Your Ideal Sonic Control Scheme/Moveset

[Bowbowis]

Over the years Sonic has accrued a significant number of abilities. Some of these have gone on to become staples of the franchise (eg. Homing Attack, Light Speed Dash) while others have appeared in one or two games and then never appeared again (eg. Super Peel Out, Triangle Jump). Naturally not all of these abilities can be mapped to one controller; not only that but a number of his abilities wouldn’t work well with certain playstyles due to differing design philosophies. I mean can you imagine what a nightmare it would be to try and use the boost in Sky Deck, what with all that unstable ground and those narrow walkways? That brings us to the point of this thread. What do you think the ideal Moveset/Control Scheme for Sonic is?

 

Some Things to Keep in Mind

1. Don’t just list off moves, tell us what button they're mapped to so we can understand how things are laid out.

 

2. Be sure to specify what controller you’re thinking of. This is especially important if you’re not  using a Sony controller, as Nintendo and Microsoft use the same labels for their face buttons but have them arranged differently (eg. Y on a Microsoft controller is X on a Nintendo controller).

 

3. Don’t feel like you’re limited to abilities that already exist. If you think you have a great idea for a new ability, or want to expand on an old one, go right ahead. Just be sure you explain it so we can understand.

 

4. You’re not limited to Sonic. If you want to give your ideas for a Knuckles or Silver moveset too then knock yourself out. Just make it clear who it’s for.

 

5. Have fun with it.

 

 

Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my ideal Sonic moveset.

 

 

Character: Sonic

Controller: Xbox 360/ONE

Other: Sonic’s basic handling is similar to Adventure – ’06, Rail Grinding functions like Adventure 2

 

A = Jump/Homing Attack/Jump Dash/Sonic Eagle

Before I explain Sonic Eagle there are a few changes to the Jump Dash and Homing attack I’d like to make. First, the Homing Attack no longer kills momentum, instead when it connects Sonic reacts in the same way he would if he jumped into the enemy from that speed (to prevent unnecessary frustration however Sonic will always bounce as though he hit the top of the target, regardless of which direction he actually hit it from). Second instead of setting Sonic to a fixed speed Jump Dashing (and by extension Homing Attacking) now add their horizontal speed to the speed that Sonic is already going. For the Jump Dash that initial boost will dissipate until Sonic hits the ground.

 

If Sonic is already at or above his normal top speed when he hits the ground then the speed gained from the Jump Dash will continue to be lost, otherwise he gets to keep it. The Homing Attack’s speed acts as it normally does (I don’t know if it decreases over time or not) but if it’s in excess of Sonic’s top speed then anything gained from the initial boost will be lost when Sonic hits his target. This is to prevent them from being abused for infinite speed.

 

You may recognize Sonic Eagle from Sonic Battle. Remember how I said the Homing attack no longer kills your horizontal momentum? Well that’s only true if you tap the button. If you’re holding A when Sonic hits the enemy he’ll perform the Sonic Eagle, a powerful downward kick which not only destroys enemies but also converts his horizontal momentum into vertical momentum. This can make homing chains easier by giving you more time to aim. It can also give Sonic some extra height, allowing him to reach areas he wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

 

I promise the rest of these will be shorter.

 

X = Sweep Kick/Somersault/Stomp or Bounce*

The somersault from Sonic Adventure 2 makes a return here. Like the Homing Attack it has been modified so that it preserves your momentum, effectively turning it into an abbreviated form of rolling. This allows Sonic to attack enemies or break crates and such without having to go airborne or put himself at the mercy of the terrain. The only difference between the somersault and the sweep kick (from ’06 and Unleashed) is that the somersault is activated by pressing the button while moving and the sweep kick is activated by pressing the button while standing still. They’re functionally the same, they just have different animations. In the air it will cause Sonic to either stomp or bounce. Stomp would work like it did in the boost games, bounce works like it did in Adventure 2.

 

B = Roll/Spindash/Shield Power*

Pressing and holding B while stationary will activate the Spindash. There’s not much to explain here it works the same way it has in every 3D game. Spamming is prevented by requiring you to be stopped before you can use it. Pressing while moving causes Sonic to roll which is pretty self-explanatory. Pressing in the air activates powers from elemental shields if applicable.

 

Y = Light Dash/Context Sensitive Actions

Pressing Y near a trail of rings activates the Light Speed Dash, you know what that does. It’s also the “Action” button in case Sonic needs to perform an action that isn’t automatic and doesn’t have a dedicated button (eg. talking to NPC’s in hub worlds).

 

Bumpers (LB and RB) = Quickstep/Dodge

Although you may not be going as fast as in the Boost games the ability to sidestep obstacles is still a useful tool to have. At lower speeds the move is slightly adjusted to act as a dodge, useful for boss fights and the like.

 

Left Trigger (LT) = Drift

Like the Quickstep the drift seems like another ability that loses its utility at lower speeds. However Sonic still lost speed when making tight turns in the Adventure games. This in turn made levels like Sky Deck or the missile launch segment of Metal Harbor frustrating as making instant 90 or even 180 degree turns would basically kill your speed (especially bad in Metal Harbor since you have a time limit). Adding in the drift offers a way to maintain your speed while taking sharp corners.

 

Right Trigger (RT) = Parkour

As much as I dislike Lost World it was definitely on to something with its addition of parkour. Unfortunately it didn’t execute it very well. Here parkour is physics based, Sonic  decelerates as he runs up or across the wall, once his speed gets too low he falls, he also gains the ability to run down walls, which speeds him up. Sonic can also turn while wall running now, the speed of the turn is determined by direction, turning upwards is much slower than turning on the ground while turning downwards is quicker (not quick enough that you might accidentally turn straight downward and plummet to your death though). The functions of the wall jump and triangle jump are also folded into the parkour mechanic as well.

 

Well there you have it. I might come back later and give my thoughts on other characters.

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* These depend upon the inclusion of elemental shields. If they're not included I'd give Sonic the bounce, if they are included I'd give Sonic the stomp and save the bounce for the bubble shield. Also the button mapping of Bounce/Stomp and Shield Power are interchangeable.

 

 

Edit: I've rethought the way the Homing Attack handles speed. Instead of your boost vanishing when you hit an enemy I'm now thinking it should be locked when you execute the attack then gradually decrease after hitting the enemy. This way you can use Homing Chains to build speed beyond the normal maximum. Longer chains equal more speed.

[Faseeh]

Hm, I'll give this a shot.

 

I feel that parkour is something that should work very well with Sonic, Lost World didn't get right unfortunately. My gameplay style would be a mix of Jet Set Radio, Mirror's Edge, Sonic Adventure and Unleashed. The gameplay should focus on flow. Masters of the gameplay would be able to keep the momentum, thus getting 'speed as a reward'. Of course, I'm not dealing with rolling physics much here, but it's a different way of achieving that idea. So here goes.
----------------------------------------
Control Scheme: Sony/Microsoft (in that order)

 

Left Stick - Run/Walk
Pressure sensitive, just like the Boost games.

 

Right Stick - Camera
Honestly, not very useful in Sonic's gameplay but hey look around the place nicely.

 

L1/Left Bumper - Turn

You just do a 180 turn.

 

R1/Right Bumper (or X/A) - Jump/Climb/Ledge Grab
Ah, the huge change. I feel that keeping the parkour elements in one group of buttons and the other buttons will work quite well. Pressure sensitive again. The Jump only works when you are not directly infront of a wall (say, a few centimeters away). If an enemy is right in front of you (and is at a height lower than your highest jump height), you can even perform the Homing Attack, which would work more similarly to how Sonic reacts when he homing attacks a Rooftop Run balloon, but with just a bit more height gain. However when you are just a bit away from the wall, the ledge grab/climb is triggered.

 

Remember in SA2, you could grab a ledge and climb up. Similar to that, but now even if the ledge is far too high, but a wall is directly opposite the wall you want to go up, you can climb up the first wall, turn (so you would be facing the second wall) and almost simultaneously jump to the second wall, climb up the second wall, turn and almost simultaneously jump back to the first wall, and possibly ledge grab and climb your way to its top. This way you can reach a wall that is almost two times your jump height away, or more, if you keep doing this. This adds a certain sense of difficulty, to the wall jump move introduced in Heroes (and modified in Unleashed). Also, this move will not be locked to a certain specific wall type, unlike how it was in Generations.

 

Sorry for the big chunk, the rest will be quick.

 

L2/Left Trigger (or Circle/B) - Crouch/Spindash
Press it thrice to rev it up and get its full potential. Its power would be a bit lesser than Classic Sonic's Spindash's. You do not have to come to a complete stop to use it, and Sonic uncurls as soon as the full power of the Spindash is used, allowing quick translation of momentum and no lack of flow. It can not be abused like in Sonic Adventure.

 

R2/Right Trigger - Drift

Similar to how it worked in Generations. However, just as you finish you drift, depending on how much you add to the Charge meter (which is just the Boost bar, in the Modern games. It can be charged by drifting or collecting rings) or basically how long you drifted, you get a quick Boost of speed. You are not invincible in this state, it would be impactful but not as effective as the Modern Boost.

 

Triangle/Y - Light Dash
Pressing Y near a trail of rings activates the Light Speed Dash.

 

Square/X - Shield Action
Yup, Elemental Shields. Depending on what Shield you get - Fire, Electric, Water (Bubble Shield), Wind. The Wind Shield allows you to leave a Tornado right as you run into an enemy when the button is pressed (basically the Boost without extra speed). You lose it if you get hurt or go into water.

That is it. Tell me what ya think.

[Darth InVaders]

This is an old post I made in another forum (sorry for any copy/paste issues), I was not thinking about a specific controller when it was made and partially made it a template on the old Sega Genesis controller - so just say A is the closest to the player's thumb, L&R are shoulder buttons, and the rest are wherever

MY IDEAL CONTROLS AND GAMEPLAY FOR SONIC AND OTHER CHARACTERS (yes OTHER characters other than Sonic)

• The overall gameplay is momentum based - running down hill increases speed, Rolling downhill increases speed even more than running down it, etc.

• The different characters are not all that different (they have only a little variation in speed - not including Sonic & Shadow's Boost speeds - but are all so fast that Quick Step and Drift are needed) and the goal is always to get to the goal as fast as possible, but differ in certain abilities (basically Sonic 3 and Knuckles style differences) that change up the experience.

• Roll replaces all forms of sliding and somersaulting for getting under things and can be used for smashing or burrowing in some areas.

• Controls are limited to 3 face buttons (A, B, C), 2 shoulder buttons (R, L), and the control stick.

• No more scripted moments as getting through loops, screws, etc requires enough momentum to get through and the character remains playable during the event (to collect Rings or avoid obstacles with Quick Step).

Sonic

• Jump - press A on ground

• Homing Attack - tap A in air

• Wall Jump - touch wall when in air then tapping A to Jump while sliding down wall

• Crouch - hold B when standing

• Roll - tap B when running

• Bounce Attack - tap B in air

• Peel Out - hold C when standing and Boost meter is empty or less than one segment (builds Boost meter)*

• Boost - press C when Boost meter has at least one segment filled (hold C to continue Boost)*

• Air Boost - hold C in air when Boost meter has at least one segment filled*

• Spin Dash - hold B (Crouch) + hold C (works like the Peel Out, builds the Boost meter)**

• Quick Step - hold L + control stick

• Drift - hold R + control stick

* Boost meter is momentum based, as momentum builds by basic running so does Boost meter build. However the Boost meter does not build during use of Boost, nor does it build if Sonic is slowing down or is in mid air; it will even start depleting if Sonic is standing still without using the Peel Out. The Boost meter is separated into sections (similar to Sonic Unleashed for Wii), tapping the Boost button once uses an entire section of the meter; if there is not 1 full section in the Boost meter and Sonic is not moving, then he goes into Peel Out which builds the Boost meter while standing still - releasing Peel Out before filling at least one section of the Boost meter only sends Sonic running at his max non-Boost / non-gimmick running speed (basically the fastest speed Sonic can obtain running without using Boost, dash pads, downward slopes, etc). The Boost acts similar to hitting a dash pad as releasing Boost button brings out the momentum based gameplay's ability to hold the Boost speed without holding the button (so long as no obstacles or large upward hills slow the speed). The Boost can be prolonged past the initial Boost by holding the button, after the initial Boost ends the prolonged Boost begins depleting the Boost meter more like how other modern Sonic games with the Boost work (Unleashed & Generations for X360 or Colors for Wii); however the Boost meter should not be that long and cannot recharge in mid-Boost so it would deplete quickly. While in the Boost, Sonic can only be hurt by spikes, electricity, and projectiles, however he does not damage enemies either (that is what Spin Dash and Roll do) he only stuns the enemy he ran into at the cost of all of his speed (he is thrown comically back on his spiny behind similar to if he ran into a wall).

**Spin Dash works much like the Peel Out: it builds the Boost meter, if released with at least one segment filled then speed is equal to Boost, if released before one segment filled then speed is max running speed - either way it is harder to control Rolling than running.

Tails

• Jump - press A on ground

• Flight - press A when in air (lasts for duration of Flight meter)

• Flight Ascend - hold A when in Flight

• Flight Quick Descend - hold B when in Flight

• Crouch - hold B when standing

• Roll - tap B when running

• Tail Spin - tap or hold C (like in SA)

• Accelerate - hold B (Crouch) + tapping C (more taps for greater rev)*

• Air Accelerate - hold C in air*

• Quick Step - hold L + control stick

• Drift - hold R + control stick

* Accelerate is like Tails version of the Sonic's Peel Out and Boost (more like if Sonic releases a Peel Out before building enough energy for Boost): Tails stays in place as he spins his tails for a moment then dashes forward at his max speed which can be maintained by the momentum based gameplay; Tails is also momentarily only able to be hurt by spikes, electricity, and projectiles (which cannot be extended by holding a button longer unlike how Sonic's Boost can). During this short period, similar to Sonic, he does not damage any enemies either (with the same exceptions as Sonic) but only stuns the one he ran into while getting knocked down at the cost of all of his speed (like he hit a wall).

Tails has a Flight meter to replace Sonic's Boost meter, it automatically refills when not flying.

Knuckles

• Jump - press A on ground

• Glide - hold A in air

• Climb - Glide onto wall

• Crouch - hold B when standing

• Roll - tap B when running

• Drill Claw - B in air (Digs into the ground)

• Punch - tap C on ground

• Punch Combo - rapidly tapping C on ground (works exactly like the combo in SA2 and does not slow down speed if moving)

• Power Punch - hold C on ground (has homing ability, charges Power meter for more damage)

• Hammer Punch - C in air (slams down to ground which causes earthquake stunning all ground enemies and throwing debris that can damage all close by ones)

• Ground Dig - hold B (Crouch) + X*

• Wall Dig - tap B when Climbing on wall*

• Quick Step - L + control stick

• Drift - R + control stick

* In 3D sections, the Dig works almost exactly like in the Adventures: Knuckles digs in and comes right back out (if he digs down in certain places which are marked with an arrow or cracks or something he gets a hidden item). In 2D sections, the Dig works exactly like the Yellow Drill Wisp in Sonic Colors. Obviously there are only certain places or types of ground / wall where he can use Dig.

Knuckles has a Power meter to replace Sonic's Boost meter - the Power meter is what charges for his homing Power Punch that can defeat bosses and mini-bosses in 2 to 3 hits when fully charged; his Power meter is replaced by a Dig meter when he is digging in 2D which works similar to the Wisp meter in Sonic Colors (if his Dig meter completely depletes while digging he loses a life).

Shadow

• Jump - press A on ground

• Homing Attack - tap A in air

• Wall Jump - touch wall when in air then tapping A to Jump while sliding down wall

• Crouch - hold B when standing

• Roll - tap B when running

• Chaos Spear - tap B in air when with a Chaos Emerald and enough Rings*

• Chaos Blast - hold B in air when with a Chaos Emerald and enough Rings (hover in place for the short moment while charging, if released early it becomes Chaos Spear)*

• Air Shoe Hover - hold B in air to hover in place for a moment when without a Chaos Emerald or not enough Rings (this is just the Chaos Blast hover)*

• Peel Out - hold C when standing and Boost meter is empty or less than one segment (builds Boost meter)**

• Boost - press or hold C when Boost meter has at least one segment filled (hold C to continue Boost)**

• Spin Dash - hold B (Crouch) + hold C***

• Quick Step - L + control stick

• Drift - R + control stick

• Chaos Control - L + R when with a Chaos Emerald and enough Rings*

* When Shadow has a Chaos Emerald, in exchange for Rings he can use Chaos Control (Time Stop version only), Chaos Spear, and Chaos Blast - each technique requires a different number of Rings; cannot use if do not have enough Rings or no Emerald - instead replaced with a very short hover ability.

**His Peel Out, Boost, and Boost meter work exactly the same as Sonic's (but a bit slower in speed and with different animations - like his Peel Out is him hovering in place as jets of fire are spouted from his shoes).

***His Spin Dash also works exactly the same as Sonic's.

However I am still against shoehorning characters into a game they are better left out of simply for the sake of putting them in - I am also against putting characters into a game if it in any way creates a risk that the extra pressure and work would drive down quality of the game.

[Potada]

So, just to do something different, I thought I'd try giving a moveset to...

Silver the Hedgehog

The control scheme I'm thinking of would use the 3DS interface (not the New3DS, just the old one).

Silver would handle similarly to his 06 counterpart; a non-spinning, yet very high jump, with a slightly lower than average running speed. He would have a Psychic meter for his attacks, though his air action would be unaffected.

Basically, think of how Adventure and the like handled, but a bit smoother. That's what I'd hope for with what I'm thinking of.

Levitate (A/B in mid air)

Keep yourself floating for a few seconds by using psychic energy.

Psycho Shock (X/Y; can be held, then released; usable in mid air)

Sling a wave of psychic energy to put mess with an enemy's senses. Charge it to release a more powerful wave that can stun larger enemies and send smaller ones flying.

Psychokinesis (R trigger)

If a green reticle appears on an object or enemy, you can lift them up psychically and take them with you. You can grab more than one target, but there is a limit to the number and size you can carry. You can also release a grabbed target when it cycles through.*

Psycho Smash (X/Y when an object is grabbed.)

Toss a psychically grabbed object hurtling at a target to destroy or damage it. You'll toss whichever object is next in rotation.*Hold, then release X/Y to toss everything at once.

* Grabbed objects will float and rotate in a circle above Silver. Whichever object is closest to his front at the time will be released/tossed.

I had thought of adding Teleport Dash, but having both it and Levitation seemed redundant.

L trigger would basically act as a camera re center whenever needed. Touch screen would be used for objects, transformations, etc.

Hopefully, I did right by the white furred porcupine. Let me know what you think.

[NoirSuede]

Lemme take a crack at this...
 

Unlike you guys, I designed this control scheme to be as simple as possible without ridiculous overlapping like in SA2.

This control scheme is for PC/PS4/XBOX ONE, however you can rebind the controls in all versions.

SONIC

Left Stick/WASD - Move Sonic
-In the console versions the further you tilt the stick the faster Sonic would go,
-In the PC version you move with the WASD and adjust Sonic's speed with the mousewheel
-Like in the Adventure games, the sharper the angle of the turn the slower you'll be
 
Right Stick/Mouse - Move Camera
-Self explanatory
 
Hold R3/Number keys - Choose items
-You can now stock up on shields, wisps, and other items.
-In the console versions you hold R3 to bring up a mini item wheel and then tilt the right stick to the item pick it
-In the PC version you pick the item by pressing the number keys corresponding to the item
 
L3/Right Mouse Button - Use items
-Self explanatory
 
L2/Left Trigger/Spacebar - Jump
-When jumping you curl into a ball
-If you jump right at the edge of a downhill you gain speed but get a lower jump
-If you jump right at the edge of an uphill you lose speed but get a higher jump
-You only have 1 jump
-After you get 7 chaos emeralds jump twice to go Super
-As Super Sonic you're invincible, have infinite acceleration, and you can fly in any direction (like NiGHTS) by holding Parkour to enter Free Mode
-In Free Mode the camera locks to behind Sonic and you steer him with the Right Stick/Mouse
 
R2/Right Trigger/Ctrl - Roll
-Hold R2 while mashing L2 to do a spindash
-You can only spindash while standing still
-Rolling has the same properties as the one in the Genesis games
 
L1/Left Bumper/Left Shift - Parkour
-When you Parkour you automatically uncurl
-The speed in which you parkour is dependent on your speed before you 'hit the wall and the angle which you've hit the wall from (if it's head-on you'll lose a lot of speed and momentum, if it's parallel then you won't lose any speed)
-Press jump while running on a wall to jump out of the wall and into another wall if you're hitting it, and you won't lose any momentum even if you're hitting it head-on
-Releasing the button while running on a wall will make Sonic stop running on the wall and make him drop
 
R1/Right Bumper/Left Mouse Button - Homing Attack
-You keep all of your momentum when doing the Homing Attack
-Hold the button to charge the Homing Attack
-The arc after you do the Homing Attack mirrors the arc before you do the Homing Attack, so for example if you do the Homing Attack while falling straight down a shaft then after you do the Homing Attack you will be sent straight up
-If you do the Homing Attack on the ground you do a drop kick which instead of stopping you after you do it instead gives you a little speed boost on the direction of the kick if you kill the target.
-If you don't kill the target then you either vault behind them with no loss of momentum on small enemies or you jump back on bigger enemies.

 

TAILS

Left Stick/WASD - Move Tails
-In the console versions the further you tilt the stick the faster Tails would go,
-In the PC version you move with the WASD and adjust Tails's speed with the mousewheel
-Like in the Adventure games, the sharper the angle of the turn the slower you'll be
 
Right Stick/Mouse - Move Camera
-Self explanatory
 
Hold R3/Number keys - Choose Shields/Companions
-You can now stock up on shields.
-In the console versions you hold R3 to bring up a mini item wheel and then tilt the right stick to the item/companion to pick it
-In the PC version you pick the item/companion by pressing the number keys corresponding to the item/companion

-List of Companions and what they do :

Omochao : Explain the details of the enviroment (like the scanner in Metroid Prime)

Subpack (a mini-submarine on Tails's back) : Lets you swim faster, if you swim out of the water fast enough you'll do a jump like Eco's

Cody the Snake : Gives you a higher spot to coil your tails, if you use him right after you jump you get an even higher jump.

 
L3/Right Mouse Button - Use items/Companions
-Self explanatory
 
L2/Left Trigger/Spacebar - Jump
-When jumping you curl into a ball
-If you jump right at the edge of a downhill you gain speed but get a lower jump
-If you jump right at the edge of an uphill you lose speed but get a higher jump
-You only have 1 jump
-After you get 7 chaos emeralds jump twice to go Super
-As Super Tails you're invincible, have infinite acceleration, and you have infinite flight
 
R2/Right Trigger/Ctrl - Roll
-Hold Roll while mashing the jump key to coil your tails

-When coiling you can pick the direction Tails is sent to by moving the right stick/mouse
-Rolling has the same properties as the one in the Genesis games
 
L1/Left Bumper/Left Shift - Fly
-You have limited amount of flight power which can be increased by finding power-ups
 
R1/Right Bumper/Left Mouse Button - Homing Attack
-You keep all of your momentum when doing the Homing Attack
-Hold the button to charge the Homing Attack
-The arc after you do the Homing Attack mirrors the arc before you do the Homing Attack, so for example if you do the Homing Attack while falling straight down a shaft then after you do the Homing Attack you will be sent straight up
-If you do the Homing Attack on the ground you do a drop kick which instead of stopping you after you do it instead gives you a little speed boost on the direction of the kick if you kill the target.
-If you don't kill the target then you either vault behind them with no loss of momentum on small enemies or you jump back on bigger enemies.

 

Sorry for the incomplete post guys, and next time i'll do Knuckles (still thinking on it) and also FIRST PERSON MODE

[azoo]

I just read through this and everyone's descriptions are like a hundred miles long.

 

I feel like a game's mechanics should be more complex than the controls by any means. With that in mind, let's make this simple, k?

 

Left Stick - Movement

A Button -  Jump

                   Jump Dash / Homing Attack (in air)

X Button -  Spin Dash

                   Roll (moving)

                   Bounce Attack (in air)

B Button - Action (grab / drop / talk / etc)

Y Button - Light Dash

Triggers - Crouch / Roll (allows manual crouch+jump Spin Dash)

Right Stick - Camera

 

If you need an idea of how these mechanics work, think of something between the classics and the Adventures. Imagine a Sonic that steers like he does in SA1, except that he doesn't steer out of control at top speed. Also, imagine the kind of weight to Sonic's rolling he has in the classics, and with a Spin Dash that (unlike SA1's) doesn't shoot off at an instant.

 

Anyways, the underlying basics to this control scheme are "run", "jump", and "spin". Those three ideas are the overall concept that make the game what it is, being the main three mechanics that are practically the essence of Sonic himself, and are the only moves 100% required to use to play the game to it's fullest.

 

For this reason, each of those actions have 'extension' moves that aid you in moving around with them. You could probably make the connection as to what that is for two out of three of them, of course; for "jump" it's the Homing Attack, and for "spin" it's the Spin Dash. 

 

But what about running? Well, I was thinking of a simplified parkour system.

 

Basically, if you jump into a vertical wall, you can run on it, depending on the speed you hit it as well the direction. From there, your steering is stiff and mostly limited to the direction you were moving before it (unlike wall running from up a slope, where you'd have more free steering movement), and even though hanging for too long will make you start to drop, you can boost yourself up with a Spin Dash, much like Lost World. While latched to the wall, you can jump off of it, retaining your momentum in the process (unlike LW's wall jump which would do that half the time.. and then make you lose speed and jump into the wall the other half).

 

As for anything like vaulting or ledge-grabbing, that'd all be there too, but sort of combined. When you jump onto a ledge and have speed, you sort of vault off of it and retain most of your movement.

 

...

 

Anyways, yeah. That's how Sonic controls.

 

As for everyone else, they kind of have where the Spin Dash and rolling is not their main move on the X Button, and instead they have their own moves such as Tails having his tail spin thing, Knuckles having punching/digging, Amy with the Piko Piko Hammer etc. However, they can all still roll and Spin Dash (or at least in Amy / a few other's cases, some alternative) by using the triggers, which have a manual rolling option that gives them the ability to rev up a Spin Dash classic-style. It's enough of a difference to allow them to keep to the Sonic convention, but give Sonic the upper hand and make him stand out as the fastest.

 

Also, not many other characters can do parkour, and even if they can then it's butchered to not make it better than Sonic's. You may think that's just making them worse characters, but really they'd have their own advantages to balance it out, so it's all fair game.

 

Yeah. That's my thing.

[Bowbowis]

I'm back and this time with Tails! So without further ado, let's begin.

 

Character: Tails

Controller: Xbox 360/ONE

Other: Basic handling is like that of Adventure

 

A = Jump/Propeller Flight

Can mash the button to ascend quickly like in Heroes.

 

X = Bombs

Work like the did in '06 but they're just regular bombs like in Tails Adventure and not the Dummy Ring bombs. Holding the button on the ground increases the distance thrown.

 

B = Roll (Moving)/Tail Spin (Stationary)

 

Y = Context Sensitive

 

Bumpers (LB/RB) = Quickstep/Dodge

 

Left Trigger (LT) = Snipe

Essentially a free-aim mode. Brings Tails to a stop and brings up a crosshair which can be aimed with the analogue stick.

 

Right Trigger (RT) = Tails Buster (That's what I'm calling the Energy Ball/Arm Cannon from Sonic Battle)

Outside of sniping mode the "Tails Buster" has an auto-targeting system similar to the guns in Shadow the Hedgehog. The buster can be fired at a rapid rate by tapping the trigger or it can be charged by holding the trigger. A charged shot travels faster, goes farther, and is larger, making it easier to hit targets with. A fully charged shot will cause a small explosion on impact, possibly destroying nearby enemies.

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

I'm also going to do Shadow quick.

 

Character: Shadow

Controller: Xbox 360/ONE

Other: Shadow is basically identical to my Sonic (see the OP) so I'm only covering the the things which are different.

 

Handling Differences: Thanks to his rocket shoes Shadow's acceleration and jump height are greater than than Sonic's. The downside is that, because he's not in contact with the ground, Shadow also has worse traction making stopping and turning more difficult. Think of how Luigi plays relative to Mario in games like Galaxy.

 

X = Stomp (Air)

Shadow has the stomp regardless of whether or not Sonic has the bounce to help make up for his increased jump height.

 

Right Trigger (RT) = Chaos Powers

Chaos powers are similar in role and function to Wisps. The Wisps themselves are replaced with Chaos Drives, the color of the Drive determining which power is used. For example a Blue Chaos Drive activates the time-stopping variant of Chaos Control which is used for the same purposes as Time Break in Secret Rings (although unlike with Time Break Shadow retains his normal speed), while a Red Chaos Drive activates Chaos Blast, which destroys all breakable items in the surrounding area (including those normally only breakable by power types).

 

Also worth noting is that the animation for Sonic Eagle is replaced with that move from his intro in '06 where he uses his rocket shoes in conjunction with the explosion from a defeated enemy to launch himself over a wall. The animation for the sweep-kick is also changed to the Shadow Kick from Sonic Battle and '06. 

 

That is to say this one:

[Diogenes]

I'm not sure I see the point in Tails having both bombs and a blaster. In what situations would you choose one over the other?

 

...anyway I'll give this a shot. Assuming a standard controller layout, and not being too picky about equivalent buttons...

 

Sonic (3D):

Left Stick: Movement: Traditional Sonic style movement; modest acceleration, heavy momentum, and slope physics. Close to the Adventure controls but a bit less twitchy.

A: Jump: Self explanatory. Press again in midair for a small double jump.

B: Attack: Combination homing attack and pseudo-spindash. Works on the ground and in the air. Hold to charge (increasing its range and speed), release to fire, if anything targetable is in range you'll lock on and home in on it, otherwise it's just a dash. Hitting an enemy bounces you up and forwards, naturally.

L Trigger: Crouch/Roll: Toggles between running and rolling, on the ground or in the air. Crouch and tap jump or attack to charge a spindash (no homing, unlike with the Attack button)

R Trigger: Parkour: Hold to increase acceleration and activate parkour. Parkour lets you "land" on vertical walls, so long as you have enough speed parallel to it to not immediately fall off. Once you "land" on a wall you control like normal. Pressing the button while near certain objects/enemies does...tricks, I guess? Like a context-sensitive "do a cool/useful thing" button.

R Bumper: Brake/Quick Turn: Hold to skid to a stop. While holding the button you can turn but not move. The speed you lost is temporarily "stored", but bleeds off over time; if you hold a direction and release the button, you immediately dash off with whatever speed remained. Releasing the button with the stick at neutral erases your stored speed.

 

Any remaining buttons are free for any other gimmicks the game happens to include. Wisps, equipped skills, Super transformation, whatever. Any other characters would play mostly the same, with differences mostly limited to their midair jump move, their attack, and their parkour/related abilities. I don't have specifics in mind for them yet, though.

 

e: Maybe put brake on a face button and only dash if the parkour button is held. It's a bit more complex and not immediately intuitive compared to some moves and I wouldn't want new players rocketing off edges for not understanding it.

[Bowbowis]

I'm not sure I see the point in Tails having both bombs and a blaster. In what situations would you choose one over the other?

[Phos]

I tend to approach platforming from a more minimalist style approach, 

 

Yeah I'm noticing a lot of really crowded and or lengthy lists of controls, I don't think using a bunch of buttons ever did Sonic any favors.  Not really.  Drift and quickstep, for example, always seemed like they wouldn't be necessary with better sorted "base" controls on the left stick.  You really just need a jump button and a crouch button.  Just duplicate them all over the place if you want so you can do it however you want.  Sonic seems to do best if that's all you have to deal with and everything else just context auto triggers, such as grabbing handholds.  I'm not sure that I want Sonic able to "stick" to any wall that he can jump into, I'm not nervous about it being game breaking (could lead to cool speedrun routes), just it being too easily game breaking.  Maybe throw a super peel out in there, if you don't want him reaching those speeds naturally.  

 

I wanna say I had some kinda interesting control scheme thought out for it but I can't remember it now, it might have literally just been putting super peel out on the north button.  Oh right, I had some kind of idea where, if used while in motion, Sonic would continue along his current path while you aimed the super peel out, sort of like a drift, but with a point, that is, if it could actually prove useful.  

 

The homing attack, I tend to think you don't actually need it.  Sonic Adventure needed it, because of when it was made, people not so used to 3D games, and its somewhat lacking camera system.  Even under the assumption that you do need it, it seems like both the laziest and least desirable solution, at least among those with a scrap of viability.

 

Sonic's more paired down control scheme is meant to improve his functionality in 3D spaces, something has been a strangely low priority in most 3D games, at least until you think about it a different way: Most 3D Sonic games have still been composed of 2D levels, they've just changed the position of the camera.  That's one major tricky part, making a level where you might want to go left or right or straight, and where the interest to actually make a turn comes from.  

 

Making tails actually control more like a helicopter could be a really interesting way to go, a modestly realistic chopper like you might get in battlefield, but without worrying so much about crashing, because he just lands.  

 

Knuckles, in place of so much rolling and or spin dashing, I imagine a sort of "floaty" style, where he sort of shoves off into a short glide and you can punch out of it.  I mean, he goes everywhere wearing boxing gloves, which makes doing anything else but punch a lot less practical, so I assume he punches stuff a lot.  Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and all that.  

[Bowbowis]

It looks like the Shadow Kick demonstration knocked Silver all the way to the front of the queue. Sorry Knuckles I'll do you next time.

 

Character: Silver

Controller: Xbox 360/ONE

Other: Silver remains mostly the same as he was in '06. He's faster but still on the slow side relative to the other characters.

 

A = Jump/Levitate

Silver does not spin jump. The power bar is no longer drained when levitating, Silver's levitation simply ends after a fixed time like Omega in '06 if he wasn't broken. Levitating simply negates gravity, Silver's speed, acceleration, deceleration, and the like are unchanged.

 

X = Psycho Smash (Ground)/ Psycho Shock (Air)/ Hold Smash (Hold)

These all work as they do in '06. Psycho Smash lets Silver stun enemies and throw items he has grabbed with psychokinesis. Psycho Shock allows Silver to drop out of the air and create a shock-wave which stuns enemies when he lands. Hold Smash causes Silver to gather all of his carried items in front of him (if they aren't already there) and launch them all directly forward simultaneously. If enemies don't have health bars like they did in '06 thrown items will stun them for a short time before they blow up instead of destroying them outright so that Silver can still grab them.

 

B = Drop (Tap)/ Psycho Slam (Hold)

Tapping the button causes Silver to drop all the items he's currently carrying. Holding the button causes all of the items Silver is carrying to form a ring around him and then slam into the ground destroying nearby enemies.

 

Y = Context Sensitive/Teleport Dash

The Teleport Dash is somewhat different than it's '06 incarnation. Instead of simply being an incredibly nerfed jump-dash the Teleport Dash now works more similarly to the homing attack. When there's an enemy in range it will be outlined in the same blue-green color as items affected by psychokinesis, pressing the button will cause Silver to instantly warp right next to the targeted enemy, although he won't actually attack them. Not only does this allow him to safely get within range to stun the enemy, but an expert player can use it to cross large distances in record time.

 

Bumpers (LB/RB) = Quickstep/ Dodge

 

Left Trigger (LT) = Gather (Hold With Items)

Silver gathers all the items he's carrying in front of him, forming them into a barrier which can block frontal attacks. If a given item takes too much punishment however it will be destroyed.

 

Right Trigger (RT) = Psychokinesis

Silver grabs items, projectiles, and stunned enemies with his telekinetic powers.

[Blacklightning]

I wanna say I had some kinda interesting control scheme thought out for it but I can't remember it now, it might have literally just been putting super peel out on the north button.  Oh right, I had some kind of idea where, if used while in motion, Sonic would continue along his current path while you aimed the super peel out, sort of like a drift, but with a point, that is, if it could actually prove useful. 

[Bowbowis]

"Yo, it's your main man Knuckles, and we're at the message board. You ready for a new moveset, to help you get the Emeralds (or the goal ring, whatever, rap is hard)?" . So as you may have guessed I have a moveset for Knuckles! I'm on fire recently, or more likely I'm just bored, whatever here it is.

 

Character: Knuckles

Controller: Xbox 360/ONE

Other: Basic movement is similar to SA2

 

A = Jump/Glide

Gliding has a fixed minimum horizontal speed, which Knuckles will gradually accelerate to if he's below it. If he's above it however he'll keep his initial speed.

 

X = Punch (No Item)/Throw (With Item)

Knuckles’ punching combo is the same one from SA2, he can punch without breaking stride. If he’s stationary when he performs the final attack hit he’ll do the Spiral Uppercut, if he’s moving he’ll do the Screwdriver. Because the dig is mapped to a different button Knuckles can now punch while in the air or climbing a wall. In the former case he’ll simply skip straight to the third attack of the combo while in the latter case he’ll punch in the direction the stick is pressed (or kick if the stick is pressed down). If Knuckles is holding an object he’ll throw it.

 

B = Dig (Stationary No Item)/ Drill Claw (Air No Item)/Roll (Moving No Item)/Drop (With Item)

Dig and Drill Claw mostly work the same as their Adventure 2 counterparts although in certain areas they can be used like the Drill Wisp. If Knuckles is holding an object he’ll drop it.

 

Y = Context Sensitive/Grab

Knuckles can pick up and carry objects or stunned enemies in a similar fashion to the Werehog. For the most part if it’s not a projectile and Silver can pick it up with psychokinesis Knuckles can grab it.

 

Bumpers (LB/RB) = Quickstep/Dodge

While gliding Knuckles can use the quickstep to “Do a barrel roll!” if you’ll pardon the meme.

 

Left Trigger (LT) = Treasure Sense

Treasure Sense is essentially an active sonar which detects things such as rings and capsules, and marks them with a shiny for a few seconds which allows you to see their positions even through walls and the like. It can be used to detect buried items and can help to spot hidden routes by displaying the positions of items on them.

 

Right Trigger (RT) = Hammer Punch

Knuckles punches the ground, creating a shock-wave which can stun foes so that he can pick them up.

 

This will probably be my last one for a bit. I don't really have any concrete ideas for other characters outside of Rouge being something of a Knuckles/Tails combo.

[Phos]

The first thing about this is that by nature, the jump button takes the biggest focus in any platformer - so by putting any functionality on the opposite side of the button map means juggling your thumb between two different positions if you need to jump soon afterwards, and if Prototype has ever taught me anything, it's that that is really uncomfortable. This is pretty much the whole reason the boost/spindash buttons are directly adjacent to the jump button, and why the drift button is typically on the triggers - it leaves your ability to jump completely unimpeded and allows moves to act in synergy with jumping.

 

Secondly, Sonic's actually kinda already done this? In Riders 0G, of all games. It... doesn't really work. It takes a lot more notice of the curve ahead to make any use of it than drifting does (which is saying a lot, considering some curves in Unleashed required drifting before the curve is even visible), so unless you already know it's there in advance you'll more often than not bump into a wall or fall off an edge like a dumb thing while you're trying to line it up. To make this work right you'd have to make the peel-out slow Sonic down while it's charging, which is kind of counterintuitive when drifting already allows Sonic to swing right around a curve without losing any speed.

Putting it there discourages the player using it if they need to jump soon, Sonic's level language tends to put hazards around spots where you need to jump and make dowhill areas safer.  

 

In Zero gravity it brought your character to a halt to give them time to rotate far enough, but really talking about Zero Gravity is basically just listing off fundamental problems.  To be honest, this idea is basically just an excuse to have the super peel out.  

[Osmium]

Hmm, two years late. Still better late than never. Using PS4 for template. 

For Sonic: 

JUMP - Tap circle or triangle button while on plane. Altitude of jump depends on time held as you would expect.

HOMING ATTACK - Tap circle or triangle button while in air.

SPIN DASH - Hold square or cross button while stationary.

STOMP / IN AIR MOMENTUM KILLER - Tap square or cross button while in air. 

DROP DASH - Hold square or cross button until Sonic makes contact with plane. I think drop dash would be a good move in 3D gameplay. The altitude of drop dash has to be at least 3 times Sonic's sphere dimensions off the ground so you can't spam it. 

CURL/UNCURL - Tap right trigger at any time or tap square or cross button while in motion on a plane.

INSTA-SHIELD - Tap left trigger while in ball form. I think an insta-shield would work really well for 3D environments as a way to increase Sonic's hitbox. 

ELEMENTAL SHIELD ABILITIES - Tap left trigger while in ball form and having an elemental shield. 

SUPER SONIC ACTIVATION - Tap left trigger and right trigger at same time while having sufficient amount of rings.