Actions

Difference between revisions of "Sonic R/Development"

From Sonic Retro

m (Text replacement - "Sonic R (preview)" to "Sonic R (Saturn prototype; 1997-09-10)")
 
(6 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 5: Line 5:
 
''Sonic R'' was the second ''Sonic the Hedgehog''-related project to be entrusted to [[Traveller's Tales]], a British studio previously responsible for ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' in 1996, and host of other projects prior. Many of the core members of the Traveller's Tales staff worked on both projects, including studio head [[Jon Burton]] (design and programming) and lead artist James Cunliffe. Similarly to ''Sonic 3D'', the project was overseen by members of [[Sonic Team]] - Sonic Team would outline the requirements and provide feedback, and Traveller's Tales would implement their demands.
 
''Sonic R'' was the second ''Sonic the Hedgehog''-related project to be entrusted to [[Traveller's Tales]], a British studio previously responsible for ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' in 1996, and host of other projects prior. Many of the core members of the Traveller's Tales staff worked on both projects, including studio head [[Jon Burton]] (design and programming) and lead artist James Cunliffe. Similarly to ''Sonic 3D'', the project was overseen by members of [[Sonic Team]] - Sonic Team would outline the requirements and provide feedback, and Traveller's Tales would implement their demands.
  
''Sonic R'' began its life as a Formula One game, still developed for Sega, but without the ''Sonic'' license. Traveller's Tales' "arch rivals" [[sega:Bizarre Creations|Bizarre Creations]] had released the extremely popular [[sega:PlayStation|PlayStation]] game ''Formula 1'' in 1996 (and would coincidentally be picked up to create the [[Sega Dreamcast]] game ''[[sega:Metropolis Street Racer|Metropolis Street Racer]]'' on the grounds of its success)), and Sega wanted a response from the studio, who got to work on this project shortly after.
+
''Sonic R'' began its life as a Formula One game, still developed for Sega, but without the ''Sonic'' license. Traveller's Tales' "arch rivals" [[sega:Bizarre Creations|Bizarre Creations]] had released the extremely popular [[sega:PlayStation|PlayStation]] game ''Formula 1'' in 1996 (and would coincidentally be picked up to create the [[Sega Dreamcast]] game ''[[sega:Metropolis Street Racer|Metropolis Street Racer]]'' on the grounds of its success), and Sega wanted a response from the studio, who got to work on this project shortly after.
  
 
The team spent a few months working on the Formula One project (writing an engine and even producing 3D assets) before the troubled ''[[Sonic X-treme]]'' was cancelled. This led to Sega cancelling the Formula One project in its original form, and tasking Traveller's Tales with adapting the engine into a ''Sonic'' racing game in time for Christmas 1997.
 
The team spent a few months working on the Formula One project (writing an engine and even producing 3D assets) before the troubled ''[[Sonic X-treme]]'' was cancelled. This led to Sega cancelling the Formula One project in its original form, and tasking Traveller's Tales with adapting the engine into a ''Sonic'' racing game in time for Christmas 1997.
  
For a while, ''Sonic R'' was referred to as "''Sonic TT''", with the source code still making reference to that original title. This was not a nod to Traveller's Tales, but was to fit in with other racing terms such as "Time Trial" or "Tourist Trophy" (and ''[[sega:Manx TT SuperBike|Manx TT SuperBike]]'' released by Sega two years prior).
+
For a while, ''Sonic R'' was referred to as "''Sonic TT''", with the source code still making reference to that original title. This was not a nod to Traveller's Tales, but was to fit in with other racing terms such as "Time Trial" or "Tourist Trophy" (and ''[[sega:Manx TT SuperBike|Manx TT SuperBike]]'' released by Sega two years prior).{{ref|1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Wgqqi5uj8}}
  
Sonic Team designed all the tracks on paper, which Traveller's Tales would convert into 3D models. Some of the original texture work resembled the look of ''Sonic 3D'', particularly with its distinctive bushes, but the artwork had been completely redone by the final game.
+
[[Sonic Team]] designed all the tracks on paper, which Traveller's Tales would convert into 3D models. Some of the original texture work resembled the look of ''Sonic 3D'', particularly with its distinctive bushes, but the artwork had been completely redone by the final game.
  
The game appeared at [[sega:E3 1997|E3 1997]] in a playable form, however Jon Burton noticed that people were giving up when Sonic ran into the water, on account of his underwater speed being so slow. This was sped up in response.
+
The game appeared at [[sega:E3 1997|E3 1997]] in a playable form, however [[Jon Burton]] noticed that people were giving up when [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] ran into the water, on account of his underwater speed being so slow. This was sped up in response.
  
 
A "relay" mode was once planned, wherein each lap of the course would be completed by a different character. A mirror mode, where the tracks would be flipped, was also considered, but according to Jon Burton, was scrapped due to the draw code having to be re-written to compensate for the changes.
 
A "relay" mode was once planned, wherein each lap of the course would be completed by a different character. A mirror mode, where the tracks would be flipped, was also considered, but according to Jon Burton, was scrapped due to the draw code having to be re-written to compensate for the changes.
  
The in-game player models originally had a higher polygon count, but were adjusted for performance reasons. The result of these changes is that Tails lost his whiskers and hair, Knuckles curiously gained a different pair of shoes, and Robotnik's missile system was simplified, being turned into a cannon rather than a claw/missile contraption. Amy perhaps had the most radical redesign, however, having originally been given a giant circular saw at the front of her car to attack her opponents. In addition to this, the vehicle had a rear spoiler - it is missing in-game but continues to appear in promotional renders.
+
The in-game player models originally had a higher polygon count, but were adjusted for performance reasons. The result of these changes is that [[Miles "Tails" Prower|Tails]] lost his whiskers and hair, [[Knuckles the Echidna|Knuckles]] curiously gained a different pair of shoes, and [[Dr. Eggman|Robotnik]]'s missile system was simplified, being turned into a cannon rather than a claw/missile contraption. [[Amy Rose|Amy]] perhaps had the most radical redesign, however, having originally been given a giant circular saw at the front of her car to attack her opponents. In addition to this, the vehicle had a rear spoiler - it is missing in-game but continues to appear in promotional renders.
  
A planned flame shield was also removed from the game after it was considered to be too similar to the thunder shield in design.
+
A planned [[Flame Shield]] was also removed from the game after it was considered to be too similar to the [[Lightning Shield]] in design.
  
 
===Music===
 
===Music===
Similar to ''Sonic 3D'''s Saturn outing, the music of ''Sonic R'' was composed by [[Richard Jacques]], however this time vocals were added by [[T.J. Davis]]. Wary of vocals in a ''Sonic'' game being deemed strange, Jon Burton added a switch to use non-vocal tracks (which he persuaded Sega to supply), before warming to the idea later in development. The default option was originally "off" for this reason.  
+
As one of the first big-budget titles with a dedicated vocal soundtrack, programmer [[Jon Burton]] persuaded management at [[Sega]] to also include instrumental versions of the game's songs, as he wasn't sure how receptive players might be to a Sonic game with lyrics in it. Once added, Burton initially defaulted the "Vocals" option to OFF; however, he recalls that "as I heard the tracks more and more I realized what the rest of the world already knows: the ''Sonic R'' soundtrack with lyrics is amazing."{{ref|1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Wgqqi5uj8}} In the final game, the "Vocals" option is instead defaulted to ON.
  
Notably [[Resort Island]]'s theme, [[Can You Feel the Sunshine?]] caused the level to be changed to take place in a different time of day. In earlier builds the game takes place at sunset, as opposed to a time of day where you would be more likely to actually "feel the sunshine".
+
Prerelease footage of ''Sonic R'' shows the [[Resort Island]] track taking place during sunset. Combined with the later [[Windows PC]] port having a time of day feature, this led to community speculation regarding the original [[Saturn]] version originally having a similar feature. However, Burton recalls that during development, the background was changed to instead take place during a sunny daytime hour, as the track's music ("[[Can You Feel the Sunshine?]]") would be thematically  out of place during a calm sunset - additionally confirming the Saturn version never had a time of day feature.{{ref|1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Wgqqi5uj8}}
 
 
Interestingly the PC version added the concept of racing at different times of day, meaning it is possible to race on Resort Island where there isn't any sunshine at all.
 
  
 
==Prototype cover artwork==
 
==Prototype cover artwork==
Line 41: Line 39:
  
 
===Version 0.2===
 
===Version 0.2===
 
+
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk8IKHxVDug A second version of the game, named Version 0.2], was also showed off by Jon Burton. This build shows the earliest known iteration of [[Resort Island]], with many missing textures and a test background ripped directly from the "Moose Hunters" level in ''[[sega:Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse|Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse]]'', another Traveller's Tales game. There are multiple non-animated Sonics moving around the track, and the player can control one of them, but can only move him forwards or backwards on a fixed path. [[Ring]]s are present at the start of the course, but cannot be collected.
  
 
===Version 0.3===
 
===Version 0.3===
Jon Burton also showed off [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCvYTOxWcj4 a later version of the game which he called Version 0.3]. This version has you play as Sonic without any running animations go around an early version of Resort Island.
+
Jon Burton also showed off [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCvYTOxWcj4 a later version of the game which he called Version 0.3]. This version allows the player to control Sonic without any running animations around an early version of Resort Island. In this build, Rings become collectable.
  
 
===Early public prototype===
 
===Early public prototype===
Line 178: Line 176:
  
 
===Preview===
 
===Preview===
{{mainArticle|Sonic R (preview)}}
+
{{mainArticle|Sonic R (Saturn prototype; 1997-09-10)}}
  
 
===September(?) 1997 build===
 
===September(?) 1997 build===

Latest revision as of 12:39, 16 December 2022

Back to: Sonic R.

Sonic R had gone through several changes over its development process. There are several rejected ideas, level designs, and other things that were changed before the games final release. The following details several of these things.

Development process

Sonic R was the second Sonic the Hedgehog-related project to be entrusted to Traveller's Tales, a British studio previously responsible for Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island in 1996, and host of other projects prior. Many of the core members of the Traveller's Tales staff worked on both projects, including studio head Jon Burton (design and programming) and lead artist James Cunliffe. Similarly to Sonic 3D, the project was overseen by members of Sonic Team - Sonic Team would outline the requirements and provide feedback, and Traveller's Tales would implement their demands.

Sonic R began its life as a Formula One game, still developed for Sega, but without the Sonic license. Traveller's Tales' "arch rivals" Bizarre Creations had released the extremely popular PlayStation game Formula 1 in 1996 (and would coincidentally be picked up to create the Sega Dreamcast game Metropolis Street Racer on the grounds of its success), and Sega wanted a response from the studio, who got to work on this project shortly after.

The team spent a few months working on the Formula One project (writing an engine and even producing 3D assets) before the troubled Sonic X-treme was cancelled. This led to Sega cancelling the Formula One project in its original form, and tasking Traveller's Tales with adapting the engine into a Sonic racing game in time for Christmas 1997.

For a while, Sonic R was referred to as "Sonic TT", with the source code still making reference to that original title. This was not a nod to Traveller's Tales, but was to fit in with other racing terms such as "Time Trial" or "Tourist Trophy" (and Manx TT SuperBike released by Sega two years prior).[1]

Sonic Team designed all the tracks on paper, which Traveller's Tales would convert into 3D models. Some of the original texture work resembled the look of Sonic 3D, particularly with its distinctive bushes, but the artwork had been completely redone by the final game.

The game appeared at E3 1997 in a playable form, however Jon Burton noticed that people were giving up when Sonic ran into the water, on account of his underwater speed being so slow. This was sped up in response.

A "relay" mode was once planned, wherein each lap of the course would be completed by a different character. A mirror mode, where the tracks would be flipped, was also considered, but according to Jon Burton, was scrapped due to the draw code having to be re-written to compensate for the changes.

The in-game player models originally had a higher polygon count, but were adjusted for performance reasons. The result of these changes is that Tails lost his whiskers and hair, Knuckles curiously gained a different pair of shoes, and Robotnik's missile system was simplified, being turned into a cannon rather than a claw/missile contraption. Amy perhaps had the most radical redesign, however, having originally been given a giant circular saw at the front of her car to attack her opponents. In addition to this, the vehicle had a rear spoiler - it is missing in-game but continues to appear in promotional renders.

A planned Flame Shield was also removed from the game after it was considered to be too similar to the Lightning Shield in design.

Music

As one of the first big-budget titles with a dedicated vocal soundtrack, programmer Jon Burton persuaded management at Sega to also include instrumental versions of the game's songs, as he wasn't sure how receptive players might be to a Sonic game with lyrics in it. Once added, Burton initially defaulted the "Vocals" option to OFF; however, he recalls that "as I heard the tracks more and more I realized what the rest of the world already knows: the Sonic R soundtrack with lyrics is amazing."[1] In the final game, the "Vocals" option is instead defaulted to ON.

Prerelease footage of Sonic R shows the Resort Island track taking place during sunset. Combined with the later Windows PC port having a time of day feature, this led to community speculation regarding the original Saturn version originally having a similar feature. However, Burton recalls that during development, the background was changed to instead take place during a sunny daytime hour, as the track's music ("Can You Feel the Sunshine?") would be thematically out of place during a calm sunset - additionally confirming the Saturn version never had a time of day feature.[1]

Prototype cover artwork

This early box art was found on Compuserve internet servers back in 1998. The artwork here is found in the ending scene in the game, and appears in earlier prototype title screens. It was rejected as it gave away that Metal Sonic was a secret character in the game.

Prototypes

Version 0.1

A YouTube channel by the name of GameHut, which was created by Jon Burton of Traveller's Tales, had shown off the earliest version of Sonic R, dubbed Version 0.1. This tech demo has a first person perspective and shows off an unused level.

Version 0.2

A second version of the game, named Version 0.2, was also showed off by Jon Burton. This build shows the earliest known iteration of Resort Island, with many missing textures and a test background ripped directly from the "Moose Hunters" level in Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse, another Traveller's Tales game. There are multiple non-animated Sonics moving around the track, and the player can control one of them, but can only move him forwards or backwards on a fixed path. Rings are present at the start of the course, but cannot be collected.

Version 0.3

Jon Burton also showed off a later version of the game which he called Version 0.3. This version allows the player to control Sonic without any running animations around an early version of Resort Island. In this build, Rings become collectable.

Early public prototype

Sonic R was meant to be kept under wraps until E3 1997, however an earlier prototype made it into some portions of the press. At this point, Sonic had been given animations and the game was starting to take shape, but this build is far from polished. As well as having an incredibly simple HUD, it is not known if any other levels and racers aside from Sonic and Resort Island were implemented at this point.

Pre-E3 1997 build

Sonic R was announced to the world at E3 1997[3]. Two builds were visible, the earlier of which was used to create pre-recorded footage which was sent to the press. It can be identified by the soles of Sonic's shoes being red. While this version has a more appropriate HUD, it is using non-final icons and some elements have yet to be implemented.

E3 1997 build

On the show floor, a "20% complete"[4] build was playable, in which players could race Sonic around Resort Island. No other characters were selectable[3] but were still in the race, being controlled by the computer.

Footage suggests this build had no voice over for the initial countdown, and that a non-final version of "Super Sonic Racing" was used as the in-game music. It was observed by Jon Burton that players would frequently fall into the water and then stop playing, as traversing in this state was slow and cumbersome. It was sped up for the final game as a result of this.

August(?) 1997 build

Two months later a second demo was released to the press[13]. Sonic was still the only selectable character in single player[14] but two more tracks were playable - Radical City and Reactive Factory[14]. A 2-player versus mode was also included[15], with the second player controlling Tails[16].

Preview

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic R (Saturn prototype; 1997-09-10)

September(?) 1997 build

Traveller's Tales put out a third public demo four weeks after its second, this time with five playable characters and the addition of Regal Ruin[21]. This version added the mini-map at the bottom right hand side of the screen and the collectable coins[21], as well as the ability for Sonic to double jump[22]. 2-player mode was still restricted to Resort Island, some powerups were non-functional and the replay mode was not always stable[23].

All players are represented on the mini-map as grey dots, rather than with their own colours as seen in the final game.

Miscellaneous

Full map renders

The following renders were publicly shared by Jon Burton via
YouTube
YouTube video on January 12, 2018
:

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Wgqqi5uj8
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 [megaforce, issue 58, page 46 megaforce, issue 58, page 46]
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 File:SSM UK 22.pdf, page 19
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 File:SSM UK 22.pdf, page 21
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 File:SegaMagazin DE 46.pdf, page 18
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 File:ConsolesNews FR 14.pdf, page 40
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 File:SegaMagazin DE 46.pdf, page 17
  8. File:SSM UK 24.pdf, page 19
  9. File:SegaMagazin DE 46.pdf, page 15
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 File:SSM UK 22.pdf, page 20
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 File:ConsolesNews FR 14.pdf, page 41
  12. 12.0 12.1 File:SSM UK 22.pdf, page 22
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 File:SSM UK 24.pdf, page 21
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 File:SSM UK 24.pdf, page 22
  15. 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 File:SSM UK 24.pdf, page 23
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 File:SSM UK 24.pdf, page 24
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 File:SegaMagazin DE 48.pdf, page 19
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 File:SegaMagazin DE 48.pdf, page 20
  19. File:SegaMagazin DE 48.pdf, page 18
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 File:SegaMagazin DE 48.pdf, page 21
  21. 21.00 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07 21.08 21.09 21.10 File:SSM UK 25.pdf, page 67
  22. 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 22.10 22.11 22.12 File:SSM UK 25.pdf, page 68
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.7 23.8 23.9 File:SSM UK 25.pdf, page 70
  24. File:CVG UK 193.pdf, page 72
  25. 25.00 25.01 25.02 25.03 25.04 25.05 25.06 25.07 25.08 25.09 25.10 File:SSM UK 25.pdf, page 69
  26. File:CVG UK 193.pdf, page 74


Sonic R
Sonic r title.png

Main page
Comparisons
Credits


Manuals
Promotional material
Magazine articles
Reception
Merchandise


Development
Hidden content
Bugs
Technical information