thebackalleys

[LINK] (http://www.s2hd.com/)

This fan project is amazing and alpha demo is finally out. Everyone here who likes the Genesis games should play this. FYI, you have to right click on the title screen to access the controller support menu and I recommend looking at the manual. After beating the game, make sure to hold B (or S if you're using the keyboard) on the title screen and then hit start (or enter if you're using the keyboard) to access an awesome surprise. Also, some advice from one of the people behind the project for those having issues with the game.

Quote from: Canned KarmaWe've had plenty of people telling us that Microsoft Security Essentials is reporting that the .exe is a trojan. Rest assured it's a false positive.

If anyone is experiencing technical problems with black screens/not loading/etc., please look at the readme PDF we included. It has a list of some basic things we found before release.

doesn't work on win 7 x64, can't find the dll's

on a final note, they shouldnt list filefactory as their first mirror, it's a horrible download site

Weird. Is your graphics card and DirectX up to date?

yep

I like it. It really feels like a very classic sonic game. Even the stuff that was wrong with the original sonic 2 has been implemented (and believe it or not, i like it, it adds to the feel).

Well done, I guess. But I already played sonic 2 several times, this is an exact copy, why would i play it again?

Quote from: psi on March 28, 2012 03:49 PM
Well done, I guess. But I already played sonic 2 several times, this is an exact copy, why would i play it again?

at least this is free and seems to be a proper 1080p release unlike the truly terrible upscale jobs sold at full retail price

(https://thebackalleys.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FVJ3aD.jpg&hash=51eb9e23dc115101549e112581a4ede14bcfda58)

-_-

Quote from: Gladius on March 28, 2012 06:02 PM

Quote from: psi on March 28, 2012 03:49 PM
Well done, I guess. But I already played sonic 2 several times, this is an exact copy, why would i play it again?

at least this is free and seems to be a proper 1080p release unlike the truly terrible upscale jobs sold at full retail price

(https://thebackalleys.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FVJ3aD.jpg&hash=51eb9e23dc115101549e112581a4ede14bcfda58)

-_-

looks like all they did was take away fog

i thought that would be a bad thing for silent hill

IMO, sonic 2 doesn't need an HD port. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

just somebody do this with donkey kong country pls

Quote from: Hey guys, look! I'm finally a parkour master! on March 29, 2012 05:19 PM
just somebody do this with donkey kong country pls

sorry man DKC was actually good so it doesn't have a huge obsessive internet fandom

there's nothing particularly special about donkey kong country. it was an above average platformer at best. the graphics were ahead of its time, nothing else really

Quote from: Gladius on March 28, 2012 06:02 PM

Quote from: psi on March 28, 2012 03:49 PM
Well done, I guess. But I already played sonic 2 several times, this is an exact copy, why would i play it again?

at least this is free and seems to be a proper 1080p release unlike the truly terrible upscale jobs sold at full retail price

(https://thebackalleys.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FVJ3aD.jpg&hash=51eb9e23dc115101549e112581a4ede14bcfda58)

-_-

it's like i can see where the skybox ends

thanks konami

five minute long farting noise

shutup rtil dkc was revolutionary

make me :wile:

dont ban me plz

Turns out this fangame has DRM. Yes, a Sonic fangame of all things has DRM. For those who don't know (probably all of you), Sonic Retro (the site this fangame was founded on) originated as a rom hacking site and Sonic 2 HD began as a community project in 2008. The fact this game has really horrid DRM has caused a ton of drama on the site and it turns out the programmer of the game is a total douchebag that held this game's progress hostage. You can read about that guy's faggotry in this Sonic Retro editorial (http://www.sonicretro.org/2012/03/guest-editorial-in-which-i-rain-on-the-sonic-2-hd-parade/) and some programmer's blog who did the coding for Sonic Fan Remix (http://intheshadeofawave.blogspot.com/2012/03/sonic-2-hd-huge-debacle.html).* The first link also explains some history from the project and why the game is detected as a virus on a lot of anti-virus software (hint: the god awful DRM). Drama on Sonic Retro is always fucking hilarious, especially now that people are hacking Sonic 2 HD (http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=28367&view=findpost&p=674240) and mocking the game's bloated programming (http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=28367&view=findpost&p=674262).

*This is Sonic Fan Remix:

[LINK] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEd6s5S4hJI&hd=1)

Yes, both Sonic Fan Remix and Sonic 2 HD remade Emerald Hill. I don't understand why that level is so popular. -_-

is sonic fan remix still being made

this game looks really ugly tbh. i much prefer the original graphics, its all too bright and clashing and the gradient shading is hideous.

Quote from: rtil on March 30, 2012 11:39 AMis sonic fan remix still being made

It's on halt. The guy who was working on the physics left the project because he hated working on 3D games (though a replacement was found) and the other guy temporarily stopped working on it. He did release a very WIP version of Chemical Plant though. [LINK] (http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=19981&view=findpost&p=622617) Level design wise, the Chemical Plant demo was a huge improvement.

Sonic Fan Remix - Chemical Plant Zone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0U0Khj5PpQ#ws)

looks pretty cool. at this pace though it's gonna be years until that comes out lol

[LINK] (http://www.sonicretro.org/2012/04/public-service-announcement-keylogger-cleaning-up-sonic-2-hd/)

This fangame is really dangerous apparently so I recommend removing it from your computer. I'm very sorry.

lol. glad it didn't work on my computer then. that project can kiss its ass goodbye, not like it was going anywhere anyway. what is it with sonic fan game projects and taking fucking forever to finish? it can't honestly take that long to make a solid platformer. i've worked on game teams that got finished games done faster than these demos with 1 or 2 levels.

[LINK] (http://www.srb2.org/)

This fangame project has been in development since 1998.

(https://thebackalleys.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.srb2.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fafd00.png&hash=d777184ca3172c3a36eceead3383cddc2cc8fe00)

It's a common joke that 3D Sonic fangames never get finish and for a reason. Remarkably, some engine called the Sonic Worlds engine has allowed some people to make fangames without putting much effort into the engine. For example, this fangame took only a little over a year to make yet it has over 40 levels.

Sonic Before The Sequel - Final Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0ybXlcCNa0#)

Biggest problem for a lot of fangames is the engine. What fucked over Sonic 2 HD was its programmer LOst who's a massive douchebag that's responsible for the DRM and keylogger in this fangame. Fuck that guy.

yeah i know about srb2. imo it's not even that good and i dont understand why you'd develop a sonic game in an engine like that. the other game looks like it could be fun but it doesnt really bring anything new to the table.

now that sega's back on track with titles like generations the fan games really don't hold much promise anymore.

Well, the team only stuck to the Doom engine because they didn't want to have to start over. As for Sonic: Before the Sequel, it's a pretty good fangame. It has some art inconsistencies but overall I find it a lot of fun. Biggest problem with a lot of modern fangames is that they generally don't do a whole lot new. They usually try to make a Genesis styled but with their own little gimmicks. Nothing really bad in that, but a lot of older fangames generally tried be very different from each other. Downside is that a lot of them were also much less well made. This one fangame that released its first demo in 2001 and its second demo in 2002 is a good example of an older fangame that tried to take interesting risks.

ChaoMega (Sonic Fangame) Mud Forest Zone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhyigBvKZrc#)

For 2001, this was insanely impressive. Also, this article (http://www.sonicretro.org/2012/04/public-service-announcement-keylogger-cleaning-up-sonic-2-hd/) has been edited for the following reason.

Quote from: Scarred SunI fucked up. This is totally my fault and I take full responsibility for that. The article has been redacted and there will be another one going up shortly that explains the situation.

well in my book the game is still shit because it doesn't work at all on win 7 x64 which is something that every modern game should support these days. and your game shouldn't be setting off false positives in av software either

S2HD does work in Windows x64 but it sometimes has issues launching. Their programmer just kind of sucked so thank god he's being replaced (http://www.sonicretro.org/2012/04/lost-removed-as-sonic-2-hd-head-programmer-directinput-error-cause-of-keylogger-scare/). Also:

(https://thebackalleys.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F34087310%2FSonic%2FSonic%2520Retro%2FS2HDYahoo.png&hash=a4ddf45ee1c09162b60561c5d2193ce5185707cc)

[LINK] (http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/fan-made-sonic-game-triggers-anti-virus-warnings-190514162.html)

lololololololololol

yeah, the issue is that it doesn't launch at all.

It took me like fifteen tries to finally get the game to the screen to where I could actually play the damn game. Try messing with the graphics setting by right clicking.

no i jmean it doesnt launch AT ALL. it just says an error that a dll file is missing that is right there in the damn folder

[LINK] (http://board.sonicstadium.org/topic/12396-sonic-2-hd/#entry460829)

Try that. It worked for one person.

i already deleted it and i'm not downloading it again

Quote from: W.A.C. on April 11, 2012 05:17 AM
S2HD does work in Windows x64 but it sometimes has issues launching. Their programmer just kind of sucked so thank god he's being replaced (http://www.sonicretro.org/2012/04/lost-removed-as-sonic-2-hd-head-programmer-directinput-error-cause-of-keylogger-scare/). Also:

(https://thebackalleys.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F34087310%2FSonic%2FSonic%2520Retro%2FS2HDYahoo.png&hash=a4ddf45ee1c09162b60561c5d2193ce5185707cc)

[LINK] (http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/fan-made-sonic-game-triggers-anti-virus-warnings-190514162.html)

lololololololololol

Quote from: VincentLast month we proudly showed off a demo of what we've accomplished with S2HD.
Needless to say, more work has been done on the game; unfortunately, the odds of this work every seeing the light of day is slim to none. We gave the project's Lead Programmer, LOst, a week to provide us with a DRM free build of S2HD.
We've heard as much from him as you have, so it's safe to assume that's not going to happen. Given his complete lack of communication and cooperation, it falls upon to LOst to assume full responsibility for his actions as, up until the demo was released, the project's leadership was unaware of both the DRM and the now infamous DirectInput bug. This was the last straw for us. He had ignored direct requests for the past two years, effectively holding the project ransom by refusing additional help or review on his private engine. If he didn't think a piece of artwork matched his vision for the game, it was not included, or worse, was replaced by assets of his own creation. The same thing happened with the excellent multi-format sound engine our Tools Programmer Saxman created. Ultimately, LOst is no longer a part of the project.

That's the good news. The bad news for the project far outweighs it unfortunately. We cannot replace our lead programmer as LOst kept the source code for himself, making it impossible to the coded source material to be updated or used as a base for newer builds.
Additionally, two key staff members, scanline99 and Cerulean Nights (both of whom were chiefly responsible for the many animations, spritework, and overall polish seen in the demo) have resigned from the project to concentrate on independent works and careers. While we wish them the best in their endeavours, what this means to the project is that they will no longer be producing any artwork for it. Without them we are not able to guarantee the same level of quality seen in the alpha. At the moment, with ongoing careers and kids to look after, both myself and Canned Karma don't anticipate that we'll have a great deal of time to devote to S2HD either, which means we're forced to announce that

Sonic 2 HD is officially discontinued.

Certainly the DirectInput bug and the blogosphere fallout over it didn't help matters, but by the time that had taken place we had already made the decision to discontinue the project almost two months ago, well ahead of the demo's release. Internal conflicts between the project leadership and its main programmer which reached critical mass, and the only thing holding it together was the collective determination to put our frustrations aside and get a playable build into the hands of everyone who waited years for it.

Hopefully, another group in the Sonic community will pick up the torch and go forward with the vision we had over a year ago -- not just creating a Sonic 2 remake, but creating entirely original content.

Thanks to everyone who supported the project, especially to the passionate classic Sonic fanbase.
The appreciation thousands of fans expressed to S2HD as a game made "by fans for fans", represents a landmark where SEGA has to look at for a profitable use of the -highly demanded and beloved Classic franchise.

-Vincent

Team S2HD
Project Leader

[LINK] (http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=28367&st=760&p=680456&#entry680456)

:(

One of the people responsible for the game's art said this.

Quote from: Cerulean NightsScarred Sun, I won't speak for the whole team, but the reason I left the team is almost completely directly to LOst.  I went from putting my all into the project every single day in the beginning to practically not caring about it in the slightest after it didn't release last Jan 15th.  Why would I put so much of my effort into something I honestly was beginning to believe would never come out?  Once I had that realization, I knew it was time to move on with life.  We could have found another programmer, sure (and don't think for a second we didn't talk to many other people about it, including Taxman about using the Retro Engine), but I was so burnt out with the whole ordeal I just didn't care anymore.  I know I'm not alone in feeling that way.

S2HD was a great experience for me, it taught me a good deal about game design (both what to do and not to do) and I met some extremely talented people who have become close friends.  Even though it didn't turn it to the dream project I felt it could have, it actually helped put me in a position where I was able to follow a different dream!  That said, had LOst not been the lead programmer, you can bet that S2HD would have flourished as something truly amazing.  There was some more minor drama going with another artist a few years back, but after that got sorted out we as a team were working in perfect sync.  All except for one person that is. 

So Scarred Sun, I ask you to think very hard about what you post, because chances are anything you've learnt was through hearsay or the odd message from Vince or Canned Karma.  I'd hate to see a second rumor about our project stated as fact and posted to Retro's frontpage, the first one stung bad enough.

Such a shame the project ended this way.

sanic sanic sanic

Quote from: Canned KarmaAll right, one of the questions that's come up is why we didn't release the game sooner if, for all intents and purposes, the game itself was pretty much ready to go as of January 15th, 2011? Short answer, we had assets but no playable game. The long answer goes back almost a year and a half.

Rewind to late 2010. People were desperate to see what we actually had worked on since the teaser preview we'd put out March of that year. We really wanted to have a playable release for people to see, but the answer we kept on getting throughout that year was that the engine was coming along soon, and that we'd be able to play the game once a couple more things were taken care of (We quickly got used to that response, and that's another topic of conversation entirely...). Needless to say, by the holiday season we were really wondering exactly when we'd be able to even play the game ourselves. Vincent and LOst set a deadline of January 15th to light a fire under the team and really get things moving. And that certainly happened -- with scanline and CN. When it became frighteningly clear that we would not even have an internal build of the game to play in early 2011, and no solid idea on when that would really be (most of us lost count of just how many "internal programming deadlines" came and passed without result), scanline and CN put an insane amount of work into creating a trailer from scratch to show the world what the game would eventually look like. If this wasn't a testament to their skills as artists, I don't know what is.

At this point, not a single person on our team had actually played the game. There was no working game code. It would not be until July of 2011 that we had our first internal staff build of S2HD, and that was limited to basic movement with Sonic on non-animated tiles. The next three months saw more visible (and playable) progress on the game than the last two years combined. And even this was fraught with arguments on why certain assets that had been sitting completed for well over a year were not implemented when there was no reason for them not to have been. It's equally notable that only one person was doing any real work during this period of time, since the artists were tired of working on assets that had no guarantee of ever being seen (Hill Top's assets are the chief example of this, unfortunately). The last 'deadline' that was posted internally was for the end of October. By that time, we more or less had a build that could be released. It just would have been a very, very, very quiet build.

All the work had been done on the player interaction and game coding. The sound coding had not even been touched. Given that audio programming was not one of LOst's strong suits, and we'd already worked with Saxman in the past on object editors for level layouts, we contacted him again to see if he would be interested in helping out with audio. Soon after the start of 2012, we had a sound engine for S2HD thanks to his efforts, and a truly impressive one at that. The problem was getting his sound engine integrated with LOst's game engine. If the writing wasn't on the wall before, this is when it became crystal clear. After numerous messages questioning what the progress had been made on the integration were met by silence, we were notified that LOst was working on his own sound engine, but that it would probably 'take another three months before it will be ready'. Despite the fact that we had an excellent sound driver ready and waiting, it was not going to be included in S2HD.

This was when we first banned LOst from the staff forums.

A week later, after a frenzied series of emails between himself and Vincent notifying him of 'rapid progress' made on the sound driver, LOst was unbanned, if only so he could post up his latest build of S2HD with audio. It wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, especially not compared with what Saxman labored to create, but at least we had something resembling a completed demo build that could be released.

As some have pointed out at length, giving one person all the keys to the kingdom in a project like this and being made totally reliant on them to produce is a very bad idea. Without LOst to compile builds that were in code only he knew in formats only he used, all stored only on his computer, we could not release S2HD to the public. At the very least, I will thank LOst for not deciding to disappear before the demo was released, otherwise no one would have ever gotten to play the game at all. The final build that was released represents a number of compromises made at the very end when things were coming completely unglued for us. It ultimately wasn't worth it for us to continue fighting over things we doubted we'd ever see a resolution for, or weren't willing to wait additional weeks/months/years for them to come about.

Let me be very clear that the team members were by no means all at each other's throats. All of us on staff leadership continue to be very good friends beyond the project, and have been for a long time now. All our frustrations were directed at one person.

Regarding assets: we're leaving that up to the artists. If they want to release what they worked on, it's their call as we feel they should have the final say over the work they spent so many hours on. Should someone still have a working link to the community database where art was submitted during the project's infancy and wants to start another project based on that, by all means go for it. We don't have those assets, as none of them were used in the demo.

To those looking to begin their own project, community based or otherwise -- insist on a high degree of communication and accountability from those you work with from the very beginning with regular, peer review of the work being done. Above all else, there should be no I in team. This has been our most painful lesson.

[LINK] (http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=28367&view=findpost&p=681099)

Wow... Apparently, the official trailer from over a year ago isn't even real gameplay footage. Shocking.

Sonic 2 HD Teaser Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmpIkrl-B5M#ws)

not too heartbroken over it really. the project was kind of stupid to begin with - remake an old game to the exact detail with "HD" graphics? kind of a stupid premise to begin with if you ask me.

I mostly feel sorry for the artists who put so much effort into the art.

i don't feel sorry for them. they were vectorizing almost 20 year old pre-made art from a trademarked game series. they made a poor choice on what to spend their effort and time on

If I had the skill as a programmer, I would script a beat-em up in the style of thebackalleys, it'd be like a community project and play in a context like Streets of Rage. Oh wrong topic...

Oh Yeah or maybe like a the back alleys fighting game that's never been done before (c) me