Act 1 or Act none?

[KHCast]

So I've been thinking about this recently. Would keeping acts in sonic games or removing them and just having one big level effect the game for you? Would you prefer short but sweet levels per zone for more acts(like colors), or one large level that is fun and engaging that has you come back to it a lot? I'm honestly curious. I'd honestly like acts to stay only because they to me are a fundamental of sonic. Although having one large level doesn't sound to bad either.

[Blue Wisp]

To me, having multiple acts feel more satisfying and more fun to me, and it also makes the game last longer in my opinion. Sure, long acts are nice and all, but multiple acts feel /great/.

 

As long as it's not the Generations way where there's only one proper level per Zone per gameplay, yet they are called "Acts". I found that a bit lame.

[Shrek]

The issue with having one large level is the possibility of creating more gigantic, over-sized and drawn out stages like Eggman Land where you can't quit playing without losing your progress entirely. Acts are still the most efficient way to design levels, and it also gives the developers more freedom to make each stage in a zone more diversified with separate gimmicks that couldn't be accomplished as well in just a single stage.

[KHCast]

To me, having multiple acts feel more satisfying and more fun to me, and it also makes the game last longer in my opinion. Sure, long acts are nice and all, but multiple acts feel /great/.   As long as it's not the Generations way where there's only one proper level per Zone per gameplay, yet they are called "Acts". I found that a bit lame.

While I agree they can do that, thy haven't really been doing that as of late. I mean colors acts aside from act 1 felt like chores and fillers. Unleashed's were kinda fun, but were mainly just harder levels and mission objectives like find the chao.

[Tara]

I like the idea of separating them into acts, but I don't like how Colors made the acts too short.  I mean, I know the first stage is supposed to be easy, but it was like... there, and then it's gone.

[Autosaver]

Speaking of acts, Sonic CD was kind of confusing with the naming system.

 

Why was each act renamed to zone? It was weird. o.o

[Kiah]

I prefer having multiple acts as opposed to having one large level. Only I didn't like exactly how it was done in Sonic Colors. I thought having 6 acts per zone felt a bit much, as many of the acts were over before you knew it. I think having all of these acts within the zones was an attempt to pad the game, but it failed miserably. Having more zones and less acts per zone (like 3) with a bit more length to them would be ideal, I think.

 

Having multiple acts in Sonic games has pretty much been standard. I think it would be strange not to see it any other way. As mentioned, having various acts per zone allows for more diverse level design and gimmicks and whatnot among them. I've always looked forward to each new act in Sonic games wondering what would be different about it from the others among what other surprises I would be running into.

 

Also, having multiple acts gives opportunities to have music tracks with a different variation of a track per act. For the most part, the music in Sonic games have been outstanding, so to get variations of these tracks via various acts I think sweetens the deal. In recent games, I love how it was done in Sonic Colors with the first 3 acts having a different track. I also loved how Sonic Generations did it having a Classic and Modern version of each track within each zone.

[KHCast]

Probably the issue I think sonic games have with multiple acts when done in the style if colors or unleashed is coming back to those extra acts. I mean, I rarely go back to most of the extra acts in unleashed or colors because once I finish them, I don't see the point of playing them again. There's nothing exciting or interesting about a lot of them. This is something that needs to get fixed if they decide to keep on with acts.

[LATER BUDDY]

I'm a fan of the Acts.

 

Though I'm kinda picky with them. Honestly if they gave me like 2-3 good-sized acts for each level trope, I'd be down with that. I'm not really a fan of "oh well Act 1 is really the main level, and Act 2-500 are little mission-like levels." If it were up to me, I'd make each level have 3 Acts, progressively getting more difficult for that stage. Think of it like this:

 

Act 1: Easy
Act 2: Normal
Act 3: Hard

The thing is, stage one's Act 3 would probably still be fairly easy, while say the last stage in the game's Act 1 would probably be as hard as the first stage's Act 3 (or roughly of course, you know what I mean). That way it feels like you're continuously getting better while not being overwhelmed by either too hard difficulty, or a snoozefest of an easy Sonic game. This also leaves room for playing all the Act 1 levels again if you just feel like tearing it up. Honestly when I go to replay Sonic games, it's usually the earlier stages since it's fun to get good at them without being some mad pro at the game.

 

All in all, I like the idea of Acts serving as Sonic's difficulty, with stages serving as the intensity for these acts' difficulties to go by. Have we had this before? Eeeeh, I guess some classic games could sorta be this at times? I don't know, it's honestly just an idea I've had that I've wanted an excuse to share haha.

[TheOcelot]

I liked how it was done in Sonic 1. Three acts with the boss at the end of the third. The difficulty gradually increased as you made your way through the acts. Simple and effective.

 

Funny enough, Sonic 3&K had techniquely only one big act for each zone, with the act being split in two. The second act continues immediately where the first left off (without the screen going black) which gives the impression that your playing one big act.

 

I think the time limit of 10 minutes should always be kept (at least for 2d games). I don't mind it taking five to six minutes to finish an act, as long as the level is designed well enough to keep you interested. A lot depends on the physics and level gimmicks that either help or hinder your progress, to determine how long it takes. I wouldn't make the levels any longer than some of the 3&K ones then went on a while, like acts 2 of Sandopolis, Marble Garden and Carnival Night Zone.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Robin John Blake

[Spin Attaxx]

Y'know, Sonic 06's levels are so big, dividing them into seperate acts would've been a good idea.

 

Otherwise, I'd like to see "X Zone, Act Y" some more.

 

Would the boss of X Zone be the Egg Xerneas?

[iDEATH]

from a design point, with sonic at his current speed, even tiny levels require a massive amolunt of work.A level taking a coupleof minutes, in the real world would be a few miles long.

It's not practical to make giant levels.

 

That aside though, I don't think it would matter to me either way, acts are nostalgic but that's it really.

[Faseeh]

If mandatory I only want 1-2 acts per gameplay style. If not, like those Act 3s and 4s in Unleashed, that's great. 

 

So I say, 2 acts per gameplay mandatory and 2 acts as ya know, bonus content.

[Emmett L. Brown]

For 2D games I feel Sonic 3 & Knuckles perfected the formula by having each zone be its own environment but each act having a unique structure to it, by adding different set pieces like Mushroom Hill's changing seasons, Ice Cap's non-linear second act, Sandopolis's haunted pyramid, Lava Reef's transition from mine to underground temple, Death Egg's gravity screwing second act, and so on.

 

For all of Sonic 4's faults, it at least tries to keep the acts different within the same zone, to limited success (but beyond that it sucks balls yadda-yadda it's illegal to say anyhting positive about the game I know, don't need to point it out. Insert fecal matter comparison, etcetera)

 

For the 3D games, I feel they keep reusing the same idea of making a really long level and then chopping up sections of it for second, third and fourth acts. They really should instead make that excessively long level, but then have each part of it be its own self-contained act. It'd give a better sense of progression and remove the Sonic Colors's problem of "haven't I already played through this area twice now?" deja vu.

[Dizcrybe]

I like acts.

 

Speaking of acts, Sonic CD was kind of confusing with the naming system.

 

Why was each act renamed to zone? It was weird. o.o

 

Mistranslation?

[Scar]

Its about pacing. Having acts allows you to pace the stage better. Nobody likes marathon stages. This is why people didn't like Eggmanland, most of Heroes' stages and Planet Wisp (both classic and modern) in Generations. Its better to split them up into small concise acts so that it flows better. That does not mean to say have the 30-second long acts a la Colours, they each need to be of a decent length, say 3-4 minutes apiece. 2-3 acts per stage of a total of 9-12 stages would be ideal for the whole game. Of course additional "challenge" acts and collectibles are welcome, but the main campaign should be about that long I reckon.

[JezMM]

Acts are good for lengthening content.  The problem more-in lines with the fact that 3D Sonic has become known for having a lot of spectacle and cinematicness at certain moments, and they tend to blow all these on one amazing "Act 1" and then the other acts will be purely gameplay-focused.

 

 

I think one should actually look at Rush, Rush Adventure and Colours DS for inspiration.  The majority of the levels were fairly "generic" and gameplay focused, but each Act usually had something fancy and flashy near the end.  Mirage Road's floating platform, Altitude Limit's hang glider, Plant Kingdom 2's rail grinding, Coral Cave's minecart, Planet Wisp's bulldozer, Aquarium Park's water slide etc.

 

 

I think if they just limit themselves to a single BIG moment per act, or even per zone, focusing on solid gameplay the rest of the time, it'll actually make the big cinematic moments more memorable and special, and allow them to design more content using the same graphics.

 

If they make a versatile lighting system (which I'm all but sure they already have - no way they made those BEAUTIFUL dawn/sunset/night missions on Generations just for single tiny acts), and limit just a few props and textures to act 1 or act 2, it'd be enough to make for a different feel on each level without having to design too much new.

 

Hell, as long as they're decently lengthed (between 3-6 minutes at moderate skill I think is an optimal Sonic stage) I'd even say stretch it to three acts per zone if they have enough basic level layout content to produce that much.

[Tara]

Actually, a thought came to me.  I'm a little divided on the idea, but it's an idea nevertheless.

 

What if there was a combination of both acts and huge levels?  Like, all three acts can be played as one huge level, but there are visible dividers within the stage and if you reach one, you can start from there if you turn the game off, whilst not preventing you from going back to the previous act if desired.

 

It seems like it would be an interesting experiment at least.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Akito

[Salamander]

Multiple separate acts also make it feel like the game is progressing more quickly than if you played the same amount of content as a single larger level.  As a Sonic game, that sense of only playing through a bite-sized chunk and rattling through the stages at a reasonably fast pace is quite important.  We debate about just how fast a Sonic game should be, but it's a bad idea for the player to feel bogged-down.

 

But I did like the way S3&K's acts were just two halves of a single longer level.  Combined with the fact that they had transitioning cutscenes between zones, it made the whole game feel connected - like part of a single long journey than an arbitrary level select.  I think that's important for Sonic, too - at least, it is for me.  To feel like I'm going somewhere rather than repeatedly starting over.

[Chaos Warp]

I kinda like how Heroes did it. There was obviously two "acts" as there was pairs of levels with the same themes, but they had different names and gimmicks. For example, Seaside Hill, then Ocean Palace, with Palace being made up almost entirely of the ruins that were sprinkled around Seaside Hill. 

[Alluusio]

I do like the act concept but I wish they were more connected to the story. In Colours and Generations you just play through the acts without any idea of how it relates to the story. You could say they had that whole searching for the generators thing in Colours but it doesn't really sound believable when some of the acts are just smaller parts of a bigger act so Sonic is basically running through the same area over and over again. In the Adventure games every stage had some sort of purpose like collecting keys to access the base or racing to the Eclipse Cannon before it fires. I would like to see that return.

[Burnt Ash]

I like the act system for most 2D games, but I don't really like the act system for the 3D games. I like how Heroes did it; two relatively long levels, but both levels are clearly contained in one setting, kind of like an act. I also like how Unleashed did it; one mandatory act, but you have extra acts that you can do for fun. At the same time, I like how SA1 and SA2 had a sort of faster progression with only one act, and then you go to a new stage. Personally, so long as the act system well...effectively adds more stuff to the story as well as not dragging out a level too far, I'm okay with it. I mean, it's kinda why I dislike Colors's 6 act system.

[Diogenes]

Doesn't really make a big difference to me. Or rather, as far as level length goes, do whatever makes for reasonable-length chunks (2-4 minutes, maybe?), not tiny little acts, not massive superlevels. If that means Acts, fine, if it means no Acts, also fine.

 

That aside, I think Acts are something the series should probably be using; it's been having length issues, and having multiple Acts means they can reuse a lot of assets rather than needing to create them from scratch for every single level.

[Spooky Mulder]

I kinda like how Heroes did it. There was obviously two "acts" as there was pairs of levels with the same themes, but they had different names and gimmicks. For example, Seaside Hill, then Ocean Palace, with Palace being made up almost entirely of the ruins that were sprinkled around Seaside Hill. 

Now that I think about it, Sonic Heroes actually has an approach very similar to Sonic 3/Sonic&Knuckles which is definitely a positive thing. There's a lot wrong with Heroes but the zones themselves aren't one of them. It's probably the 3D game that's handled zone concepts and act transitions within those zones the best. I hope the next game in the series takes a cue from S3&K and SH.

[PC the Hedgehog]

There could definitely stand to be more balance. Games like Heroes, '06 and Unleashed had levels that could occasionally drag on (Eggmanland, anyone?), whereas Colors' "acts" were over before you could even really get into them. Three acts of 2-4 minutes a piece would be ideal.