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[JackelZXA]

Spoiler

Stardust Speedway doesn't need to turn upsidedown. It's on Little Planet, they just need to get knocked into the air past Little Planet's gravitational field and they'll fall onto Angel Island.

They go through Hydrocity Zone backwards (the background of Act 1 is the background of Act 2 in S3&K and the background of Act 2 is the background of Act 1 in S3&K and the bosses are reversed. So the end of Hydrocity in Mania should lead to Angel Island Zone, which is where Tails left the Tornado in the intro.

The rocket isn't behind Heavy Rider; you fight Heavy Rider on top of the rocket. I imagine the original idea was for you to have a boss fight while the rocket was shooting up to Little Planet.

Another thing they need to address is how Heavy King became the way he was at the end and turned against Eggman.

Spoiler

Yeah it doesnt have to turn upsidedown, that's just how i'd convey it to people in a way that didnt seem like he got "blown up somehow". Having everyone except sonic and tails (or knuckles) turn upsidedown and then the heroes fall would be a really simple way to explain it. (Phantom Ruby)

I didnt realize the HCZ backwards thing. I just thought they did the act 2 is the old one thing just to mix it up. Yeah the boss is in act 1 but the miniboss is in act 2. That makes alot of sense now. I do really like the idea of justifying knuckles showing up to ride the tornado with them by subverting the knuckles trap trope, but that's just what I'd do (comedy bit).

Yeah I mean....if you do Knuckles & Knuckles it feels more interesting because you fight Heavy King and then you fight an even stronger version in the last zone, but knuckles and knuckles is kind of a joke playthrough so it doesnt fully work.

I do like my idea of replacing the shredder with Heavy Rider (crazy paperboy/girl) and then just having sonic and tails fight heavy king too. Shredder's the weakest boss by far and Aaron Webber kind of gives a nod to that in the week's official sonic stream. I dont think the Spider is so great either but all that needs is visual indicator like a color swap on the star to let you know you can't hit it and maybe a different sounding bounce off instead of letting you go "behind it".

One thing I thought would be cool would be if the final boss had a hand grab added to the start of the fight but the rest of the fight was the same, that way you could see all 4 heavies in a normal run. I always have to stall to get heavy rider at the end because it only takes 3 grabs to take out all his tentacles even without damage boosting. One of my friends suggested that it'd make the fight harder if his bottom tentacles didnt go first. He's kind of like the old MMZ boss in that he gets easier as you hit him.

Also I bet I'm really on the money about Press Garden's intro. It makes alot of sense since it's a snow level following flying battery, and it'd be a cheeky reference for super fans.

 

[theaffection]

I'd say the PS4 is better for it. Friends who don't own it can play it online with you via share play, it's still portable if you have an android phone, tablet, or windows laptop, and a much better d-pad. Switch is a good choice too though.

I feel you. Its just that this game is so gorgeous on the Switch screen in portable mode

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Got it on PC, McAfee thought it was a virus, and now access to the Sonic Mania folder is restricted even though I am this PC's admin. Why.

Might refund it and get it on Switch instead.

 

[remz]

Got it on PC, McAfee thought it was a virus, and now access to the Sonic Mania folder is restricted even though I am this PC's admin. Why.

Might refund it and get it on Switch instead.

What you should really be getting rid of is McAfee

 

[RagnarokX]

Got it on PC, McAfee thought it was a virus, and now access to the Sonic Mania folder is restricted even though I am this PC's admin. Why.

Might refund it and get it on Switch instead.

McAfee found the idea of a new Sonic game as good as the old ones highly suspicious.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Anyone else run into this bizarre glitch where an item box will already broken before you find it?

Seems to only happen to me when I'm replaying a level I just finished on a different file or something.

EDIT: Man I just noticed that Sonic's idle animation is pulled straight from the original Japanese manual art.

 

[Daingurse]

I was finally able to play some Sonic Mania tonight. It's been a brutal wait, especially with the added delay on PC, but all my frustrations have now been put to rest. I'm extremely happy with what I've played so far. Pretty much had a grin on my face the entire time.

Everything about this game is on point. From the visual presentation, to the physics of the characters, this game feels like a proper continuation on the 2D Sonic games. And good lord, is there some grade A fan-service in here. The

Spoiler

Mean Bean Machine

boss fight was fucking amazing lol.

Game looks suuuuper clean on my CRT (ViweSonic A90f+) too. Definitely gonna keep playing it on there. Gives this game the perfect retro feel! Something like this should have been on the Saturn lol.

Also, played around with the local 2 player mode and had a lot of fun with my brother! We used to play the multiplayer mode on Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 all the time when we were kids, and what's offered in Mania is such a superior experience. Full, complete stages, with no slowdown! It's awesome!

 

[Geraldo_Ray]

Bought the PC version.

Sad to hear the PC version has Denuvo, but so far I haven't had any issues with it...yet (then again I bought Nier and DOOM, and didn't have issues with those either).

Spoiler

Although I ran into a glitch where the music for Metal Sonic's boss fight didn't play during the entire time.

Also, why wasn't the separate super sonic button a thing from the start? Really bizarre oversight.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I played the first few levels with this on Steam.

It was majestic.

This was mine

 

[MrBadger]

Anyone else run into this bizarre glitch where an item box will already broken before you find it?

Seems to only happen to me when I'm replaying a level I just finished on a different file or something.

EDIT: Man I just noticed that Sonic's idle animation is pulled straight from the original Japanese manual art.

I like how Heavy Gunner's helicopter has Eggman's yellow stripey feet from this art

 

[Finalizer]

Anyone else run into this bizarre glitch where an item box will already broken before you find it?

Seems to only happen to me when I'm replaying a level I just finished on a different file or something.

I've seen it a few times. Thought it had something to do with hitting a starpost and then backtracking to item boxes I hadn't yet gotten to, at least that's when I tend to notice it the most.

 

[RagnarokX]

I like how Heavy Gunner's helicopter has Eggman's yellow stripey feet from this art

The feet were in Sonic 1, albeit stripe stripped.

It's a nice nod, but I think they contribute to making that boss too distracting visually. Besides, who flies with landing gear extended. Not Eggman!

Why the eggmobile turns into a helicopter in this scene and only this scene will forever be a mystery...

 

[Tizoc]

The feet were in Sonic 1, albeit stripe stripped.

It's a nice nod, but I think they contribute to making that boss too distracting visually. Besides, who flies with landing gear extended. Not Eggman!

Why the eggmobile turns into a helicopter in this scene and only this scene will forever be a mystery...

You mustve never got to the first boss in sonic 2 8bit

 

[RagnarokX]

You mustve never got to the first boss in sonic 2 8bit

I don't mean he never used a helicopter in other games. I mean it's really random that it turns into a helicopter before and after that one boss fight in Sonic 2 and it serves no purpose. In Sonic 2 8-bit the claws he grabs sonic with turn into rotors or something.

 

[dark10x]

Really a shame that the PC version has intrusive DRM that prevents offline play, apparently.

The only consolation prize here is that there isn't really any inherent advantage to play on PC this time but still, the DRM needs to go.

 

[Tizoc]

I don't mean he never used a helicopter in other games. I mean it's really random that it turns into a helicopter before and after that one boss fight in Sonic 2 and it serves no purpose. In Sonic 2 8-bit the claws he grabs sonic with turn into rotors or something.

I was talking more about the mystery part:
Eggman SAVES you from falling into a pit just so Game Gear players can suffer the hell of that first boss.
Why would Eggman SAVE Sonic?

 

[MrBadger]

I was talking more about the mystery part:
Eggman SAVES you from falling into a pit just so Game Gear players can suffer the hell of that first boss.
Why would Eggman SAVE Sonic?

Because killing Sonic isn't enough. He'd rather watch him suffer through the worst first boss in the entire series

 

[Peter Sjöstrand]

Just finished the game, really good stuff! Easily the best Sonic game I've played in a very long time. Hope Christian and the others get to make a sequel.

 

[Paragon]

Really a shame that the PC version has intrusive DRM that prevents offline play, apparently.
The only consolation prize here is that there isn't really any inherent advantage to play on PC this time but still, the DRM needs to go.

Lower latency and pixel-perfect scaling?

 

[The Stealth Fox]

Hey Mr. Taxman, missing zone transitions are coming in another patch, right?

 

[Davey Cakes]

Started the game yesterday on Steam.

I absolutely LOVE how it starts out. Green Hill is extremely familiar at first and then transforms into the perfect combo of fresh+familiar with inventive level design. And I thought I was tired of the theme until I heard the remixed version. The music is quite nice and the remixes aren't overdone.

Chemical Plant Act 1 felt all too familiar but I completely forgive it because Act 2 was like a completely different take on the Zone's concept. And yeah, the boss was a riot.

I've only made it to Studiopolis but the one thing that REALLY makes the difference between this and other 2D Sonic games recently is how it feels to play. The controls are perfect. Just absolutely perfect. It's exactly how a 2D Sonic should feel to play.

Welcome back, blur.

 

[Saikyo]

Really a shame that the PC version has intrusive DRM that prevents offline play, apparently.

The only consolation prize here is that there isn't really any inherent advantage to play on PC this time but still, the DRM needs to go.

We have a timed exclusive "super sonic button" :v

 

[Ducktail]

How does the chaos emerald system work? I got 3 on my first playthrough because I kept screwing up the 3rd UFO stage. Do I need to start a new game from the beginning and try again to collect all 7 in one playthrough, or is there an easier way to try and get the 4 that I missed?

Select a "clear" save state and go to any stage you'd like, find the ring, complete it, then quit the game, rinse and repeat.

 

[Hitlersaurus Christ]

Hey Mr. Taxman, missing zone transitions are coming in another patch, right?

Considering the team has been pretty explicitly ignoring all questions about it I'd assume the answer is no.

 

[celsowmbr]

Is it possible to do that on PC version?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPFE2Qbulg

 

[StarCreator]

Actually, does the jump acceleration glitch in the special stages still work in the PC version?

 

[AndrewDean84xX]

I'm sure it's been said hundreds of times, but man, it would be cool to have a Sonic Maker.

 

[The Stealth Fox]

Considering the team has been pretty explicitly ignoring all questions about it I'd assume the answer is no.

It also could mean that they're aware and that they are working on it!

 

[Opa-Pa]

I'd love more transitions to be added in, by why would you expect them to? For all we know they're cut content, and it's not often that that sort of thing is parched in a game later on. It's pretty clear they had to make the decision to release the game as is and move on, it's not a mistake that they're missing.

I'd be thrilled to be proven wrong as I think they'd be a great detail, but not holding my breath.

 

[SilentRage47]

Loved the game until the last zone, that's just bad to me. I'm having such an hard time that I think I'll probably pause the game for a while and try again in the future.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Now that it's out: Does the PC version support "pixel-perfect 4K" (as Eurogamer put it) like the PS4 Pro or is it upscaled?

 

[Vidiot]

I think my favorite glitch is Super Sonic blue. I hope it doesn't get patched out.

 

[Guess Who]

Now that it's out: Does the PC version support "pixel-perfect 4K" (as Eurogamer put it) like the PS4 Pro or is it upscaled?

It does. Well, let's talk about scaling in Sonic Mania, actually!

So, the thing about Sonic Mania is that its "native resolution" is actually 424x240 - this is the resolution the pixel art is drawn at (and, I'm pretty confident, the special stages are rendered at). 424x240 is not actually 16:9, it's very slightly less wide. When you run the game in a 16:9 resolution, it actually stretches the image's width slightly to fill the width of a 16:9 screen. This means that none of the console versions are actually pixel-perfect, but the PS4 Pro version is scaled up to 4K by the game, which uses a nearest-neighbor scale to create very crisp pixels. The Xbox One S, on the other hand, is scaled to 1080p by the game then to 4K by the Xbox, but the Xbox uses a filtered upscale that makes it less crisp. (Consoles that don't support 4K output at all get upscaled by your TV, which is probably even worse.) That's why the PS4 Pro version is the best console version for 4K.

On PC, this works the same way. 16:9 full-screen resolutions get stretched width-wise, and can scale natively to any resolution, so you get the same "crisp" (but not technically pixel-perfect) image the PS4 Pro does if you run at 4K.

If you use a non-16:9 resolution (like 16:10 or 21:9) the game does give you a pixel-perfect nearest-neighbor scale of the 424x240 image with black bars where the image isn't filled. The windowed mode also operates in pixel-perfect scales of 424x240 (with options for 1x, 2x, 3x, etc).

 

[Waddle Dee]

I'm sure it's been said hundreds of times, but man, it would be cool to have a Sonic Maker.

I'd kill for an easy tool that lets me make my dream Sonic levels, but it just wouldn't work out as an actual product. Sonic levels are significantly more complicated than Mario levels. Mario controls more statically to his environments. In a Sonic game, the very way a level's floor is laid out determined how Sonic will move.

We'd have 99% of the levels made such be done using flat terrain, or messy slopes put in sloppy arrangements. It just wouldn't work out nearly as well, unfortunately.

 

[kinn]

So it was delayed for Denuvo. What a slap in the face. Won't be buying this until it's on sale.

Sorry Taxman, by all accounts you did a great job with this game and it's a real shame Sega had to make such a stupid decision.

Was so looking forward to this. Seems like the delay was to implement Denuvo. Normally Sega are cool with people modding their games...but this wont allow it right?

 

[Paragon]

Is it possible to do that on PC version? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPFE2Qbulg

Yes. It's not supported officially, but is possible using a tool like Borderless Gaming.

• Set the game to 2x Borderless Windowed Mode. (848x480)
• In Borderless Gaming, manually set the Window Size to a multiple of 424x480. So for 1440p, this is 1272x1440.
• You also have to set the X co-ordinate to center the image. For 2560px wide, that is (2560-1272)/2 = 644.

My desktop wallpaper is black.

It's a shame there's no official support for this or ultrawide support in the game, because 2p could work quite well on an ultrawide display:

(Photoshop mockup)

If you use a non-16:9 resolution (like 16:10 or 21:9) the game does give you a pixel-perfect nearest-neighbor scale of the 424x240 image with black bars where the image isn't filled. The windowed mode also operates in pixel-perfect scales of 424x240 (with options for 1x, 2x, 3x, etc).

Creating a 3816x2160 custom resolution should also give you a true pixel-perfect image on a 4K display.

 

[Guess Who]

Creating a 3816x2160 custom resolution should also give you a true pixel-perfect image on a 4K display.

Assuming your display or GPU scaling settings aren't set to stretch it to fit, yep.

 

[Dragon1893]

Playing this really hits me in the feels.
I love how old zones start identical to the originals and then change gradually as you progress act 1, becoming something completely new in act 2.

What's the point of those tokens you get from the sonic 3 special stages?
It's been so long but I'm still pretty good at them.
I played through literally hundreds of them with sonic 1 connected to S&K.

 

[WPS]

What's the point of those tokens you get from the sonic 3 special stages?
It's been so long but I'm still pretty good at them.
I played through literally hundreds of them with sonic 1 connected to S&K.

They unlock things. They've no relevence to your current playthrough, however.

 

[Dragon1893]

They unlock things. They've no relevence to your current playthrough, however.

I see, thanks.

 

[Zomba13]

Anyone know how I get this to work with a controller on PC? I'm using DS4Windows because I prefer the DS4 and this way I can use it and the touchpad while playing games and it acts just like a 360 controller giving me compatibility in every other game that uses a contoller on my PC. But here it won't work. When I try and configure it it just shows a DS4 in the steam config thing and it works there but won't work in game. I'd rather NOT have to turn DS4Windows off and on when I want to swap games so is there a way to get this to work or am I going to have to get a refund?

 

[StarCreator]

So I cleared a Blue Spheres level in no save mode, but quit out of the game shortly afterward (since I was just there to mess around and didn't really have time to play). The medal count in extras didn't increase. Normal?

 

[Daingurse]

Anyone know how I get this to work with a controller on PC? I'm using DS4Windows because I prefer the DS4 and this way I can use it and the touchpad while playing games and it acts just like a 360 controller giving me compatibility in every other game that uses a contoller on my PC. But here it won't work. When I try and configure it it just shows a DS4 in the steam config thing and it works there but won't work in game. I'd rather NOT have to turn DS4Windows off and on when I want to swap games so is there a way to get this to work or am I going to have to get a refund?

I was using a DS4 with DS4Windows last night. It worked fine for me.

 

[Paragon]

Anyone know how I get this to work with a controller on PC? I'm using DS4Windows because I prefer the DS4 and this way I can use it and the touchpad while playing games and it acts just like a 360 controller giving me compatibility in every other game that uses a contoller on my PC. But here it won't work. When I try and configure it it just shows a DS4 in the steam config thing and it works there but won't work in game. I'd rather NOT have to turn DS4Windows off and on when I want to swap games so is there a way to get this to work or am I going to have to get a refund?

Do you also have Steam Input enabled?
You need to pick one piece of software to handle the DualShock 4's input conversion, not use multiple.
If you haven't enabled Steam's DS4 support, make sure that DS4Windows' exclusive mode is enabled. (though I recommend ditching DS4W at this point)

 

[Zomba13]

I was using a DS4 with DS4Windows last night. It worked fine for me.

For me it wasn't working, then I checked the Steam big picture controller bullshit screen and it is showing the DS4 and the emulated 360 I click the 360 configuration thing hoping it'd only take input from 360 but now in Sonic Mania instead of no input it's getting double input (Big Picture functions correctly accepting only one input). So I check DS4 Windows and it won't do exclusive mode any more, it was unticked and when I tick it and reconnect the controller I get told it won't work and to shut down Steam etc which are already down.

And exclusive mode doesn't seem to work (again) likely ebcause of whatever bullshit MS has in the latest Windows update that breaks shit again. And I won't get rid of DS4 windows because I use it for older games and use the touchpad and macro stuff to make it easy to control my PC when away from the mouse and keyboard.

 

[Saikyo]

So I cleared a Blue Spheres level in no save mode, but quit out of the game shortly afterward (since I was just there to mess around and didn't really have time to play). The medal count in extras didn't increase. Normal?

It happened to me too, grind it in a clear file on green hill zone, quit and repeat

What's the point of those tokens you get from the sonic 3 special stages?
It's been so long but I'm still pretty good at them.
I played through literally hundreds of them with sonic 1 connected to S&K.

Silver unlock things, gold (perfect) do nothing (except for a trophy).

 

[Saikyo]

Double post

 

[Zomba13]

OK. I got it working (I think?) I'm still not exclusive with DS4Windows (don't know when it stopped working tbh but I've not had issues with any other thing including games on Steam like Hollow Knight).

(this is all via Big Picture btw. Dunno if I'd have this problem playing at my desk)
I enabled Xbox configuration support in the controller options menu (It still shows a DS4 and a 360 connected). When I launched the game I brought up the Steam overlay and went into "Controller Options" and turned off "Use Steam Configuration for Non-Steam Controllers" and made sure my "360" controller was in position 1 and the DS4 was in position 2. Then I went back and forth between the game (showing only keyboard controllers) and the overlay and eventually it worked and not I'm using my "360" pad in game no problems with only single input and things seems fine.

So yeah, I'm gonna keep playing but it was a hassle. Obviously not fully the games fault, though I think partially as it seemed to want to let Steam handle controller input instead of the game itself (going into the config when I had my issue just brought up the Steam Big Picture controller config interface). And yeah, partially (or fully I guess depending how you look at it) DS4Windows fault for Exclusive Mode seemingly not working anymore (at least for me, asking me to turn off Steam, Uplay etc when they were all shut down, including Nvidia Experience and Windows Game DVR stuff).

 

[sixteen-bit]

Mod to make the LED in the LE statue actually work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu8G2YfDXMU

 

[Paragon]

OK. I got it working (I think?) I'm still not exclusive with DS4Windows (don't know when it stopped working tbh but I've not had issues with any other thing including games on Steam like Hollow Knight).
(this is all via Big Picture btw. Dunno if I'd have this problem playing at my desk)
I enabled Xbox configuration support in the controller options menu (It still shows a DS4 and a 360 connected). When I launched the game I brought up the Steam overlay and went into "Controller Options" and turned off "Use Steam Configuration for Non-Steam Controllers" and made sure my "360" controller was in position 1 and the DS4 was in position 2. Then I went back and forth between the game (showing only keyboard controllers) and the overlay and eventually it worked and not I'm using my "360" pad in game no problems with only single input and things seems fine.

Lots of games will have issues with DS4Windows if you don't enable exclusive mode, not just Sonic Mania, and not just games with native Steam Input support either.
Exclusive mode in DS4Windows means that the game only sees the emulated Xbox 360 controller, while non-exclusive mode lets the game see both the DS4 (DirectInput) and the Emulated 360 controller (XInput). Every time you press a button, it sends the game two inputs.
If the game supports both XInput and DirectInput, or has specific DS4 support built in, bad things can happen.

If you use DS4Windows, you need to be using Exclusive Mode - which may require that you run DS4Windows as an administrator. (and be sure that you're using the latest version)
Or you can enable Steam Input and not have to deal with that any more. Of course Steam Input is not without its own issues, as it requires that the Steam Overlay is enabled and working in the game. But it's easier to configure in-game and has better features like proper gyro support.

So yeah, I'm gonna keep playing but it was a hassle. Obviously not fully the games fault, though I think partially as it seemed to want to let Steam handle controller input instead of the game itself (going into the config when I had my issue just brought up the Steam Big Picture controller config interface). And yeah, partially (or fully I guess depending how you look at it) DS4Windows fault for Exclusive Mode seemingly not working anymore (at least for me, asking me to turn off Steam, Uplay etc when they were all shut down, including Nvidia Experience and Windows Game DVR stuff).

Not the game's fault at all. Steam Input / Steam Controller API is an alternative to XInput that developers are starting to use.
Steam DS4 support is not just about emulating XInput or KB&M inputs on your controller - developers can implement it as their 'native' controller solution too. The point is that you have one configuration tool which supports all of that together.
DS4 Windows is causing these problems because you have it sending inputs from two different controller APIs simultaneously every time you press a button.