Marking 5 out of 8 stages done, you can see our progress on Arid Sands in the video below, and a 60 FPS
version in our Downloads page.
I've also uploaded some images to the gallery. Our progress has slowed down a bit due to real-life issues to handle first, but as long as we keep a steady pace, we should be able to do the rest in due time.
Now, on to some FAQ:
Q: Mod release date?
A: We've always went for the "When it's done" approach. That doesn't mean we don't hold an internal deadline tho to keep things in line. Don't worry, it shouldn't be more than a few months if we can't make it before 2012.
Q: Will you have a 3D Hub World?
A: While this was the main idea from some time ago, if some technical issues arise, we'll be going with a regular 2D HUB world like in the style of the Dragon Road demo.
Q: Will this levels be added to the normal HUB?
A: It isn't possible to add new, fully featured stages into the game yet. Since this mod is a Total Conversion project, this shouldn't be a problem tho. And if you want to switch between both games, it's as easy as toggling a checkbox in SonicGMI, with no installation times at all. Think of it like turning on/off mods for Skyrim.
Q: What's happening with Classic Sonic in Night Stages, or variations of day time levels reworked as Classic?
A: Since our workload is already busy enough, we're not keeping Classic Sonic at all on the first version of the mod. Maybe if we want to work for it as an extra later... While Classic Sonic in night stages is a neat concept, it requires a lot of layout work to be even playable, let alone fun. It is not the priority, and if possible, Classic Sonic will be disabled from the progression.
Q: Will we need a full save, unlocked bosses, to be able to play?
A: While I don't have a definitive answer yet, it's completely possible to modify how the game does the progression of the game. The ideal goal is to leave Modern Sonic only, and just unlock the stages as you beat them. Since boss fights are impossible to port(no custom code support), there won't be "era" checks or such. Just a linear progression system, so it'll be a short play-through if you don't intend to replay these stages over and over.
So in short, you likely won't need a full save to be able to play it, and do a playthrough from the beginning without overwriting your current progress in the regular game.
Q: Will this mod work on *some version number* of Sonic Generations? Steam or Cracked version?
A: Both CPKREDIR and the optional Unleashed Renderer patch are intended for v1.0.0.5, the latest Steam version. It might be possible to get it to work on the Cracked version... but please, do support Sega on their PC releases if you want more decent ports like this.
Q: What about the Unleashed Renderer?
A: The Unleashed Renderer is just for now a novelty. It has some missing and buggy features at the moment that make it a bit problematic to release it for general use. Since it involves a minor exe patch, it'll be completely optional along with the release of the mod. However, it'll be really recommended to use it if you want the stages to look as they should. (Directional Shadows, Light Shafts on Cool Edge, correct Ice effects on Cool Edge, better Bloom, better Color Correction, etc.)
However, its current problems are: Lack of FXAA, Motion Blur is wrongly tied to Framerate, Very low shadowmap resolution(probably easy to fix if found), Some minor UI Glitches, problems in non 16:9 aspect ratios, and no Stereoscopic 3D Support(It's only the one included within the game, external programs like 3D Vision will still work). While the lack of AA can be compensated using external AA solutions and downsampling, it'd be preferable to fix the regular FXAA.
Do you think its going to be released in 2013?
Just to be clear on this, there's a difference between a "cracked game" and a "pirated game". While all pirated games are cracked, not all cracked games are pirated. Some people would still want to use cracks for games they legitimately bought if they find it necessary, like overriding a more-annoying-than-helpful DRM or getting rid of the need of the game's disc inserted. Hehe. :p For instance, I found it necessary to crack my Assassin's Creed games, 'cause for some reason Ubisoft decided to make these single-player games require constant Internet connection to play, in a silly ineffective attempt to make them pirate-proof (like pirates won't be able to find a workaround), so I looked for and installed a crack to get rid of this peeve. <_< My Generations ain't cracked because it wasn't necessary, but there's someone I know with a pirated version of Generations who can use mods with no issues.
Indeed you're correct on this, sorry for the wording. It's just that we've gotten some comments on the past crying that it wasn't fair the mods didn't work on pirated versions(which it does if you get the patches), and I felt it was necessary to do that clarification.
As said in the past, we'll make no attempt to prevent cracked copies from running mods, but we can't make the effort for supporting older versions of the game.
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