Ultimate Sonic

Work in ProgressThe content of the article may change dramatically as more information becomes available.
Ultimate Sonic is not just any fan game I have planned, but hopefully my best fan game with the best I can provide for it. I hope to design my own "Hedgehog Engine" which will be as easy as Dreamcast Era Sonic gameplay but all the fun of Modern Era Sonic games. The character controls will also be different, I intend that Knuckles and Tails will be able to use the Spin Dash whom haven't been able to do it since Sonic & Knuckles.
==Story==
The game has two events that are happening around Sonic and his friends. Both plots are a threat to the world, whichever to dominate or destroy. Conflict between chaos and world domination.
===Light VS Dark===
Angel Island has fallen and the Master Emerald's brilliant green light is now just a dim glow. Knuckles, along with Sonic and Tails are not sure why Angel Island has fallen.
Tikal the Echidna, a once mortal, now angelic being appears to the heroes and tells a demonic being known as Mephiles the Dark who has attacked Chaos and upsets the emeralds power. The name is new to the heroes but Mephiles has ties with Sonic.
Mephiles comes from Oblivion as Tikal from the Special Zone. He grew on the darkness that made the dimension and was eventually able to return to the world he was lost from. His disturbance is why the Master Emerald is weak as he wants to find the Chaos Emeralds, particularly one emerald coloured black.
===Eggman Empire===
The evil genius Dr. Ivo Robotnik plans for his empire is to restore the Death Egg and with the data files has stolen from Space Colony ARK, to create his own "Eggclipse Cannon" to threat the world with. However he needs the seven Chaos Emeralds.
This time he has help from Nack the Weasel who once worked for him. But can Dr. Eggman really trust him?
==Gameplay==
The games world consist of large Adventure Fields which grant access to Action Stages (Or just "stages" for short. The controls will be slightly different than usual Sonic gameplay but reminisce the Sonic Adventure controls but speed faster than Sonic Unleashed.
===Controls===
The gameplay is mostly based on the Dreamcast era of Sonic games. However boosting will be implemented in gameplay but with use of a Action Gauge instead of usual Boost gauge. This is to encourage boosting to be less relied on and that the Action Gauge may have other uses for other Sonic characters. (Boosting maybe removed entirely from finalized game.) 
Each hero have there own various skills. The Action Button varies those skills like Sonic and Shadows Speed Boost or Knuckles's Punch Attacks. During their stories they will each find an upgrade which will give them new powers to be used with the Ability Button.
===Action Gauge===
:SNN article: Action Gauge
The Action Gauge can be recharged with Light Cores and rings and "Speed Shoes" monitors may grant both temporary increase in speed as well as infinite boost. Though they may be replaced with a monitor that just grants temporary infinite boost. When empty, 15% of the Action Gauge will recharge over time.
Other characters will also make use of the Action Gauge that will function differently. Tails' Action Gauge keep track of how long he can fly and Knuckles' use chunks of Action Gauge for his homing punches which he can string into combos.
===Quick Time Events===
A Quick Time Event is an interactive cutscene or moment which require a sequence of buttons to be pressed before or at a certain moment of timing during the sequence, successfully performing these QTEs will reward either a small bonus, a successful hit if it's an attack or survival, failing will result in the opposite. There are also QTE which serve no real purpose but can still alter the various cutscene if succeed or fail.
Due to the mix reception and opinions of them and how they fared in Sonic Unleashed, they may not be in the final production of Ultimate Sonic.
Unlike Sonic Unleashed which had plenty and various QTEs as well as various button combinations for them, Ultimate Sonic will use them sparingly depending where the cutscene will take place or what kind of action you can take. They will consist mainly of button 1, 2 and 3. These buttons will also correspond to whats the playing hero is doing in these QTE cutscenes, such as button 1 for evasive maneuvers (such as jumping or avoiding danger), button 2 for offensive maneuvers (such as spinning or punching) and button 3 for defensive maneuvers (Originally "defend" or "block" was going to be considered in gameplay controls but decided not too). Some cutscenes may have alternative buttons if important, depending on the plot.
===Missions===
Missions are objectives that can be done throughout the game. Completing a mission will earn a Sonic Token and additional rings. There are two kinds of missions: Stage Missions and Town Missions and are given by NPCs with a red star ring speech-bubble over their head.
Stage Missions are objectives to be done in Action Stages. When playing a new stage the first mission you must do is to reach the goal. Once this mission is complete other optional missions will be added such as to reach the goal in a set time or to collect a number of rings. Additional missions can also be added by talking to NPCs.
Before replaying a stage, mission select will open for the choices of missions you can do.
Town Missions are objectives to be done in Adventure Fields. They are more instantaneous than Stage Missions as they begin immediately once accepted. After retrieving the mision the NPC will give you the option to start the mission which the Adventure Field will be reset to do the mission. Once the mission is finished the Adventure Field will return to normal. Succeeded missions cannot be replayed.
====Planned Missions====
*Reach the Goal. (Primary default mission)
*Reach the Goal in a set amount of time.
*Collect a certain number of rings.
*Destroy the Eggman Screencasts.
*Beat Metal Sonic to the Goal. (Sonic only)
*Beat Metal Knuckles to the artifacts. (Knuckles only)
*Find the lost chao.
*Find three artifacts. (default to some of Knuckles and Rouge stages)
==Locations==
Like Sonic Adventure and Sonic Next-Gen, the game will consist of Adventure Fields which allows free exploration and access to Action Stages that offer more than just areas of boost, side scrolling climbing and gimmicks which simply take you to places. While each stages have various missions and a goals there will always be room for exploring. While there is still the modern high-speed boost, standard running will be more Dreamcast like to make exploring and maneuverability more easier. So far only a few places and stages have been confirmed.
Adventure Fields will also have local NPCs to talk to, they will offer advice, gossip or hints on where you need to go next. Some NPCs have symbols over their head to indicate specific business. NPCs with a Red Star Ring over their head has a mission for you to do. In every Adventure Field there is at least 1 NPC with the ring icon over his head which means s/he will sell you various abilities to use for rings. Also, each stage and field will have five Sonic Tokens hidden which when collected will grant an Emblem. While each Adventure Field has 2 Action Stages, third stages maybe added depending on the characters personal story lines, being as some stages are speed based while others are more obstacle inclined for obstacles and exploration.
*Viridian Valley: Green hills and lands to run across to get to the major places in the game. Vast open valley thats just for fun to run around.
**Blue Ridge: A hill/winter alpine stage for beginners based on this zone with elements of Marble Garden Zone added to it.
**Terminal Railway: A bridge theme level set along an abandoned railway line. Makes use of rails. (Bares reminiscence to Radical Train from '06.)
*Hidden Palace: A secluded valley with an underground entrance to the actual palace where Knuckles keeps Shrine Island during crisis.
**Angel Island: Get to explore topside of the island, with it's jungles and ruins. Based after zone.
**Prism Palace: Inspired from a dream I recently had. Located somewhere between the island and the Special Zone. It's layout is similar to Lost World and Kingdom Valley in but with architecture and colours more like Hidden Palace Zone. The location will also have large chambers, flowing water as well as similar palace structures such as spiralling staircases and siderooms.
**Fire/Ice stage: A considered stage with hourglass switches that can change it's theme.
**Ancient Past: An Action Stage version of Mystic Ruins 4000 years ago. Tikal opens the way to it.
*Central City: The city of the game. Remake of this stage as an Adventure Field, will make as accurate to the original game as possible, though minus the alien invasion or the hazards.
**Rushing Roulette: A casino themed stage.
**Starlight Highway: City themed stage.
*Death Egg: Can only be accessed after Cosmic Deck. The latest reconstruction of the space station equipped with the Eggclipse Cannon.
**Cosmic Deck: The innards of the Egg Carrier while it flies to the Death Egg. Based after this stage. While technically a "Death Egg" stage, it is separate from it and completion is needed to access Death Egg to begin with.
**Eggclipse Core: Run around (and sometimes outside!) the Death Egg to reach where the Eggclipse Cannon is.
Other places
*Chao Village: A caravan resort popular for it's chao gardens. It has no Action Stages. Coincidentally Cream and her mother are staying there during the events of the game. Cream will teach you everything you need to know about raising chao.
**Chao Garden: The entrance is the village park.
**Hero Chao Garden: A key is needed to access the entrance which is the church. Key only granted to those who raised a Hero Chao.
**Dark Chaos Garden: A key is needed to access the entrance which is the abandon subway. Key only granted to those who raised a Dark Chao.
==Characters==
===Heroes===
There will be a maximum of 3 characters to play as each with there own story as well as exclusive downloadable characters with there own stories (optional downloads so not to over-populate player select). It will depend on planning. But the story will be told from each points of views.
====Sonic the Hedgehog====
Sonic is as usual at the center of these events. Tails alerted him that Angel Island has fallen on to the mountains at Northern Kingdom and thus the pair investigate.
Now he must stop Dr. Eggman's latest scheme and find out who is Mephiles.
The Action Gauge permits Sonic Boost at great speed through stages. However it is limited compared to the Boost Gauge on order to be used sparingly.
====Miles "Tails" Prower====
Sonic's closest friend and genius. Surveying the skies, he witness the fall of Angel Island which he reports to Sonic. For game sakes Tails will have his own story a bit different than folowing Sonic around.
The Action Gauge keeps track of how long he can fly (which is longer time than usual).
====Knuckles the Echidna====
Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald as well as Angel Island where it resides. When Angel Island landed in the mountains, it resulted in tremors across the island. For safety, Knuckles relocated the Emerald Shrine to the Hidden Palace at the heart of Angel Island. With Tikal he hopes to find out more about his lost people.
The Action Gauge permits him to string combos of powerful punches together that home into nearby enemies.
===Allies===
These characters are Non-Playable Characters.
====Tikal the Echidna====
In ancient times, Tikal was once a mortal daughter of Chief Pachacamac of the Knuckle Tribe. Now she is an angelic being who resides in the Special Zone. She has returned to Sonic and friends in dire need of help in fear of Mephiles.
====Chaos====
Chaos is a living manifestation of chaos and water. He was usurped as God of Destruction by Mephiles and has since gone.
(Chaos may not be in the final production of the game being a minor character.)
====Cream the Rabbit====
Cream is on holiday with her mum Vanilla and her best friend Cheese. They are at Chao Sanctuary, a village where chao and people live in peace with many chao gardens.
Cream will be your teacher in raising chao and such.
===DLC stories===
An optional expansion pack to the game maybe worked on afterwards introducing 3 additional characters and their points in the story.
====Amy Rose====
Young Amy is a lovestruck hedgehog stalking scouting for Sonic wherever he may be, even though at times when she finds Sonic, trouble tends to find her.
====Shadow the Hedgehog====
A dark hedgehog who is a military agent of GUN who also to take the doctor down, unlike Sonic, he has his orders to do this but also to retrieve what is stolen from him.
====Rouge the Bat====
This sexy bat is a secret agent of GUN. With an interest on the events unfolding as well as Shadow's friend she decides to help him with his mission in hopes of opportunity to collect precious treasures.
===Villains===
These characters are Non-Playable characters. (Maybe...)
====Dr. Eggman====
Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is in preparation for his latest attempts to establish his Eggman Empire and to take over the world. He has stolen data from ARK in hopes to create his own ultimate weapon, the Eclipse Cannon, which he will install into his latest Death Egg.
=====Badniks=====
Dr. Eggman's robots as primary enemies in the game. Badniks in mind are Floating Cameras, Spinners, mobile tank badniks and EggRobos/Egg Pawns.
Badniks with more defensive intelligence that would require caution to engage than to simply attack them like past badniks. Spinners will no longer be stationed badniks and instead home into Sonic than wait for him to approach and attack. Badniks similar to Rhinotank are also planned as well as a spike-armoured variety. It is yet undecided if Egg Robots or Egg Pawns would be the soldier-model of the Badniks, these badniks will be soldier badniks, capable of self defensive maneuvers and using different weapons. 
Floating Cameras may replace stationary Spinners, given their use for accessing areas with homing attacks. Floating Cameras being Dr. Eggman's logic to having useless badniks that can actually help Sonic. These camera badniks may still be replaced with Spinners if all Badniks visions serve as cameras to Dr. Eggman.
====Nack the Weasel====
A treasure hunter with a shady past who proposes to help Dr. Eggman. The two once worked together over a decade ago with Nack fleeing after his greed got the better of him. Now he propose to assist the doctor but why should Robotnik trust him?
====Mephiles the Dark====
Mephiles comes from Oblivion, a demonic hedgehog like character with a past only a few truely know. For some reason he wants vengence on Sonic and is also interested in the Chaos Emeralds. He is also looking for the black Chaos Emerald which he can draw incredible powers from.
=====Minions=====
Created from darkness, such creatures as Shadows, Phoenix, Stalkers, Worms. All redesigned to look less like recolours of Iblis minions.
They may not appear in final product of Ultimate Sonic.
====Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles====
They only appear in doppleganger missions as CPU clones to the real Sonic and Knuckles. Metal Sonic races Sonic to the goal while Metal Knuckles, with the ability to turn hands into a drill, will find the three artifacts first.
==Music==
Various original themes and songs are planned for this game. Each playable character will have a theme which is a remix cover of various classic music from zones before Sonic Adventure.
One particular song that will be requested for the game will be Reach for the Goal by shadowlink4321, the use of his song has not been requested yet due the game not beginning it's development but if accepted it is hoped the song will be either Sonic's theme or the games main theme.
===Selected themes===
The themes have not been composed or lyrics written yet, however these are the planned music to be remixed for character themes
Character 	Original music 	From what game 	Notes
Sonic the Hedgehog 	 	 	Undecided. Perhaps Reach for the Goal
Miles "Tails" Prower 	Green Grove Zone 	Sonic 3D (Sega Megadrive / Genesis) 	The theme is also present in Sonic Adventure known as "The Air". It's a pretty light hearted sky base stage as well as a tune well reconised by Sonic fans which makes it perfect to make into a theme for Tails.
Knuckles the Echidna 	Knuckles theme 	Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles	I think Knuckles had two themes, one of his encounters and a sort of "ninja" like theme. I can put them together to make a hip-hop rap like music for him.
Cream the Rabbit 	You're My Hero or Toy Kingdom 	Sonic 3D (Sega Saturn) or Sonic Advance 3 	Cus it's cheerful and catchy. Also her mission theme in Sonic Generations. Alternatively Toy Kingdoms theme can be used given it's whimsical, childlike theme.
Nack the Weasel 	Either Casino Night Zone or Nack's Theme	Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Sonic Triple Trouble 	Nack had just the one theme in Triple Trouble that made me think of him as some sort of cowboy. As Nack is also known to take risks for treasure out of greed which is why some also see him as a gambler which makes Casino Night Zone a perfect theme for him (probably because he had fights there in Sonic the Fighters) so either theme will be fine for him, perhaps Casino night Zone as it is more well known.
Dr. "Eggman" Robotnik	Boss theme 	Sonic the Hedgehog 	Ever heard the music of Dr. Steel? I can imagine this theme being an industrial cover with awsome screaming lyrics.
Tikal the Echidna 	Special Stage or Theme of Tikal 	Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic Adventure 	Either of these two themes are suited for Tikal, the idea for Tikals theme is to represent her sorrow and concerns for the heroes and the world. To slow the Special Stage music to a piano tune will be suited, however Tikals own theme is more familiar to her than any other would be so the decision is still out there.
Mephiles the Dark 	[Event] Mephiles' Whisper 	Sonic the Hedgehog 	While not his exact theme from the game, I find his event tune is better and would like to use that instead.
And for the DLC characters
Character 	Original "zone" music	From what game 	Notes
Amy Rose 	 	 	Undecided. Perhaps something from Sonic CD.
Shadow the Hedgehog	Panic Puppet Zone 	Sonic 3D (Sega Saturn)	For some reason I can imagine most of this song playing without lyrics until the piano bit where Shadow and Maria can simply recite a poem or prayer together. Inspired from Shadow's level Lost Impact from his game.
Rouge the Bat 	 	 	Undecided
==Downloadable Content==
Like the Sonic Dreamcast games there will be a variety of DLC that will allow characters, events and challenges in the game. Such events for Halloween and Christmas events.
===Dark Story===
Amy, Shadow and Rouge will also be exclusive story characters explaining events in the games story left untold. This download is optional so not to over-populate the playable characters.
===Zone of the Dead===
Sonic is cursed to become a werehog by a rogue Fright Master and must pass through various haunted stages to fight scrapped robots possessed by Dark Frights. Such stages in mind is areas around Pumpkin Hill and an old castle haunted by hyudoro.
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