The beginning of the end.. Sonic & Knuckles guide locked-on!
Sunday, 27th March 2011, 2:06pm (UTC), 5 Comments
Update: Sonic & Knuckles guide has begun! Mushroom Hill Zone, plus Background Info and Stages and Story pages have been added!
Sonic & Knuckles

The turn of Sonic & Knuckles has arrived! In its guide, you will find the usual initial pages - a full Background Info page, the start of the Stages and Story page, and of course good old Mushroom Hill Zone! *Insert fungai/"fun guy" pun here*.

As you will be aware if you read my previous post, this will be my last guide for the site and sadly no further guides can be guaranteed after this one is complete. Unfortunately, I haven't changed my mind since then and if truth be told I'm looking forward to wrapping it all up as soon as possible really so that I can start to focus on other projects. So hopefully levels will fall into place more quickly than those of Sonic 3 did. Now that there's a light at the end of the tunnel I think I'm more motivated than before, which is somewhat ironic.

I did enjoy these Mushroom Hill Zone maps, it's a level I've always had difficulty picturing in my head, as there are so many hidden areas and options for a first level. I've also always wanted a true multi-season version of the Act 2 map, so that was quite fun to do. That whole idea of multiple seasons is something I'd love to see more often - I can't think of any other place in the whole series where changing seasons are really considered, in fact. If a level has trees they've usually got nice green leaves on them. You never get a level that just happens to be in Autumn or Spring for example. Shame really.

Anyway, hope you like the new pages. Check out Point #8 on Mushroom Hill - I'm not sure how much of a mystery this is for anyone else, in fact I've never really heard anyone else mention it, but that final hidden room with a lightning and fire shield in it had always eluded me. Sometimes you can get in, sometimes you can't, and it was only at the very last moment of publishing that point that the solution actually occurred to me. I think it's quite interesting, check it out. It's amazing how many things I've discovered about these games that I was never even aware of, because of building this site.

I think my plan next is to publish the Gameplay page, as I always leave that one too late, followed by Flying Battery, both within the next couple of months I would hope. Gameplay should be easily, it's basically the same as Sonic 3's. Forgive me if a lot of it is in fact exactly the same!

Let Zone: 0's farewell guide commence!
Comments   5 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Traxus on Monday, 28th March 2011, 6:04pm
Too bad that you will stop with the guides, I really like them! I am however looking forward to the sonic and knuckles guides, sonic 3 and knuckles has always been my favourite sonic game.
#2. Comment posted by Leonid on Monday, 28th March 2011, 7:38pm
Exellent! I like this site very much, it helps me when I'm playing... :)And in is really sad that this is the and... :(
#3. Comment posted by Andrew on Tuesday, 29th March 2011, 5:29am
Wow! I thought that S&K would never come up. Anyway, my brother is working on S3&K, just starting fresh. I like Death Egg zone most of all!
#4. Comment posted by Jamie Dawg on Sunday, 24th April 2011, 9:31pm
Hey, since you're going to finish the guide and then basically shut down the site, I wanted to make a deal with you; to prevent the site from dying along with your great and hard work (and of the other editors), I'll be hosting a copy of this site in some host I have yet to determine, and attempt to revive it, since I'm a huge fan of the stuff your putting out here and I'd like to put some guides on more recent Sonic games, like Sonic Adventure or Sonic Colo(u)rs, of coarse anyone would be able to help, including yourself, because I feel that Sonic sites lack what this site has. If you're interested, let me know by e-mail.
Cheers.
#5. Comment posted by Animal Zero on Sunday, 11th September 2011, 10:04pm
Where's Lava Reef Zone? I love that level... *Good Times*
Next Zone: 0 game guide to be my last
Sunday, 6th February 2011, 3:00pm (UTC), 28 Comments
I've been doing a lot of mulling over about this, and there are a number of reasons behind it: desire to do new projects, changes in personal circumstances, and generally a reduced level of enthusiasm to name the most prominent. Ultimately though, I've come to a decision that I'll probably continue to stick to..

Sonic & Knuckles will be my last Zone: 0 guide, and there may or not not be any further guides by other writers featured on this site once that is complete. Zone: 0 will remain in existence for as long as I am capable of hosting it, and will not be taken down, nor will any content be removed, however updates or changes cannot be promised after I have completed the final guide. At the point of transition from activity to inactivity, blog posts will cease and the forum will be closed, however the history of both will be available through an archive. Level artwork by Ricky Earl will continue to be added to relevant pages for as long as he wishes to produce them.

Because some writers have agreed to produce guides for certain games, I will allow these to continue if they so wish, however they are under no obligation to do so. If any writers complete their guides I will cooperate with them in adding them to the site and publishing them with the rest at any point in the future. However, it would be appreciated if they could use the content management system that the site runs on to build and publish the pages themselves as much as possible. There is very little HTML or web programming skill necessary to do this, mostly none at all, and I will continue to work on this system to make sure it's as easy to use and automated as it can be.

From now on however, the hunt for new writers has officially ended and I am no longer looking for new guides to begin. The unfortunate fact is that in over one and a half years since I first announced the hunt for new writers, despite several applications, no one has even come close to completing the guides that they have started. From some people I've seen absolutely nothing, from others I've seen no more than drafts for the first one or two levels, and then nothing for months. I don't particularly mind - things happen and such a voluntary, spare time project naturally has to make way for more important things in people's lives. Or perhaps some simply became less enthusiastic about it over time. Regardless, the lack of success so far in this endeavour is evidence enough that it should also cease at this point. If you're unbelievably passionate about this project and you know that you'll be able to contribute something else worthwhile then by all means send me an email but I can't guarantee cooperation with anything except that with which I've already agreed to cooperate. There are one or two newer writers who currently seem to be progressing well with their guides, and keeping in regular contact, so I won't rule these out, however I don't expect there to be many more than that. If there are, then who knows, maybe the site will be able to run under new management, but personally, I don't expect this to happen.


So that's about the situation. Never say never, I may well change my mind and fire up a new guide one day. But as much as I've enjoyed writing and putting them all together, the fact of the matter is that, for a spare time hobby, it's unbelievably time consuming. The Sonic 3 guide has taken almost one and a half years just to publish - not even including the original time it took me to write it - being fit around my real life, and even at that rate it's sucked out hundreds of hours of my time that, I must admit, could well have been spent on something fresher, and more creative. Zone: 0 is a worthwhile project and I'm immensely proud of it, but it demands nothing but spare time and no real occupation if you want to produce it to a high quality, with regular updates, and have time left over for other personal pursuits. Unfortunately I have a 9-hour-a-day job, and a future family life to think about, on top of other ideas for projects desperate to burst out of the confines of my mind and onto the screen. Some Sonic-based, some not, and some with more financial possibilities, which could be essential to me. Something's got to give, and though it's not an easy decision, that thing is Zone: 0 I'm afraid.

However, I've always said that no matter what, I would complete what I had started, and as the Sonic & Knuckles guide has already been written, I will see it through, and as quickly as I can. So consider this message me handing in my "notice". I did look forward to the day where I would actually be able to sit down and start writing a new guide from scratch - something I haven't done since 2006. Part of me would still rather enjoy it, but it's just not feasible for me anymore really. Besides, I must admit that my enthusiasm for this project has dwindled. Back when I started writing, a good 6 and a half years ago, my excitement (and large amount of free time) drove me to complete drafts for all six Sonic 1 levels in just over a week. At that speed, naturally I would have thought I'd have at least a dozen games covered online by 2011, but a number of things prevented that, my perfectionism for one. I went back on everything two, three, maybe four times to bring it all to a consistent level of detail. The addition of maps and site maintenance all added up to a far longer amount of time than I had first projected, even as a part time hobby. Nevertheless, I was amazed at my own unfaltering enthusiasm for building up the project of my dreams, where other ideas had lost their steam under far less time. I particularly loved refreshing the design and structure of the site completely, a couple of years back. Since then though, once I'd returned to building the guides themselves, I've definitely felt more of a noticeable tedium to it all. I thought it might have been just my slight unfamiliarity with Sonic CD compared to the other four games, which are like childhood friends to me, but no, it persisted through Sonic 3 as well. It was still fun, but just as often it began to feel like a chore. A chore that I now realise I can only do for so much longer.

As I say, there's many factors to this decision though, and my reduced enthusiasm for Zone: 0 seems to correlate with.. well, I suppose it's more of a changing relationship with Sonic as a whole. I can't deny, Sonic pretty much equates to a kind of religion to me, in terms of the amount of time I spend just thinking and internally debating about it. Any other type of game can only be so much fun, and for me, none compare to Sonic at his best. But it's not even the quality of the modern games as much as the sheer amount of resistance to them all over the internet, and most hurtfully, from the most outspoken fans themselves that slowly chips away at my love of Sonic. I feel like I no longer want to be a part of any community that, once united by love of something, is now held together only by constant arguments about what that thing should be, and even more disturbing, a mutual hatred of whatever that thing currently is. I may have had my own criticisms to make now and then, but I genuinely feel things are moving on toward a better level of quality now in terms of the games themselves. It's unmistakable. It may not be perfect yet, but it's all going in the right direction, and to see supposed fans fail to acknowledge this and continually complain over and over again, as if they're beginning to get some enjoyment out of it, depresses me frankly. A lot.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, and maybe I'm just a bit too soft, but it's not just in Sonic, there's a worrying trend I'm noticing throughout popular culture. Everyone's a critic and what's more, they love it. Negativity is the new positivity, and I'm so unbelievably sick of it, but for something as close to me as Sonic, it's all too much to take. I'd rather ignore the comments, reviews and debates, (much of them, as they are, over the most trivial of things) entirely and get back to enjoying Sonic as I used to do as a child, and with some degree of wild-eyed innocence. At least then, any gripes I have will be my own, and not those pointed out by others and which honestly wouldn't have really bothered me until they had done so. To some extent, Zone: 0 still kind of connects me to their endless nit-pickings, although I admit it's hardly the central hub of current Sonic affairs. Still, I would feel some degree of relief from it for these reasons, and I do rather want to prove to myself that it's still possible in this day and age to be as big a Sonic fan as ever while having little or no connection or awareness of other fans, online or otherwise. Put simply: I want out of the Sonic community.


Let none of this take away from how proud I am of this site though. I'm genuinely amazed it's even lasted this long, and when I flick through the dozens of pages of info I've produced, I can't believe just how much I've actually done. The project existed for a couple of years before anyone was even aware of it, and during that time I had no idea if it was what people wanted it, but I've genuinely been touched by the many, many messages of support I've received. In general, I haven't really even heard anything spoken against it, so I realise how much of an achievement it is. Because it was born at a time before web 2.0 really emerged, I like to think it has an element about it of the old fashioned way of doing a website. Not a neutral, homogenous wiki made up of content from multiple people, but a highly focused, highly personal creation that cares more about, initially, the details of what it covers than its scope. Sadly, that scope probably won't be enlarged to the degree I had originally hoped for, but regardless, it'll always have a special place in my heart, and as I say, it'll continue to exist for as long as the Internet, myself, civilisation as a whole, and the small amount of money required to keep it hosted, exists too. Those are good odds, I think.

The show's not over yet. We've still got one fifth of the way to go in fact, and I'm going to make sure it's just as good as as the others! Thank you to everyone who has provided some much needed positivity to get this site to where it is now.
Comments   28 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Rom on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 3:53pm
This is sad news. The site is the best Sonic site I've ever come across and even though it will continue to exist, it's too bad guides wont continue to be made. You've done an outstanding job and I hope you find everything you want in life.
#2. Comment posted by Tricky E on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 7:04pm
:(
#3. Comment posted by Mercury on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 8:00pm
I'm actually not that disappointed because the five guides that you will have I feel are the most important anyway... and I'm looking forward to whatever project you conquer next.

I find it really sad that you feel that way about the Sonic community. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, too; that's why I stay away from the news threads and join in on the hacking and other fanworks instead. I do wish everybody could pull together and be more constructive - we've accomplished so much so far, but we could do much more if we'd stop taking potshots at each other.

Speaking of constructive, what's the worst/most time consuming part of making the S3&K guide? You never know, Zone: 0 readers might find a way to facilitate it.
#4. Comment posted by MoDaD on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 8:15pm
"Not a neutral, homogenous wiki made up of content from multiple people, but a highly focused, highly personal creation that cares more about, initially, the details of what it covers than its scope."

I think you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly how I feel about some of the projects I've worked on. I'm not disappointed at all, to be honest, as I'd always thought this site seemed more focused on the Genesis/Mega Drive-era games. I'd always thought that was a key element of its charm. I'm incredibly nostalgic about these games in particular, and you've created what I'd just about call a work of art to cater to that.

I'm sorry if you feel disappointed or let down in yourself, but you shouldn't. This is a great accomplishment, and it's become a household name in the Sonic fan communities. I have no doubt that it will continue to be a center of interest for many. Whichever direction you choose to take it in will be great.
#5. Comment posted by JC on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 10:25pm
I literally just discovered this site today, doing research for a uni project on Sonic, and it's without doubt the best Sonic site I've come across. I myself have been a fan of these games since I was old enough to play my old Mega Drive, and I know exactly how you feel about the fanbase. I myself refuse to be a part of any community or forum, because the constant bickering and complaining about the tiniest of details is truly staggering.

"Euugh, Sonic 4 is gonna suck because Sonic has green eyes."

'Nuff said. Some people seem to love complaining and go out of their way to find fault with things, in any fanbase, but with Sonic it's so much more noticable. I attended Summer of Sonic in London last year, and was shocked at how many little digs at the current games and full on debates about how bad recent titles have been, by so-called fans of them. It's like they buy the games fully expecting to hate them, and I can't understand the logic at all. I buy them and I enjoy them, despite any minor nitpicks I may have. It's a series about a fast blue hedgehog fighting an egg-shaped man and his robot army... just enjoy it!

Congratulations on this site, and it's truly sad to see someone so dedicated forced out of the community by the ridiculous amount of negativity.
#6. Comment posted by Dapassified on Monday, 7th February 2011, 3:45am
This is truly sad news, but however, everything must come to an end. I admire your passion and dedication through these years and honestly you have created something truly amazing with your determination. You haven't created just a website, but a safe home and a place of remembrance for Sonic fans, old and new. I've heard of Zone:0 from several people and come here many times not for just guidance in my Sonic trials, but just to reignite my connection with the blue blur.

The devotion you've had for Zone:0 is something that is not common in most with their projects and is quite unique. My love for Sonic has run deep in my veins since 1991, but I still would not be able to tackle a project so large, and for that I applaud you.

I agree with your view on the animosity and negativity that has developed in the world and into the Sonic community and it does create almost a repellent to something that we love so much. I used to love discussing Sonic the Hedgehog with other fans, but now instead of our admiration and enthusiasm being the topic of discussion it is what has become how the Sonic franchise has gone "downhill." Follow that by how the next generation Sonic fans are labeled as "not real fans." It's sad that something so simple and fun has become something that has torn real fans with a common interest apart.

It is upsetting that you must close Zone:0, but not disappointing. It is understandable that such perfection is so time consuming and obvious that you would want to continue with your own personal life. I thank you for all the hard work, persistence, and involvement in the Sonic community and best wishes to any projects you are going to apply yourself to in the future. Thank you for giving me faith and comfort in knowing that there are others like me keeping Sonic the Hedgehog alive. Great job and best wishes.
#7. Comment posted by RS on Monday, 7th February 2011, 7:44am
Long time reader of the site. Enjoy the design and the content. You have your reasons for making the Sonic & Knuckles guide your last--I respect that. My problem arrives when you, ironically enough, criticize the fanbase for criticizing the series. Looking at it from another angle, as someone who is active in another fanbase who casually browses the Sonic fanbase, I see huge flaws in your argument.

Just because someone is a fan does not mean that they should have an undebatable love for everything that revolves around what they are a fan of. Sonic the Hedgehog is such as huge "franchise" that incorporates video games, comics, animations and so forth of different types from different eras. You can collectivize everyone as "Sonic fans" but you're not seeing that "Sonic fans" are composed of "classic fans," "SATAM fans," "modern fans," "Archie fans," etc. Even within these subgroups, there are more divisions. This diversity should be celebrated. Sorry, but it would be awfully boring if everyone everywhere just likes everything Sonic. That's not fandom. That's product worship.

Now while Sonic the Hedgehog 4 did garner negativity from some of the fanbase, it should be of great importance to point out that Sonic Colors was an entirely different game which, for the most part, was released to high praise from most of the fan community. I don't think Sonic fans are simply being negative for the sake of being negative. I think they have high expectations due to the bar being set so high back in the 1990s and that SEGA either drops the ball or at least shows progress.

I think it's comical that people such as Jim Sterling who are highly critical of the fanbase for being, well, critical of Sonic 4 seem to have less than favorable words for Sonic Colors. But that's okay. It's their opinion. Sonic Colors is my favorite third-dimensional Sonic game to date. Not perfect, but it's getting there. People can disagree with me and those people can very well be Sonic fans.

You have your own reasons for ceasing your plans for future updates and like I said, that's your decision and I respect that. You've done an excellent job here. I also completely understand what you mean in your second-to-last paragraph, owning a fansite of my own which is entirely of my own creation. I simply wanted to throw in my two cents in defense of a fan community that gets too much flack for having a diverse range of opinions.
#8. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 7th February 2011, 8:03pm
I can only thank you all for your very heartfelt reflections on my work and this news. I'm very touched that this project has had such an astounding effect on what seems to be quite a large number of people. I'm truly amazed!

Rom, thank you very much. :)

Ricky, don't be sad! There's still much to come before I close the doors, and your artwork will always be welcome here.

Mercury, thank you, I agree. I think the thing is, I've pretty much eliminated most of the laborious elements to the whole process. Everything left now is all down to the quality and consistency of the writing, layouts, graphics and maps, and it's something I feel only I can do. I'd say the map making is still quite time consuming (although a fraction of how much time it would take without your own brilliant extractor tools!), but purely because of all of the extra arrows and icons I add. It's the kind of thing that has too many little rules and intricacies that I've built up over time for anyone else to really grasp, I think.

MoDaD - Yes, keeping it to the classics does kind of give it a special kind of charm I must admit. Thank you, I hope it does continue to be used by many long after its last update.

JC, better late than never! You're very welcome here, thank you.

Dapassified, thanks! I can't really believe I've been so devoted to it myself, really. I think if you find something you care that much about though, you can find the desire to produce anything really, no matter how big. And one of the best things about this site has been the amazing reactions to it from people like yourselves and how, for some, there's something about Sonic that just really.. well, gives meaning to life, I suppose!

RS - Thanks a lot, glad to hear understanding from a fellow site owner. You're quite right, I'm painting with broad brush strokes when describing the community as I did there. There are of course many positive fans out there and many good things about the community - these messages alone are testament to that. I didn't wish to begin a debate between anyone about the state of the community, nor do I seek to change it. It's just that to me, there's too much negativity, even if it's not the only thing. Too many people with glass-half-empty expectations, and petty, destructive criticisms. It's not everyone, at all, and I've no idea if it's really even the majority, but they speak with louder voices to me, and there's enough of them for me to no longer enjoy reading the opinions of others about Sonic. They just depress me, and that's all it is really, just a personal reaction.

Many thanks again.
#9. Comment posted by KMetalmind on Monday, 7th February 2011, 9:22pm
It´s a shame. I´m going to tell the truth, I haven´t really read everything is here (after playing all classic Sonic games hundreds of times and finding most of the best hidden secrets of them around the internet, it´s hard to look at an in-depth guide), but anyway, it´s superb content. This could be sold on a guide and most Sonic fans would be buying it like crazy, even knowing the entire games.

I wish you luck in anything else you do, because it´s hard to find so perfect content out there.

And you know, don´t get too serious about *we* Sonic complainers. We have been deceived for years, and we haven´t got still a game as good as the classics. I´ve really enjoyed games like Megaman 9-10 and Castlevania HD, but Sonic it´s still far from becoming a masterpiece again. Anyway, they are really improving :)

Sincerely, good luck in anything you do, because it will be awesome for sure ;)
#10. Comment posted by Eurysilas on Tuesday, 8th February 2011, 5:03am
NOOO! I just found you.... :(

Do you know how hard it is to come by Sonic Guides as good as yours? Why, I'm saving your Sonic 2 guide to my HD as I type this! I understand how discouraging the 'net can be when it comes to "Help Promised vs. Help Received". You've got my absolute sympathy there. But before you turn this place into the Smithsonian...

Could you make a Sonic 3 & Knuckles walkthrough? Pretty please? To me, Sonic 3 & Knuckles was the pinnacle of Sonic gaming, with Sonic 2 being an EXTREMELY close second. You already have the best Sonic 2 guide on the 'net (I say this with complete confidence and utter certainty)- why not go out with a bang? You may be puzzled why I'm requesting something so specific when simply combining the released Sonic 3 guide and as-yet-unreleased Sonic and Knuckles guide would be a huge help already.....Well, as I said; the former and the latter were meant to be played as one game. You know it. I know it. Yuji Naka knows it. EVERYONE knows it, would be the point. So, for the best Sonic game, why not have the best guide? It's commonly known from just cursory research that both games have slight but significant tweaks to their level designs. These differences would not be readily apparent as a tacked on footnote in the individual guides for the two games alone.

Please. You would be providing an invaluable service to us forgotten fans of Sonic's glorious past. There is no one else doing work on par with your guides.
#11. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 8th February 2011, 7:32pm
Thank you KMetalmind and Eurysilas - an impassioned speech, but I'm afraid I must decline on the joint guide for the two games. It's still a lot of work for something that I don't think is really necessary to be honest. Anything that is specific to S3&K, I have already been including as I go, in the maps and descriptions (and not necessarily just tacked on at the end - wherever relevant), and although they were meant to be the same game - I admittedly more often play them together rather than separately in fact - I still think it makes more sense to keep them separate. That is how they were released, and that is, more often than not, how they're re-released now. It's not just classic Sonic fans that frequent this site but relative newbies too, who may not even know the full score between those games, and I think it's less confusing to keep them separate.

Sorry, nice idea, but no. :)
#12. Comment posted by MNV on Wednesday, 9th February 2011, 9:52am
You have done fine work throughout the years. I'm sure the S&K guide will be just as thorough and enjoyable as the others. Thank you for your contributions to one of my favorite childhood memories.

You're right on the money about a lot of things in this post. Particularly how jaded internet communities have become and how depressing the constant focus on negativity is. This site has always been refreshing to me in that I don't see all the hate that fills the Sonic community here. Way to rise above the standard.

You have done exceedingly well and have gone far beyond the level of commitment most fans would ever be willing to give to something they love. Love is one of the things that makes this site so awesome. The love for the source material has been present in this site from the get-go and in my opinion finishing up the S&K guide would be a great capstone to a very rad project. Anyway, that's enough babbling. Great job, and whatever you find yourself doing in the future, keep on being awesome!
#13. Comment posted by AJ on Wednesday, 9th February 2011, 4:10pm
This is just depresing... I wish i could have helped write something but i have been busy with school. I want you to know i have enjoyed reading your guides and i cant wait for sonic and knuckles. i hope you enjoy life and stuff........ :'{
#14. Comment posted by Andrew on Friday, 11th February 2011, 9:26pm
I hope Ricky Earl will continue with his artwork. The future of this websote seems great! My brother needs a walkthrough for something in Sonic & Knuckles. But he might have found it already.
#15. Comment posted by Traxus on Saturday, 12th February 2011, 3:45pm
:( I love your guides.
#16. Comment posted by Max-Ale on Saturday, 12th February 2011, 10:24pm
I would like to help
#17. Comment posted by Tricky E on Tuesday, 15th February 2011, 12:42pm
I will at LEAST see out Sonic 2, Andrew
I'm glad the website will continue to exist for as long as possible :)
#18. Comment posted by Oobo on Thursday, 24th February 2011, 4:55pm
I serched the internet and NO OTHER GUIDE in the internet (That i can find) is this good! I love your work...I was hoping for a guide for sonic 4 at some point...I get your point though, you have good reasons to stop. I would love it if you got other writers to help and/or write more guides, but if not, oh well. This is still the greatist guide to sonic ever.
P.S. Thank you for all your help with sonic 3, and especially with the @#$% barrels in carnival night!
#19. Comment posted by CJ on Saturday, 12th March 2011, 6:01am
Thats too bad. I like the site. Its clean, very very informative and you can the tlc that went into the details. Your effort is appreciated. Good luck on future endeavors.
#20. Comment posted by SpeedingHedgehog on Sunday, 13th March 2011, 3:44am
Well, I know I'm a little late on the comment-train, but I will like to say thank you for all the guides you have made so far, and wish you good luck with your last one! Finish strong and hard!
#21. Comment posted by murphy341 on Monday, 9th May 2011, 11:24pm
Definately a shame, as a childhood fan of the games I can say this is the best sonic site by far, its so in depth, appreciate all the hard work
#22. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Sunday, 17th July 2011, 12:02pm
I'd imagine that blue spheres wouldn't be THAT time consuming. Consider it, OK, i'm VERY late on the "comment train", but hey, as I said, consider it.
#23. Comment posted by MAR on Monday, 22nd August 2011, 6:53am
I'm very impressed with this site. From the detail and amount of information to allowing anyone to add extra tips and comments, it's refined and set up to incorporate anything you missed.

About your gripes with the community's negativity: most of them are just as nostalgic as you. When they think of their childhood, Sonic is a part of that. I'm one of those who hasn't cared for anything since sonic adventure 2. Some of it is me not owning anything newer than a Dreamcast, but a lot of it is the reviews and information I keep reading. But this shit about him turning into a werewolf and next-gen graphics but horrible playability? I don' care for it. To me it's as if they are shitting on the Sonic universe with half-assed efforts. Now that may be too negative for you, but that's how I'm reacting to their treatment of Sonic. I do think you're too soft in this regard and I honestly have no idea what this "unmistakable" "new direction" they are taking. I guess Sonic 4 was kind of interesting, if it wasn't for the horrible physics. Maybe you mean Generations? Looks the most interesting since anything after SA2, but all this combo crap and automatic attacks/moves (like auto grind rail switching, really, is it that hard to just jump?) really turn me off. Sure, many fans critique a lot, but it's because they hold the original 5 in the highest regard and they hold anything new to the highest standard. Personally, I'd be ecstatic if they did a 16-bit sidescroller, but that's not happening and they already messed up the small effort there was in that direction. I wasn't crazy about moving to 3-d but I found Adventure 1 and 2 had their appeal (despite the beginning of the endless amounts of special gear and auto lock attacks [they could have had you aim at the enemies a bit to make it work instead of auto]. But then things changed. Even SA2 on gamecube was beginning to show me mistakes (the 2 player battle mode was a lot less fun than the cart racing). Maybe I'm just being an old curmudgeon stuck in the past, but there are valid points and you can't deny SEGA is catering to new fans, which means most of it will be dumbed down. So in the end, there will never be another original 5. The amount of talent they had, how much they got perfect from the level design to the music, how each new game was a continuation and logical building upon the last. It just won't happen again, and not just because of 16-bit, but because the demographic has changed and much of gaming has changed as a result. Sonic is still stuck in '94 but that's okay with me. Sure I wish somehow it continued, but I'm immensely grateful we had so much quality output by those development teams and really I shouldn't ask for anything more.

Well, if I offended you, just thought I'd share my view and help you see how your nostalgia is the same as everyone elses. So, let's forget about the present and raise a toast to the glory of yesteryear! Oh Sonic...
#24. Comment posted by David on Thursday, 1st September 2011, 11:01pm
I Could'nt Believe When I Saw This And All I Can Say Is THIS IS WAS AND WILL BE THE BEST SONIC FAN(HECK WITH THIS NON FANS THAT's RIGHT I'M SAYING YOU'RE BETTER AT MAKING GAMEGUIDES FOR SONIC THEN EVEN SEGA AND SONIC TEAM(ORIGINAL AND NON)AND I RESPECT YOUR WISHES SO HAVE A GOOD LIVE(OR LIVES) AND DONT LET ANYTHING(JUST SAYING.....DON't ASK) AND ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE(:
(;
...Oh p.s i Have done Some Sonic Fan Stuff Myself In Sonic CD's Coments And I Know That's Not Even Comparable To YOUR WORK!!!!!GASPS FOR (BREATH) And Really All Sonic Games Are Great Dont Get Me Wrong I Can See What All Of You Mean And And What Kmetalmind Said Is True I Mean Have You Seen Sonic Colors?(Wii)Anyway I'm A Devoted Sonic Fan Myself And You Are A Ture Sonic Fan I Can Tell Seriously And Farewell Fellow Sonic Fan!!!!!!!!!!
#25. Comment posted by Adam on Wednesday, 7th September 2011, 12:09am
In response to those who say Sonic won't be the same again, remember the original Sonic team is practically gone. even the head of current Sonic team was only around since Sonic and Knuckles
#26. Comment posted by ALEXISTH on Tuesday, 20th December 2011, 2:44am
:( I HOPE TO SEE SONIC 4 AND GENERATIONS
#27. Comment posted by Josh on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 11:26pm
Looks like the S&K guide was never finished =/
I had hoped at least that one would have been completed... just the guides for the originals would have made an awesome site in itself.
Still, the content on this site, and well, the entire site, is superb.
#28. Comment posted by Wassapman on Wednesday, 25th January 2012, 2:33am
God since Cybershell's epic reveal of this, (For me anyway), I've loved this site. Sonic and Knuckles should be done soon, Since you're up to Sky Sanctuary. Lets finish this stuff!
Sonic 3 Complete!
Wednesday, 2nd February 2011, 10:37pm (UTC), 5 Comments
Update: Sonic 3 guide now complete! Launch Base Zone, Miscellaneous Notes, and Downloads pages added.
Finally!.. This guide seems to have lasted forever, but Sonic 3 is now complete at last! Feels pretty good, I must say. I've even treated you to a three for one offer - A whole level, a brief info page, and the always popular Downloads page. The latter two only took me the last two or three evenings to pull together, so I thought I'd wait a bit and bundle them all in one update.

As I mentioned in my last post, Launch Base Zone, so vastly different in its Sonic 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles versions, gets two maps per act. Thankfully this is the last time I'll have to add water to my maps too, which is always a pain. Miscellaneous contains the usual stuff really, although at the last minute I decided to add a short summary of the whole Michael Jackson debacle and theories behind his involvement in the soundtrack. Some quite interesting things that I thought worth including, although mostly from Sonic Retro, I must admit. And of course, the all important Downloads page - a higher ranker in my page stats for each of the other three guides, so I expect much the same again.

I'll keep things short and sweet. There's been fantastically little going on in Sonic's world lately to discuss anyway, even if I had the inclination to do so right now. Sonic & Knuckles is the next guide, as you'd imagine, and it will be starting soon. I do aim for it to be complete much quicker than Sonic 3 was, mostly for my own personal benefit, but whether it will or not is anybody's guess. Before I do that though, I will post again soon, hopefully this weekend, and unless I change my mind between now and then, it'll be a very very important post. One that you'll want to pay attention to if you care about the future of this site.

That's all I'll say for now. Enjoy the new sections..!
Comments   5 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by sonictails1189 on Friday, 4th February 2011, 8:47pm
Finally, Launch Base Zone! Been looking forward to this one. There are a lot of hard to reach paths in this place, and the special zone rings are rather hidden, so I hope this can actually help some people out. Not to mention seeing the differences between the two versions of this zone. Should be interesting.

Definitely looking forward to Sonic & Knuckles. I'll keep checking back for your updates (like this weekend) to see what's new.
#2. Comment posted by Andrew on Friday, 4th February 2011, 9:00pm
I kept on looking and hoping for Launch Base zone ever since you mentioned it in the December blog.
My time has come!
#3. Comment posted by TrueDude on Saturday, 5th February 2011, 2:05am
What're you going to do with Blue Sphere? Is it going to share a page with Sonic & Knuckles or be a seperate article on it's own?
#4. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Saturday, 5th February 2011, 9:20am
Thanks all :)

Blue Sphere will be part of the Sonic & Knuckles guide.
#5. Comment posted by MoDaD on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 2:53am
Thanks for working so hard on all of these great guides. The level of detail, as always, is great and the visual style you use in presenting everything just makes it even better. It's all very professional while still having a fun feel. I think someone else may have mentioned to it, but is it true that if you're Super Sonic while fighting the final boss in Sonic 3 that he can still grab you?
Emerald Hill Zone art by Ricky Earl
Saturday, 18th December 2010, 7:17pm (UTC), 4 Comments
Ricky's back! And ploughing on with artwork for Sonic 2, kicking off with a delightfully bright and cheerful rendition of Emerald Hill Zone. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Emerald Hill Zone by Ricky Earl

For newcomers, Ricky Earl is Zone: 0's own personal artist, providing depictions of each level that are then added to the relevant level page. Check out more on his blog.

As for me? Sadly I've been less productive on Zone: 0 matters. However, I have started Launch Base Zone and I really hope I can grab at least a couple of days over Christmas to further this progress. Act 1 is almost completely mapped, and I can confirm two versions of each act map for this level: original version and S3&K version. The amount of differences would make combining them into a single map very time consuming for me, and confusing for you, so I thought that the better option.
Comments   4 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Andrew on Monday, 20th December 2010, 5:24am
Good to see that Ricky's starting Sonic 2!!!
I am glad that all this artwork is finally going ahead. I have waited a long time for this artwork
#2. Comment posted by MoDaD on Friday, 24th December 2010, 10:05am
That's a great addition. The artwork really sets the tone for the first zone in Sonic 2, especially by highlighting Tails' debut.
#3. Comment posted by Doreen on Saturday, 25th December 2010, 9:40pm
It's alright! I've waited this long for the rest of the Sonic 3 recap. What's a few more months? Lol! Nice artwork, btw!
#4. Comment posted by Aleronpower on Tuesday, 25th January 2011, 11:16pm
I will pay close attention, because it intrigues me launch base
What Sonic Colours means to me
Monday, 22nd November 2010, 10:06pm (UTC), 3 Comments
So, naturally, I've had over a week with Sonic Colours, and while I do like it rather a lot actually, I'm finding such time just isn't long enough to work out how I really feel about it, because I'm still not quite sure whether it'll be a game I'll play quite a lot over the following year or two, as I did with Sonic Unleashed and most of the other major titles of the last decade, or like its - admittedly inferior - Wii brethren, will it be something that spends most of its time on the shelf? As such this may be less a review, more just a collection of thoughts and personal reflection about the game, so feel free to tune out on this one. Particularly if you don't care :P

"Would Sonic the Hedgehog please report to the security office?.. We've found your..err.. your keys. Yes, that's it, we've found your keys! No need to be ready for a trap, since we only want to return your keys!"

As a first playthrough, Sonic Colours makes a good impression for the seasoned Sonic fan. The story, while simple, is illustrated with excellent scripts and voice acting, the quality of which surpasses everything before it by miles, frankly. Roger Craig Smith was an odd choice initially, but by the end I was convinced he'd brought new life to Sonic's previously rather predictable character. Great stuff. The humour in the game is frequently laugh-out-loud enjoyable too, particularly of note are Eggman's various loud speaker announcements throughout the levels. A genius idea. Finally a script that you wouldn't feel ashamed of if someone happened to walk in the room and witness any of it. For many, the learning curve on the controls, particularly if like me you're more accustomed to playing 3D Sonic on a traditional style pad and not the Wii remote and nun-chuk, is quite steep however. There's three different moves you can perform after jumping now, each assigned to an easily-confused button, plus a multitude of other moves before you even get to the new Wisp features. It all adds up to an amount that I hope wouldn't put off the less patient. At first I think my eagerness to throw around the new double jump (double A button) as a standard move caused a number of unnecessary deaths before I finally cottoned on to the fact that you often don't need it for many platforms, and using it actually tweaks your momentum in slightly unpredictable ways.

For the most part, this game follows the lead of the daytime levels of the high end version of Sonic Unleashed (which, of course, I love), with a slightly stronger slant to the 2D aspect over the 3D one, which, control-wise, leads to a slightly more refined experience that places a limit on those more slippery, slidy moments. Thank God, it's done what Wii Sonic games sadly hadn't done previously and avoided the temptation to just add annoying collect-x-rings, defeat-x-enemies, or don't-break-pots missions, which, I've found, are good for approximately zero replayability. They just aren't that fun and always feel very cheap, especially when you're forced to play them as part of the main game. Luckily, each of the six full levels are bestowed with a whopping, and I think record breaking, six acts. Now these acts aren't always that long. You'd probably be hard pressed to get much more than three minutes max out of any of them once you've learned their intricacies. As part of the first play though, they make the whole game feel rather substantial, albeit not nearly as far as initial boasts of 15-20 hours would have had you believe. I don't know where they got that from - 6 or 7 hours is more like it, but for those 6 or 7 hours, you do get a lot of value crammed in there, and that doesn't include loads of extra acts in the "Sonic Simulator" - a lovely idea that features very visually basic levels, many of which are modeled very satisfyingly on acts straight from Sonic 1. Some of many great little nods to the old days, including numerous classic badniks throughout the game. Bosses are reasonably challenging and not too vexing, however it's unfortunate that there's only really three different bosses for the levels, and they're each just repeated twice, with higher difficulty. Repetition of bosses is very common these days really though.

"Hey Tails, you missed the BBBE... Best Boss Beating Ever!"

It's clear enough now that there are two fundamental approaches to Sonic gameplay. The classic method - Levels that have unique structural designs and gimmicks, and often a slightly more considered, varied pace to them, and multiple routes a plenty. The thinking man's Sonic level. Then you've got your more modern approach, often associated with Dimps level design. It's gradually evolved into a pure adrenaline thrill ride that cares less about the beauty of a well designed, individual, multi-tiered level to be explored - more about providing a continuous experience that leaves you breathless at the end, and isn't afraid to throw in artificial methods of increasing speed immediately. When described on paper, it's obvious which one you SHOULD be rooting for, but I find it impossible to deny that the modern method is just plain great fun. When it's done well, it's usually to critical acclaim, and it's one of the reasons I love Sonic Unleashed so much. It's not clever, but then that's what Mario's for after all, and it is incredibly addictive and just as replayable as levels that provide numerous routes and hidden areas, as you really want to do them well, and without fault.

I'm an advocate of both fundamental approaches, and naturally combining elements of both of them should be a good idea, right? In many ways Sonic Colours kind of does that. It's not really quite as full on as Unleashed, which, even in its 2D acts and segments could produce some really flat-out stuff. Colours tends to slow down more readily in its 2D segments, and has a variety of new unique objects and interesting ideas for common "primitive" objects like platforms and buttons. I wouldn't quite call many of them exclusive to particular levels as such, rather they progress in a Mario-like difficulty curve in which more and more of them are introduced and then remain as you progress through the game. It's a nice break from the array of frequently red-coloured generic objects that appear across many levels, and little else, which is normally the way things are done these days. The progression of the Wisp power ups is used to similar effect, and they remind me of the kind of gameplay-changing power-ups in the Mario Galaxy games. One of the more interesting is the Cube Wisp, which converts nearby blue cubes into collectible items and vice versa, opening up interesting time-based puzzles, as you continuously switch them around. There will be occasions where you will have to use a Wisp in order to progress, but they're frequently optional, which is just as well, considering the amount at which they change the state of the experience - morphing Sonic himself into a completely different shape and colour, often changing the controls into something else entirely and interrupting the music with repetitive jingles (something I'm never a big fan of, but at least the music resumes from where it left off). In fact, they work well with the slightly larger scale level routes and hidden areas. Using Wisps such as the drill or rocket can propel Sonic through vast explorable areas in parallel to the main route, and are frequently used to find the five hidden red star rings in each act - a side mission that is very compelling, given that they unlock new Sonic Simulator stages at a satisfyingly frequent rate.

Sonic Colours also wins several points for reintroducing submersible water into a 3D Sonic level for the first time in almost a decade, in its Aquarium Park level. Ok, so it's not quite the same as you can only dive under during the 2D bits, but it's still quite a big deal, and there's something special about the first time you come across it. You'll notice something different about the way it looks, but before you can put your finger on it, you find you're falling in and your instinctive reaction is to expect immediate death, only to be pleasantly surprised by Sonic's continued existence, inside massive rocky pools stretching for miles underneath the main path. Sonic's double jump can even be used repeatedly to propel him through the water back to the surface and you'll love the newest take on the classic drowning theme!

"Please feel free to fill out a brief survey after your visit. Your opinions matter to us. Unless you didn't have fun. And then we don't care."

So if Sonic Colours makes such a good first impression, why do I wonder if ultimately, under the tests of time, I'll prefer Sonic Unleashed? Well, several reasons. First is the length of these acts, numerous as they may be. I do like a good, chunky level, I must admit and it's unfortunate that so many of these ones seem to finish before they even really get started. When only a minute or so has passed, I start to associate the the eerie high pitched tone emitted by the nearby goal ring with a feeling of disappointment, and conversely a feeling of relief comes with the sight of a checkpoint, suggesting that the act must go on at least a little longer. This is all part of the game's difficulty system however. Despite early suggestions that it's a game for kids, I can say with some certainty that this simply isn't the case as far as difficulty goes. The modern Sonic level design here hasn't managed to shake off its love of the death drop, which are abundant all over the place, particularly during slow paced 2D platform hopping sections. What's more, unlike Unleashed, extra lives are scarce unless you perform well enough to earn them during the results screen. I don't think you even get one for 100 rings anymore. Ring loss is back to the traditional system of lose-them-all-on-one-hit, and they can often be quite hard to retrieve too, so all things considered, you'll be getting a lot of game overs if your experience is anything like mine. The bite-sized nature of these acts help to soften this blow, so while it can get frustrating, you know you're never likely to have to retrace too many steps. I still say the experience would be improved greatly by the simple change of making the background music continuous across lives however. And word of warning: Beware the moving yellow three-headed spring of doom!

But there's also something about the design of the levels themselves. Things are a bit more controlled and measured. There are bursts of speed but they tend to be neatly contained inside predetermined paths, fizzling out rather quickly (albeit often not that abruptly in fairness) and 2D segments tend to be more slow-paced, and not really very much like Sonic Rush, or indeed this game's DS version (which I've also been playing, albeit much less). Sometimes frustratingly slow, really. Contrast this to high end Sonic Unleashed, both its 3D and 2D sections. Sure, it had the tendency to throw you down a pit just because you weren't quite quick enough to see what was coming, which might get annoying for the first play, but it had an amazing energy to it, and I stand by the claim that once you know those daytime levels, they very very easily become some of the most entertaining, heart-stopping Sonic experiences ever. I was really hoping that Sonic Colours would continue that idea, but I'm really not so sure that it does. It comes tantalisingly close sometimes, but it's just not quite as hectic. Take Act 2 of Unleashed's Dragon Road. It's short, I'll give you that, but it's entirely 2D and amazingly thrilling as you race through without stopping, dodging everything that's thrown at you. There isn't really anything in Colours that's quite like that, in fact that act of Dragon Road has so much crammed in that it's potentially comparable to some of Colour's longer stages in terms of content, but at a much more consistently fast pace, and it's a shame really. It's almost as if this game is trying too hard to be a successful merger of the classic and modern level designs, which in itself is a valiant thing to do, but it doesn't quite match up to the best examples of either one of them, and ends up as a game that's quite difficult to place. It would be fairer to come to this judgment a few months down the road when I'm more acquainted with its levels and how to do them as flawlessly as my Unleashed level runs, however that at least is my suspicion at the moment.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm stretching. You got a problem with that?"

Another inevitable aspect is the possibility that I'm more captivated by Unleashed's beautiful Hedgehog-Engine-Built visuals, the likes of which Sonic Colours can't hope to keep up with. Ironically enough, its colours are actually a little on the drab side by comparison, and this was even after countless tweaks to my TV's colour settings to try and suck out more juice. It's not just merely a matter of graphical capabilities however. I'm always an advocate of interesting new level locations and much to its credit, Sonic Colours runs with that idea, merging standard and not-so standard level types together with unique twists to create very creative fundamental ideas, a little reminiscent of NiGHTS in some cases. A surreal sunset theme park of massive food-based structures, an alien forest landscape overrun by mechanical redevelopment, and a beautiful aquarium combined with Japanese architecture and themes - all great ideas. The standard isn't quite kept up all the time though. Other levels like Starlight Carnival and Asteroid Coaster start out intriguing enough, but later acts often descend into rather plain, dull mechanical corridors with little life or creative flair to them, aesthetically. Certainly some missed opportunities, and I can't help but wonder - if this is a massive intergalactic theme park, where exactly are all the rides? Other than a rollercoaster or two, not in these acts, unfortunately. Perhaps better off heading back to Twinkle Park.

They are at least all backed up by an impressive enough soundtrack however, with each of the six stages offering three or four different takes on the same tune, with varying degrees of variation (if that makes sense) that are shared amongst its acts. Tropical Resort represents the perfect formula to an instantly lovable, all-time great Sonic tune with a sublime, satisfyingly long and melodic climax, and Planet Wisp 1 compliments the level beautifully. There are a few other noteworthy ones, but in general I think many of them are more of the "grower" variety, and it might take a while before you really decide where they sit in your long list of favourites. Hate to make yet another comparison to the bigger brother once again, but I think I was slightly more in love with Unleashed's soundtrack at about this point, it has to be said.

But lets not get carried away nitpicking at what is ultimately an extremely solid attempt at a great game, all things considered. Unlike, it seems, some fans who appear to take the ever-repulsive (and all too common in today's overly-critical society, in general) approach of "if it doesn't perfectly fit my expectations of a good Sonic game, it's shit" - I wouldn't dream of calling Sonic Colours anything of the sort. It's an extremely well polished, glitch-free game merging many popular aspects into a mostly very successful formula, which they've expertly combined with new ideas that never really feel intrusive or wreck the experience too much. It has dazzling personality and humour, in a way that finally feels comfortable for Sonic. Say what you want about Sega, I've always believed, now more than ever, that they want to do the best job they can with the franchise, and it really shows in games like this. Levels are still very replayable, although the longer acts will probably get more love than the shorter ones. My conclusions at this stage is that I do prefer Sonic Unleashed and will probably continue to do so, purely for its more hectic qualities and more impressive visuals that, in trying to appeal to opposing philosophies of level design, Sonic Colours has rather overlooked despite giving the appearance that it hasn't. Depending on how you see things though, this could be considered more of a plus side for some, which is fair enough. I would say that a more successful compromise between old and new design is still possible however, and I look forward to seeing what future experiments can conjure up. There's definitely enough for a sequel here at least though, and it's miles better than any other 3D Sonic on the Wii. Better than its recent "rival" Sonic 4?.. I couldn't possibly say. They're too different to judge, or indeed, for it to matter right now really.

"The Hyperspace ride is not safe for children under the age of twelve or over the age of thirteen. It is also not safe for thirteen year olds"..
Comments   3 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by mycatedwin on Tuesday, 23rd November 2010, 9:43pm
Very well written, but it must be said that Unleashed had many Werehog stages that, while adding variety, just plain got in the way of the daytime stages. Other than that, these are my exact thoughts.
#2. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 23rd November 2010, 10:31pm
True, but I was thinking more of the phase in which you've already completed the game, and therefore no longer have to play any levels you don't want to. Going on first plays alone, the two games are on more of an even playing field, all things considered, but I do think the SU daytime stages are more fun than the stages of Sonic Colours. But you're right in that SC has a much higher percentage of its stages that are actually fun to play!
#3. Comment posted by DigitalDuck on Tuesday, 30th November 2010, 3:47pm
I think once you collect all red rings, you'll change your mind about what it's like replaying through the levels...
Sonic 3 Other Modes update
Sunday, 21st November 2010, 9:32pm (UTC), 3 Comments
Update: Other Modes page added to the Sonic 3 section
Been a bit of a long wait again, I know, but well, that's the way things are for the forseeable future I'm afraid. Still, we're nearing the end of the Sonic 3 guide now. The new Other Modes section contains info on the game's Special Stage, Bonus Stage, Competition mode and more. And just because I'm feeling extra nice, I thought some maps of the Special Stages and 2 player stages would be appreciated. The Special Stage ones in particular I can see being quite useful. They weren't ripped from the game this time, what I actually did was use scans from a book that has proven very useful over the years - the Japanese Sonic Mega Collection strategy guide. It contains maps for everything, including recreated Special Stages for S3&K that I simply traced over. Unfortunately I've found the book to have numerous inaccuracies and it completely missed occasional routes and hidden areas throughout the levels that I've worked on since, so hopefully the same cannot be said for these Special Stage maps. If you spot anything wrong, do give me a shout.

I was going to add some short and simple thoughts on Sonic Colours but what I've written has pretty much turned into a full blown review anyway, so I might as well post that separately. Probably tomorrow.
Comments   3 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by sonictails1189 on Monday, 22nd November 2010, 9:33pm
This looks great, and I'm looking forward to your Sonic Colours review. Though I've long since memorized the special stages, it's still nice to see the maps. Hey, here's a question for you: any chance of eventually covering and mapping all of the stages from the Blue Sphere game? I know it'd be a ton of work, but that's something I think a lot of people could appreciate (or maybe just me, who knows)?

Anyway, keep up the good work. I'll keep checking back for more updates.
#2. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 22nd November 2010, 10:25pm
Thanks :)

I think covering all of them in Blue Sphere would be a near enough impossible task, as there's literally thousands of them, isn't there? So.. well, no, to be honest. lol. Not me personally anyway, anyone else is more than welcome to take up the challenge if they wish!

I have however noticed some consistent patterns that reappear across multiple stages however, which is pretty much how they're able to have been generated, so perhaps it'll be worthwhile covering all of the different common patterns, so most things should be covered. That isn't planned, but again, if someone wants to, they're more than welcome. Send me an email.
#3. Comment posted by MoDaD on Wednesday, 24th November 2010, 6:31am
I don't think I've ever seen the special stages mapped out before. I wish I had those fifteen years ago.
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