Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)

[frostman007]

There is no run button but boost pads, bouncepads and zip lines exist in levels to further boost speed. Overall level pacing is thought of. There are some areas where enemies will need to be defeated to continue on and areas where enemies are just around if you want to fight them for drops. As far as builds, of course, it is "early" to a degree. Demos almost always are unless your game is done. Demos are a snapshot in time while the full build continues forward. Demos, most often, reflect where you were, not where you are going... Unless, of course, the game is done. The footage and the updated E3 demo is still all Alpha code.

[kboyrulez12345]

There is no run button but boost pads, bouncepads and zip lines exist in levels to further boost speed.

 

I'm not sure if your aware of this, but the game Sonic 4 was criticized by some fans for feeling too automated with the boost pads and stuff. Like, one level will just constantly have boost pads splattered in places where they are not necessary, and sorta took the control away from the player, even though they were only for a few seconds. 

 

Ah, so the game was still in Alpha. From what I've seen so far of Boom, I'm quite liking it what I'm seeing so far, this coming from someone who didn't like the Werehog in Unleashed. Now if only I had a Wii U to buy this game...

[Shaddy Zaphod]

I think it's the concept of Sonic's visual showing of speed that's the problem. He looks like he's casually jogging even though the actual speed I'm seeing here looks inbetween the walking and running speeds of lost world. If they tweaked the animations a bit to make them look like they're trying to move a bit faster I think it would have gone over much better.

[TheLaw34]

 

You go fast when we say you do.

 

I didnt expect much speed in this game from the begining, but I thought maybe just maybe we would get enough to let us know its sonic. No im not talking about when the game forces me forward without even the ability to stop when I want.

I mean I just wanted to run in a little circle at some random spot a bit faster than a normal human could just enough so the wind hits your face and blows your hair back but no Instead I jog even slower than I could run in my backyard. SO EXCITING

 

Well thanks for letting me know im gonna have to spam homing attack and spindash. Unless they went ahead and nerfed that too?

 

Atleast I have some more hope the game will atleast look nice while im crawling through the stages.

[Blue Blood]

Reading what Mr Frost just said... I'm not particularly liking the sound of the pacing. Will wait and see what footage and previews we get from E3 of course, but as someone who felt rather optimistic following the initial reveal, I'm no longer feeling very positive about it. Here's hoping I'm proven wrong.

[frostman007]

Reading what Mr Frost just said... I'm not particularly liking the sound of the pacing. Will wait and see what footage and previews we get from E3 of course, but as someone who felt rather optimistic following the initial reveal, I'm no longer feeling very positive about it. Here's hoping I'm proven wrong.

 

I'm obviously disappointed that you're not feeling as positive as you previously were, but I just hope you can hold judgement until you see more about the game in the weeks and months ahead. That's not to say that you'll change your mind at all, but please keep in mind that the footage seen and the E3 demo maybe represent 15-20 mins of the game, if that. And this is not a game where you can get a full picture of from what you have been seeing so far. 

 

Of course, if you are the kind of person who loves boost gameplay or full-on speed all the time, then this probably won't be your cup of tea. And nothing I say is going to change that. This is just simply a different kind of experience. 

 

The purpose of the E3 demo is to purely and clearly show elements of this game that are different from past Sonic titles, as well as be easy enough for everyone to get through. The good side of this is that folks who might not have been interested in Sonic before may have some interest now based upon what they are seeing. The bad side is that hardcore Sonic fans may see these new elements in these level sections and extrapolate that the rest of the level(s) must be similar, and become, like you, less optimistic. It's not an ideal situation, that's for sure, but it was definitely crucial for us to show the new direction of the game, so that's what we are trying to do.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit too much here. The point that I am trying to make, though, is that I hope that everyone doesn't take a bit of footage and a single game demo and base everything upon them. We still have a ways until launch and we still have a lot to show. 

[Sega DogTagz]

Hmm, I'm resigned to taking a wait and see approach on most of the issues people are bringing up. How much backtracking/adventuring you'll be doing in the game is the real thing that will determine if the cast is too slow, and there just isn't enough footage of the game out there yet to comment on such a thing beyond personal preference.

 

The issues I take to heart come from the pacing of the co-op campaign from a.... uh..... noob-ish (I guess) development team. I can already envision a few worst case scenario's and split paths where one guy ends up sitting around doing nothing while you partner takes a little longer than usual to open the next door for you from his end. It might be a tad tricky to develop something that can support both 1 player and 2 player co-op with that kind of mentality. I hope somebody over a BRB nipped that in the bud in the development/brainstorming stage.

 

The rest is stuff time will have to tell. Balancing the characters in such a way that you need to rely on creative thinking to win, and not just throw x into y. I've seen a few two many button mash combo's garnish success in what I've seen of the game so far. Sure those enemies were cannon fodder, but I hope that the devs to more than give everyone a shield to make them tougher too.

 

Aside from my worries, I've still found quite a bit to like about the game. It looks like its spot on in the tone and the combat could be fun with all the possibilities the multiple characters and enerbeam bring to the table. Lookin forward to seeing more.

[TheLaw34]

I'm still excited for the game.

 

Maybe its cause I really want to enjoy a sonic game but there is still is one thing I value more than even speed and thats having fun moving.

Nothing I like more than fluid movement in games with good flow whether they are at sonic speed or not. 

So I'm just really hoping to see that joyus movement they talked about come through in the gameplay.

Also if it has as much variety as seems to be implied that will also be alot of fun to see.

 

I hope whether it fits in with other sonic game or not it ends up being a quality game in general so I can enjoy and also so I dont have to hear more bashing from  ign.

 

I've been speaking mostly about speed because as many others say its just to early for me to really judge anything else, past stating that I can already tell im going to like it even though what we've seen looks pretty average and that the graphics need alot of work before release.

 

Sidenote: I feel casual sonic fans may be even closer to the idea sonic has to be fast than others

[Sonictrainer]

Big is also... dumb. At leas that's how I've always seen him.

 

I don't know.

 

This is the same character that managed to get his pet frog back after it was possessed by a monster of the week, kidnapped by a robot, and taken to a massive airship. He was also able to save it after Chaos 6 ate him after realizing Chaos was basically water and he could fish it out with his fishing rod.

 

Also, he flew a custom plane off the giant airship, which was in the middle of the sky and ready to crash into the ocean, all the way back to his house.

[Willsy]

I'm still going to give the game a chance. Could be that other things will make up for the lack of speed in levels.

I'm glad it's still an alpha build though, it does sound unstable from what GameXplain said. Are the graphics near final or are they alpha too?

[Shadow hte hedgehog]

I don't really mind the speed. Although a 50% to 150% increase in running speed will be nice.

[Your Vest Friend]

I assume it means that Alpha is what they've given the guys and not actually where they are at this very minute, right? 

[Gabz Girl]

I'm always stumped when a new Sonic game comes out and it still uses lives. In this day and age, lives just aren't needed anymore. And when it becomes as frustrating as SLW and Sonic 06 where lives are scarce and you can die God knows how many times...well that's not right is it? Sonic Boom doesn't seem to have any lives, which IMO is a blessing.

 

Games are so big now and auto saves are such a common characteristic that it impacts the point of lives in a normal game setting. Even if you lose all of your lives, you're only set back to the beginning of the stage you played.

 

The exception here being Sonic 06 where, if you don't get to save, 9 times out of 10 you start from the very beginning of the game.

[JezMM]

Of course, if you are the kind of person who loves boost gameplay or full-on speed all the time, then this probably won't be your cup of tea. And nothing I say is going to change that. This is just simply a different kind of experience.

 

It's nice to hear something said so matter of factly from a developer, I appreciate the honesty.  You've still already got a sale from me because I'm interested in a more narrative focused Sonic and I still enjoy platforming in a general sense regardless (even if I may end up only merely tolerating the larger focus on combat gameplay).  But hey, once it was fully levelled up the Werehog surprised me with how fun it could be and I hope your team's take on Sonic combat does too.

[Willsy]

I really love how BRB are using a fail faster mentality, and that they are treating it as their own project that they want to share with people rather than something built from loads of simultaneous voices. If the people can't decide what they want to eat, let the chef decide. They've even pushed Sonic Team and SEGA at times to go even further, and that is really dedicated in my opinion. They could have just followed what SEGA told them to do, but they were so dedicated to the project that they actually questioned them in order to do what they wanted to do. I'm going to hear them out on this, I'm intrigued.

If you don't like the game, that is perfectly fine, but you have to admit that BRB are doing something that is quite frankly rare for a developer to do in the industry nowadays, when nearly all of the time big developers pander to the reviews critics write. And for this, I think they have a sale from me too. I'm sure there is some enjoyment to be had, if I can really enjoy the LEGO games I'm sure I can enjoy this. Even if I don't enjoy the game, I still think Big Red Button will have done a great job just for breaking the mould of normal game development. I've also been wanting a narrative focused Sonic that does the narrative well. No confusing time travel, no beastiality, etc.

I've also got to give a shout out to Stephen for how wonderful he's being on the subject. I really like how honest he's being, typically a person of his position would be making up PR fluff left and right, but he's actually outright said that if you want a boost game or a normal 3D Sonic game that this won't be the one for you. And I really think it's great that he's being this honest with people.

[KrazyBean]

Y'know, when compared to the LEGO games, it doesn't seem so "bad" anymore. Sure, I am hoping for some speedier combat with some depth but I ain't expecting Metal Gear Rising Sonic either. The LEGO games had super basic combat but they were still bloody fun games.

Its been too long since we've had multiple playable characters, and unlike the Adventure games they do share some similarities. That alone makes me want to try out the game.

[Solkia]

I really love how BRB aren't afraid that fans and critics might hate the game, there are too many developers around that fear such a thing. 

 

I really love how BRB doesn't mind pissing people off, too many developers actually want their products to sell.

 

Is essentially what I got from this sentence.

[Willsy]

I really love how BRB doesn't mind pissing people off, too many developers actually want their products to sell.

Is essentially what I got from this sentence.

What I meant was that they are using a fail faster mentality, not trying to piss people off. Sorry, I might have worded that part a bit wrong.

[Brad]

I think Sonic's been in need for a big shake up, and this spin off is so drastically different that it's intriguing to say the least. What they have looks promising and I'm looking forward to seeing how the final product will be. I have reservations, but I'm cautiously optimistic. After SLW I don't really wanna get hyped or too happy for it to smash me in the face again.

[Your Vest Friend]

What I meant was that they are using a fail faster mentality, not trying to piss people off. Sorry, I might have worded that part a bit wrong.

 

I thought Fail Faster meant trying out ideas that are conceptually faulty or raw out the gate then honing them during the course of development. I wouldn't say it applied to this game. 

[Willsy]

Brawler combat in Sonic has been a flawed mechanic in the past, so it can kind of apply here,but I guess it only applies if you think that Big Red Button are honing and I proving the mechanic. We don't know whether they wanted to take Unleashed and improve it or if they just wanted to make a combat focused game.

[KingIgort]

Brawler combat in Sonic has been a flawed mechanic in the past, so it can kind of apply here,but I guess it only applies if you think that Big Red Button are honing and I proving the mechanic. We don't know whether they wanted to take Unleashed and improve it or if they just wanted to make a combat focused game.

 

I think we can safely assume their decision to make a combat focused game had nothing to do with Unleashed.

[TheLaw34]

Brawler combat in Sonic has been a flawed mechanic in the past, so it can kind of apply here,but I guess it only applies if you think that Big Red Button are honing and I proving the mechanic. We don't know whether they wanted to take Unleashed and improve it or if they just wanted to make a combat focused game.

Pretty sure fail faster means you have an idea you try it and if it doesnt work you take it out and do something else. I dont think you can really say yeah that guy definently used the fail faster method since all you see is the final result and not all the prototypes.

 

Also im really interested in seeing sonics platforming sections. Seeing amy move in the preview was one of the highlights for me and im hoping his are just as good. While it may not have exactly been sonic speed it still look fluid and fast to me.

 

Not that its a good idea that he not fluid and fast when running.

[Tani Coyote]

There is no run button but boost pads, bouncepads and zip lines exist in levels to further boost speed. Overall level pacing is thought of. There are some areas where enemies will need to be defeated to continue on and areas where enemies are just around if you want to fight them for drops. As far as builds, of course, it is "early" to a degree. Demos almost always are unless your game is done. Demos are a snapshot in time while the full build continues forward. Demos, most often, reflect where you were, not where you are going... Unless, of course, the game is done. The footage and the updated E3 demo is still all Alpha code.

 

It fills me with hope to hear this is far from the final version, and that we're only seeing the first improvements. I can hardly wait until November!

 

Here's hoping the version at the GameStop Expo in September is close to finished.

 

P.S. Mr. Frost, I'm convinced you are one of the most awesome SEGA employees due to the time you take to engage with the community.

[SlickEvan]

I really love how BRB doesn't mind pissing people off, too many developers actually want their products to sell.

 

Is essentially what I got from this sentence.

Well if you think about, really, you'd be pissing people off either way. If you lie to em and fluff up your project with "it's gonna have this and that" then it'd be just as bad as people being mad before hand. This is all just a personal perspective on the subject theat I'm about to post:

 

I think it's better to tell people from the get go, that it's not gonna have all things they want so when the game comes out you get more followers rather than loose the ones you had. Because in the long run they're gonna be gone anyways. AND if you tell them from the get go, they may have a change of heart rather than lying to them and them just plain hating you for being a lier and not having a change of heart and straight ditch supporting you. In my opinion. 

 

To make it short: I don't think he meant it like that but rather, telling them the truth about a project is better than having "false" fans.

 

 

Pretty sure fail faster means you have an idea you try it and if it doesnt work you take it out and do something else. I dont think you can really say yeah that guy definently used the fail faster method since all you see is the final result and not all the prototypes.

I think it was stated in an interview that they indeed do a fail faster approach.I believe it was confirmed with an interview with someone.

 

(I don't know if you meant you can't just say they did, and ... i can't explain things sheesh)

 

@Stephen Frost: Question, will there be a speed power up or level up or upgrade? Or will you, alternately, make Sonic's "jogging" animation, to look more like a run.

 

I think that just like in Heroes, where Sonic didn't have a top speed animation but (to me) just because he was letting everyone keep up with him, as they're obviously slower. That's what I got from it. But it would be nice if his "top speed" animation resembled a "run" a little more. I personally get the concept (I don't know if that's actually where you're trying to do) but it would be nice and it could help show the speed isn't that slow. Thanks Again for keeping us informed.