Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed...!

[Blue Blood]

Huh, you can avoid the Blue Shell?

With a star, Boo or by boosting at the right time just before it lands on you.

[Thigolf]

I actually wouldn't mind a blue shell like item if you can't get it during the last lap. That was my only problem with it: If you get hit, fine. But if you drive perfectly and someone gets a blue shell out of the LAST ITEM BOX so there is NO WAY to dodge so all your excellent driving skills get fucked up by one single item... That's just ridiculous.

[Komodin]

Double-tapping the trick button whilst on ground can also result in a quick dash to the left or right.

Ah, so they added in the Quick Step this time around. Neato; it's actually quite fitting for this sort of game.

[TheAnvil]

I'm glad there's a first attack weapon, it's sorely needed, it'll help fix the issue that the first game had where it was hard for 4th place and below to get back into the race.

I'm hoping that any of the characters who were cut from the first game would be added as DLC.

Edited May 1, 2012 by TheAnvil

[Marcello]

With a star, Boo or by boosting at the right time just before it lands on you.

Oh, well OK, but I thought we were talking about dodging it by normal driving, which is what sounds like is possible here.

[Blue Blood]

I'm glad there's a first attack weapon, it's sorely needed, it'll help fix the issue that the first game had where it was hard for 4th place and below to get back into the race.

You got All Star moves, triple boost, triple rocket and the aforementioned blue rockets. If they don't get you back in the race, well... you probably aren't too good at the game.

Oh, well OK, but I thought we were talking about dodging it by normal driving, which is what sounds like is possible here.

Drift-boost works. But it's so stupidly difficult it may as well not even exist.

So I'm playing the first one now, and I totally forgot how Tails and Knuckles had makeshift Super forms! Knuckles uses the Master Emerald and gains flight, while Tails gets a bunch of golden flickies. <3 Hope they both return this time around. I can't think of more perfect ASMs for them.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Edward850]

Actually, seeing as (apparently) the director for this game also worked on Blur, so if anything, the 'First Place' weapon could be more likely to be an equivalent of Blur's shock weapon. (Where 3 lighting pillars surround the car in first place, but that player (if paying attention) can still dodge it sufficiently. Also affecting more players if people are grouped near whomever is first.)

[Big Boss (legendsneverdie)]

This looks interesting.

Also, assuming it hasn't already been asked, will there be at least one track from Heroes?

[Komodin]

This looks interesting.

Also, assuming it hasn't already been asked, will there be at least one track from Heroes?

Personally, I hope not. I've had enough Heroes to last me a long while; let some other Sonic game get some love for once.

[KrazyBean]

Personally, I hope not. I've had enough Heroes to last me a long while; let some other Sonic game get some love for once.

Same here. I do like Heroes but we got Seaside Hill and Casino Park (or was it BINGO Highway...I'm not sure) in the first All-Stars Racing game, not to mention we got Seaside Hill again in Generations.

I personally want to see either a Sweet Mountain track or a Starlight Carnival track that is based mainly on flying but has some driving sections as well.

[Winston]

I saw this and I thought of Transformers, I don't know why.

Anyways, it looks good and fun, it looks like a Diddy Kong Racing kind-of, but with SEGA characters.

[Barry the Nomad]

I personally would love to just see every character represented. Sonic has a much better cast than Mario, in my opinion, and an expanded Sonic franchise cast of racers would sweep the floor with Mario Kart.

Blaze and Rouge: I want the game to have more female characters, as I siad earlier in this topic, and I think these two would be great additions. Blaze because she has her own fanbase, and is a strong female character. Rouge because she is one of the older characters and deserves a spot on the roster. If Shadow gets representation, Rouge should. Besides, the flying sections would be perfect for her.

Silver: Hear me out! I hate the guy, but I would be lying if I said I didn't want him in the game. He has some cool gimmicks that would lead to some fun All-Star moves, plus I think I hate the game he originated in more than the character itself. Silver in Generations was one of my favorite bosses.

Jet: Given the addition of flight to the game AND the fact that Jet originated in a racing game, it would make a LOT of sense to have him as a racer. Imagine how cool his All-Star move could be! I could see sort of an Aiai-like All-Star move in which Storm and Wave appear alongside Jet on their boards and they could take out passing players. Also, Jet's flight mode could be pretty awesome.

Cream: This is the one character I'd actually want just as an NPC. I can't see her as being a cool racer. Sorry, I'm just not a Cream fan. HOWEVER, why not have her in a sidecar with Big on his bike? That way she's in the game but not taking up a spot in the roster.

Chaotix: All three in a twin sidecar motorcycle. Have them listed as "The Chaotix". Simple and awesome.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[Winston]

I personally would love to just see every character represented. Sonic has a much better cast than Mario, in my opinion, and an expanded Sonic franchise cast of racers would sweep the floor with Mario Kart.

Blaze and Rouge: I want the game to have more female characters, as I siad earlier in this topic, and I think these two would be great additions. Blaze because she has her own fanbase, and is a strong female character. Rouge because she is one of the older characters and deserves a spot on the roster. If Shadow gets representation, Rouge should. Besides, the flying sections would be perfect for her.

Silver: Hear me out! I hate the guy, but I would be lying if I said I didn't want him in the game. He has some cool gimmicks that would lead to some fun All-Star moves, plus I think I hate the game he originated in more than the character itself. Silver in Generations was one of my favorite bosses.

Jet: Given the addition of flight to the game AND the fact that Jet originated in a racing game, it would make a LOT of sense to have him as a racer. Imagine how cool his All-Star move could be! I could see sort of an Aiai-like All-Star move in which Storm and Wave appear alongside Jet on their boards and they could take out passing players. Also, Jet's flight mode could be pretty awesome.

Cream: This is the one character I'd actually want just as an NPC. I can't see her as being a cool racer. Sorry, I'm just not a Cream fan. HOWEVER, why not have her in a sidecar with Big on his bike? That way she's in the game but not taking up a spot in the roster.

Chaotix: All three in a twin sidecar motorcycle. Have them listed as "The Chaotix". Simple and awesome.

I have to agree with anything anyone says when they mention the Chaotix.

[Indigo Rush]

Cream can't be a racer?

I beg to differ!

[Barry the Nomad]

I also have a strong feeling that anything that was pushed by fans during the first title will be in this game. We pushed for Vyse, it happened. We pushed for more tracks from better IPs, it happened. We wanted Segata, it *might* happen. NiGHTS was given an insane amount of support, and will probably be in this. Same goes for Ristar and Vectorman. Both of those were given a lot of support and one of them already has a model built from the first game.

That's why I think TSSZ's rumor post is bullshit built upon common sense. The game was known about by fansite writers and admins for over a week and a half (if not longer), so it makes total sense that somebody would leak to TSSZ the game's title and the facts about Vyse. However, I think they just added in all the common sense rumors to the mix in an attempt to troll TSSZ or TSSZ added that stuff themselves in an attempt to have some "exclusives" that have a 50/50 chance of actually happening. Not because of them actually getting factual rumors, but because the rumors themselves were already likely.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[Blacklightning]

You got All Star moves, triple boost, triple rocket and the aforementioned blue rockets. If they don't get you back in the race, well... you probably aren't too good at the game.

That's not how gaps in the roster form. You can try catching up all you want, but the majority of the time you're going to be hindered by a storm of boxing gloves, homing missiles and All Stars coming from behind you whilst leaving the people already in a 30 second lead (sometimes just by virtue of being in pole position at the start) completely unopposed. If 4th and 5th place can only target each other most of the time and not the people way too far ahead of them, neither are going to win, and that's not the player's fault at all. And nothing short of somehow convincing all the trailing racers to unite in the common goal of ruining the players in the distant lead can really change that when there isn't some vauge kind of Blue Shell mechanic, so in a sense it's kind of a necessary evil - it just need not be quite as blatant as instantly giving the guy in first place the middle finger like how Mario Kart does it.

Ordinarily you'd think blue rockets would fix that, but they don't show up nearly as often as they're needed, and the fact that it's generally specific which place in the roster you're in rather than how far you are from the next person ahead of you hardly helps. Revamping the way you're given items would fix a lot of the severe catchup problems that most of ASR1's metagame suffered from.

Edited May 1, 2012 by The Cheese

[Barry the Nomad]

Hey all, I have a little gift. It's a massively huge version of the logo in the PNG formet. 70x33 inches. No annoying white background. Print it out and glue it to the hood of your car.

http://rapidshare.co...sasrtbigass.png

Edited May 1, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[Milo]

I missed out on the first one, but I’m definitely considering about getting this one if I can. Looks like one of the rare games that allows you to use boats and planes for racing (aside from Diddy Kong Racing-one of my favorite racing games of all time ), and speaking of which; if the racetracks are done creatively, the tracks within the game can boast many alternative/secret paths/shortcuts that can be accessed by all three types of terrain that can be used by the player in order to reach the goal faster.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Kazaam

[S0L]

Right, let's try and clear up some more...

Thought of another: The hit animations on the first were really unsatisfying (pretty much just spin and a flickering animation), have they been improved? There was a lack of satisfaction when you hit an opponent with an item. I hate to draw this comparison but when you hit someone on MK with a shell it feels satisfying.

As with all things, we're trying to improve on everything from last time (unless we were really happy with it). Gareth has been leading the weapons, and yes, this is one area we're looking to really try and get better. Go play Blur - you can see he's got some pedigree there

I have a question.

Dear S0L/Sumo Digital.

We the members of SSMB challenge you to a race. Do you accept this challenge?

Note: Failure to accept will brand you a chicken... =p

Sadly, we're all too busy to take you up on this. Though clearly we'd win, we just want to save you some blushes

Oh I got a question. Will a soundtrack be released for this game?

Actually, this is something we've suggested to SEGA. Not got a definite answer here yet mind!

I've got a question. Are you guys aiming to make the game run at a solid 60fps or 30fps?

Aiming for 30. The water is the main reason as it's a fully dynamic surface with proper physics, the second is the huge scale of the landscapes, we're going as epic as we can. That said, it runs about 120fps on my PC right now...

Thanks for answering my question S0L :3 I guess you might not be able to tell me this but...

since Gillius is confirmed and they say he will be riding a beast that will change forms...(I guess its a given) is one of those beasts the famous rideable beasts from the Original games?

We've not forgot about Chicken Leg...

Since Sumo Digital worked on the Doctor Who Adventure Games that obviously means the TARDIS will be a secret track, right?

(though while it's totally unrelated I do wonder if there's any crossover at all between whoever's working on this and those. I assume it's safe to say it isn't much of the same format)

I think it's safe for me to confirm there is no Tardis track. Some of the team did work on Doctor Who, but most of the folk are from the previous All-Star games. It's a huge team on this one as it's really, really, ambitious. We're effectively making 3 games in one...!

I've got a question S0L, if you're able to answer- will characters have different voice clips this time around? I'm especially looking at the Sonic cast with random comments like "shut up!", "aren't you worried?" and "nooooooooooo!", and of course the brilliant announcer who couldn't get Ryo's name right. I know that most of the lines were stripped from other games which is fine, but the selection was somewhat iffy in both ASR and SST before it.

As always, getting VO done for such a large ensemble cast proves to be interesting We are still working on this one, but yeah, we'll try and avoid annoying speech when we have to source it from other SEGA games

So S0L, in this article they mention vehicle mods, is this in any way connected to "leveling up" your vehicle/character, or are they completely different functions?

Can't really talk too much about mods, but they are part of levelling the games characters up...

Wait... Why is the title Sonic & All Stars Racing?

Dunno - you need to go ask SEGA! We refer to it as ASN interally (All-Stars Next) but only as that was it's code name when we kicked it off...!

Oh, and a question. There will be a bigger variety of power-ups? How the whole concept behind Transformed came up?

Thank you.

That's two questions, yes to the first, and the original concept was bounced around between SUMO and SEGA, but in all fairness, we have to credit Simon Woodroffe (now of Rare!) for the massive headache he's given us to solve

I've just had a thought...could be a long shot, but since the game's been in development for over a year now do you think we might see a playable demo at Summer of Sonic and/or Sonic Boom?

For some reason, I've not allowed to go on holiday around either of those two events...

If this game has a storymode, is the characters going to talk at all?

Can't go into details yet, but there is no Story mode per se... Though there is an adventure. Enigmatic no?

Hey S0L - will there be vehicle-centric tracks that only focus on flight or sea traveling?

The prospect of having a flight-only stage based on, say, Sky Sanctuary, is kind of exciting.

Think I've answered this already, but yeah, we can selectively lock tracks into a given configuration should we desire

As has been already confirmed - there are 3DS and Vita versions.

I would like to know if there have been graphical changes to support the handhelds' lower power, or are you guys trying to have it run comaprably to the HD versions?

For the Vita, this would be less of a problem than the 3DS.

Sumo Engine powers everything but the 3DS. 3DS is being built from the ground up. As always we're aiming to deliver the same experience and try and take in some of each consoles features along the way. We're unlikely to use the PS3 assets directly on 3DS, but we do have a dedicated team who are taking the big assets and modifying them suitably

Another thing, I noticed that the IGN preview sort of gave away the themes that play during the levels, the Monkey Island course used a remixed version of the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_rOGq0hNAE, while the Ruined Palace Track had a remixed version of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4oTU0srt2I.

Steve, will you have a change music option like you did in the first game, or will we be stuck with one theme per track?

We're working on the music dynamically changing to match what's happening, and in most cases this is taking multiple pieces of classic music and remixing/reworking it so it can change on the fly. About as much as I can say on this right now...

This is probably not going to be answered , but...

Will ASRT include alternate tracks, and if so...will the alternate tracks be remixed (like Nintendo's Smash Bros) or the originals(like Sonic Generations did)?

Not sure I understand the question. If you're asking if the levels will represent some of the highlights of all things SEGA from way back when right up to today - then errr - probably

So is it coming out this year or next year? Or don't we know?

It's this year, so you don't have that long to wait. Pretty sure SEGA are saying Fall 2012.

And that's part 1...

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S0L

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And now part 2...

S0L, did you work at Gremlin Graphics? If so, how do you feel about Oban Star Racers copying the plot to Top Gear 3000? Are you going to include a noseless mode in retaliation?

I did work at Gremlin (and Infogrames) but Top Gear was a little before my time. I'll go ask the guy who wrote it though...

Hey S0L, let's make sure we don't use another one of my girlfriend's pictures eh?

We'll try not too...! At least unless she enters the JSR competition to get your graffiti into the game

It was odd to find out that Kirby was /is being considered for the game over the main mascot Mario.

Don't believe everything you read out there, though if I'd have been asked, I'd have gone for Kirby

As well as S0L returning to the SSMB, SumoRex has returned to the SEGA Forums:

http://forums.sega.c...earchid=2264143

Just looking through his posts to see if there's anything interesting we don't know about.

I'll likely also go over to the SEGA forums at some point, but play nice with Rex

A "1st Place Attack Weapon"? Does a game like this really need an equivalent to the Blue Shells?

As if we'd put in a Blue Shell. A little faith guys! What it does is drop things in front of first place, you can avoid them, but even doing that will slow you down. It doesn't however hit you in an unstoppable way with (hardly any) means of defence.

Right, back to the grind...!

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S0L

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[Eternlo]

People keep saying big will be taken out, but isnt he one of the creators favorite character. And Kyle Hebert is his voice acter now, so id be happy having gohan voice big. I havent heard his big voice but if its like his santa voice in DBZ Abridged The Christmas Tree of Might then ill be happy.

[S0L]

Ah right - that's not worked so well... Looks like I broke the forum

[Blue Blood]

As if we'd put in a Blue Shell. A little faith guys! What it does is drop things in front of first place, you can avoid them, but even doing that will slow you down. It doesn't however hit you in an unstoppable way with (hardly any) means of defence.

Cheers so much for answering those questions, this one in particular. It sounds like Jiggy Rain. Very cool idea.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Lady Soniko]

hey S0L i know you said we can't ask you what tracks and characters you've put into the game... however can we ask you how deep you'ved dived into SEGA's game history and what games you've taken from? or am i being a cheeky toon for asking?

i still can't get over the panzer dragoon level... back when Wrecks had that ASR contest to add a character to the sequel i chose the Blue Dragon and its rider haha...

also a little fan question... did you guys look at a SEGA series called ClockWork Knight? some potential for some good tracks in that game...

[Tails spin]

With a star, Boo or by boosting at the right time just before it lands on you.

[Robuttnik]

SOL, when you say Adventure mode are we talking something similar to Crash Team Racing?