaking of which, it's nice to put the normally cult-character of Metal Sonic within eye shot of the casual gamer, but are these kind of activities not a teensy bit out of character for him?). It's funny, by this point after the most recent wave of titles, we normally have a somewhat more significant selection. Could be the 'ol economic difficulties, or maybe Sega are cutting back on having too many Sonic titles, and if that means spending more time and focus on fewer significant platformers then that's definitely for the best. I was hoping to have seen a third Sonic Rush by now though. Given the popularity of the first two, it's a no-brainer really and I hope the pint-sized Unleashed isn't some kind of replacement for it on the 2D arm of the franchise. The pirate themed Sonic Rush Adventure also opens up a lot of possibilities for each entry to have a theme, which keeps things fresh. "Sonic Rush Digital" is my proposal, in which Eggman has encased Sonic and Tails (and Blaze I suppose) in a virtual world. All levels look like any usual selection of locations except they're not real, revealing occasional glitches a bit like Assassin's Creed. Exactly like the alternate time zones of Sonic CD, some way in which to break through the barrier to reveal the reality behind each level - a digital "tron-like" version of itself, would be perfect. Something to consider anyway, Sega.
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WANTED: WRITERS!
Sunday, 24th May 2009, 10:39am (UTC), 66 Comments
Lets show them the real power of team work!
Please read the updated version of the new writers post here for list of current writers and updated requirements. I will no longer respond to comments made in this post, please use the new one and email me if interested!

In 2004, I had a dream. It wasn't about equality for all races, it wasn't about a time where war and famine was over. No, it wasn't about any of that stuff. It was a dream about Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog, in my opinion is the ultimate source of entertainment. In all of technology and modern popular culture there is no greater experience than bursting through a well designed, beautiful, colourful, melodic Sonic level with perfect physics and an adrenaline rush unmatched by any other gaming experience. The twists and turns and platforms are perfectly placed to leap from one to the other, the pace is exciting and the visuals, inspired. Sonic level design is my passion, I find myself almost every day thinking about it. The perfect traps, the ideal pathway formations and locales. I've tried finding other interests but it's no good - Sonic levels are an obsession and an inspiration to me. If you don't share these opinions, do carry on your way and enjoy the rest of the site for whatever other reason you're here. Otherwise, keep reading...

I had the dream of the perfect resource for Sonic levels. Every one of them in the whole series analysed and categorised. Wanted to make an underwater cavern level for your fangame? Perhaps a traditional tropical paradise stage or a factory environment. This was a resource where you could see how the pros have made those levels and what sort of designs and objects can inspire you, what particular elements should be in every instance of each level type. It was a way of mapping and predicting what locations could be employed in upcoming Sonic games and what sorts of ideas have barely been touched before. It was a place where I could bring order and structure to my passion, and before long, it was well underway. As Zone: 0 snowballed along, level guides swelled to the point where they were no longer humble sources of reference for the already knowledgeable - they had become complete strategy guides for the novice, just as useful as they could be to the pro. My work could take a level's beauty and preserve it in the form of literature and imagery for anyone and forever, and I had no doubt that this was the right evolutionary path to take.

However, guides of this size, as a hobby, take time. They always were going to take time but I must say my dream never said anything about there being only three or four games available online a full five years later. And that, dear follower and fellow fanatic, is where you come in. Ever since going live, I've often received the advice of seeking other writers to help me with my mission. I hesitated - worried I'd lose control of the project and what it stands for, but perhaps one day that is for the best, if my dream is to ever live on toward its full potential. If nothing else, the feedback I've received validates my belief that it should live on, it should be all it can be, with or without me behind the wheel - entirely or at all.

So, I am now looking for other writers. Passionate writers, passionate Sonic fans, researchers and game and level enthusiasts in particular. It's time to turn Zone: 0 into a community project! Please get in touch if you're interested in contributing a complete guide for a game or even just a contribution towards part of a game will probably be ok. A game guide in its entirety, written by just the one person would be good to keep consistency but whatever you're considering doing, I'll be interested in discussing it with you, I'm sure! No web development skills necessary - I have a very comprehensive custom-made page builder system that you could use if you wanted.

What are your options? Well Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles have already been written and although I'm still somewhat undecided, I would probably like to carry on with Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 after that. However, beyond that, the world is your oyster! I recommend, however, starting off with something small and simple, as this kind of collaboration is something of an experiment and it would be good to use a smaller game as a bit of a trial run. Because of where I am now with the guides (still firmly in the territory of the "first generation"), some of the Game Gear/Master System platformers, Sonic 1, 2, Sonic Chaos, Triple Trouble etc would be ideal choices. They probably require less in depth description, and mercury is expanding his family of map extractor tools to cover these games too, so it's almost a shame not to make use of it!

However, don't let me dictate. If you really really want to do a guide for any game in the series, old or new - perhaps you've already written an FAQ and would be interested in converting it - talk to me about it! Other great choices would be the Advance/Rush series, Sonic Rivals perhaps, Sonic 3D or Knuckles Chaotix would also be logical (though probably not popular) choices. It might take me a bit of figuring out as to the best way to represent them, but there's nothing that says they have to be platformers either. A guide for Sonic Chronicles would be brilliant! Sonic R, Sonic Battle, Sonic Spinball? All open for discussion!

Again, if you want to go bigger, that's fine too. Sonic Heroes, Sonic '06, Secret Rings, Black Knight, Shadow, maybe even either version of the mighty Sonic Unleashed. Just make sure you know what you're getting into before you agree to anything because as I'm sure you're aware, depth and detail are paramount around here and I would expect no less from guest writers, on huge games! I know I reserved SA1 and 2 for myself, but this is not set in stone yet, and honestly it's more important to me that these guides are done and done well than who does them. So if you love SA1 or 2 and feel like you could do a great job with them, and they're the only ones you would want to do, lets talk. Even just one aspect, like the chao modes, would be great! Only do what you will enjoy doing.

So this is all pretty open, however what I must be firm about, and I must make this perfectly clear, whatever you want to do, make sure it is not a one-off idea that you might get excited about at first but then lose all interest in, a few weeks later. If you're the sort of person who tends to do that, think about it a little more carefully. Whatever you tell me you can provide, make sure you are committed enough to provide it. Doesn't matter if it'll take you months and months and years, because that's how long I've taken with all this, just keep me updated on how it's going and if you can't finish something, it's no big deal, just tell me! You need to be thorough - look at levels from every angle, don't just tell people to go on a particular route, tell them about all the options - leave no stone unturned. I'm looking for really passionate, motivated fans who will stick with this and with whom I can build a new community out of this site. One where discussion and analysis of great level design is king. A foundation of the study of what has already happened, on which we can build a place where new, fan made levels, using high quality open source engines, are shared and appreciated. That's definitely an element of my dream, and the ideal place I would like to take my work towards.

Interested? Please email me rather than leaving a comment below from now on, as I'll be more likely to respond quickly to it - liquidshade-AT-soniczone0.com.
Thank you.
Comments   66 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Meph on Sunday, 24th May 2009, 6:20pm
I wish I could help, but I wouldn't be able to give as much detail as you in my description. I just wouldn't know what to write. You have a really great dream and I'd be willing to help, but have a lot of other things to do in my "free time." Sorry about that.
#2. Comment posted by Anonymous on Monday, 25th May 2009, 7:57pm
I actually wrote a guide for Sonic 3 and Knuckles, which was published on Mahalo.com. Writing guides for Sonic games has always been an interest of mine, but my only real interest is in the 2D classic Sonic games and unfortunately you already said you had a Sonic 3&K guide written up. Even so, please e-mail me and let me know if you can still use me somehow for any writing related to the classic Genesis Sonic games. Here is a link to the guide I wrote: http://www.mahalo.com/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3_Walkthrough

The level of detail is a notch below yours, but I am improving as a walkthrough author, I think. This was my first ever published strategy guide.
#3. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 25th May 2009, 10:22pm
Hi Anonymous - got your email too, for some reason couldn't send my reply to your address. Thanks for your interest! Yeah as you say, everything for S3&K is already written and ready to go so I probably won't need any more help with that. You've written a good guide though, it's more in depth than you normally find on other sites and interesting to see that we've both taken a similar approach (descriptions of music, specific objects for each level, and pointing out particular areas and tips etc). I like your writing style - keep up the good work!

Let me know if you change your mind and would be interested in tackling another game I haven't covered yet.


And no worries, Meph! Glad for your support anyway :)
#4. Comment posted by Anonymous on Monday, 25th May 2009, 11:12pm
LiQuidshade: is there any other form of writing I could do that pertains to Sonic 1 through Knuckles on here? Unfortunately you seem to have covered it all but who knows?
#5. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 26th May 2009, 5:43pm
Not really I'm afraid. Only the other Mega Drive Sonic games like Spinball and Sonic 3D, but I guess you're not including them anyway. Still, really appreciate the offer nonetheless.
#6. Comment posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, 26th May 2009, 7:13pm
Hmm, either of those might work actually. Between the two, I'm probably more familiar with 3D Blast. Keep me informed.
#7. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 26th May 2009, 8:26pm
Oh well then, you're more than welcome to take on either if you wish! It's entirely up to you. I have maps to aid you in your writing for both, but I'm not sure if I can rip my own from anywhere to use on the site (I'd rather not steal maps from other places) so you might have to write under the assumption that maps won't be available in the final product. But anyway, go for it if you really want to - just let me know if you've definitely decided and if so, which one!

I'm sure you're more than capable of doing a really good, thorough job, but they do, ideally, need to be very detailed, as the others are, so it's a fairly big commitment. Still, Spinball is only four levels big and 3D is fairly straight-foward in that the different "Flicky areas" would make up most of your points in the guidance sections and there are few alternate routes to worry about. Either would be very good to have!

Thanks so much. Do let me know!
#8. Comment posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, 26th May 2009, 11:18pm
Actually, I am currently working on a guide for Jak 3 for Mahalo as well as some other personal matters but after that's all taken care of, 3D Blast sounds like it would be fun to do a guide for
#9. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 27th May 2009, 5:59pm
Great! I'll pencil you in on the contributor's list then. No hurry, just let me know when you get started and we'll have a chat about it.

Thanks very much! This little campaign is all going rather well so far :D
#10. Comment posted by Anonymous on Thursday, 28th May 2009, 3:13pm
So you also said you wanted to work on fan-made Sonic games, right? If so, I could maybe provide some ideas if you wanted.
#11. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Thursday, 28th May 2009, 9:24pm
Yeah, it's not something I can really start on any time soon, but it's an ultimate goal of mine to design and construct a handful of completely original levels, the ideas of which have been floating around in my head for years now, but I'm basing them on the rules and knowledge of Sonic level design that I've learnt from this project. If I can incorporate that aspect into Zone: 0 and let the site become a place to share appreciation in level design, both official and fan made, that would be awesome.

Still, that's way off in the future yet, so I'd rather just focus on the guides for the moment. :)
#12. Comment posted by SkSonicSk on Saturday, 30th May 2009, 4:54am
Hi ^^
I am Brazilian, I would like help in this project, I access the site a few weeks and found it very interesting! I will send an E-Mail:)
#13. Comment posted by Anonymous on Saturday, 6th June 2009, 7:00pm
I'd be glad to contribute a guide for the 8-bit version of Sonic 1!
#14. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Sunday, 7th June 2009, 6:38pm
Great stuff, anon! You can go right ahead with the first level or page if you want, and email it to me so I can see what it's like. Thanks :)
#15. Comment posted by SkSonicSk on Monday, 8th June 2009, 5:04pm
Hey Liquid, what your Email?
I don't managed to send to liquidshade-AT-soniczone0.com. :(
#16. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 8th June 2009, 7:40pm
Try replacing -AT- with @ - sorry, I wrote it like that to prevent spammers picking it up.

Thanks!
#17. Comment posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, 10th June 2009, 5:04am
this site looks awesome,i love the game guides,and scrap brains,as thats my fav level in all the sonic games made to date!

i would love to contribrute to this,i have played the sonic advanced(1,2,3(just recently) games alot
#18. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 10th June 2009, 5:43pm
Thanks anon, have just sent you an email. :)
#19. Comment posted by Eggman123 on Thursday, 11th June 2009, 2:52pm
Keep up that good work! (=
And i feel the same like you about sonic games, it's good to see somebody else with the same thoughts about the blue blur
As soon as i have a better access to internet i'll give you a hand.
I will send you an e-mail as soon as possible.
#20. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Saturday, 20th June 2009, 9:26am
Hello! I'm a somewhat experienced Sonic player and I think I could help you in some way... Not too much, as you're awesomely experienced enough!
#21. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Saturday, 20th June 2009, 9:35am
Excellent! Yes, I believe I've seen you post several notes, great to hear you're interested! You're more than welcome to contribute, it's entirely up to you what game you want to do - what did you have in mind?
#22. Comment posted by Anonymous1 on Saturday, 20th June 2009, 9:21pm
So it's been awhile, been busy, but what can I contribute to a 3D Blast guide? My strengths, I think, would be enemy, zone feature, and boss battle descriptions.
#23. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Saturday, 20th June 2009, 9:48pm
Great! Well, you can do as much or as little as you want really, since it hasn't been started by anyone else yet. You can keep to particular sections if you want, but it'd be preferred if at least each page was written by only one individual, rather than a level being a conglomeration of different people's work. That way you'd be more able to cross-reference between other sections of that level if necessary and things would just feel more consistent. So you could do only a set amount of levels if you want? Or just the levels and not the general pages, or even better, all of it if you're happy to do so. Whatever you want really.

Let me know!
#24. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Monday, 22nd June 2009, 4:54pm
I could contribute in many old Sonic games. My best are Megadrive/Genesis games, but I'm also good in Game Gear, Game Boy Advance and some (not many) modern games like Sonic Heroes.
#25. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 22nd June 2009, 9:53pm
Hi Ajavalo, how would you feel about a Sonic Spinball guide then? If there's any others you'd prefer instead then that's fine - let me know!

For Spinball, I suppose you could still maintain the same basic appearance/structure/obstacles formula, and have each emerald as a specific point, in addition to any other bits that might be noteworthy. What do you think?
#26. Comment posted by Brandonthehedgehog on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 6:29am
Whoa, time out. You are trying to build a website for Sonic levels? Way past cool!
Maybe I could help I have made several "pretend" levels in the sonic stanza, so I have quite a bit of experience. One thing I like to do is make sonic cd "past, good future, and bad future" versions of already existing sonic levels. My e-mail address is below if you want to contact me:

fidthomas94@yahoo.com

Thanx! ^_^

P.S. write back.
#27. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 10:19am
Sonic Spinball? Well, I know how pinball objects work and I know emerald locations and bosses very well. I could make a nice job!
#28. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 10:23am
Hey Brandonthehedgehog! Nice idea trying to make alternate time versions of Sonic levels! I often imagine how would be Green Hill Zone in the past and future...
#29. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 12:34pm
Ajavalo - Great, if you're happy with that then you could make a start on Toxic Caves, or any page you want to start with really, but email it to me so I can see what it's like, before pressing on with the rest. Just try and keep to the normal level formula I use and I'm sure you'll do a great job. Sounds like you know the game better than I do anyway, so I look forward to reading it! Thanks a lot :)

Brandon - Thanks for your interest, I'll be emailing you soon!
#30. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 3:31pm
Hi LShade! Thanks for offering me such an opportunity, but... I have no web building skills... I look at many fan Sonic pages but I've never written in one.
#31. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 4:12pm
Oh, no, you don't have to have any web building skills, you just need to write it out. I can add it myself, or I have a simple content management system that you can use yourself to build the pages, without any HTML knowledge necessary at all.
#32. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Wednesday, 24th June 2009, 9:05am
Ah, thanks a lot! I'm starting with Toxic Caves. I'll be e-mailing you soon!
#33. Comment posted by Ajavalo on Tuesday, 30th June 2009, 9:00am
Did you receive my e-mail?
#34. Comment posted by FallingDown678 from Youtube on Tuesday, 7th July 2009, 6:20pm
Hey!!
I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS!
I LOVE SONIC!!!

I'll do Sonic Adventure 2 Battle!
PLEASE CONSIDER ME! I KNOW ALOT!!!
#35. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 8th July 2009, 7:05pm
Hey, I appreciate your enthusiasm, thanks! That's a big one, you're welcome to give it a shot if you really want to but I'll need assurance that you're capable of doing a good job. Why don't you try just writing City Escape or something else that's fairly small, at first, and send it to me and I'll let you know what I think. Just remember to be thorough and professional!
#36. Comment posted by A fan on Thursday, 9th July 2009, 8:32pm
I really love this website. It's such a creative idea! I wish I could help on possibly Sonic Heroes, but I have no experience with programing or making pages on the web. I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff...

I could easily write down in-detail of the levels and story, but I wouldn't know how to make any maps or use screen shots...

I am going to be a senior by September, and I may not have a good deal of free time, and I am kinda busy in general, but if you are interested, please tell me.
#37. Comment posted by SonicObsessed on Tuesday, 14th July 2009, 1:56am
Can I help?
#38. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 14th July 2009, 10:53am
Hi A fan, I emailed you a few days ago, check your inbox if you're still interested!

SonicObsessed, it's up to you! What do you want to do?
#39. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 29th July 2009, 11:29am
Attention GOLD_sonic/A fan! ..I got your email and have tried to send you a response to the email address you used but it keeps bouncing back! Could you provide me with a working email address (just leave a comment and put it in the email field, and I can pick it up there, if you like) so I can send you all the details?

Thanks!
#40. Comment posted by Anonymous on Friday, 31st July 2009, 10:13pm
I can't Find a Custom zone maker :(.However I know About Sonic Advance 2 GBA,Even Though I never played it.This Comment Has A walkthrough That Might help players Beat It.

WalkThrough:If This is Your very 1st Time,Then Here it is starting With Leaf Forest.

Head Straight Through Act 1 Collecting Many Rings.If You get hit By An Enemy Get Back Many Rings As Possible And Destroy It.Repeat On The Next Act.If You Acess The Special Stage Do It Sucessfully And Recevie an Emerald.Note:Collecting All 7 And Beating XX Will Unlock True Area 53.Part 2 Coming Soon!
#41. Comment posted by Anonycat on Wednesday, 5th August 2009, 8:35am
How essential do you think the maps are as part of the experience here, and how does that reconcile with the 3D games and their probably-unrippable maps?

I would be willing (and quite eminently able) to go for SA2 if only I had known-good maps to point things out on...the problem, of course, is that no such images exist. I've tried my hand at marking out three levels (with the simplest level layouts in the game) on maps made from scratch, but whatever details I can track down, it's still only a black box reverse engineering of the map, and I can't guarantee its complete veracity. And never mind the twenty-nine (or thirty-three depending on who's counting) levels that are even more complicated, even harder to get right...
#42. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 5th August 2009, 9:23am
When it comes to the 3D games, I would say on the whole, maps are not really that essential, purely down to their design. They could be important if they were more like the Mega Drive titles with multiple routes, but as they tend to be much more linear, I think you could probably just get away with screen shots and info indicating where any occasional brief branching route or hidden area may be.

In fact though, SA2 maps have been made, they appear in the Prima strategy guide for the Dreamcast version. They're mostly top down illustrations of all the rooms and paths and I can't say whether or not they're entirely perfect, but they do point out every line of rings, item box, animal and certain objects. I have the book here (when I started Zone: 0 I hit eBay and picked up as many strategy guides for the games as I could find - they can often be a little inaccurate but they at least provide useful points and maps to look over), so it's definitely better than starting from scratch. There is also a separate guide for the Gamecube release, though this doesn't have maps.

It's fantastic to hear you'd be willing to go for an SA2 guide, do you think with the aid of these maps it would be something you would like to do? What I could do is scan these in for you (or you might be able to get one on eBay for a fairly cheap price) and you could either use them just as an aid to writing your guide, or I see no problem in just linking to the scans on the site, or perhaps you would prefer to trace over them with your own versions and markings. Completely up to you!

Let me know what you'd like to do!
#43. Comment posted by Anonycat on Wednesday, 5th August 2009, 10:13pm
I looked into that guide and found that they distribute "eBook" guides online in PDF form, so I picked that up.

Right away I noticed several objects were left out of their maps, and some of the ring zones were marked with erroneous numbers of rings. Additionally, secret rooms in Knuckles and Rouge stages are marked on the map as being directly behind the walls you dig through, which I guess is convenient for presentation, but in Wild Canyon at least, this causes them to completely overlook the fact that two of the rooms they put down are in fact the very same room.

As such, I don't think I can just take down those maps and paste the connecting ends together (since we won't be limited by page structure). They'll certainly be useful for getting shapes and sizes correct, but there's far too much erasing that would have to be done, and being able to mark off individual rings with more specificity would be preferred. In addition, all three of the maps I've done so far are at the same scale and I'd like to keep that consistent in future stages.

So I'll eventually be able to write up the stages, but I'll have to construct new maps for them first. At least that's easier now than it would have been before.
#44. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 5th August 2009, 11:02pm
Ok, clearly you have strong determination to make high quality maps, which I admire! An original format for the maps as opposed to just scans of other people's would certainly be preferable anyway, so great to hear! There's no time limit on these guides, take as long as you need, providing you think that it's likely that you'll see it through to the end (and I'm sure you will). I'm unlikely to find the time to start adding them online for another year or so anyway.

Let me know when you get onto the actual write ups and we can discuss ideas for how best to represent them. I'm thinking they could mostly fit into the traditional structure I've employed (appearance, structure, obstacles, etc), but where the guidance sections are normally divided into acts, the SA2 stages could probably be divided into their five separate missions. Also the common objects information for the game in general will end up being rather chunkier as I'd suggest making a general enemies section to explain them all, and then just say what appears where inside the level pages. Additionally there could be two/three "stages and story" pages for Hero/Dark/Final, along with descriptions of cutscenes between the levels and I guess there's probably enough chao info for a page of its own too.

Do you have access to both the Dreamcast and Gamecube versions of the game? It would be best to note differences between them as you go along. Also is there any chance you could send me what you have of those three maps you've already made? I'd love to get a preview of the sort of thing you're aiming to achieve! My email address is listed above, in the blog post.

Providing you're happy to proceed, I'll add you to the list of contributors. Very much looking forward to your work, and really appreciate it! :)
#45. Comment posted by Anonymous on Monday, 7th September 2009, 7:47am
oooh, definately. if i cant do sonic advance, which i would like to do, i'll do Sonic Rush
#46. Comment posted by Impish on Monday, 7th September 2009, 7:49am
oh couldnt find the name option: i'm Impish.
#47. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 8th September 2009, 3:35pm
Hi Impish. Sonic Advance would be cool, I haven't heard from the guy who said he might be doing that one. Let me send him an email and ask if he's still doing it, and if not, you might be able to. Leave me another message here and include your email in the email field, and I'll get back to you soon.

Cheers!
#48. Comment posted by jarret on Friday, 11th September 2009, 6:27pm
hello iam intrested in helping. i am a sonic freak and id love to help
#49. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 14th September 2009, 12:23pm
Hi Jarret, what would game would you like to cover?

As a general note for everyone, I think it's best that if you're interested (and I must stress.. -very- interested) in writing a guide then you should send me an email from now on, as opposed to leaving a message here. That'll be easier for me to check, now that this post is quite old.

Don't forget to specify which game(s) you'd be interested in writing for!
#50. Comment posted by Manic the hedgehog on Sunday, 20th September 2009, 3:22pm
Hey I wont mind joinig... so ok Sign me up for it..
#51. Comment posted by tenaciouse422 on Friday, 2nd October 2009, 3:42am
hey, based on what I've seen, I'm guessing that we can add/contribute to the existing guides. In the meantime, I had a Sonic 2 guide published on Mahalo.com if you want to see it, but due to my work schedule I'm not sure when/if I can start on 3D Blast.
#52. Comment posted by Umiyuri on Sunday, 18th October 2009, 6:38pm
I think the best contribution I could make would be musing on the original character designs (damn it, that's not a pot leaf on Silver's head, it's a hand-shape representing his psychic abilities) as well as the changes made to Sonic and Amy especially... yeah, I'm useless.
#53. Comment posted by Terrell on Monday, 30th November 2009, 2:34am
#53. Sonic is my biggest and favorite number #1 hero in the world.I hope the Sonic Team keep up the good work.
#54. Comment posted by Jessi on Monday, 7th December 2009, 2:41am
Hello there! So you're looking for writers still, I take it? I just happened to come across this site and I think it's wonderful to write such detailed guides for all the gamers out there. I personally have beaten SA2 it's my absolute favorite game in the world. I would be very interested in helping write a guide for it. Obviously I don't have an account on here, but perhaps you can email me and we can discuss ideas? If you no longer need help writing a guide for this, then I am quite sorry to have wasted your time with this message. But if you still need someone to help out, please contact me and tell me what you'd like. :)
#55. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 9th December 2009, 12:14am
Thank you Jessi, unfortunately SA2 has already been taken, however if there's another game you're incredibly passionate about that you'd like to cover, and isn't among those in the contributors list, let me know!
#56. Comment posted by SONICDUDE on Friday, 1st January 2010, 3:06pm
What about Sonic unleashed? May i work on a walkthrough for that i have two games of it!
#57. Comment posted by Ty Sparks on Tuesday, 5th January 2010, 9:21pm
Hey, all you people I wanted to do SA2 (sonic Adventure 2 Battle Sonic Advance 2 has too many pathways) but it's taken so I'll do the next best thing Sonic Adventure 1 DX Plus there are no missions (find the lost chao collect 100 rings time limit etc.) so I can do that. I've been doing a Chao Walkthrough on SA2 (I wasn't attached to them in SA1 for some reason perhaps you do not enter after the stage), but besides that, This'll be perfect for me. I found th final bosses (Egg Viper Finalhazard Chaos 6 from Big's story Sonic Unleashed Boss 6 I forget his name or was that hte only hard boss no I believe level 1 boss was hard) easier than the 2D bosses especially the Giant Mecha Eggman from Sonic Advance 2 Sonic & Knuckles I haven't made it to Sonic 2 but it looks hard since its after Silver Sonic, Sonic 3D blast (this seems like its a real Sonic game instead of a game with Sonic in it) Choa!
#58. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 11th January 2010, 9:13am
Hi Ty Sparks. Do you think you could link me to your chao walkthrough for SA2 first please, so I can see what it's like? Thank you
#59. Comment posted by supersonicsmash on Sunday, 7th February 2010, 5:18am
Unfortuently its not on Youtube yet but its under edsandsonicatolympic short for Ed Edd n Eddy & Sonic at the Winter Olympic games. My dad and I are having trouble figuring out Youtube (amd uploading the videos its a little complex you need a firewire a some random other wire). Also, I've decided my name. supersonicsmash. Does it remind you of anything. Super Smash Bros Brawl. I was so mad when I found out Sonic was only in the final boss fight.
#60. Comment posted by supersonicsmash on Monday, 8th February 2010, 9:57pm
I jsut want to say I'm working on it but you have to do devolopement (what I don't know anything) also I will not do the story just yet. I will type all of the storyline and dialogue but I will give the jimmy of it. Is Jimmy of it a real word or did I just make it up, we'll never know.
#61. Comment posted by supersonicsmash on Wednesday, 10th February 2010, 9:04pm
#28 Neo Green Hill Aquatic Ruin is the past version of Green Hill/Emerald Hill Zone because of Sonic CD being one with Sonic 2. Perhaps the 2nd level in Sonic CD was the original version of Casino Night Zone with slightly altered designs. But I imagine my own. Hill Top does not have a bad future. Actually, they're all good futures because the bad ones don't exist unlike the Little Planet.
#62. Comment posted by SuperBragon on Friday, 26th February 2010, 7:20pm
Hi, Liquidshade. My name is SuperBragon and I would love to help you with your dream. I'm very familiar with the Sonic Genesis series, like Sonic the Hegehog 1, 2 ,3 , and S&K. This guide would be my first very big project so I'd love to do it. I would very much like to do Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I will be strapped for time slightly since I'm fourteen and in high school, but I can write a comprehensive guide for Zone 0. You can look at some of my work on http://superbragon.deviantart.com/. Get back to me as soon as you can!
#63. Comment posted by supersonicsmash on Monday, 15th March 2010, 10:53pm
Two things I'd like to add
- I'll do SOnic Spinball if no-one signs up for it but I will be hacking it and I'll try my best on htose special staes.
-I can help with the S3&K special stages but not Sonic 7 Knuckles there's no save feature.
#64. Comment posted by Raizaiel on Wednesday, 24th March 2010, 10:35pm
I was interested in finishing the Sonic 3 & Knuckles section for you, or at least contributing very deeply to it, but you mention here that it's already finished. The page itself appears to be empty beyond the third of the fourteen zones. Any news on what happened there?
#65. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Sunday, 28th March 2010, 1:34pm
Yeah, everything's already been written for both the Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles guides. All of the text that's currently on the site was originally written between 2004-2006. Since then I've actually been building the site, making maps, taking screen shots and assembling the pages, which is what I'm doing now with S3&K. After that though it's all new territory.

If you'd like to contribute anything else instead, let me know!
#66. Comment posted by Dan on Thursday, 22nd April 2010, 8:26pm
I'd love to help. It would be a great opportunity to help. I'm particularly interested in that Sonic 3D guide.
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