User:Aaleksa018/Sonic Robo Blast 2 (Fangame)

Sonic Robo Blast 2, SRB2 for short, is an open-source fangame based on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. It is a 3D platform game developed by a group of fans called Sonic Team Junior, using a modified version of the Doom Legacy engine (and as such it is also licensed under the GNU GPL v2.0). It is closely inspired by the original 2D Sonic games for the Sega Genesis and tries to recreate their style in 3D. It also includes various things based on other classic games, such as an unlockable level based on Super Mario Bros. and special stages based on NiGHTS Into Dreams. It is possible to play with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, while Amy, Fang and Metal Sonic are unlockable characters.

Development History
In May 1997 Sonikku (Johnny Wallbank, one of the programmers) started using "Klik & Play" software for the development of the Sonic Robo Blast fangame, later transferred to "The Games Factory". The game was finished in February 1998, and work started on a sequel in the same engine, in which 3 levels were made before the TGF was abandoned in favour of a custom engine made by Stealth, but the custom engine was also abandoned when he was no longer able to work on the engine.

SSNTails, who made a Sonic themed Doom mod "Sonic Doom 2" (based on "Sonic Doom" by Jeff Read ), suggested moving the game to the 3D Doom Legacy engine, which transformed SRB2 into a 3D game. The first release using the Doom Legacy engine was SRB2 Halloween, followed by SRB2 Christmas two months later.

The first release of the game itself was Demo 1. It only contained one playable level (Greenflower Zone Act 1), and could not be beaten due to the Level End Sign not being properly implemented.

After that, Demo 2 and Demo 3 came out. Both contained a total of 4 acts: Greenflower Zone 1, 2 and 3, and Techno Hill Zone 1. This time they could be beaten.

Demo 4 included special stages to get emeralds, incomplete Knuckles sprites, and secret acts, like Castle Eggman Zone. The zone didn't have its own textures (it used textures from GFZ and THZ) but the level was pretty complete, with 3 acts. To access it, you have to complete THZ1 with all the emeralds. Using commands to enter the map will close the game, with a message: "Stop using cheats and get the emeralds!". The irony of this message is that you can use a different cheat to access the level (typing FISHDAKE 7 times outside the console in THZ1 to get all the emeralds, and using the "exitlevel" command to exit the level and enter Castle Eggman). This version had a 4.35 patch, which included new special stages, and updates to Doom Legacy.

There was a multiplayer only demo, SRB2 Tournament 2003, released only on SAGE to showcase Final Demo 1.01 features. This version introduced level headers.

The Final Demo ("final demo") cycle began with 1.01, and was the beginning of the game's fame. The acts of THZ were finished, and CEZ received new textures, and was added to the main campaign with minor updates. Most of the levels hidden in DLL's were added as unlockable. This version had a 1.04 patch, which included more fixes.

Update 1.08 included big improvements to add-ons, and also fixed a major bug where you could use Sonic and Knuckles' abilities indefinitely. Added the ability for add-ons to reactivate this for specific characters, in case you still wanted to use this.

Update 1.09 was also very important, as it improved custom level support, giving more freedom on custom levels. It included a secret level (Red Volcano Zone), which required following very specific steps, and did not allow cheats, and led to unlocking an eighth emerald, and a "god cheat" menu (today known as Pandora's Box). It also included bug fixes, among other things. It was patched up to 1.09.4.

SRB2: 10th Anniversary Test, or Match beta, is a version testing the new multiplayer modes. It had the version number of v1.10, and the last revision was v1.10.4. Version 1.1 was eventually rebranded to 2.0, and as such this is the final 1.x version.

One of the biggest updates, 2.0 included a huge number of new levels. It had a remake of CEZ (without act 3, as it wasn't updated yet), in addition to including RVZ in the campaign, along with the new levels Deep Sea Zone (3 acts), Arid Canyon Zone (1 act) and Egg Rock Zone (3 acts). The Knuckles sprites were finally finished. It was patched up to 2.0.7.

After this, the original leaders Sonikku and SSNTails left the team. Mystic took the lead, and took the game in a different direction, removing most of the funny secrets, and leaving all the secret levels depending on how many emblems you get on your adventure.

2.1 included a remake of THZ, CEZ3, and ERZ3 (which was renamed to Egg Rock Core, leaving ERZ3 to Metal Sonic). It included updates to Sonic and Tails' sprites, and a remake of Knuckles' sprites. It also included a Lua code interface, which extended the freedom of add-ons by far. It was the most patched version, with a total of 25 patches. Specifically, patch 2.1.15 included unfinished 2.2 features, such as ramps and the add-ons menu.

In December 2019, after so long in development, SRB2 received the graphical update it deserved. 2.2 updated SRB2's art style to more current standards, remaking many textures and sprites. There were also many remakes and updates to the maps, taking advantage of the new ramping feature, which was done for 2.2. Also added 2 new ACZ acts, and 3 unlockable characters: Amy, Fang, and Metal Sonic. The add-on functions were also updated, simplifying the ordering and customization of a character's sprites, and adding very important functions.

After 2.2.4, staffing changes were made, and the leader Mystic was banned from the community and the team, for unacceptable behavior. After this, there was no new leader: the team's actions are voted on by the team. This allowed more freedom in development, clearly demonstrated in 2.2.5, where some ridiculous screens were removed, and much appreciated things were added, such as a Super transformation for Knuckles.

Story
Story from the SRB2 site:

"After Eggman was defeated back in the first game, he decides to take more time to reconsider his strategy, hiding away in an underground base for three months. All Eggman really had to show for this delay was a reduced robot army and a special battleship he built called the 'Doomship'. He didn’t stand a chance against Sonic and his friends. Eggman’s space-radar bleeped as the Black Rock came within its range. Eggman thought nothing of it at first, until he realised that he had a new battlestation! From there he could attack the world, and launch robot armies without the fear of anyone retaliating against such a huge weapon. And with the Chaos Emeralds, the world would be begging before his knees to end the suffering and let him rule the planet. It was a perfect plan!

''Eggman decided to quickly increase the amount of robots he was producing. World domination was within his grasp at last! He launched his Doomship a week later, full of robots to take temporary control of zones until he’d finished putting the final touches to his work on the Black Rock. They were also instructed to return any Chaos Emeralds they might find.''

His first target: Greenflower City.

''Sonic was enjoying his long overdue vacation. Without Eggman around, he and everyone else could relax whenever they wanted. Little did he know that today was going to be the end of it. Hearing Tails’ voice in the distance, Sonic rolled his eyes. It was probably a stray beach ball, thrown out into the sea. No doubt Tails wanted him to recover it. Tails arrived, and told him that there were robots attacking the Forest Zone. Before Tails could finish, Sonic was already a tiny dot on the horizon. The robots were simple Crawla robots, destroyed with minimal effort. Sonic looked up at the sky and to his horror, saw an enormous battleship, with its guns pointing at the Greenflower City. He had been tricked into a diversion! Without wasting time, Sonic rushed up to the Doomship, even though there was nothing he could really do.''

''But it was too late. In a blinding flash, the Greenflower City was a pile of ash and rubble. Laughing at Sonic, Eggman revealed his plan to control the Black Rock and turn it into an unstoppable force of destruction. Then he flew off, leaving Sonic standing dead in his tracks.''

''However, unlike last time, he would not be alone in the fight. Tails was willing to help, and Knuckles had also offered his assistance, realising that the Floating Island would also be in danger."''

Characters
Six characters are available to play, each with their own unique abilities (apart from the universal Whirlwind ability):


 * Sonic the Hedgehog: He is the fastest character, due to being equipped with the Speed Thok, commonly known as "Thok" due to its characteristic sound, which lets him launch forward with a burst of speed. Sonic can also transform into Super Sonic in Single Player mode if he collects all 7 Chaos Emeralds.
 * Miles "Tails" Prower: Has the useful ability to fly with both of his tails, allowing him to get almost anywhere and skip difficult sections, though if he flies for too long, he will tire out and slowly fall down.
 * Knuckles the Echidna: Has a lower jump height than the others, but is able to climb walls and glide through the air. There are certain places where only he can advance. As of 2.2.5, he can transform into Super Knuckles.
 * Amy Rose: Jumps higher than everyone else, but can't Spindash. She uses her hammer (which she can use with the Spindash button) to attack, and to power up Springs. You must beat the secret level Frozen Hillside Zone in order to unlock her.
 * Fang the Sniper: Jumps higher than others, except Amy who jumps higher. Like Amy, he can't Spindash, but he can use his cork gun when he is standing still to destroy robots from a distance. He can also bounce with his tail. You must beat him in Arid Canyon Zone 3 in order to unlock him.
 * Metal Sonic: He is very similar to Sonic, but instead of the Thok, he has the ability to float, similar to Super Sonic. He can also use Maximum Overdrive after running for a while, which turns him orange and destroys enemies and spikes he goes through. He can also transform into Super Metal Sonic. You have to beat story mode once (regardless of the number of emeralds) in order to unlock him.

Single-player
The main feature of SRB2 is its single player campaign. In its final state, it will last for at least 10 full zones, each containing three acts. The zones are organized similarly to Sonic Advance 2 and 3, with the first two acts being typical platforming levels with a beginning, an end, and obstacles along the way, and the third act being a boss fight. Just like in classic Sonic games, each zone has its own theme, with unique graphics, enemies, and obstacles, specific to the zone. Contrary to official 3D Sonic titles like Sonic Adventure, the levels feature multiple routes and are openly designed, with hidden elements encouraging exploration. Due to engine limitations, Sonic Robo Blast 2 doesn't feature the characteristic loops that are a trademark of Sonic games, leading to a different style of gameplay more akin to traditional platformers.

The game Zones are as follows:


 * Greenflower Zone: This is the first zone, it's very short and easy, and it's supposed to get players used to the game. Considering that Eggman's invasion has just begun, the area is relatively free of robots. It contains waterfalls, hidden caves and a lot of fauna. Act 1 is a simple level as an introduction, while Act 2 is much longer.


 * Techno Hill Zone: Unlike most classic Sonic games, the difficulty steps up quite a bit compared to the first zone. It was once a beautiful landscape, but has been mostly polluted by Eggman's chemical factory pumping out slime. The factory was abandoned after his failed invasion, but has since come back to life. It is set in a valley poisoned by one of Eggman's factories, and here the player encounters more complex obstacles and slime that has a bouncing effect on the characters.


 * Deep Sea Zone: It takes place in some old flooded ruins. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles stumble across some ruined caves, which have been flooded, partly by nature and partly by Eggman, who has been digging to find the Chaos Emeralds. Contains underwater sections with risk of drowning.


 * Castle Eggman Zone: It is located in a fortress built by Eggman and in the surrounding forest. Having made their way through the ruins, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles must launch a full-scale assault on the castle and defeat Eggman, who resides in the lower levels. The castle is guarded by a huge wall, as well as having various traps. Act 1 takes place outside the castle, while Act 2 takes place inside.


 * Arid Canyon Zone: Having escaped Eggman's fortress, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles arrive at a huge canyon. While Sonic must find a way to cross, Tails and Knuckles are able to use their abilities to the fullest. The stage can be complicated, since there are several platforms that fall among other obstacles. The boss of this area is Fang the Sniper, who attacks the player with bombs, bullets, and jumps while inside a moving wagon.


 * Red Volcano Zone: Takes place in an active volcano that contains lava, it is an advanced zone in terms of difficulty, especially due to its enemies surrounded by spikes, and the fact that rings disappear when they touch the lava. Noticing some of Eggman's robots entering the volcano, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles follow them to investigate what's going on. There are various traps and lava, which in some places rises without warning. Only the first act is available currently, although there were plans to release a snow type level as an Act 2.


 * Egg Rock Zone: Takes place on a space station, which contains numerous elaborate traps as well as segments with inverted gravity. The first act introduces the player to traps with lasers, inverted gravity, and vacuum sections, in which the player is given a time limit before suffocating from lack of oxygen. The second act is somewhat longer and contains many more traps. EGZ currently doesn't have a third act as it has been split into three seperate acts of a new zone.
 * Black Core Zone: The first act includes a race against Metal Sonic, the robotic double of Sonic created by Eggman to destroy the protagonist. The second act contains a fight against Metal, and the third act contains the game's final boss, Brak Eggman (inspired by Eggman's giant robot seen in "Sonic the Movie").

Singleplayer zones can also be played in Record Attack mode, where the best scores, times and number of Rings obtained in a given level are recorded.

Special monitors
As in the classic Sonic games, there are different types of monitors that give you a power-up or bonus:

Main

 * Super Ring Monitor: It is the most common and easiest monitor to obtain, giving the player 10 rings when destroyed.
 * Super Sneakers Monitor: It temporarily increases the player's speed. Its effect lasts 20 seconds.
 * Invincibility Monitor: It gives invincibility for 20 seconds when destroyed, just like in any Sonic game. The player will not be damaged by enemies, spikes, or other hazards, but will be vulnerable to instant death (being crushed, drowning, falling into the void, etc). Running into enemies will destroy them on contact.
 * Extra Life Monitor: It gives the player an extra life. Shows the icon of the closest character. In Race, Match, Tag, Hide & Seek, CTF, or if infinite lives are enabled, this gives the player 100 rings.
 * Eggman Monitor: It damages the player. Counts as non-elemental damage. If this monitor is destroyed while the player has no rings or shields, they will lose a life.

Shields

 * Pity Shield Monitor: It is a monitor that gives the player the Pity Shield. This shield is actually the normal shield that can be found in the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 games. It only protects you from one hit, like the rest of the shields, nothing special. SRB2 itself doesn't use the Pity Shield Monitor, and the Pity Shield is given to weaker players and players who just spawned in Match mode. It also has a pink variant that is obtained if a player using Amy hits you with her hammer in co-op.
 * Elemental Shield Monitor: It gives the player the Elemental Shield. It is a shield that protects against fire/lava, slime, drowning, suffocation in space, and also leaves a trail of fire when rolling that can hurt enemies. Pressing Spin while in the air will cause you to land at full speed, making a small wave of flame and a small bounce on landing.
 * Force Shield Monitor: It gives the player a 2-hit shield. On the first hit, the shield will flash. On the second hit, it will disappear completely. Pressing Spin while in the air will stop you in place, which can be useful for platforming.
 * Whirlwind Shield Monitor: It gives the player the Whirlwind Shield. Pressing Spin while in the air makes the player jump again, increasing the maximum jump height. However, the player will stop spinning when doing this double jump, leaving them vulnerable to damage from enemies. Note that pressing the jump or spin button after falling off the edge of a platform will automatically activate this ability. Additionally, pressing the jump button when a character with the ability to fly is flying in their tired state will cause the activation as well.
 * Attraction Shield Monitor: It gives the player the Attraction Shield. When a player has this shield, any nearby rings are pulled. In Match/CTF, the special rings are also slightly attracted to the player. This effect occurs even if the player is invincible. Disappears when the player is submerged in water, unless the player is invincible or Super. Pressing Spin while in the air will cause the character to launch into the nearest enemy, damaging them on contact.
 * Armageddon Shield Monitor: It gives the player the Armageddon Shield. Pressing Spin while in the air makes the shield explode, destroying nearby enemies, including all nearby Match/CTF opponents, within its blast radius. It also automatically explodes if the player is hit. The shield cannot be used if the player is invincible.
 * Fire Shield Monitor: It gives the player the Fire Shield, one of three shields from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It protects from fire and lava, and pressing Spin while in the air will propel you forward, similar to the Thok.
 * Bubble Shield Monitor: It gives the player the Bubble Shield, another shield from Sonic 3. This shield allows you to breathe underwater, and pressing Spin while in the air will make you fall at full speed and bounce at impact.
 * Lightning Shield Monitor: It will give the player the Lightning Shield, the third and final shield from Sonic 3. This shield will pull nearby rings and it protects the player from electrical damage. Pressing Spin while in the air allows you to double jump.

Multiplayer

 * Teleporter Monitor: It changes the location of all players when it is destroyed. In this sense, it is also known as a "Mix-up Monitor". When there is only one player in the game, or if playing in Single Player or Co-op mode, the teleport monitor will have no effect. This monitor also has no effect on players who are in their Super form.
 * Gravity Boots: It reverses the player's gravity for a short period of time.
 * Random Monitor: It is a monitor that randomly selects any of the above monitors and performs its effect, such as awarding ten rings or giving the player a shield. Gravity Boots cannot be obtained from this Monitor. This monitor shouldn't be placed on Match/CTF maps, although there are currently maps with this monitor.

Multiplayer
SRB2 features several multiplayer modes that can be played in split screen or over a network connection. Multiplayer modes include Co-Op, Competition, Race, Match, Team Match, Tag, Hide & Seek, and Capture The Flag.

Co-Op
The cooperative mode is the same as the Single Player mode but with several players. This includes some additional features, such as the ability for Tails to fly other players, or waiting for other players to finish at the end of the level.

Race
It's a simple race to the finish. It is played in Single Player levels, although in previous versions there was a set of ten circuit levels that were specifically designed for this mode. They were short tracks with a circular layout, in which the player had to complete four laps.

Competition

Competition is similar to the two player mode in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Points are awarded in several categories:


 * Score: The player with the most points wins this category.
 * Time: The player who beat the stage the fastest wins this category.
 * Ring: The player who completes the stage with the most rings wins this category.
 * Total Ring: The player who collected the most rings wins this category. Rings lost to enemies and hazards still count.
 * Item Box: The player who broke the most monitors wins this category.

Match
It's similar to a typical Deathmatch, but players must shoot rings instead of projectiles. It is played in first person camera in a set of thirteen maps designed specifically for this gametype. Due to the fast-paced nature of the game, players are considerably faster than the rings thrown. Therefore, players must anticipate their opponents' moves and aim in front of them. Points are given when hitting your target based on the status of the target:


 * Opponent has rings or shield: 50 points (loses rings).
 * Opponent doesn't have rings or shield: 100 points (instant death).

The player with the most points at the end of the round wins.

Team Match

It works exactly like Match, but players are divided into two teams, and the team with the most points wins.

Capture the Flag
It works similarly to Team Match. Players are divided into two teams and each team has a base where their flag is located. To score a point, a team must try to steal the opposing team's flag and bring it to their base while guarding their own flag. Apart from that, CTF resembles a regular Match game, being played on its own series of eleven maps.

Tag/Hide & Seek
These are two closely related game modes, both played on Match maps. In Tag, a player is selected to be "it" and must chase the other players. Once another player is caught, that player will become "it" as well. As long as the player is not "it", his score will increase every second and for each player that is tagged, "it" receives 100 points. Hide & Seek works in a similar way. At first, non-it players have a time limit to hide. Once the time is up, they can't move anymore, and the player who is "it" has to find them and shoot them. Scoring is the same as in Tag.

Special ring weapons
In certain multiplayer matches (Match, CTF, Tag/Hide & Seek), the following weapons can be used to change the type of rings fired. As long as you have the type of weapon, its corresponding ammunition and rings can be used.


 * Red Ring (Default): This is the default weapon. It cannot be removed and uses normal rings as ammunition.
 * Automatic Ring: This triangular green ring causes the wearer to fire rings at breakneck speed, similar to a machine gun. This makes it easy to hit an enemy, but it also makes it easy to run out of rings, leaving you vulnerable. Hold down the fire key to launch a steady stream of rings.
 * Bounce Ring: This yellow ring, when fired, acts like a normal red ring, except it bounces off walls, ceilings, and floors for a bit before disappearing. Ideal for shooting around corners and in small rooms. It is very useful when there are opponents in a closed area, as it bounces off all walls.
 * Explosion Ring: A black ring in the shape of a bomb, which is fired slowly, but when it hits a wall, it scatters a display of fireworks everywhere. Players directly affected by the black ring are knocked back further than normal.
 * Grenade Ring: Fires a grenade that explodes when approached by a player or after a few seconds. Ideal for protecting CTF bases and for throwing it in places that are frequently passed by players.
 * Rail Ring: It consists of a blue and red spiral, which allows you to shoot rings that cross the stage at a brutal speed, despite limiting the rate of fire quite a bit, being very similar to a sniper weapon. Instantly hits opponents. Players hit with this weapon will be knocked back farther than normal.
 * Scatter Ring: A purple X-shaped ring, multiplies by five when fired, allowing the player to hit targets more easily, as they spread out the farther they go. The distance the opponent is blown away when hit depends on the distance traveled by the shot. This makes it easy for the player to steal other players' weapons and rings.

Note: Collected weapons are dropped along with the rings when the wearer is hit.

Unlockable Content
SRB2 has a large amount of additional content that can be unlocked by various methods. This includes several additional levels, some of which emulate the style of other games. In version 2.2 three unlockable characters were added. After completing the single player campaign for the first time, the player is given a full list of unlockables and the requirements to unlock them. Additional content can be unlocked primarily by obtaining two things:


 * Chaos Emeralds: The seven Chaos Emeralds can be acquired by collecting Special Stage Tokens that are found hidden in all non-boss acts. When the player exits a level after collecting one of these, they are sent to a special stage where they have to collect a certain number of blue spheres while flying as Super Sonic, which was inspired by NiGHTS into Dreams.
 * Emblems: The game also hides 200 emblems that the player can collect. In each normal act there are 5 emblems, plus 3 additional emblems obtainable in Record Attack by achieving a certain record, and 5 emblems that are obtained by fulfilling certain objectives.

Customization
Because it's built on a Doom-based engine, SRB2 is easily customizable, and the multitude of user-created plugins is the source of the game's popularity. The WAD and PK3 formats are used for Doom files, which allows you to create levels, characters, enemies and/or objects with the help of a WAD editor. With the use of SOC or Lua, many game scenes can be easily altered and new things can be created. Source code modifications are also easily achievable by altering and compiling the source code.

Community
Sonic Robo Blast 2 has a large community across the web, including an IRC channel, a Discord server, and a well-attended forum. The SRB2 community keeps the project alive, creating numerous new maps, championships, contests, and more. Since SRB2 gives you the possibility to create your own characters, textures, levels and music, many modifications have been made to the original game, various original levels, mods changing the graphics, music and more. SRB2 has also been mentioned by magazines, such as PC Zone, a popular British magazine.