57 replies to this topic

[wildfire]

I apparently have too much time to dwell on my thoughts at work. Earlier today, a thought entered my head about a Sonic SatAM game that played like a combo adventure game with Metal Gear Solid elements. Something like this...

Sonic and Sally enter Robotropolis for information on a new weapon Robotnik is developing. Somewhere along the way, what was once a simple information retreival mission becomes a total cluster fuck. A hoarde of SWATbots stands between the duo and their objective. Sonic grabs Sally and jets off, but the princess calls him back, insisting that they need this information by any means necessary. She quickly offers to Sonic that he be a distraction while she enters the compound and gets what they came in for. Sonic agrees and the two shake on it "Let's do it to it!"

Level 1: Sonic rips through the city with SWATbots following behind him, destroying everything in his path and using buildings for cover as the SWATbots rake him with laserfire. At the end of his little rampage, before making his way back to pick up Sally who has retrieved the information they needed, a contingent of hover units headed up by Snivley trys to head him off. Sonic knew he'd need this Power Ring for some reason, and with the added boost it gives him, makes short work of the hoverheads before blasting off again.

Level 2: Using the distraction Sonic created (Is he the Priority One Hedgehog or what?) Sally enters the stronghold. Her task is to make her way through the compound without alerting the Techbots and various securtiy measures to her presence. Sneaking through the building, she eventually finds out where she needs to retrieve the information. Sally then has to make her way to the main computer lab and hack the information she needs before the computer's security systems detect her attempts. Things take just a little too long and a Techbot happens across her. The resulting alarm sends a cadre of SWATbots into the room. Somehow, Sally slips away and through the vents to await pickup from Sonic.

Conclusion: His Power Ring used up, Sonic dosen't want to risk a head on confrontation with Snivley and jis SWATbot units scouring the city for him. He has to duck from dumpster to dumpster, jump across rooftops, and make his way through the city's sewer system, skirting spotlights and detection above ground, and security measures like laser grids below. He eventually makes his way to Sally through the sewers, and the pair quietly and covertly return to Knothole to share their findings.

Knothole istelf would play like a hub for missions and obtaining gear made from junk salvaged by Sonic and the others during missions. Rotor handles Sonic's gear (mines and other demolition stuffs) while Uncle Chuck supplies Sally with valuable information on their next mission. Seems they'll need Bunnie for this one...

Sonic's stages, in addition to other applicable characters (like Bunnie and Tails) would play like semi standard Sonic platforming fare, with Sonic tearing through Robotnik's forces with his trademark speed and attitude. Characters like Sally and Antoine (and Lupe to a lesser extent) would have a sort of Metal Gear esque style of play, creating an intense but ultimately enjoyable game experience.

I thought the idea was genius, but that got me thinking what other people might like to see in a SatAM game. Obviously this is just for fun, as we're never going to see this actually happen. So go as big as you want. What do you think would best capture the spirit of SatAM in a game? What would be cool to see? What did you think of my idea? All of these are good topics to go with.

Now go...

[salamander]

I imagine a type of Dark Cloud type game, where the object is to rescue people, gather resources and rebuild communities after Robotnik has taken them over. Half the game is more action-oriented, where you're defeating enemy forces, doing sabotage work and such, and the other half is a city-building thing that draws on the stuff you've collected on missions. As you rescue more people, and build your relationships with the current FFs, they can use their skills to help out. You restore buildings, trees, make the land workable again, recruit new people, deroboticise people, etc etc. So you are not just fighting Robotnik, you're recovering and rebuilding what he's destroyed.
I also like the Harvest Moon-type interactions with characters, and building up of a little village.. Not that it has to turn into a dating/farming sim, but in that you have more interaction and influence on the village and inhabitants. So that they're not just background color but actually have little interesting side stories to them.

[Metallou]

I'm gonna quote what I said on another thread:

I've been thinking about an exploration game, like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, with level-ups ,unlocking special moves, platforming, searching for items tha you can equip with/nedd to advance in some levels, and so on...
What I imagined else is for certain mission you have a choice of certain character that you can switch with. Speaking of characters, they will have their own movements and skills, which can be improved through level ups (at the start, only sonic and bunny can destroy robotic creatures, but after some level-ups, other playable character can deal with them (it maybe not realistic, but come on: it's a videogame)) : Tails can fly, which has its own bar ; Sonic run fast and can easily deal with robotic creatures, but takes more damage and had a bigger knock-back ; Sally can bounce on the ennemy (organic enemies will be stuned), can walljump , uses nicole for pirating/whatever else computers or showing a map of the level, Bunny can also deal with robotic creatures, takes less damages that the other characters, have the lowest knockback in the team, but cannot go through narrow ways and such. Other characters will be playable but later in the game. About the exploration thingie, I've been thinking about the Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia level systems: as you go further into the story, more zones can be explorables. Some must appear for the story to continue, others will be here just of the sake of exploring or anything else, but can also be here for later missions. About the PowerRings, they're be like a skill boost (as much like sonic go faster and had invicibility while the Power bar is draining down) for whoever is using it, or a source of projectile weapon.

To summarize everything, I would like a SotN-like.

[Vlad Yvhv]

I'd say that it'd probly work best as an RPG. The best bet would be to have Sonic (and perhaps all of the main FFs) be captured and have the others have to save him. Other characters could be unlocked by saving them in the process of finding out where Sonic's being held. Salvage could be an interesting aspect, as your equipment could depend on what you're able to take from Robotropolis. So, while one could go around completely trashing the SWATbots and stuff, you'd be better off if you could find methods of killing them without too much damage. It could be possible to also do stuff like converting extra metal armor into a hammer or something, but that would take time. If you want more of a challenge, time could be a factor in the game, as you'd only have so much time before Sonic and the others are roboticized...

[furrykef]

Funny enough the original post is close to my own concept of a SatAM game. I was thinking more of Rainbow Six than Metal Gear Solid -- more focused on planning and gameplay than story, I suppose, and multiplayer rather than single-player -- but it's still pretty similar.

Characters would be something like this:
* Sonic: High speed
* Tails: Flight
* Sally: Good for hacking security systems and such; can fight if in a jam
* Bunnie: Strong fighter; can use limbs to reach odd places
* Rotor: Good for handling mechanical devices and vehicles (but not computers)
* Antoine: Average; no particular good or bad points

[GamemasterAnthony]

I agree with Vlad in regards to the RPG aspect. The FFs seem to work best as a team, so the party aspect is automatic...and with the different charatcers and their abilities, we see the possibility of different party combinations.

Actually, it's kind of funny, but I've been toying with the idea of using the D20 system to create a paper and pencil RPG where you can RP a video game. For the Sonic reality, I was going to create a Freedom Fighter class and incorporate some elements from the Ironclaw/Jadeclaw games to flesh out the different species.

[PSI Hedgehog]

RPG, platformer, and Beat'em up are the top three genres for Sonic SatAM. A fighting created with the lastest MUGEN release candidate would seem a little strange, but it would be better than sports or racing. (Sonic SatAM Baseball just seems like something that should remain as an idea.) A puzzle game might work, depending on the type of puzzle and story behind it. Pinball, board games, and card games, are a mystery.

If I had to suggest a strange idea, Sonic SatAM Paper Boy would be it. (My uncle's favorite game is Paper Boy, that is kind of why I suggested it.)

[Vlad Yvhv]

Has anyone ever actually gotten past the first stage of Paper Boy without cheats?

Also, as to Ant's strength: I'd suggest a luck factor. He may be a coward, but he sometimes stumbles onto just what's needed to solve a problem. This happened at least a couple of times in the show. Or he could just always know where the exit is...

[furrykef]

Also, as to Ant's strength: I'd suggest a luck factor. He may be a coward, but he sometimes stumbles onto just what's needed to solve a problem.

I kind of like this idea. The problem is, though, it's hard to plan for the presence (or absence!) of luck...

[Vlad Yvhv]

The problem is, though, it's hard to plan for the presence (or absence!) of luck...

There are a few ways to do so. Though, it's not so much actual luck as rigging parts of the game.
1: Rig random drops to account for Ant's presence. If you've got Ant, then you'll get higher end items or parts. Or maybe some special items that will only be dropped with him in the party, or have such a probability against them being randomly dropped, that they might as well be only dropped with him there. Then have something with him tripping over the object in question, or stubbing his toe on it, or what have you...
2: Rig certain areas to only react to Ant's presence in the party. Or to react to him more favorably than the rest of the party. Such as a secret door that only he can find without a high searching skill check. Then, simply add in something that makes it look like he found them on accident: such as having an enemy spawn trigger on the same spot where he's supposed to notice the door, then a script or something with Ant trying to run away and running into the door, opening it.
3: Or simply give him a high enough searching ability that he would naturally find these things more easily than the others, and don't tell the player about it. This could also be done for some item that only he can wear/use that confers a super-high (or even maxed-out) search skill without it showing up in the character stats. Again, have a trigger for an enemy spawn spot near the door or whatever and a script with him running into it, which actually does a search skill check, just with a different animation.

[PSI Hedgehog]

Has anyone ever actually gotten past the first stage of Paper Boy without cheats?

By "stage", do you mean route or day? I am not sure if the system makes a difference or not, but the version I have is for Sega Genesis. (Three different routes; Easy Street, Middle Road, Hard Way.)

Now about the whole luck concept. Luck could determine how well attacks work and influence the odds of dodging attacks. Of course, you also have Antione randomly pick up items as you're walking around with him in your party; something like zigzagoon's pick up ability. (Luck could determine the frequency of additional items and what kind they are; just an idea.)

[The Man]

Sonic SatAM the game..Ahh what a lovely variety. Anyone taking on a creating a game would find a way to add them all.

I'd play any if it's thought out and good work is put into it. The original Sonic Epoch had a tad little too much dialogue imo but that's ok for a first time and in that case.

[Mithrandir]

The key issue in any potential game where you want to vary up the abilities of your playable characters is how differently the game engine has to run to accommodate certain things. For example, you would want a game version of Sally to move at a "normal" speed (maybe sneaking/walking/running, depending on the situation), but if you had Sonic in the game and didn't present the option of high-speed, you'd have gamers looking at you like you had five heads. So you want the high speed elements, but your engine also has to account for characters who don't move nearly as quickly. Tough to pull off.

So I think that means a couple of things; the trailer for the SatAM game that actually was in development seemed to have Sonic in more of a stealth mode, but with special combat abilities centered around the rings he collects, abilities way beyond his usual scope. I liked that idea; it allowed for an engine that could include stealth and speed modes, and fleshed out Sonic's potential fighting style.

The other best option is what others have already said: RPG. Sonic's attacks and abilities can be speed based without compromising the playability of the other characters in a RPG.

[LaserX5]

I apparently have too much time to dwell on my thoughts at work. Earlier today, a thought entered my head about a Sonic SatAM game that played like a combo adventure game with Metal Gear Solid elements. Something like this...

Sonic and Sally enter Robotropolis for information on a new weapon Robotnik is developing. Somewhere along the way, what was once a simple information retrieval mission becomes a total cluster fuck. A hoarde of SWATbots stands between the duo and their objective. Sonic grabs Sally and jets off, but the princess calls him back, insisting that they need this information by any means necessary. She quickly offers to Sonic that he be a distraction while she enters the compound and gets what they came in for. Sonic agrees and the two shake on it "Let's do it to it!"

Level 1: Sonic rips through the city with SWATbots following behind him, destroying everything in his path and using buildings for cover as the SWATbots rake him with laserfire. At the end of his little rampage, before making his way back to pick up Sally who has retrieved the information they needed, a contingent of hover units headed up by Snivley trys to head him off. Sonic knew he'd need this Power Ring for some reason, and with the added boost it gives him, makes short work of the hoverheads before blasting off again.

Level 2: Using the distraction Sonic created (Is he the Priority One Hedgehog or what?) Sally enters the stronghold. Her task is to make her way through the compound without alerting the Techbots and various securtiy measures to her presence. Sneaking through the building, she eventually finds out where she needs to retrieve the information. Sally then has to make her way to the main computer lab and hack the information she needs before the computer's security systems detect her attempts. Things take just a little too long and a Techbot happens across her. The resulting alarm sends a cadre of SWATbots into the room. Somehow, Sally slips away and through the vents to await pickup from Sonic.

Conclusion: His Power Ring used up, Sonic doesn't want to risk a head on confrontation with Snively and jis SWATbot units scouring the city for him. He has to duck from dumpster to dumpster, jump across rooftops, and make his way through the city's sewer system, skirting spotlights and detection above ground, and security measures like laser grids below. He eventually makes his way to Sally through the sewers, and the pair quietly and covertly return to Knothole to share their findings.

Knothole istelf would play like a hub for missions and obtaining gear made from junk salvaged by Sonic and the others during missions. Rotor handles Sonic's gear (mines and other demolition stuffs) while Uncle Chuck supplies Sally with valuable information on their next mission. Seems they'll need Bunnie for this one...

Sonic's stages, in addition to other applicable characters (like Bunnie and Tails) would play like semi standard Sonic platforming fare, with Sonic tearing through Robotnik's forces with his trademark speed and attitude. Characters like Sally and Antoine (and Lupe to a lesser extent) would have a sort of Metal Gear esque style of play, creating an intense but ultimately enjoyable game experience.

I thought the idea was genius, but that got me thinking what other people might like to see in a SatAM game. Obviously this is just for fun, as we're never going to see this actually happen. So go as big as you want. What do you think would best capture the spirit of SatAM in a game? What would be cool to see? What did you think of my idea? All of these are good topics to go with.

Now go...

Very nice concept.

For me personally, the type of game play I'd like to see is Sonic/Megaman X, where you have the level design of the old Sonic 1-3 games and the ability to blast through enemies in the style of Megaman X, with massive explosions and destruction.

Most of the Freedom Fighters would be able to use weapons and gadgets such as bombs and hacking devices. Even give them the ability to sneak inside the base on-board a hover craft.

For the Knothole area, it should the same layout as the Megaman Zero games, where Sonic can roam around, get supplies, rest and interact with his teammates.

Also, have it where they would mix the old school Satam characters with most of the current Sega characters of today, such as Shadow, Amy Rose, Rouge, Knuckles, Silver and Blaze. Even add a few Sonic Archie characters, such as Julie-su, Mina Mongoose and Fiona Fox(temporarily unfortunately) It would certainly please old and new fans alike.

When you do a stage, you would have the ability to pick a parter to team up with Sonic to complete a mission.

As for the bosses, of course Julian Robotnik and Snively for starters. But also add Naugus, Mecha Sonic, Chaos, the Dark Legion, Scourge, and several others.

This would be a very dynamic Satam game. But that's just my opinion.

[Inhibitor]

I would kill for a Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction like game. I'm not saying that it should be packed with guns, gadgets and crazy stuff the series is known for, but I would like the jaw-dropping visuals it had and the epic scales. I daydream a lot, and I always had an idea of the first stage. A cutscene starts with Bunnie as she awakes in her hut, but she hears noise from outside. Screams, thunderous crashes and chaos. She gets herself situated and walks out, only to find all of Knothole in destruction. Gargantuan robots are seen traversing through the now apocalyptic knothole, firing weapons of mass destruction from their mechanical arms. From this point the player controls Bunnie as the initial mission is to help the citizens and bring them to safety. Once the player saves a certain amount a cutscene starts and Bunnie finds Tails lying on the ground. Battered and beaten, she takes him to the nearest safe location and runs into Sally along the way. She takes Tails and proceeds to look after him while Bunnie returns to Knothole. After Knothole seems free of citizens, a battle ensues as Bunnie must fight the enemies. The screen then shifts to another character.The game shifts focus to Sonic, miles away from the destruction happening. While dashing through grassfields he receives a message from Sally via a communication gadget Rotor made for all of the fighters. He is informed of Knothole's destruction and sprints toward his home. The player takes control of Sonic and a high speed section starts. I picture Sonic's gameplay to be similar to what was in Sonic Unleashed. Fast action stages with different paths to take. Once he arrives the three fighters assemble. They conceive a plan whereas Sonic distracts one of the robots while Bunnie attacks it from behind. While they keep the first one occupied, Sally proceeds to enter inside of the robot to destroy it from inside. The player takes control and a Metal Gear Solid-like stage begins. The player is only equipped with a Electro-pistol that short-curcuits any small robot she comes across. The player must proceed through as Sally will come across many smaller robots that she must fight. Once she arrives at the core a mini-game starts as the player must disable the internal setup to cause the robot to self-destruct. The player succeeds, the player dashes out of the robot, Bunnie and Sonic run clear of the blast and BOOM. The heart of the robot implodes as it slowly falls to the ground. The other giant robots fall back to their base and the Freedom Fighters cheer as they achieve their first victory. But who were those robots from? How did they find Knothole? Where are the rest of the fighters? Those questions will soon be revealed, but the screen fades to black as the first mission of the game comes to a close...

[The Man]

Don't forgot to add Cluck as an in between stage mini-boss. Beware, if the originality is too good you might wanna focus on your own game for that. I'm fearing of giving it away for free. But it's too late for that in some cases.

[The Man]

Delete. Hit submit twice.

[Inhibitor]

Don't forgot to add Cluck as an in between stage mini-boss. Beware, if the originality is too good you might wanna focus on your own game for that. I'm fearing of giving it away for free. But it's too late for that in some cases.

Cluck? What's he gonna do, make our ears bleed?


Wait, that could work.

[PSI Hedgehog]

An Ace Attorney: Mobian Justice game would be fun, but somewhat strange. Robotnik would not allow true Justice on Mobius unless it suited him. Of course, it would be very entertaining in my opinion.

[wildfire]

A lot of replies. Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner, but my internet was down for like, a week. I like the D20 RPG idea Anthony. If you actually do it i'd love to see it. Jim Doe did something like that on his site (idk if it's still up) so you could check it out for ideas. Search Neo Sonic the Webhog if intrigued...