Homing Attack. (+ Insta-shield / Twin Spin Attack)

[Spin Attaxx]

Really? I replayed Colours a while back, and jumped into an Egg Pawn. If I remember correctly, the Pawn was unharmed, however, I was. Also, I haven't replayed Unleashed in a long while (I have the PS2 version) and I can't play Generations.

EDIT: I've just played Colours... apparantely, he CAN just jump into enemies. I guess it might have been due to the lower jump height that I thought otherwise.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Spin Attaxx

[Alluusio]

Sonic can still jump on enemies in Unleashed, Colors, and Generations. It's just not very efficient or useful.

It is kind of useful though. It gives you a higher bounce than a homing attack and also lets you keep your momentum. It's especially useful for speed running. It is pretty difficult to time your jumps properly though.

[a mystery]

WOAH MASSIVE BUMP.

Well, I was thinking of how the Homing Attack could work in 3D again... But I realized: It doesn't need to exist. Why so?

 

This move right here.

 

So basically all the Homing Attack serves for is to make aiming in 3D much easier. Well, the Insta-Shield did that in 2D, so give it a larger hitbox, and maybe give it a slight boost after you land, and this might make for a good HA alternative! Heck, it even gives the Bubbles chains a bit more of a challenge!

 

(I know this is technically not an instashield, but it has pretty much the same effects as such.)

 

I'm all for the Insta-Shield replacing the Homing Attack, as unlikely as it ever will be. It's something that isn't forced and keeps the flow going, and it's... well, something we've gotten used to!

 

So, what about you guys? What's your thoughts about the Insta-Shield, and it against the Homing Attack?

[Faseeh]

I never liked the Insta-Shield, too unappealing for me. And Homing Attack looks cooler. And they've almost got it perfect for Modern Sonic and they should just take it away for Classic Sonic/Sonic 4.

[Jolt_TH]

I still think the homing attack should be kept in 3D, I can't see the insta shield being accurate enough, especially for chains of enemies, and like Faseeh said above, they have pretty much perfected it now.

[t0ms0nic]

Taking away the Homing Attack in 3D Sonic would just be pretty stupid; Sonic Team's known that from the start. While every single Modern level in Generations can be completed without it, even areas like the start of Crisis City and the penultimate area of Rooftop Run, it doesn't stop the fact it's always going to be hard to steer Sonic when he's moving at his trademark speed and has the small hitbox that he does. Even the Insta-Shield's bonus range wouldn't make up for how hard it is to judge whether you're actually about to hit something from a 3D Sonic perspective.

 

After all, using Classic Sonic in the Modern levels with the Insta-Shield proves how flawed a concept it is for 3D. Nevermind the non-bouncing nature of Generations' version; it's still got that huge range that doesn't help a bit at all in judging or aiming. You can actually get past the upward enemy chains with the Electric Shield, but that's because you just double jump over that chain entirely and make enemies even more pointless than they always have been in 3D Sonic.

[JezMM]

HA should stay, but as discussed in many past topics, I think momentum should be kept (like balloon HAs in the recent games), AND vary from enemy to enemy.  Some enemies fling you straight upwards, some you fall straight through, some bop you into the air.  Would take some seriously well designed enemy designs art-wise to teach where enemies will send you quickly without frustration though.

 

Also there should be more of the HA "puzzles" seen in the Sonic Unleashed DLC.  Having to be at the right height to use it lest you hit something between you and your destination - or subtley "aiming" the target reticule to hit the correct HA target, while others will send you backwards or in a different direction.

Edited May 13, 2013 by JezMM

[Diogenes]

Insta-Shield

If the games moved at a more Mario-like pace, I think this could be viable. But I don't think it's enough in Sonic's case.

[Dizcrybe]

I'm perfectly fine with the way it works now. /unpopularopinion

[Jolt_TH]

HA should stay, but as discussed in many past topics, I think momentum should be kept (like balloon HAs in the recent games), AND vary from enemy to enemy. Some enemies fling you straight upwards, some you fall straight through, some bop you into the air. Would take some seriously well designed enemy designs art-wise to teach where enemies will send you quickly without frustration though.

Also there should be more of the HA "puzzles" seen in the Sonic Unleashed DLC. Having to be at the right height to use it lest you hit something between you and your destination - or subtley "aiming" the target reticule to hit the correct HA target, while others will send you backwards or in a different direction.

I like this idea actually, but instead of changing the enemy design why don't you just have different coloured target markers depending on the direction. Red, you go down, yellow you go straight through and green, you go up?

[MamboCat]

I liked Instashield... in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, mind. I did like the reappearance of the element shields in Generations but I'm not sure how the Instashield could work. Would it be something you're always capable of or an upgrade/skill? Also when boosting everything gets blown to bits anyway, so surely that is the Instashield evolved?!

[JezMM]

I like this idea actually, but instead of changing the enemy design why don't you just have different coloured target markers depending on the direction. Red, you go down, yellow you go straight through and green, you go up?

 

Would prolly need a little triangle arrow outside of the reticule as well as colour just to reinforce but yeah that'd work.  Wide arrow for sort of a forward upwards curve, tall, thin arrow for straight up, etc.

[Jolt_TH]

Or place the arrow showing the direction after the homing attack? So it's be I top, below it the side?

[Blacklightning]

Would take some seriously well designed enemy designs art-wise to teach where enemies will send you quickly without frustration though.

No need for that. Teaching by example early on is a far better way to go about that, in an environment that's far less likely to kill them for it. I have little doubt that trajectory influences could cause some real pains without the proper mastery of the skill, but if you were to introduce momentum-killing or redirecting enemies in an area free of hazards they can exploit - or better still, a scenario that takes actual advantage of their trajectory influences - the player at least won't feel they didn't have the opportunity to figure out why that happened to them if it later comes back to bite them.

 

Of course, learning by example is really how most learning curves should be designed in the first place, at least as far as I'm concerned. Artstyle wise they really only need be able to be told apart at a glance, and you can easily do that with simple colouring or size differences. And if all else fails:

 

 

Just start using these again and spoonfeed them the information necessary. Far less subtle, but it works.

[MegasonicZX]

HA should stay, but as discussed in many past topics, I think momentum should be kept (like balloon HAs in the recent games), AND vary from enemy to enemy.  Some enemies fling you straight upwards, some you fall straight through, some bop you into the air.  Would take some seriously well designed enemy designs art-wise to teach where enemies will send you quickly without frustration though.

 

Also there should be more of the HA "puzzles" seen in the Sonic Unleashed DLC.  Having to be at the right height to use it lest you hit something between you and your destination - or subtley "aiming" the target reticule to hit the correct HA target, while others will send you backwards or in a different direction.

Agreed with this, also the overpowered-ness of the homing attack could be easily fixed if they added more (but not too many) robots that had a trap on them that you can't hit them with homing attack or even boost unless you take them down in a certain way but also still letting you keep the flow of the game moving without impeding process too much.

[Shikushi]

I don't mind the homing attack. Yes, it's very easy to do, but it makes jumping on an enemy in 3D a lot less painful.

I don't even mind it that much in 2D, aside from Sonic 4. I think you know what I'm talking about...