The Official Sonic 4 on PC discussion topic

[Sonic the Hedgehog in 3D]

I think they're going with the GenPC route and Sonic CD announcing it closer to release than usual, only a few days or a month away from release. Sega seem to be enjoying the PC more than usual, releasing more games on it.

I'm not sure whether I'm going to buy it day 1, wait for mods or buy it during a sale. It would be my easiest way of playing Sonic 4 and having access to it at all time. That is if my PC can run it.

Edited January 6, 2012 by Rawrdom

[PSI Wind]

I think they're going with the GenPC route and Sonic CD announcing it closer to release than usual, only a few days or a month away from release. Sega seem to be enjoying the PC more than usual, releasing more games on it.

I'm not sure whether I'm going to buy it day 1, wait for mods or buy it during a sale. It would be my easiest way of playing Sonic 4 and having access to it at all time. That is if my PC can run it.

Your computer can run Skyrim just fine I think. Sonic 4 is very small in terms of graphical needs.

Edited January 6, 2012 by PSI Freeze

[Sonic the Hedgehog in 3D]

Your computer can run Skyrim just fine I think. Sonic 4 is very small in terms of graphical needs.

True, Skyrim runs with lag but not much so Sonic 4 shouldn't be bad (Generations y u make be sad :C)

I dislike my laptop's logic though, it cannot run SMC+ but can run Skyrim.

Do you think Sonic 4 will look more like the iPad version or Consoles, hoping more like the PS3 version.

[Shaddix Leto Croft]

Do you think Sonic 4 will look more like the iPad version or Consoles, hoping more like the PS3 version.

I'll guess that it will be more like the PS3 release of the game

I do hope my laptop can run this though.....and hope it doesn't cost much

Edited January 6, 2012 by Shaddix Leto Croft

[Blue Blood]

If anything, the iPad version has the most up to date visuals. As well as removing the cel-shading effects, they retextured all the models do they actually match the style of the environments. There's no reason for the PC version of E1 to look like the console versions, especially if E2 is going to have the new graphics they've been yammering about. Quick example of Bubbles textures below:

Console

iPad

[Scar]

If they went and upgraded all the textures, I'm actually wondering if EII might actually upgrade EI's textures by acting as a kind of patch.

Maybe even going so far as too.......change the level layouts?

No, that ain't gonna happen, but the retexturing might well do.

[Marcello]

If anything, the iPad version has the most up to date visuals. As well as removing the cel-shading effects, they retextured all the models do they actually match the style of the environments. There's no reason for the PC version of E1 to look like the console versions, especially if E2 is going to have the new graphics they've been yammering about. Quick example of Bubbles textures below:

Console

iPad

You have any screenshots of Bubbles in the iPad version? I'm surprised at how different this texture looks. Didn't Motobug looks mostly the same as in the console version

[Blue Blood]

You have any screenshots of Bubbles in the iPad version? I'm surprised at how different this texture looks. Didn't Motobug looks mostly the same as in the console version

Can't find any, but here's a video where you can see everything quite clearly.

[ezodagrom]

The Sonic 4 Ep1 Steam registry entry keeps getting updated. Earlier this week it was updated to version ID 7, but since nothing else changed, I thought it wasn't a big enough change to make post about it.

Today the registry entry got a more significant update, the version ID in the content entry (app 202531) has been updated again, this time to version 8. The launcher entry (app 202530) has been updated with a "Configure" launch option, this means Sonic 4 Ep1 will use an external configuration tool like Sonic Generations.

[Edward850]

Who is the genius who came up the the brilliant idea to release [sonic] games with external config tools? Half or all (depending on where you sit the blame) of Generations issues with Nvidia Optimis on laptops is because of the external config tool.

Are they physically incapable of restarting the render while the program is running or something?

[Tiller]

Who is the genius who came up the the brilliant idea to release [sonic] games with external config tools? Half or all (depending on where you sit the blame) of Generations issues with Nvidia Optimis on laptops is because of the external config tool.

Are the physically incapable of restarting the render while the program is running or something?

[Edward850]

You'll actually find that all those questions are, in fact, rhetorical.

However, while you are correct about it being easier to make the program have a static start up for all the graphics settings, it's actually too easy to do it the way it’s done here. Is it that hard to make everything part of the same program, even if it's only allowing the changes to be applied after restarting the game manually? Someone is being a little too lazy.

[Tiller]

Well derp on me then.

Being a computer science major, I'm taught on a daily basis that we should code our stuff so that it's easy to scale. Why that isn't a priority when coding a game engine in the first place is beyond me. It can't be that much work like you said unless the game is retardedly hard coded.

[ezodagrom]

And it's been updated again, the content entry (app 202531) has been updated to version ID 9, and the command line for the default launch option in the launcher entry (app 202530) was modified from "SonicLauncher.exe" to "SonicLauncher.exe -QuickBoot".

My guess is that opening the game through the "Configure" launch option will open the launcher, where the settings can be changed, while opening the game through the default launch option will just launch the game (quick boot).

[goku262002]

Ok SEGA jigs up time to start announcing this! we all know now its no secret anymore

[ezodagrom]

Just noticed something in the Steam registry about Sonic 4 Ep1, they added the Sonic 4 homepage there and added SEGA as the developer. Probably these were added when the registry entry was updated to version 9.

[goku262002]

So they weren't there before correct? Looks like its getting closer to announcement.

[Edward850]

Developers need to learn to announce things before it gets added to the Steam registry. It's like ignoring an elephant that seems to have appeared at the dinner table.

[ezodagrom]

So they weren't there before correct? Looks like its getting closer to announcement.

Yep, it wasn't there before friday, I think it was added friday with the update from version 8 to version 9.

[goku262002]

Well since this just happened, its only a matter of time now.

[ezodagrom]

Sonic 4 Ep1 appeared on the subscription tab now, there's 2 entries, one that says "Retail" in the end and another that doesn't. If I'm not mistaken, the one that says "Retail" is for those who buy the game through any store outside of Steam and then register it on Steam, the one that doesn't say it is for those who buy it through Steam.

Usually when games are listed like this in the subscription tab means that they're really close to be released, I think it's quite possible that it could be released sometime in the next days/weeks.

Edited January 17, 2012 by ezodagrom

[goku262002]

...*Ahem*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5MfDn_27X0

This pleases me, as you can see. can't wait to see what hackers will do once this is released.

[Edward850]

Retail? My mind!

I don't recall The XBLA/PSN/Wiiware versions becoming retail (sans some download codes for the XBLA), so that's certainly something. Although I'm not sure if I want to spend $999.99 on this.

Come to think of it, with all this fresh attention for the PC, it might be interesting/nice if they port over Unleashed as well.

[ezodagrom]

Retail? My mind!

I don't recall The XBLA/PSN/Wiiware versions becoming retail (sans some download codes for the XBLA), so that's certainly something. Although I'm not sure if I want to spend $999.99 on this.

Come to think of it, with all this fresh attention for the PC, it might be interesting/nice if they port over Unleashed as well.

"Retail" in the Steam registry doesn't really mean retail as in physical copy, it's retail as in a copy of the game that was bought through any store outside of Steam and then registered on Steam, and this includes digital stores (in the case of Sonic 4 Ep1, the retail entry is only for digital stores).

[Edward850]

Okay, that makes more sense (although retail is honstly a bad word for it then).