71 replies to this topic

[Azure Yakuzu]

Based on one of the posts from a community manager on the Sega Forums, the community managers such as herself and Ruby Eclipse do trek certain forums now and then for friendly input and criticisms on what they can improve on, but the type of criticism they consider varies depending on the critics,




http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?388488-so...-sonic-team-is-paying-atention-to-the-forums-now.../page5&p=6957784#post6957784

Salvage these ideas is the key phrase there. We definitely listen and look for trends as far as desired game play is concerned. However, a lot of times criticism or suggestions on the forums are not made in a way we can take them. Example, "Sonic Generations sucks!" is not a suggestion! However, "Hey, I didn't like that in Sonic Generations ______ happened when you pushed ____ button" or something similar is something we can listen to and pass along.

As far as content ideas, as Clumsy and Ruby have said before, we can't actually accept any fan content ideas for legal reasons.

And Treacher brings up a very good point and another one that is difficult to work around - most of the time you guys aren't privy to what games are actually in development or what games are a silly rumor. Sometimes when you guys see demos or previews for a game, the game is too far into production to add things in. Sometimes people make suggestions that are very good suggestions but they don't understand the process of building a game or what it would entail to incorporate. Sometimes it just might be something that they don't want to include.

From what I understand (since I haven't been with SEGA for too terribly long), NiGHTS as an NPC in Racing was a result of community support of NiGHTS - he wasn't originally anywhere in the game. I believe that Tails being added as a playable character for Sonic CD was also a result of the community's affection for the little guy. Bottom line: If we're hearing a consistent want/need from the community, the Sonic Team definitely hears it.

I don't know if this means anything significant, but I figured if we posted our criticisms and ideas in a well thought out and respectful manner, maybe Sega will take note and consider the content given.


I dunno, it seems like something is better than nothing.

[E-25]

The big problem, as Treacher pointed out, is that the fanbase is so heavily divided that one idea that some see as good is seen as bad by just as many which is barely ever discussed/compromised in full.

[Azure Yakuzu]

^^I never said all ideas are valid, and I don't even know if this warrants a topic at all.

[Diogenes]

And people think it's pointless for me to rant about Generations Classic being balls.

Who's the crazy person now, internet?!

[Xenos]

SEGA/Sonic Team can decide which voices will be heard though, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem if one fanbase gets something they wanted, and another gets some of another.

Honestly, all I want is the stories in Sonic games to be used by their full potential.

You have Voice Actors that do their job well, writers that can make some pretty good lines from time to time, Your character models are smooth, well made, and very expressive, not to mention your CGI is absolutely brilliant!

You guys have the tools to make a great story for any Sonic game you set one to. If you guys could make Game play as good as it is, I believe you can make the stories that weave everything together. Give Sonic one more reason of why his games are great.

(I really hope I didn't waste my time with the above^)

@Dio: For the record...they aren't pointless. You just rub me the wrong way of trying to get your point across. :V

[Soniman]

And people think it's pointless for me to rant about Generations Classic being balls.

Who's the crazy person now, internet?!

I imagine it's you for yelling at the internet as if it's a tangible, singular entity.

Edited by Sonimas032, 30 November 2011 - 05:33 AM.

[y cant solkia crawl]

Sawnic Adventurr Thwee.

But in all seriousness, I'm suprised SA2 hasn't been ported to PSN/XBLA with online support.

I'd like to see Special Stages again.

Edited by Solkia Clause, 30 November 2011 - 05:48 AM.

[Treacher]

So following the thread in the Sega Forums, you guys up for listing and discussing the things you'd want to see in future Sonic games here and try to make a campaign out of it or something? Sounds cheesy, I know, but it wouldn't hurt to try, right?

Spoiler

Oh, and if you're not really up to it, let me just say: I know all of your moms, and I'll tell them all about... some of the questionable things you do on the web, if I have to. So post.

[VEDJ-F]

Didn't I already tell you how low the numbers are when you do some number-crunching on the SEGA Forums? Pretty sure I did. :/

[Treacher]

Might come back with some ideas later tomorrow. Honestly, I'm not expecting this to actually work, but it'd be awesome as hell if it does achieve something. What with the community members lurking around the boards, and the numerous posts we have here and abroad = entailing things like having multiple characters playable in a main Sonic game again with their own movesets and Sonic actually behaving like a pinball again with level design to accommodate for it. It would be nice to have those things into organized, detailed feedback and hoping it has some sort of sort of significance to Sonic Team. Would be fun, too.

[Blue Blood]

I thought all of this was practically common sense? Sonic games always tend to be announced fairly late in the development cycle so big things can't be changed or fixed. It's always about seeing what happens "next time". Like, I'd expect the next game not to have as little story and childish dialogue and Generations and Colours. Both were met with generally negative responses so next time things will probably change a bit. Gens shared a lot of dev time with Colours so not much input from Colours would really have been able to go into it. Fingers crossed that after all these bloody years they'll finally listen to cries for S3K style multiple characters (including Tails, Knuckles and more). SCD has Tails because they must be aware how much now we don't want Sonic only.

It's games like S4E1 that I don't understand. That was was readied for release in an absolutely awful state, and completely misunderstood what fans wanted. I'm not even talking and momentum/inertia or "Green Eyes", rather the glaring issues that no developer could possibly be pleased with regardless of the game. Even after a lengthy delay they did nothing to even many of the key issues and instead focuses on the smaller ones.

[King Sombrero]

She also says that they are looking for politely posted ideas. Lol as long as Cjohnson is over there, nobody will have to worry about SA3 being made anytime soon xD

I'm all for group ideas, but it usually ends in a flamewar...

[Semi-colon e]

I agree with the sentiments on more story. With what we could have had in Generations, I felt it fell really flat. We could have had more funny gags with the silent Classic Sonic, and some jokes about the levels perhaps. It saddened me that there wasn't even a cutscene in Crisis City with Sonic pretty much going "I don't remember this place". The nods that were in the game as well as how the Eggmen were handled were spot on though. I think Eggman is just nailed completely. We don't need a super serious story, just a more interesting one. I felt the dialogue in Generations was bland up until the Time Eater cutscene, which was a shame consdering how many gags and character moments were in Colours.

I liked how the Modern levels are more intricate. Even in the more linear levels there's a couple of shortcuts or safety net areas in most cases, and most of the time when there's not a safety net, it's mostly platforming that is not that taxing, so I rarely felt it was cheap when I died. I felt some levels overused the 2D (Planet Wisp!) but even the Modern 2D was fun to me. The second 2D part of Seaside Hill amazes me to how intricate it is, and how many different mixing paths there are. I also enjoyed the 2D part of Crisis City, because of how you were within the husk of the building and it had it's own reason and gimmick. In many levels the 2D felt a bit of a crutch, but it felt more balanced than in Colours, if not redundant at times due to the presence of Classic Sonic. I would like the levels to be a bit longer, but apart from that I'm mostly happy I suppose, unlike a lot of people.

For Classic Sonic, take more of what we got in Generations and put it into Sonic 4, and make the physics closer to the Mega Drive games and I'm a happy man. I mean it's probably too late in terms of Sonic 4, and while I'm not a purist classic person by any means, if you're going to do classic gameplay the physics are the most important thing. Generations had the tone and the pacing, but in some of the levels it often felt like the designers didn't know what to do with him, sadly :/ Oh and I'm not fond of the sound style for Sonic 4 at all, but that's probably too late and it's mostly a design choice anyway.

Oh yeah, now fanboy wishlist for levels sort of thing, this is gonna be brief and is just dreams really I thought the arena for Perfect Chaos in Generations and the platforming was great, like a watery Crisis City. A whole level like that would be full of potential, with underwater sections (oh, speaking of underwater sections, it's time for us to go underwater in full 3D, rather than just in 2D bits). I also liked the concept of infiltrating Eggman's base in White Acropolis of all things - I'd love for a concept like that to be given another go. Not that level ideas are hard to come by in the Sonic series, they have always been interesting and varied throughout the history of the games, and Sonic himself is versatile.

But yeah, a lot of this is really just opinions at the end of the day and things I personally would like to see. As a group effort, my ideas certainly wouldn't represent the fanbase (I mean, no single person's ideas would), but if I can help with a few things I feel I can write a little about, then I'm more than happy to, considering how I've grown up with Sonic over the years

So in short, my main points are a more interesting story, better physics for Sonic 4 if possible, 3D underwater sections, and... well... that's it really, considering I don't really have much of an issue with Modern gameplay. I waffled on much too long ._.

[BlazingTales]

Dear SEGA,

Please replace sliding with rolling.

Thank you,
BlazingTales

[Generations (Chaos Warp)]

Maybe we could all work on one big post that represents all the SSMB's major complaints, and then one of us that's on the SEGA forums can post it up there?
EDIT: Also, Retro and Wrecks could do something like this as well, that way all (rational) parts of the fandom get their voices heard.

Edited by Christmas Warp, 30 November 2011 - 01:19 PM.

[-Shadow The Hedgehog-]

Maybe we could all work on one big post that represents all the SSMB's major complaints, and then one of us that's on the SEGA forums can post it up there?
EDIT: Also, Retro and Wrecks could do something like this as well, that way all (rational) parts of the fandom get their voices heard.

That's a good idea, though we should probably put not just major complaints, but the things we like that they should keep and what should be scrapped/replaced/improved.

[y cant solkia crawl]

Maybe we could all work on one big post that represents all the SSMB's major complaints, and then one of us that's on the SEGA forums can post it up there?
EDIT: Also, Retro and Wrecks could do something like this as well, that way all (rational) parts of the fandom get their voices heard.

I would do it, but I mostly go there just to piss people off now, so it wouldn't do much. :U

I'm sure jeff would be happy to though, but don't quote me on that.

[Dan-imeJ86]

Well, if they can't use some fan content ideas "for legal reasons." Then surely that means Sonic Adventure 3 is out to begin with.

Which is fine by me. I can die happy if I never hear those three words together ever again.

If I was to critique Generations, the only thing I would like fixed is Super Sonic being played on the main levels. The whole "not feeling right," with no music change and a faster ring countdown, was the only letdown I had.

I don't mind only playing as Sonic, as long as the story works okay. Sometimes a more deeper story will require more characters. If there was some kind of skin change as an extra, like playing as Metal Sonic on Sonic's Adventure levels.

[Deaf Guy in Music Plant]

Am I the only one who thinks it's the coolest thing ever?
How close Sega is to their loyal fans?
How much they care about our opinions?

It's just now becoming apparent to me how great of a company Sega is... Let's hope they get some great ideas from this great community!

[Treacher]

So, after Generations, what improvements and enhancements could they make for the next main Sonic games(s)
.
For starters: Make the platforming more organic and to have them take advantage of your moveset, have Sonic curl and spin scross slopes again utilizing proper physics, bring back characters like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, with similar gameplay as in the Advance series, tell the writers not to be afraid of making an through story provided it has good dialogue and the spotlight isn't distributed too much or too little towards Sonic.

Not a complete or refined list, just throwing something out there. Anyone care to add anything else?