Difference between revisions of "R2"

Latest revision as of 12:18, 22 September 2024

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

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It has been proposed that R2 be renamed and moved to Dubious Depths.
Reason for proposal: This appears to be the intended name for the zone according to the citations.

Dubious Depths

Scrapped round, Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Number of Acts: 3 (planned)
Location: Little Planet
Level theme: underground/cave
Boss: R2 Boss

Dubious Depths,^[1] also known as Ridicule Root,^[2] is a scrapped Round intended for the Mega-CD version of Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Commonly referred to as R2 (Round 2) due to the internal structure of the game, it was removed at an early stage of development.

Overview

An animated sequence of Sonic running through the removed stage.

Very little is known about Dubious Depths. Designed to take place between Palmtree Panic and Collision Chaos, the Round was intended to at least be partially underground, similar to Marble Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Stone floors, vegetation, and metallic structures would be seen, along with rainbow waterfalls flowing over the architecture.^[3] The layout of the Round was to focus more on technical platforming than pure speed.^[4] Concept art suggests spikes would have been a major obstacle in the Round, along with large fans that would have possibly lifted Sonic into the air.^[5]

An animated sequence of the Round would appear in Sonic Jam, featuring an encounter with an antlion inspired badnik. It would not be added to the credits of Sonic the Hedgehog CD until the 2011 remake.

The "Present" version of the music for this level can still be found in-game. Named "Little Planet," it is the default song that plays in D.A. Garden.^[4]

Enemies

Three enemies are known to have been designed for Dubious Depths:

	A badnik with some similarities to the Burrobot.
	An antlion inspired badnik.
	A worm-like badnik.

History

The Time Attack screen from the v0.02 prototype, with eight rounds listed.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD was first playable in demo form to the public during the Yuusei Sega World event on December 6, 1992.^[6] While an early version of Palmtree Panic, then called "Salad Plain," was the only playable stage at the event, the Time Attack screen revealed that eight Rounds were planned for the final version. Between this v0.02 prototype and the "510" prototype, work on "R2" ceased. Production on the level halted early enough that not all the graphical work for the stage was completed.^[7]

Speculation on a potentially missing stage began soon after the game's commercial release. When accessing the game's secret level select code, each stage was listed not by name, but by number and letter; 1-1-A would take the player to Palmtree Panic Zone 1 Present, 1-1-B to Palmtree Panic Zone 1 Past, and so on. Missing was any level starting with 2, 3-1-A instead pointing to the second Round in the game, Collision Chaos. This numbering matched the file structure on the 1996 Windows PC port of the game, each Round given a unique folder: "R1" holding the data for Palmtree Panic, "R3" for Collision Chaos, and so on. Missing from this structure was "R2."

The Little Planet as seen in the design document for Sonic the Hedgehog CD, including an area called "2R".

This speculation furthered with the release of Sonic Jam, which contained the animation sequences from Sonic CD. During the ending credits animation vignettes, a previously unseen sequence took place between that of Palmtree Panic and Collision Chaos. In it, Sonic runs through what looks to be a ruined area, with bluish-gray metallic structures along with areas of overgrown vegetation. Jumping off collapsing stone tiles revealing quicksand, the sequence ends with Sonic being attacked by an antlion badnik. This sequence did not seem to match any of the levels in the final version of the game. It would later be confirmed by Landscape Designer Masato Nishimura this sequence was meant to represent "R2."^[8]

Confirmation of the level's existence came with the "Sonic CD Developer Diary," meant to advertise the 2011 remake of the game.^[9] In the video, Kazuyuki Hoshino goes through his sketchbooks from his time working on Sonic CD. Among the sketches is a drawing of cascading rainbow waterfalls flowing over various structures. It was soon confirmed by the developer of the 2011 remake, Christian Whitehead, that the sketch was from R2.^[10] He also confirmed a number of other sketches were connected to the stage, including a boss concept. Enemy and boss sprites would later be released by Whitehead in 2013.^[11]

Pages from the design document of Sonic the Hedgehog CD were included with the release of Sonic Origins, including a map of Little Planet showing "2R" between areas resembling Palmtree Panic and Collision Chaos.^[5] Naoto Ohshima would reveal R2's intended name - Dubious Depths - in 2023,^[1] with Masato Nishimura providing an alternate, earlier name for the level on social media.^[2]

Several explanations have been given for the Round's removal. Jim Tretheway, a member of the team that ported Sonic CD to Windows 95, claimed in a 2000 interview that Junetsu Kakuta implied the level was removed during production for not meeting quality standards.^[12] In 2011, Masato Nishimura claimed the level's removal was due to space and schedule restrictions,^[4], clarifying in 2022 that space considerations were for the music data.^[13] Naoto Ohshima has since suggested the removal may have been down to the level's layout being incompatible with Sonic's speed, describing it as a "dungeon."^[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Breadcrumb
-|Sonic the Hedgehog CD|:Category:Sonic the Hedgehog CD levels|l2=Levels|{{PAGENAME}}}}
+|Sonic the Hedgehog CD|:Category:Sonic the Hedgehog CD levels|l2=Levels|Dubious Depths}}
 {{Move|destination=Dubious Depths|reason=This appears to be the intended name for the zone according to the citations.}}
 {{LevelBob
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 | levelno=Scrapped
 | game= Sonic the Hedgehog CD
-| acts=3 (presumably)
 | location=[[Little Planet]]
 | theme1=underground/cave
+| acts=3 (planned)
 | boss=R2 Boss
+| prev=
+| next=
 }}
-'''Dubious Depths'''{{ref|https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?posts/1032560/}} (commonly known as simply '''R2''' ('''R'''ound '''2''') and previously known as '''Ridicule Root'''{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230125090716/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/1618163967633010691}} during development) is a scrapped [[Round]] from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]''. Set to take place between [[Palmtree Panic]] (Round 1) and [[Collision Chaos]] (Round 3), it was removed at an early stage of development. Hints to its existence can be found in the [[Mega-CD]] and [[Windows PC]] versions of the game.
+'''Dubious Depths''',{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=1032527|title=Sonic CD's Mysterious Cut R2 Level Discussion - Post Origins Edition}}}} also known as '''Ridicule Root''',{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230125090716/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/1618163967633010691}} is a scrapped [[zone|Round]] intended for the [[sega:Sega Mega-CD|Mega-CD]] version of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]''. Commonly referred to as '''R2''' ('''R'''ound '''2''') due to the internal structure of the game, it was removed at an early stage of development.
-It is thought to be analogous to [[Marble Zone]] in the original ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', with leaked concept art suggesting a stage that took place at least partially underground. Geographically, it would be located on the [[Little Planet]].
+==Overview==
+[[Image:SCD R2GIF.gif|thumb|right|320px|An animated sequence of Sonic running through the removed stage.]]
+Very little is known about Dubious Depths. Designed to take place between [[Palmtree Panic]] and [[Collision Chaos]], the Round was intended to at least be partially underground, similar to [[Marble Zone]] from the original ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]''. Stone floors, vegetation, and metallic structures would be seen, along with rainbow waterfalls flowing over the architecture.{{fileref|SCDconcept-R2RainbowWaterfalls.jpg}} The layout of the Round was to focus more on technical platforming than pure speed.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20201121034606/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/136837158827851777}} Concept art suggests spikes would have been a major obstacle in the Round, along with large fans that would have possibly lifted Sonic into the air.{{fileref|SonicCD MCD Development LittlePlanet.png}}
-==Design==
+An animated sequence of the Round would appear in ''[[Sonic Jam]]'', featuring an encounter with an [[R2 Badnik 2|antlion]] inspired [[badnik]]. It would not be added to the credits of ''Sonic the Hedgehog CD'' until the [[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)|2011 remake]].
-[[File:SonicCD MCD Development LittlePlanet.png|thumb|320px|right|Little Planet concept, complete with a "2R" design.]]
-For many years, the existence of the round was little more than speculation, gathered from inconsistencies in the game's files. Proof of its existence came in a ''Sonic CD'' developer's diary video, uploaded by [[Sega Europe]] onto YouTube on November 29, 2011 (to promote [[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)|the 2011 re-releases of the game]]){{ref|https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/9TFgFSF5Lb4|2=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TFgFSF5Lb4}}. In the video, a sketch of what appears to be rainbow-coloured waterfalls appears, something confirmed by 2011 port's lead developer, [[Christian Whitehead]] as concept art for the zone{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=647570|title=Sonic Retro forum thread: Sonic CD now out for everything except Nintendo consoles}}}}.
-With the release of ''[[Sonic Origins]]'' in 2022, further concept art was released, with mentioned of an "2R" level on a map of Little Planet, with the level order again suggesting the round was located between (what looks like) Palmtree Panic and Collision Chaos. The art shows a forest of trees and what appear to be iron beams or totems, and an underground section with traps and obstacles such as fans that would have possibly lifted [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] in the air. Mountains can be seen further behind.
+The "Present" version of the music for this level can still be found in-game. Named "Little Planet," it is the default song that plays in D.A. Garden.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20201121034606/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/136837158827851777}}
-===Enemies===
+==Enemies==
-Three normal enemies and one boss are known to belong to the round, according to Whitehead. This includes an antlion enemy, a worm or snake, and a enemy armed with a drill. Concept art depicting Eggman in a wheel mech may indicate plans for the boss.
+Three enemies are known to have been designed for Dubious Depths:
-<gallery widths="320px" heights="260px" perrow="3">
+{| style="width:auto;"
-SCDconcept-R2Worm.png|Worm/Snake (CDS probably stands for "CD Sonic", an early name for ''Sonic CD'')
+|style="text-align:center;"|{{spriteImage|CD-R2-Badnik1.png}}
-SCDconcept-UnusedEnemy.png|Drill armed enemy
+|[[R2 Badnik 1|A badnik]] with some similarities to the [[Burrobot]].
-SCDconcept-R2Boss.jpg|Wheel boss concept
+|-
-</gallery>
+|style="text-align:center;"|{{spriteImage|CD-R2-Badnik2.png}}
+|[[R2 Badnik 2|An antlion inspired badnik]].
+|-
+|style="text-align:center;"|{{spriteImage|CD-R2-Badnik3.png}}
+|[[R2 Badnik 3|A worm-like badnik]].
+|}
-[[File:R2Sprites.png]]
+==History==
+[[File:SonicCDv002 MCD Comparison TimeAttack.png|thumb|320px|right|The Time Attack screen from [[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD prototype; 1992-12-04)|the v0.02 prototype]], with eight rounds listed.]]
+''Sonic the Hedgehog CD'' was first playable in demo form to the public during the [[sega:Yuusei Sega World|Yuusei Sega World]] event on December 6, 1992.{{fileref|GameFan US 0107.pdf|page=44}} While an early version of Palmtree Panic, then called "Salad Plain," was the only playable stage at the event, the Time Attack screen revealed that eight Rounds were planned for the final version. Between this [[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD prototype; 1993-05-10)|v0.02 prototype]] and the [[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD prototype; 1993-05-10)|"510" prototype]], work on "R2" ceased. Production on the level halted early enough that not all the graphical work for the stage was completed.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230827075920/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/1694183241476096263}}
-Unfinished sprites also shared by Whitehead{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=733117|title=Sonic Retro forum thread: Sonic CD now out for everything except Nintendo consoles}}}} show how these enemies may have appeared in game. This time, Eggman is depicted riding a vehicle with a giant wheel on the bottom and a spring on the back.
+Speculation on a potentially missing stage began soon after the game's commercial release. When accessing the game's secret level select code, each stage was listed not by name, but by number and letter; 1-1-A would take the player to Palmtree Panic Zone 1 Present, 1-1-B to Palmtree Panic Zone 1 Past, and so on. Missing was any level starting with 2, 3-1-A instead pointing to the second Round in the game, Collision Chaos. This numbering matched the file structure on the 1996 [[sega:Windows PC|Windows PC]] port of the game, each Round given a unique folder: "R1" holding the data for Palmtree Panic, "R3" for Collision Chaos, and so on. Missing from this structure was "R2."
-After the round was removed, the Antlion enemy was considered for [[Metallic Madness]] (R8) before being scrapped entirely (the sprite was slightly redrawn, with the highlight on it being smaller). It is speculated that parts of Metallic Madness' level design, namely the sloped pits, may have been created with the Antlion enemy in mind, before being repurposed. The leaked prototypes suggest the developers experimented with these sections before deciding on regular, upwards spikes.
+[[File:SonicCD MCD Development LittlePlanet.png|thumb|320px|right|The [[Little Planet]] as seen in the design document for ''Sonic the Hedgehog CD'', including an area called "2R".]]
+This speculation furthered with the release of ''Sonic Jam'', which contained the animation sequences from ''Sonic CD''. During the ending credits animation vignettes, a previously unseen sequence took place between that of Palmtree Panic and Collision Chaos. In it, Sonic runs through what looks to be a ruined area, with bluish-gray metallic structures along with areas of overgrown vegetation. Jumping off collapsing stone tiles revealing quicksand, the sequence ends with Sonic being attacked by an antlion badnik. This sequence did not seem to match any of the levels in the final version of the game. It would later be confirmed by Landscape Designer [[sega:Masato Nishimura|Masato Nishimura]] this sequence was meant to represent "R2."{{ref|https://ghostarchive.org/archive/LdjOQ|https://x.com/Mazin__/status/1826052223916454376}}
-==Removal==
+Confirmation of the level's existence came with the "''Sonic CD'' Developer Diary," meant to advertise the 2011 remake of the game.{{ref|https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/9TFgFSF5Lb4|2=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TFgFSF5Lb4}} In the video, [[sega:Kazuyuki Hoshino|Kazuyuki Hoshino]] goes through his sketchbooks from his time working on ''Sonic CD''. Among the sketches is a drawing of cascading rainbow waterfalls flowing over various structures. It was soon confirmed by the developer of the 2011 remake, [[sega:Christian Whitehead|Christian Whitehead]], that the sketch was from R2.{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=647570|title=Sonic Retro forum thread: Sonic CD now out for everything except Nintendo consoles}}}} He also confirmed a number of other sketches were connected to the stage, including a boss concept. Enemy and boss sprites would later be released by Whitehead in 2013.{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=733117|title=Sonic Retro forum thread: Sonic CD now out for everything except Nintendo consoles}}}}
-Several explanations have been given for the round's removal. Naoto Ohshima has suggested it may have been down to the design being incompatible with Sonic's speed{{ref|https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?posts/1032560/}}, while [[Masato Nishimura]] believes the decision was made because the music data did not fit into the CD-ROM of the game{{ref|https://archive.ph/knK6u|https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/1606052153914982400}}.
-In an interview with [[Jim Tretheway]] regarding the PC version of the game, it was stated that the level was likely cut as it didn't meet quality standards{{intref|Jim Tretheway interview by RyogaMasaki (September 2000)}}.
+Pages from the design document of ''Sonic the Hedgehog CD'' were included with the release of ''[[Sonic Origins]]'', including a map of [[Little Planet]] showing "2R" between areas resembling Palmtree Panic and Collision Chaos.{{fileref|SonicCD MCD Development LittlePlanet.png}} [[sega:Naoto Ohshima|Naoto Ohshima]] would reveal R2's intended name - Dubious Depths - in 2023,{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=1032527|title=Sonic CD's Mysterious Cut R2 Level Discussion - Post Origins Edition}}}} with Masato Nishimura providing an alternate, earlier name for the level on social media.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230125090716/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/1618163967633010691}}
-==Final game leftovers==
+Several explanations have been given for the Round's removal. [[sega:Jim Tretheway|Jim Tretheway]], a member of the team that ported ''Sonic CD'' to Windows 95, claimed in a 2000 interview that [[sega:Junetsu Kakuta|Junetsu Kakuta]] implied the level was removed during production for not meeting quality standards.{{intref|Jim Tretheway interview by RyogaMasaki (September 2000)}} In 2011, Masato Nishimura claimed the level's removal was due to space and schedule restrictions,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20201121034606/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/136837158827851777}}, clarifying in 2022 that space considerations were for the music data.{{ref|https://archive.ph/knK6u|https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/1606052153914982400}} Naoto Ohshima has since suggested the removal may have been down to the level's layout being incompatible with Sonic's speed, describing it as a "dungeon."{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=1032527|title=Sonic CD's Mysterious Cut R2 Level Discussion - Post Origins Edition}}}}
-[[Image:Scd510 level select.png|thumb|right|320px|The level select screen in the [[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD prototype; 1993-05-10)|510 prototype]] shows every level in the game on one screen.]]
-Questions about the round were raised shortly after ''Sonic CD'''s release. Performing its level select code, the level order does not include any levels beginning with a "2", leading to speculation that the second level no longer existed on the disc. This pattern was later mirrored by the PC version, which in the game's files, has folders for "R1" and "R3", but not "R2".
-Perhaps the biggest clue that something is missing from the game is the ending sequence, which shows animated sections of the game, in level order. After a sequence in Palmtree Panic, Sonic is seen what looks like a ruined area with blue or grey metallic structures or pillars, with areas of vegetation growing around. Stone tiles collapse as Sonic touches them, revealing quicksand, and at the end, Sonic is attacked by the unseen Antlion enemy. Nothing resembling this sequence exists in the final game.
+Currently, no publicly available prerelease has a playable version of Dubious Depths.
-<gallery>
-SonicCDR2Video 0.png
-SonicCDR2Video 1.png
-SonicCDR2Video 2.png
-PossibleR2.png
-SonicCDR2Video 3.png
-SonicCDR2Video 4.png
-</gallery>
-(an animated gif of the scene can be found [[:File:SCD R2GIF.gif|here]].)
-These animated sequences were created in advance of much of the game, and are therefore thought to be based on older concept art and ideas, including those of the scrapped round. This sequence was left in the final game (adjusted for the Mega-CD's limited colour palette) and subsequent re-releases, as well as the video included in the [[Sega Saturn]] compilation, ''[[Sonic Jam]]''.
+==Gallery==
-According to Masato Nishimura, the default song in the D.A. Garden mode, "Little Planet" (composed by [[Masafumi Ogata]]), is a leftover from the round{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121034606/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/136837158827851777}}. A brief remix of the "Bad Future" theme of the stage is also present in Ogata's song "Techno Power Mix", composed for the 1994 album ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog - Remix]]''. "Sonic Stream", another of Ogata's tracks from the same album, is also speculated to feature pieces, or be a full remix of the round's "Good Future" theme.
+<gallery widths="160px" >
+SCDconcept-R2Boss.jpg|[[R2 Boss|Wheel boss]] concept.
+Palmtree_Panic_and_R2_Boss_Concept_Art.jpg|More concept art of the wheel boss, next to an early concept for the [[EGG-HVC-001]].
+Sonic CD Concept Art Enemies 03.jpg|Enemy concept art, featuring the [[R2 Badnik 2|antlion]] badnik.
+SCDconcept-R2Worm.png|Sketches of the [[R2 Badnik 3|worm-like]] badnik.
+SCDconcept-UnusedEnemy.png|Sketches of the [[R2 Badnik 1|Burrobot-esque]] badnik.
+R2Sprites.png|A collection of all known enemy sprites intended for Dubious Depths, along with the boss.{{ref|1={{LinkRetro|post=733117|title=Sonic Retro forum thread: Sonic CD now out for everything except Nintendo consoles}}}}
+</gallery>
 ==References==

Difference between revisions of "R2"

From Sonic Retro

Latest revision as of 12:18, 22 September 2024

Contents

Overview

Enemies

History

Gallery

References