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Various information regarding possible design choices in ''[[Chaotix]]'' (often referred to as Knuckles' Chaotix) was extracted through the process of [[ROM hacking]].
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__TOC__
 
__TOC__
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==Lost Sprites==
 
==Lost Sprites==
 +
 
{|class="prettytable"
 
{|class="prettytable"
 
!Artwork||Name||Description
 
!Artwork||Name||Description
 
|-
 
|-
|[[Image:knuxdrunk.gif|center]]||"Dizzy Knuckles" sprite||Sprites of Knuckles spinning around. Possibly could have been used as part of a death animation.
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|[[Image:knuxdrunk.gif|center]]||"Dizzy Knuckles" sprite||Sprites of Knuckles spinning around. Possibly could have been used as part of a death animation. Other "drunk" sprites exist for the rest of the characters excluding [[Heavy]] and [[Bomb]]. In [[Sonic Crackers]], this feature can be accessed by repeatedly touching the upside-down spikes found in World 2 stages.
 +
|-
 +
|[[Image:21o0oef.gif|center]]||"Super Sonic" sprite||An animated sprite of an unused Super Sonic. Colors are incorrect and fan-made, no known palette in the game matches. Unknown use; speculated as part of an intro/outro.
 
|-
 
|-
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|[[Image:Chaotixtailsplane.gif]]||"Tails in Tornado" sprite||An animated sprite of an unused Tornado with Tails. Unknown use; speculated as part of an intro/outro.
 +
|-
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|[[Image:HangingVector.gif]]||"Hanging Vector" sprite||An unused sprite of Vector, which was possibly part of his climbing animation.
 +
|-
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|[[Image:Banner.png]]||"Banner" sprite||An unused banner-looking sprite. Possibly planned for use in the scrapped "Time Attack" mode.
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|-
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|[[File:ChaotixBubble.png]]||"Bubble" sprite||A bubble sprite. Obviously meant to be used in an underwater section, none are in the game.
 +
|-
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|[[File:Splash.gif]]||"Splash" sprites||Animated splashing sprites. Same case as above.
 +
|-
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|[[File:Bumper.gif]]||Possible "Bumper" sprites||Animated spherical sprites. A yellow variant exists as well which suggests it might be an unused bumper sprite.
 +
|-
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|[[File:Gulper.gif]]||Unknown enemy||Animation of a scrapped enemy. Zone of enemy is unknown, but it could be from Amazing Arena Zone, due to the similar palette.
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|-
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|[[File:Mosqui1.gif]][[File:Mosqui2.gif]][[File:Mosqui3.gif]]||"Mosqui" sprites||Animated [[Mosqui]] sprites, possibly used in intro.
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|-
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|[[File:MSKHead.png]]||"Metal Sonic Kai" missing sprites||Metal Sonic Kai have plenty of animations that were never used in the game. On the MegaDrive's side, he got this DisEmbodied head that may have been used for his escape if you failed to collect all the Chaos Rings. 
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|-
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|[[File:ChaotixRobotnik.png]]||"Robotnik" sprites||While partially used, some specific animation frames of Robotnik in the "bad ending" are unused, as well as this background.
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|-
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|[[File:Test.png]]||"Test" sprite||Unused, however it was probably going to stay that way.
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|-
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|[[File:Tobu.png]]||"Skull" sprite||Unused, unknown what it was intended for. Possibly a joke sprite. The japanese text reads "tobu" (とぶ), which translates to "to fly, to jump".
 
|}
 
|}
  
==Mighty: A Sonic Clone?==
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==Mighty: He's A Sonic Clone?==
The absence of [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] as a playable character in ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]'' is interesting indeed; after all, it's practically a Sonic game, right? Just... without Sonic. However, careful observation proves that Sonic may not be entirely absent from this game. [[Mighty the Armadillo]] is one of the available characters in ''Chaotix'', and while playing as him, you might notice that he seems... familiar.
+
The absence of [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] as a playable character in Chaotix resulted in a lot of speculation from various members of the community, which often resulted in questioning whether Sonic was ever planned for Chaotix. Furthermore, the speculation is fueled with the presence of leaked games such as ''[[Sonic Crackers]]'', which offers a similar gameplay engine to Chaotix, except with Sonic and [[Tails]] as the only playable characters. However, careful observation proves that Sonic may not be entirely absent from this game. [[Mighty the Armadillo]] is one of the available characters in ''Chaotix'', who shares a lot of the behavior of Sonic in ''Sonic Crackers''.
  
 
[[Image:sonickmightysheet.png]]
 
[[Image:sonickmightysheet.png]]
  
And indeed, he does! Nearly all of Mighty's poses match up with Sonic's poses from ''[[Sonic Crackers]]'', and occasionally ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]''. You'll also notice that some of the unused poses in ''Sonic Crackers'' match up with some of the poses Mighty uses in ''Knuckles Chaotix''!
+
As the sprite sheet above demonstrates, nearly all of Mighty's poses match up with Sonic's poses from ''Sonic Crackers'', and occasionally ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]''. Likewise, some of the unused poses in ''Sonic Crackers'' match up with Sonic.
  
 
==Amy in Chaotix==
 
==Amy in Chaotix==
Amy is an "unlockable" character in ''Chaotix''! Actually, she's just an extra for the sound test screen. Still, that's cool, right? Input the following code at the color select screen to "unlock" Amy:
+
Amy, while not a playable character in Chaotix, nonetheless makes a cameo appearance as an unlockable for the sound test screen. Input the following code at the color select screen to show Amy in the Sound Test:
  
 
[[Image:chaotixamycode.png]]
 
[[Image:chaotixamycode.png]]
  
And she'll appear right on the sound test screen:
+
Once the code was entered successfully, Amy will appear at the sound test screen.
  
 
[[Image:Amysoundtest.png]]
 
[[Image:Amysoundtest.png]]
  
==Removed Character==
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==**********==
Through unlocking the level select, you can access an unused, removed character from the game. Here's the code for the level select (input on the color test):
+
Accessing the ''Chaotix'' debug mode reveals an unused playable character, labelled by the game as "**********".
 
 
[[Image:chaotixdebugcode.png]]
 
 
 
This code will also unlock debug mode, which works exactly like the debug mode in ''Sonic Crackers''. From there, you can access the stage select:
 
  
[[Image:Chaotix stageselect.png]]
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<gallery widths="320" heights="224">
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chaotixdebugcode.png|Set these values on the color test screen.
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Chaotix stageselect.png|Select "Stage Select".
 +
Tenstar1.png|Change the player to **********.
 +
</gallery>
  
And inside the stage select...
+
Due to its appearance in game, ********** has, for many years, informerly been known as "Wechnia", a portmanteau of "white" and "echidna". This is because in-game, ********** uses garbled, palette-swapped sprites of Knuckles and the moveset of Mighty. ********** can also be selected as a partner.
  
[[Image:Tenstar1.png]]
+
[[File:Tenstar2.png]]
  
...we can select our new character (known among the community as [[**********|Wechnia]])!
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<nowiki>**********</nowiki> is a curious creature, being second in the list of selectable characters (after Mighty) and using Mighty's sprites when entering a bonus or special stage. ********** is not, however, playable in normal gameplay without hacks - as soon as the character touches the floor, the game will freeze (and even if this is fixed, interactions with other objects will likely cause problems). Incidentally this is the case with the majority of ''Chaotix'' prototypes, however up until the release of [[Chaotix (prototype 0119)|prototype 0119]], ********** has an entirely different moveset - by holding the {{Up}} button after performing a double jump, the character will fly.
  
[[Image:Tenstar2.png]]
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<nowiki>**********</nowiki> is, in fact, what remains of Tails, and further proof that ''Chaotix'' evolved from ''[[Sonic Crackers]]''. With Mighty (in the first slot) being thought to have evolved from Sonic, ********** (in the second slot) was suggested to be Tails, though the addition of flight suggests more work went into the character after ''Crackers'' before he was scrapped.
  
As you can see, it's just a garbled version of Knuckles' sprites with Mighty's palette and moveset. Nothing special. These leftovers are a result of [[Tails]]' leftover data.
+
Furthermore, digging into the ROM of the [[Chaotix (prototype 1207)|''Chaotix'' 1207 prototype]] reveals both Sonic and Tails' life icons (the rest are used for a preliminary partner select screen):
  
There is proof that [[Wechnia]] is indeed [[Tails]]. By looking at the [[Knuckles' Chaotix (prototype 1207)|Knuckles' Chaotix 1207 prototype]], we can see that, by holding the {{Up}} button after performing a double jump, the character will fly! Further digging into the ROM by resident hacking guru [[Cinossu]] reveals the following:
 
 
[[Image:Chaotix1207_pal1.png]]
 
[[Image:Chaotix1207_pal1.png]]
 
Life icons! What's more interesting, though, is when you apply an unused green palette from Crackers...
 
 
[[Image:Chaotix1207_pal2.png]]
 
[[Image:Chaotix1207_pal2.png]]
 
...a perfect fit for [[Knuckles]] and [[Vector]]! Mystery solved! Sonic and Tails were once in ''Chaotix''! Though that was fairly obvious from the start, official confirmation is always cool, right?
 
  
 
==Sonic Crackers==
 
==Sonic Crackers==
The connection between ''Sonic Crackers'' was usually pretty strong but it lacked concrete evidence. This was found in the early prototypes released by [[drx]]. [[xdaniel]] found text referring to ''Sonic Crackers'' while examining a savestate, it's possible for anyone to see it by following these steps:
+
The connection between ''Sonic Crackers'' was usually strong but it lacked concrete evidence. This was found in the early prototypes released by [[User:Drx|drx]]. [[xdaniel]] found text referring to ''Sonic Crackers'' while examining a savestate, it's possible for anyone to see it by following these steps:
  
 
*Start the ROM in Kega Fusion.
 
*Start the ROM in Kega Fusion.
Line 58: Line 82:
 
*Advance through PLAYER and NPC SELECT.
 
*Advance through PLAYER and NPC SELECT.
 
*On ATTRACTION SELECT, create a Save State.
 
*On ATTRACTION SELECT, create a Save State.
*Now, start the ROM in Gens and load the Save State.
+
*Now, start the ROM in Gens and load the Save State (note: the game has a chance of crashing at this point).
*The game will most likely screw up and crash, but that doesn't matter.
 
 
*Enter the Genesis VDP viewer via CPU->Debug->Genesis VDP.
 
*Enter the Genesis VDP viewer via CPU->Debug->Genesis VDP.
*If you can't see anything, select a different palette - * on the numpad, I think).
+
*If you can't see anything, select a different palette.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
If it works you will get a screen like this, note the graphics in the green box:
 
If it works you will get a screen like this, note the graphics in the green box:
Line 73: Line 96:
  
 
==Unused "Sega" sound==
 
==Unused "Sega" sound==
As it turns out, the Sega screen at the beginning of the game was to have an accompanying sound. This has been confirmed in [[Knuckles' Chaotix (prototype 0202)]]. However, it is never used. It is still located in the final game under the sound test menu with the SFX I.D. of 6B.
+
As it turns out, the Sega screen at the beginning of the game was to have an accompanying sound. This has been confirmed in [[Chaotix (prototype 0202)]], although the sound is different. In the final, it is a different sound, but still is never used. It is located in the final game under the sound test menu with the SFX I.D. of 6B.
 
 
==Unused Plane==
 
[[File:Chaotixtailsplane.gif]]
 
 
 
After some hacking, [[Andlabs]] found this unused sprite of [[Tails]] in the [[Tornado]] deep within the ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' ROM. It is a heavily updated version of the Tornado sprite found in ''[[Sonic 3]]'', making use of the extended colour palette. Unlike the version in ''Sonic 3'', the "SONIC" text has been changed so that it is readable from this angle (in the ''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]'' ending the entire sprite was simply flipped). It may have been connected to the "good ending", in which both Sonic and Tails are visible, or a leftover from a scrapped introduction screen, similar to how Sonic 3 followed straight on from ''[[Sonic 2]]''.
 
  
 
{{ChaotixOmni}}
 
{{ChaotixOmni}}
  
[[Category:Game Secrets|Knuckles' Chaotix]]
+
[[Category:Game secrets|Chaotix]]

Revision as of 13:05, 15 April 2018

Various information regarding possible design choices in Chaotix (often referred to as Knuckles' Chaotix) was extracted through the process of ROM hacking.

Lost Sprites

Artwork Name Description
Knuxdrunk.gif
"Dizzy Knuckles" sprite Sprites of Knuckles spinning around. Possibly could have been used as part of a death animation. Other "drunk" sprites exist for the rest of the characters excluding Heavy and Bomb. In Sonic Crackers, this feature can be accessed by repeatedly touching the upside-down spikes found in World 2 stages.
21o0oef.gif
"Super Sonic" sprite An animated sprite of an unused Super Sonic. Colors are incorrect and fan-made, no known palette in the game matches. Unknown use; speculated as part of an intro/outro.
Chaotixtailsplane.gif "Tails in Tornado" sprite An animated sprite of an unused Tornado with Tails. Unknown use; speculated as part of an intro/outro.
HangingVector.gif "Hanging Vector" sprite An unused sprite of Vector, which was possibly part of his climbing animation.
Banner.png "Banner" sprite An unused banner-looking sprite. Possibly planned for use in the scrapped "Time Attack" mode.
ChaotixBubble.png "Bubble" sprite A bubble sprite. Obviously meant to be used in an underwater section, none are in the game.
Splash.gif "Splash" sprites Animated splashing sprites. Same case as above.
Bumper.gif Possible "Bumper" sprites Animated spherical sprites. A yellow variant exists as well which suggests it might be an unused bumper sprite.
Gulper.gif Unknown enemy Animation of a scrapped enemy. Zone of enemy is unknown, but it could be from Amazing Arena Zone, due to the similar palette.
Mosqui1.gifMosqui2.gifMosqui3.gif "Mosqui" sprites Animated Mosqui sprites, possibly used in intro.
MSKHead.png "Metal Sonic Kai" missing sprites Metal Sonic Kai have plenty of animations that were never used in the game. On the MegaDrive's side, he got this DisEmbodied head that may have been used for his escape if you failed to collect all the Chaos Rings.
ChaotixRobotnik.png "Robotnik" sprites While partially used, some specific animation frames of Robotnik in the "bad ending" are unused, as well as this background.
Test.png "Test" sprite Unused, however it was probably going to stay that way.
Tobu.png "Skull" sprite Unused, unknown what it was intended for. Possibly a joke sprite. The japanese text reads "tobu" (とぶ), which translates to "to fly, to jump".

Mighty: He's A Sonic Clone?

The absence of Sonic the Hedgehog as a playable character in Chaotix resulted in a lot of speculation from various members of the community, which often resulted in questioning whether Sonic was ever planned for Chaotix. Furthermore, the speculation is fueled with the presence of leaked games such as Sonic Crackers, which offers a similar gameplay engine to Chaotix, except with Sonic and Tails as the only playable characters. However, careful observation proves that Sonic may not be entirely absent from this game. Mighty the Armadillo is one of the available characters in Chaotix, who shares a lot of the behavior of Sonic in Sonic Crackers.

Sonickmightysheet.png

As the sprite sheet above demonstrates, nearly all of Mighty's poses match up with Sonic's poses from Sonic Crackers, and occasionally Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Likewise, some of the unused poses in Sonic Crackers match up with Sonic.

Amy in Chaotix

Amy, while not a playable character in Chaotix, nonetheless makes a cameo appearance as an unlockable for the sound test screen. Input the following code at the color select screen to show Amy in the Sound Test:

Chaotixamycode.png

Once the code was entered successfully, Amy will appear at the sound test screen.

Amysoundtest.png

**********

Accessing the Chaotix debug mode reveals an unused playable character, labelled by the game as "**********".

Due to its appearance in game, ********** has, for many years, informerly been known as "Wechnia", a portmanteau of "white" and "echidna". This is because in-game, ********** uses garbled, palette-swapped sprites of Knuckles and the moveset of Mighty. ********** can also be selected as a partner.

Tenstar2.png

********** is a curious creature, being second in the list of selectable characters (after Mighty) and using Mighty's sprites when entering a bonus or special stage. ********** is not, however, playable in normal gameplay without hacks - as soon as the character touches the floor, the game will freeze (and even if this is fixed, interactions with other objects will likely cause problems). Incidentally this is the case with the majority of Chaotix prototypes, however up until the release of prototype 0119, ********** has an entirely different moveset - by holding the Up button after performing a double jump, the character will fly.

********** is, in fact, what remains of Tails, and further proof that Chaotix evolved from Sonic Crackers. With Mighty (in the first slot) being thought to have evolved from Sonic, ********** (in the second slot) was suggested to be Tails, though the addition of flight suggests more work went into the character after Crackers before he was scrapped.

Furthermore, digging into the ROM of the Chaotix 1207 prototype reveals both Sonic and Tails' life icons (the rest are used for a preliminary partner select screen):

File:Chaotix1207 pal1.png Chaotix1207 pal2.png

Sonic Crackers

The connection between Sonic Crackers was usually strong but it lacked concrete evidence. This was found in the early prototypes released by drx. xdaniel found text referring to Sonic Crackers while examining a savestate, it's possible for anyone to see it by following these steps:

  • Start the ROM in Kega Fusion.
  • Select TIME ATTACK in main menu.
  • Advance through PLAYER and NPC SELECT.
  • On ATTRACTION SELECT, create a Save State.
  • Now, start the ROM in Gens and load the Save State (note: the game has a chance of crashing at this point).
  • Enter the Genesis VDP viewer via CPU->Debug->Genesis VDP.
  • If you can't see anything, select a different palette.


If it works you will get a screen like this, note the graphics in the green box:
File:SonicCrackersS32X1.png
When the tiles are rearranged they would look like this:
SonicCrackersS32X2.png

Unused "Sega" sound

As it turns out, the Sega screen at the beginning of the game was to have an accompanying sound. This has been confirmed in Chaotix (prototype 0202), although the sound is different. In the final, it is a different sound, but still is never used. It is located in the final game under the sound test menu with the SFX I.D. of 6B.


Chaotix
Chaotix title.png

Main page
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