Alextendo

It's a subject i started talking in a other topic and think it should deserve is own topic as well. Here, we'll talk about the visual in video game, but more precisely the art design. In the industry, some try to make their game look the most realistic possible, others will make their game stand out from the rest by giving their game a visual identity through a specific art style.

Some will probably ask me: Alex, why make a game stylize when you can make your game realistic? The anwser is this: Make game cheaper, and help the game to survive the test of time. Game that only want to look ''realistic'' tend to be more brown/grey and become graphicly outdated faster.

It's not to say that it's impossible to make a game realistic looking and making the game outdated as soon as a newer game with even better graphic will come out. To avoid such thing, once again, by giving a better art style, you can make your game visually realistic and yet, make you game beatifull for years to come. Look at Silent Hill 2 and 3, or Resident Evil 1 (the remake for the GC): These game right there have realistic visual, and still look good today, despite the presence of more realistic game on the new next-gen system.

Yoshi Island for the SNES still look gorgeous today, while other game the last generation can barely look watchable. Bioshock Infinite for the PS3/360 will still look better in the next 5-10 years thanks to his art style, while the newer BF4 for the PS4/One while quickly become visually outdate.

What are your thought on that. What do you prefer, realistic graphic or stylize visual and why?

I'm not really sure where i can put this topic, so i'm gonna do it here.

I got an idea yesterday, about a modding project for Sonic 4 Episode 2 for PC. But i'm not sure if this game is easy to mod or not. But before i explain what i have in mind, i'll do a little introduction.

Did anyone had ever heard of a certain guy named Mike Nichols? He's a huge Star Wars fan and after he saw the 1999 atrocity that was Star Wars Episode 1, he decide to start a project. His intention was to edit the movie, cut some scene and if possible, change some dialogue. To make it simple, remove the crap and enhance the good stuff. In other word, take something not great and make it good (within the limit of what can be done, of course). His work didn't go overlook. His project gather so much attention, that a movement based on ''fan editing'' was born. Now, there's a site dedicated to that: www.fanedit.org .

All of that bring me to my next point, why not do the same thing, but this time about video game? Take a game that leave to be desire, fix the issue and correct all mistake and in result to came up with a fun and good game. When Nichols make his ''Star Wars 1 the Phantom Edit'' (well, this is how he called his version of the movie), he make this to make a ''good edition'' of the episode 1 and i want to do the same with Sonic 4 Episode 2.

This is why i'm here and i want to ask if anyone is interest and want to help me in this.

When Dimps made S4E2, they said they're gonna fix the physic, which they did....but what about the level design? What about the music, the gameplay mechanic or the story? What i ask is not make a another game based of Sonic 4. It's not a total conversion, this is just fixing the issue to make this game great. I want to make the TRUE Sonic 4, as we imagine it. Of course i could simply look at some entirely fan-made game, like Sonic Classic (which is very cool btw), but it's not a official game. Of course a project like that will simply be a fan-editing, but at least it will be based of a official game.

This is list of thing that should get modified/change/cut/removed/whatever in order to really improved the quality of Sonic 4 Episode 2.

-First off, drop the concept of episode. Just act like if the first episode had never existed and the episode 2 is the entire and only Sonic 4.

-Modified/fix the level design. We need to get rid of these enormous amount of spring and speed booster that are unessecary. The physic was improved, let's used it properly and change the level design to give a good used of momentum gameplay.

-The Sonic & Tails combo attack was gimmicly at best and break the rythm of the game. We should get rid of that. Instead, Sonic and Tails should be select separatly just like in Sonic 2 and 3, each with their own hability.

-Remove all reference to the Little Planet and Sonic CD. The connexion to Sonic CD was not only unnessecary, but didn't work well on a story standpoint. Sonic 4 is the sequel of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, let's make it that way.

-Music, my gosh the freaking music. We really need to improve that. Improve the beat and the sound quality so my ear can stop to bleed when i listen to the music. Also, we should make the music longer and less repetitive.

-Give 2 different ending. One bad and one good (get all the Chaos emerald to get the good ending)

The ''Metal Episode'' can still be here too. But here's what is going to need to change:

-Once again, remove all reference to Sonic CD (including the intro at Little Planet)

-Improve the physic

-Like i said before, we should forget Sonic 4 Episode 1 altogheter. That's why the stage in Episode metal will have to be remade in a way to forget Episode 1 completely. How? Let's change the level design completely and re-created the stage of Sonic 1 (change Splash hill to the original Green Hill, etc). Then, we modify the story and tell the player that Metal Sonic is going through South Island to reach Sonic.

So far, this is pretty much it. It's alot of work, but with all these change, we can make Sonic 4 Episode 2 good. The wasted potential could be used at full capacity and make a TRUE Sonic 4.

I really want to make this (if possible). But i can't do this alone. I'm gonna need back-up for that. You do you guys think about it? Sound's good?...or bad? Let me know...

I'm honestly not a fan of fan-fiction, but if i had to make a story on my own, it would be based on something already established.

Did anyone remember the ''Great War''? According to the Archie Comie, the Great War happen between 3220 to 3225 and was a conflict that oppose the Acorn Kingdom to the Overlander Empire. Later in the war, when Julian change side, he help the Acorn Kingdom to change the tide of the war, to eventually bring victory. But so far, not so much is know about this war. Some element were told here or there, but alot of hole can be see in this war. So, i tell myself, why not make a complete story of the Great war? This story is mainly based of the few know element of the war, told by the comic or ''the Blast to the Past'' episode from SatAM, but some change could be done here or there in order to make the story consistent. In the comic, the war is usualy show as kid-frindly. But this is war, and will be shown as such. I don't intent to make a ''dark'' or ''edgie'' story, but only intented to make it belivable in his presentation. This is war, people will live, some will died, etc. Overall, the harsh reality of war.

I like to imagine this story in a animated series of 10 episode, in which each episode told some part of the war from the beggening of the conflict to the end. I always found silly to see the Mobian fight like barbarian with fist and sword agaisnt an imperial army with high technology.

In my full interpretation of the Great War, i'm inspired from many element from many battle. I take inspiration from other thing like movie only to enhance the credibility factor of the story.

I always imagine the Acorn Royal Army with a WW1 British-like uniform, fight with bolt-action rifle and few machinegun. At that period in Mobian history, the technology was in a pre-industrial state. Their enemy, the Overlander Empire, was equiped with high-tech weapon. I imagine the Overlander with a Russian Spetnaz-looking uniform and equipment, but with a more high-tech look to it. The reason why i choose the Spetnaz look for the uniform is because for a powerfull army, i want them to look menacing and powerfull, to fully represent their autority and power.

Add a more high-tech look to the armor and it's perfect!

This story will be told through 10 episode (or you can called it chapter too if you want), each of them will be told one by one in this topic. Maybe (just maybe), i'll draw some picture to represent some historical battle of this conflict, and show these draw like if they were picture taken during the event (to give this story a documentary feel to it).

I first talked about this story to Robthe1st, which he suggest me to go here and share it with everyone. At first i didn't know if i really want to. But hey, why not? It's not like i'm gonna lose anything if i do so. So there it is! If anyone is curious about this story and want to ask few question before i begin, go ahead.

Did anyone ever heard of the infamous and disturbing story of the Arcade game of the early '80: Polybius?

For those who are unaware, Polybius was the name of a arcade game that was produce by Atari (well, according to the little we know) or by some person who were working of the arcade game Battlezone. It was said that this machine, unleashed in some arcade store/shop appear in Oregon, and some time to time, mysterious agent come by to collect data from the machine and one day, the arcade disapear to never be seen again. What is strange about that, is not really the mysterious agent, no. What is mysterious is the effect for those who was unfortunate enough to play: Dizzyness, memory loss, unable to sleep and suicide behavior. The rumor spread as if the machine was some kind of CIA experiment in attemp to perform a ''mind control'' prototype or something and they used young citizen as laboratory rats.

Of course, this is just one stupid creepy pasta, right? Right?......

Well, to this day, it's impossible to know if this is all true. Does this arcade have really existed? We may never know. But let me tell you this, real or not, this story can possibly be true. I'm sure some of you will tell me: But Alex, it's impossible to make such thing with a arcade machine! Which i reply: Yes, it's possible...

In the 1950's, the CIA have started a top-secret operation, know as MKUltra. This operation who was running from the 50's to the mid-70's was a bunch of experiment about mind-control device. Even a Canadian psycologist was brought in this experiment. Special drugs was used, and other atrocious things was used to test many subject to see the effect and how a mind can be control and/or re-write. Some of the CIA agent decide to leave, since he wasn't able to deal with this, considering this project as immoral. One week later, he was found dead. What was said to be a suicide, was later revealed as a murder from the CIA to make sure he will never leak any information. Other retired agent on this project wanted to wrote a book about it, but end up in court, in order to censor the content. From the mid-to-late-70's, this dark story was revealed to public....kinda. Some info was leaked but the CIA, in a cover operation to hide the truth, order to destroy every record and document. The only rare document who survive so far was officialy revealed to the public in the 90's.

Knowing this kind of operation is possible, a arcade game based of that test could possibly be real. Some rare photo proove the existance of the arcade. But it could also be some photoshop fake too. Either way, it's a creepy story....but a very interesting one to say the least.

I'll end this with a ''Game Theory'' video:

Did i'm the only one who have a big interest in beta/alpha/prototype games? If not, then come along and share your experience or thought with these title and what interest you the most in them.

In this topic, it will be mainly about prototype/alpha/tech demo/unreleased games, or fan-made re-creation of any of thoses.

I'm going to start with some fan-made re-creation of some game:

-Duke Nukem Forever 2013.

At this point, i think everyone already know this game and why we all know it. Some guy decide to re-created the game as it was intended to be with the Build Engine (the engine with which Duke Nukem 3D used)

http://www.moddb.com...e-nukem-forever

-Sonic 1 Beta Remake:

http://info.sonicret...c_1_Beta_Remake

-Super Mario World Beta Remake:

http://www.unseen64....emake-released/

-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oblivion Lost Remake

.....Well, i don't any link for this one. I got it through torrent files. I've never found any project pages or anything (if there is one to begin with). I can at least show you a official beta trailer:

-Project AXSX:

A re-creation of the sadly cancelled Sonic Xtreme, anyone is interest with this as much as i am?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU-k90htzqk&feature=player_detailpage

...And you, what Beta games interest you and why? What are the most intriguing change you notice from a early footage/picture and the final version?