4:09 That's absolutely not how scrolling works on the Genesis. It is a tile-based video processor with two planes, and sprites. The planes are moved on the screen, and their contents are updated off-screen, per-tile, not per pixel. They also wrap on themselves. It is still a huge achievement that the Sonic engines can scroll the screen so fast, but if it had to be as it was described on the video, it would be literally impossible.
to add to this, you're able to update the offset of the tilemap per-scanline, allowing you to do some basic horizontal parallax scrolling Sonic 3 added to this by also using sprites to have overlapping elements and things that also scroll vertically
I remember the first ads for Sonic 2 highlighting the "Blast Processing" buzzword. We really had never seen a side scroller move that fast, even faster than the original Sonic game.
This is a great video but the title is a little confusing considering its more trivia about the zone itself/how it's evolved instead of how it almost never happened
so, _how_ exactly did this zone almost never happen? i don't think i got anything regarding that from this video, except for a brief aside to say something to the effect of 'this game was rushed, so a few levels were axed to release the game on time.' @ 2:07
@@KairuHakubi I think a lot of this is a very bad misinterpretation of the design document. Like genuinely might be either plagiarized from somewhere else and reworded in a way that ruins it, or AI generated. I can only assume its that it was going to be a slower, more dangerous late game level at first possibly? Quite frankly I wouldn't trust this at all
As a casual player in the 90s, Chemical Plant was my 1UP farm. I had a route that hit all the extra life monitors and got 100 rings. Once I'd gotten all the extra lives I could out of the level, I'd spend one to go through the loop again, building up a handful of lives each iteration.
Smart thinking! My version of that was a super specific part of Eggman Land (don't laugh) in Sonic Unleashed. You could essentially trade 1 life for 3 or 4 by running a route, dying, and running it back. Probably a lil late in the game but I remember feeling proud of myself for finding it lmao
Obviously the the bouncy chemicals in mania is a blatant reference to Wacky Workbench's main gimmick, which surprisingly my favorite classic sonic level.
@Jorge-pm2db Oh wow! That's kind of surprising but I think that it should be honored a little because a lot of its gimmicks are stilled used in games like mania & a bit of sonic superstars if I remember. I'm pretty sure almost every single gimmick of Wacky Workbench is used in mania & many others.
@@hoardn_therealalthoog2521 yeah man, I mean playing it is messy but the aesthetic of the level is cool. Also the past version song is a complete banger.
@@hoardn_therealalthoog2521 Oh yeah Wacky Workbench is kind of got a reputation for being one of the worst levels of the classic games. I think this is mostly because its gimmick kinda doesn't work if you are trying to speed through the level. It does work really well, however, for the main exploration loop of Sonic CD which is why I like the level a lot. Doesn't help that it has some of the best music in the game across all soundtracks
0:49 to be honest labyrinth zone is for the people that replay the game over and over like me, there’s a lot of shortcuts if you know what you’re doing.
I actually always theorized that Casino Night Zone was supposed to be the second stage (again, very few badniks and obstructions, it's really a big playground where you kill YOURSELF with the slot machines), and this was supposed to preceed Oil Ocean Zone and they mixed the two up - either because Casino Night Zone's boss was absurdly hard/awkward, to use the speed boosters to really set Sonic 2's mood... or both, so they were transposed with one another.
6:36 and that’s the problem the sonic series nowadays relies too much on previous zones instead of making new ones it’s fine for anniversary games but seriously
I love Chemical Plant in Sonic 2. The music and stage are still top tier. I only wish that the guys who worked on Sonic Mania included the Aquatic Ruins Zone.
I got a MegaDrive 1 (hello from Europe) along with Sonic 2 as a freebie to my SNES from the flea market which itself came with Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World. Anyway, the two things that burned themselves into my child brain the most back then when it comes to Sonic 2 where both Chemical Plant and the Half Pipe Stages.
6:03 Uhhh, was that tthaAngel Island Zone act 2 boss from Sonic 3? In Chemcial Plant Zone from Sonic 2? And it was using the Sonic 1 style sonic sprites? PICK A GAME BRO
@@SonicSatamAnimations I can agree with that, but not "One of gaming's MOST iconic levels"... When you think of levels that are iconic, you don't think of Chemical Plant as the top 10!
![WHAT IF? SONIC AND TAILS NEVER MET? [REMASTERED] Parts 1-3 | What if Sonic](/img/n.gif)
4:09 That's absolutely not how scrolling works on the Genesis. It is a tile-based video processor with two planes, and sprites. The planes are moved on the screen, and their contents are updated off-screen, per-tile, not per pixel. They also wrap on themselves.
It is still a huge achievement that the Sonic engines can scroll the screen so fast, but if it had to be as it was described on the video, it would be literally impossible.
@@lpcamargo this is an excellent technical description, thanks for taking the time!
to add to this, you're able to update the offset of the tilemap per-scanline, allowing you to do some basic horizontal parallax scrolling
Sonic 3 added to this by also using sprites to have overlapping elements and things that also scroll vertically
I remember the first ads for Sonic 2 highlighting the "Blast Processing" buzzword. We really had never seen a side scroller move that fast, even faster than the original Sonic game.
I remember playing deleted levels in Sonic 2, Wood Zone and Genocide Zone are my favorites.
Could've been a very different game! I'm glad they still found a way to manifest some of those early ideas
@@Cavanaughty I played all the deleted levels
I think he knows that, you kinda already said it@@yoshy6147
Wood zone was somewhat playable (had no finish tho
@@eraser1103wastaken Well, I finished when I hit the sign.
Future Time:
Casino Night Zone
Chemical Plant Zone
Genocide/Cyber City Zone
Death Egg Zone
Yup yup! I think Metropolis might be in there too
@Cavanaughty Metropolis Zone was in Present Time
Neo Death Egg was the future or a third return to the past after a scrapped volcano stage. Death Egg was my in the ruined present
This is a great video but the title is a little confusing considering its more trivia about the zone itself/how it's evolved instead of how it almost never happened
so, _how_ exactly did this zone almost never happen? i don't think i got anything regarding that from this video, except for a brief aside to say something to the effect of 'this game was rushed, so a few levels were axed to release the game on time.' @ 2:07
yeah i'm a little lost on that too. It was going to be more like Labyrinth Zone at first? how do we know that?
@@KairuHakubi I think a lot of this is a very bad misinterpretation of the design document. Like genuinely might be either plagiarized from somewhere else and reworded in a way that ruins it, or AI generated.
I can only assume its that it was going to be a slower, more dangerous late game level at first possibly?
Quite frankly I wouldn't trust this at all
As a casual player in the 90s, Chemical Plant was my 1UP farm. I had a route that hit all the extra life monitors and got 100 rings. Once I'd gotten all the extra lives I could out of the level, I'd spend one to go through the loop again, building up a handful of lives each iteration.
Smart thinking! My version of that was a super specific part of Eggman Land (don't laugh) in Sonic Unleashed. You could essentially trade 1 life for 3 or 4 by running a route, dying, and running it back. Probably a lil late in the game but I remember feeling proud of myself for finding it lmao
Obviously the the bouncy chemicals in mania is a blatant reference to Wacky Workbench's main gimmick, which surprisingly my favorite classic sonic level.
Man, Wacky Workbench for me was torture, I just hate that level.
You're the first guy I've heard who says Wacky Workbench is his favorite level
He’s not the only one, I like wacky workbench too. Though, a decent amount was more a liking for the colours and the look of the level
@Jorge-pm2db Oh wow! That's kind of surprising but I think that it should be honored a little because a lot of its gimmicks are stilled used in games like mania & a bit of sonic superstars if I remember. I'm pretty sure almost every single gimmick of Wacky Workbench is used in mania & many others.
@@hoardn_therealalthoog2521 yeah man, I mean playing it is messy but the aesthetic of the level is cool.
Also the past version song is a complete banger.
@@hoardn_therealalthoog2521 Oh yeah Wacky Workbench is kind of got a reputation for being one of the worst levels of the classic games. I think this is mostly because its gimmick kinda doesn't work if you are trying to speed through the level. It does work really well, however, for the main exploration loop of Sonic CD which is why I like the level a lot.
Doesn't help that it has some of the best music in the game across all soundtracks
0:49 to be honest labyrinth zone is for the people that replay the game over and over like me, there’s a lot of shortcuts if you know what you’re doing.
Was not ready for 3:08
@@jhavvy he’s accumulating mass
I actually always theorized that Casino Night Zone was supposed to be the second stage (again, very few badniks and obstructions, it's really a big playground where you kill YOURSELF with the slot machines), and this was supposed to preceed Oil Ocean Zone and they mixed the two up - either because Casino Night Zone's boss was absurdly hard/awkward, to use the speed boosters to really set Sonic 2's mood... or both, so they were transposed with one another.
6:36 and that’s the problem the sonic series nowadays relies too much on previous zones instead of making new ones it’s fine for anniversary games but seriously
The scenes from "It's Always Sunny..." are always appreciated! Great video. I can hardly wait for the Tomb Raider series. *hint*
Had a lot of fun with those and Tomb Raider's got a rich history - not a bad idea at all! :)
to be fair motorola 68000 assembly is easier to understand than basically every other architecture's assembly
the mean bean machine in mania is worth mention
Bro you are insane small channel with such quality keep going man I didn’t even notice you were a small channel
I sincerely appreciate that dogg, thank you!!
woah great video man! Well written easy to listen to!
finally someone who thinks labyrinth zone is fun. (I'm a sucker for slow difficult platformers)
I love Chemical Plant in Sonic 2. The music and stage are still top tier. I only wish that the guys who worked on Sonic Mania included the Aquatic Ruins Zone.
I'm about ready to start a full-on petition for Sonic Mania 2 - there's still so much untapped potential!
I got a MegaDrive 1 (hello from Europe) along with Sonic 2 as a freebie to my SNES from the flea market which itself came with Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World.
Anyway, the two things that burned themselves into my child brain the most back then when it comes to Sonic 2 where both Chemical Plant and the Half Pipe Stages.
5:53 yep that’s why along with green hill and to a lesser extent sky sanctuary people are sick of seeing chemical plant
I feel like there are way more people who love sonic mania than I would think
Underrated channel
Thanks so much, I appreciate you!
None of this whole Sonic franchise stuff was the plan. It was originally a concept.
Intro was 🔥🔥🔥
agreed
Thanks boys ❤
love seeing these coming together!
6:05 Why is the Egg Scorcher Mk III in Chemical Plant in WIR's Ending? Eggman hasn't even used the Mk II yet there.
Just liked & subscribed, can you do “City Escape” next
1:47 there were no monkeys. You should probably play the leaked prototypes to get a better idea of what early emerald hill looked like.
6:03 Uhhh, was that tthaAngel Island Zone act 2 boss from Sonic 3? In Chemcial Plant Zone from Sonic 2? And it was using the Sonic 1 style sonic sprites? PICK A GAME BRO
Bro the 🎤 quality
Certainly getting better with each video but still working on getting it perfect 🙏🏻
Wow, I got halfway through, before being thoroughly disgusted by the Sonic CD erasure.
No Way!!
Flames until sonic team said let's milk it!
0:44 🤣
Chemical Plant isn't THAT iconic outside of the Sonic fandom or people who played it
It is
Eat a carrot buddy
@@DubiousDepthsRadio No, it isn't
I won't
@@UtSonicAM_NavySketcher it is
Eat a cuCUMber
Chemical plant is by far the most memorable and iconic zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
@@SonicSatamAnimations I can agree with that, but not "One of gaming's MOST iconic levels"... When you think of levels that are iconic, you don't think of Chemical Plant as the top 10!
this video was quite confusing
You’re so handsome 😓
you mention forces instead of CD. yeah no i ain't watching this.
that was so weird lol