I Transformed My Fan Game In 2 Weeks

I spent 2 weeks updating my fan game Sonic Aether. After receiving input on how the game just wasn't appealing, I began revolutionizing my game. Take a look at everything I was able to do, and maybe you will want to try out Unity for yourself!
Sonic Aether will be released during the Sonic Amateur Games Expo 2023 (SAGE '23).
Itch: tobintojo.itch.io/
Thumbnail by ‪@medinywaw7435‬
Music:
Outrun 2 - Passing Breeze
Sonic CD - Palmtree Panic Past
Sonic Mega Collection - Intro
Sonic Unleashed - Dragon Road Day
#devlog #unity #gamedev #sonic #fangame

[@tobin7673]

NEW UPDATE VIDEO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJmop6CYZqaDbLc&ab_channel=Tobin

[@tomrow32]

I think the graphics in the game could still use some improvements. The blocks that make up the environment are still very basic. It would be nice if the grass had a bit more depth instead of just being flat on the blocks. The enemies and other environment things could use some more animation too.

[@viggo_k8656]

It is certainly a lot better compared to last time, but it still feels like a mobile game to me. Here are some things I think could be improved: - All of the characters feel a little slow, making certain parts of the level longer and increasing the player’s speed could improve that - Rail switching feels very snappy and even slows the player down, adding a transition animation to it could help to make it feel a lot more smooth - The camera is locked behind the player and doesn’t move, making it feel similar to Subway Surfers - The entire level is one straight line, making it go left and right a few times would be nice - Sometimes the characters just stand completely still, and they don’t have any facial expressions, so adding a bunch of animations would make everything feel a lot more alive - I don’t understand why the entire level is just floating in the sky, maybe adding a few more details snd decorations could make it look a little more fitting - A bunch of the textures feel a little flat, adding PBR to them could help with making it look more believable I hope my feedback was helpful to you, and I’m very curious with where you’re going to take this game next

[@tobin7673]

This is solid feedback, I'll take a deep dive into this one. The word "Aether" means "clear sky", it takes place in the sky islands. I'll explain a bit more about this in my next vid.

[@Nootathotep]

I think having levels take place in a straight line is a theoretically interesting restriction

[@Eldoofus]

​@@Nootathotep I have to agree, it does a lot of favors to streamlined level design as well, while not inherently sacrificing the "multi-path" aspect of the game.

[@mr.babybread5545]

Overall it looks cute and fun. I think the only improvements that would be necessary would be smoother rail switching transitions and smoother animations. Maybe you could even add more background objects and make the level feel more "organic". One last thing is more of a nit-pick, but I recommend changing the stamina wheel's color to match Tails' and Knuckles' color (so maybe orange and red). Other than that, looks fun.

[@thelaughingolive]

This game looks SO fun to play. I can’t believe this much thought goes into a video game. Like the ground texture?! Yeah anyways huge fan of your work! You’ve got some great feedback, so keep going man :))

[@RDSC_]

One thing with most sonic fan games is they always have to have some kind of classic sonic level (mostly green hill) so it would spice up the game to use some kind of original or adventure game texture for a new and improved feel. Also instead of having a bunch of floating platforms in the air maybe put like water below (if you end up changing the green hill asthtetic you could use different shades of colored water or even lava or something to just really spice it up. I say take inspiration from the adventure games on the whole floating platforms thing ya know) everything and stretch everything down to the water to make it look more natural. Im no dev but i could give you some more ideas 😉 Edit: i read something about how the level take places in the sky so i say take inspiration from sonic frontiers and put giant clouds or something under the level to make it feel more vibrant

[@AxArchives]

underrated channel keep up the great work

[@valmid5069]

Cant wait for more great amazing content!

[@ItzInvidious]

This looks like the start of something great. This guy needs a whole team and budget so this project can spread it's wings. My only criticism would be the momentum physics, (rather lack thereof) but I know that will come with time. Implementing smooth movement this early in development isn't easy. Besides, in it's base state the movement doesn't look bad. It could just be a bit more fluid. Still at the end of the day, this is a game that I'll be keeping my eye on! Good job!

[@DanielAntovski]

You can make the textures more vibrant, just like the thumbnail

[@sonictag-teamheroes8835]

Good on you for making an earnest effort to listen to feedback. The improvements are striking! If i had a few suggestions, it would be to increase the top speed of the characters (maybe extend the length of the platforms to compensate) as well as put in animations for hopping from rail to rail (teleporting between them is rather jarring).

[@lobstercat]

I think the glide meter changes are pretty good, but I feel like the meter blends with the background a bit and it's really hard to tell how much longer you have left to glide at a glance. It'd definitely be a lot easier to see if the highlighted part of the meter was brighter to make it stand out more against the background.

[@nintenvlogz]

For sure, or an outline

[@TexasAnimation]

Its good progress! One major thing that I believe belongs in every sonic game is momentum.

[@bigkebizino8970]

good job man, cant wait to see more imporvements!

[@Gabilou37]

I can hear so much joy and energy from you in this video alone! And I can also see you're putting alot of effort and energy in the comments to take feedbacks and listen to everybody I wish you the best luck for the development of the project!!!! NEVER GIVE UP, keep it up man, I love it!

[@tobin7673]

I appreciate the kind words! Sonic Aether has been in development for more than half a year and everyone's feedback has been really helpful! I'm definitely going to keep on posting in the future

[@Gabilou37]

@@tobin7673This is an amazing dedication! I'm looking forward to your next updates! Also if I may ask do you have any vision game design wise of the game for it's future ? Many devs start working on their game without really thinking clearly about how they want their game to be like, what to focus on, what would be the game's unique point that would differenciate it from others on the game design aspect. Starting a project without thinking about this may slow down the project alot if the devs start thinking about it mid-development or just leave the game somewhat empty if they don't think about it at all. I'd love to know your current position and thoughts on this for Sonic Aether!

[@tobin7673]

@@Gabilou37 Thanks for the question Gabilou! My vision is to make this game a platform adventure with numerous levels each having its own theme (for instance volcano level or ice level), with a story. Sonic Aether's unique point is the platforming, this game is very platformer heavy compared to other Sonic games as there are a lot of platforms seperated by empty space, as well there is a difficulty system and individual rankings for score, time and rings.

[@Gabilou37]

@@tobin7673 Oh I see, thank you for your reply! That's an interesting approach for a Sonic game. Would there be new parkour / movement mechanics to complement the heavy platforming aspect of the game? This just came in my mind when I read your vision for the game, it'd seem to be really fun for each characters to all have a kit of different movement abilities that'd all have their advantages and limits. For example Sonic having different dash moves for ground and air. Imagination can go wild here for the abilities but that's just a thought I wanted to share! Have you come up with something for the platform heavy aspect of the game ? such as ability or level design bricks. I don't want by any mean to pressure you or anything, sorry if some stuffs are maybe sentenced weirdly. I'm looking forward to your thoughts about all this and the next updates for your game!

[@Biscuit.Ummers]

As for new additions: I think adding Amy and Shadow as skins for Sonic would be cool, if you weren’t planning on adding them as their own characters that is. Improvements: The color used for Tails’s and Knuckles’s power gauge is kinda hard to look at, Using a soft Yellow and Pink for the respective characters would work nicely imo. You’re doing great already! Keep going!

[@Xender97]

dude i really want to play this game !!! usually i can't play any 3d sonic fan game because my pc is trash but you added little graphics that make the game beautiful and accessible to everyone ! and i think you could add more playable character with their own abilyties to make the game even better. I can't wait to try it out !

[@XbladedGG]

This idea has probably been brought up a million times, but, perhaps you could a spindash. Also, more momentum will definitely help further down the line. Can't wait to try this out!

[@nintenvlogz]

Definitely mess with the saturation and contrast like you did in the thumbnail. If there’s a way to match the look of that I think it would be allot more vibrant. Keep it up!

[@Frocan]

You improved it a Lot! But for me it needs just 4 little things, you Should round the corners of the plataforms instead of them just being rectangles, Also they need textures with more resolution and the characters need smoother animations, and the last thing is that the game need More alive colors, More saturated ones like Sonic lost world, That would make the game look beautiful! Hope you make something great with this game :)

[@thebaiter]

Nice! I have a suggestion. You should make the grass top of the blocks larger than the block and make it along with block smooth. Also, you can make it so the ground looks like it's a floating chunk.

[@dojangofficial1050]

This looks like a decently fun game for a multiplayer mode too, and I think the green hill textures could do with a bit more color! Other than that, looks pretty simple and fun!

[@Beastmd]

Nice job bro! I think making the game less floaty would help a lot. I also think that if you make the different routes more vertical it can help give it the more classic feel, if that’s what you’re going for. The floatiness is the most important aspect to tackle though.

[@GottaBGlitches]

I'm not really good with feedback, I like how it looks so far, the only real 'problem' I can point out is the light blue short spikes Sonic that Sega likes to use in the newer games.

[@neenaw]

I think it looks really cool! Maybe a tiny bit of fog to help with camera depth, other than that superb effort!

[@SubbySpaced]

These are all great changes! I think one problem this game still does have is the level design as a whole though. The way it’s set up currently feels more like a ROBLOX obby than anything. I think a simple fix to this would just be adding some water that touches the lowest platforms at the base and add some depth or objects to the background. The characters also still seem pretty lifeless, as they have no expressions and the badniks lack animation. Another thing I would recommend is playing with the lighting a little more, a little color would be nice, it looks a bit washed out currently. This is some pretty good progress so far though!

[@hyperfrontiers]

I love how this looks its awesome!!!!!

[@TheKjmanYT]

I’m subbing also funny enough I find this vid while for the best sonic fan game engine to remake unleashed

[@IdiotRebecca251]

Tbh the only real criticisms I can give is how the rail switching kills all speed as well as how everything feels like it’s taking place on floating platforms in the sky, not sure how to fix the ladder but I’m thinking maybe adding some more background elements plus adding water and dragging most of the platforms down below it, I say most because having some floating platforms isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s just when everything looks like a floating platform does it become a problem, though everything else looks pretty good, can’t wait to see what becomes of this in the future

[@CheddarChii]

small thing i wanna add to the enemies you can make it so they slowly creep their way to you while also attacking you like in srb2, i think thatll make them feel more alive

[@theunepicgrayscale]

It definitely needs some major work! But im optimistic about this so i think this has a chance to end up great!

[@williamplayz_yt6973]

I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a 3D game project, but as someone who loves Sonic, here's what i would recommend to make it feel more... like Sonic: 1. Character speed Maybe a boost mechanic or spin dash? Might not be used much with the sky islands, but it'd be a cool feature in bigger platforms, or bosses. 2. Problem with the slopes They're slopes now, but rounding would make them more visually appealing, and smoother to walk up. 3. Color of the stamina bar It was kind of hard to see, so I'd recommend making it white and then making it thicker, for a more noticeable look compared to the blue sky. 4. The rails. Maybe an animation for swapping rails, or making the ones going up rounded instead of having a gap. 5. The victory animations This may be from me who loved the animation of Forces, but the victory animations seem a little.... off, with the huge pauses that have absolutely no movement in between. Sorry if i sounded a bit rude, but i do hope this may help.

[@tobin7673]

This is incredible feedback, I appreciate you giving these tips. I will do my best to implement these!

[@williamplayz_yt6973]

@@tobin7673 No problem!

[@nobcsnobodycare]

Ngl this game looks so much fun and i would really like to see amy and how u would make her gamplay :D

[@driftywashere0]

This looks cool!

[@widerekxxanimations6842]

3:10 oh Hey wicked mouse font (I did enough epic mickey stuff to recognise it)

[@CatsAreAwesome17773]

Wow this is rlly underrated

[@Pokeblueblur]

Ok the game looks a little better but I have a few problems: .the island are too small to run and the speed of the characters are too slow. .the animations are rough they feel off like it seems like the character teleport while rail switching. .the rail switching Stops the character entirety. The ui needs a blue rectangle behind it and the pixelated number need to be changed. .the fly and glide wheel needs to be thicker and brighter blue. .the enemies look too dull they need to be brighter aswell and have animations. And a spin dash or boost need to be included

[@Josh4359]

much better, altho id also recommend ripping a few of the enemy animations from generations. some of the player animations also look like they could use some work, might be able to rip some of those animations as well (frontiers update 2 should have some tails and knuckles animations if u want to check those out). rail switching could also use some transitions, just store the previous rail positions offset from the goal position and lerp over time with a sine wave for height. otherwise looking very good so far

[@Josh4359]

others have likely pointed most of this out already but hopefully therell be something in there that'll help...

[@IgnacioBustos587]

Keep it up!

[@playerxt9517]

hey man! analyzing your game, you can already see its power to explore the sonic adventure 2 design style of more direct corridors, and it already has a good base but it also lacks that salt, you know, like: - Increase the saturation (color) of the texture of the grass and the stone, like, because the grass has a cartoonish style, color is essential, the grass you pull a little more towards light green and the stone parts try to pull towards a purple /dark blue/grey. - Animations of the enemies: The wasps (I forgot the name) you can add the animation of the flapping wings and make it a slight descent and ascent, but just be careful not to mess up the collision mask. The same goes for the spinners only instead of moving the wings it will be spinning that part that is around it. The motobug is just adding a particle effect, like a little smoke from the earth that he leaves when running. - And speaking of particles, add these effects to the player, you know the smoke that Sonic leaves when he is running in the lost world, so this is missing, it may seem like details but it makes a lot of difference when playing, these effects give a greater sensation than sonic is in this physical space, like that. And these are some ideas to make your fan game even better, good luck man 😉👍

[@tobin7673]

This feedback is incredible, I'll take a deep dive into the feedback you have provided! I truly appreciate the support!

[@RadicalX7592YT]

Blud, I have no words for this… This is OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this makes me WISH I had a computer. Probably better than most sonic games. My only improvements are 1. Give the characters custom animations for the title screens. Tails is fine if he’s flying, but seeing knuckles gliding mid-air without moving and sonic running in the same place just feel a bit bland. 2. Add more levels, I just feel like green hill only is a bit weird. But otherwise, GREAT GAME!

[@michael-vl1ee]

It look so cool

[@Imlewtrollerbob]

Love the vid dude if I was to give any recommendations a story mode and 2 player mode would be appreciated

[@adilino9703]

GAME DEVELOPER ANGLE

[@ziluslules1201]

Hmmm (these are ideas I came up with) -maybe turn the stamina thingy to Golden ring yellow cause it's hard to see the border of the blue and grey (maybe make a line between the yellow and Grey to a darker yellow to make the brighter yellow pop more) -maybe mix 2d and 3d to give it more appealing like how sonic mania used 2nd and made the background as if it's 3d -Maybe don't make the characters in the main menu stay in place like sonic running in place -maybe the UI should get like a persona 5 UI vibe -Maybe have the enemies can do a strike attack and sonic can parry them like Hi-Fi Rush -Lets Mario odyssey this abit, maybe sonic can switch from 3d to 2d like how Mario odyssey did

[@froz5551]

I like how this game has that flare of Sonic Lost World and Sonic Xtreme. I hope you take more inspiration from them moving. I am not completely sure in what ways exactly, at least maybe visually, but I think for whay you have, they are hoing to be a good source material

[@tobin7673]

Yea I would say visually the game feels like lost world while level design I took some inspiration from Sonic Xtreme.

[@nindooongpark]

It would be great to add changes in velocity depending on what slopes you run on

[@kenenidio162]

i have a idea for a item that would make the game so much more unique a Gravity Belt you could use it to change the direction of your momentum in a instant just by point where you want your momentum to be.

[@AveryH994]

This looks great

[@ostrobothnian9995]

I think for a level gimmick an enemy or a hazard that pulls you in would be interesting, like a vacuum badnik or a black hole

[@6thhokage355]

amazing 🔥🔥

[@Nootathotep]

Nice progress. If you keep transforming it every two weeks it will keep improving

[@hamzainium]

whilst it could still use improvement, im excited to see how it improves

[@retroworldfrom90s]

i would like to see some different stages like: -Dragon Road -Kingdom Valley -Death Egg -Lost Valley

[@widerekxxanimations6842]

Ok so now I'm gonna actually try to put my thoughts about this into word, it's a bit hard to describe what I think since I obviously haven't played it, sorry if I'm a bit harsh -The problem with the level design is that, yeah it's a bunch of rectangle's like you said, it just looks really flat. Everything floating in the middle of nowhere really makes it look like a begginer sonic roblox game, especially with the enviromental plants, trees etc. looks quite out of place. Most obsticles look like the're there just to be obsticles, and the level design from a glance look like a long straight line of just platforms -The pixaleted font can work in a 3d game, but I think that it would need to match the aesthetic -The rail grind switching is very sudden if I were to describe it -The ui looks quite ametur-ish and don't look like they had alot of effort put into them It looks like a good start to the game

[@Jordanlovellaussie]

I love this but in my opinion I’d like the running animations to have startups to gradually move ot the top speed, aswell as that I’d like sonic to be a bit faster, if you manage to implement those this game will for sure be a good one

[@sometf2player752]

I mean it definitely looks better but the visuals still could use more detail for example maybe you can add a actual background at the moment this game just consists of sonic characters jumping on platforms in the void you can also try to make the platforms look less blocky and more natural looking as well also you should probably try importing some actual animations for your enemies trust me it will make it look 10 times better

[@valtyclassic]

I would certainly add more downward slopes to gain speed, and maybe make levels slightly bit larger. But do far looks pretty decent

[@shawnjoseph1082]

I love the graphics bro

[@SkyTropeTv]

I think that the main problem right now are the levels. Even if you added slopes, you could make them bigger and have more to do. But the main problem with them is that they are way too small for such a big character. It feels like the level should be bigger, in scale, you know? Also, if you want it to be more adventure like... There is way too much plataforming. Adventure levels have you not just going forward and jumping, but also running, spinning around the loops. The level you are playing feels very disconected. You could connect all this plataforms "to the ground" if you know what I mean in order for it to feel more cohesive. In the death pits you could mabye add some black void texture to make it seem better put together. Also, the animations and models could be better, I would personally just rip them off for sonic official games but idk thats your choice not mine Also sorry for the huge roast but u say you want feedback and I wanted to say my honest opinion. I know doing this stuff requires a lot of job, and I really know how proud of what you already have you are. But if it's better, even better right?

[@sants4560]

Dude this is exciting

[@NamelessDragon101]

This game looks incredible! There's just one thing I wanna see: True Physics. Because the game could probably use some for going down slopes.

[@wafflman64]

It would be cool if each character had an alternate skIn where it would be their metal counterparts (metal sonic, metal knuckles). As far as I know, there was never a metal tails made, so maybe try making one from scratch? Either way, great game!

[@THENAMEISMEGAMAN]

Knuckles doesn't really need a meter for gliding since he only descends while doing so.

[@tobin7673]

I know traditionally his gliding shouldn't be limited but this level design is quite different from traditional Sonic Games and so giving him no meter would make gliding too broken in the game

[@OmarsWorldOfficial]

i like this Refined look, but the Grind rails are just, i don’t know man, its just long Cylinders, but its ok, could’ve been better if it was yellow colored

[@denzelpayy]

Wait, your famous, this is clean

[@DewMan31]

Being able to take criticism and use it to improve is a sign of a good creator. I look forward to playing your game as well as constructively criticising and praising you. Good job.

[@That_Ice_Guy]

I think the badniks should bob up and down when they're flying

[@supersonicspeed7954]

Customize ideas You can give sonic his soap shoes. for knuckles you could give him his ova hat but I don’t know how making a game works but amazing looking fan game

[@user-uf3rj9wz4h]

its great and good looking

[@MultiGamer64REAL]

Hopefully you can add moment physics so the characters feel smooth and more Sonic like

[@user-ge1rv4dw5g]

you should really add a background to the levels, and make more momentum-based movement like sonic gt

[@NoobButCool]

imo you should add unlockable characters like:Shadow Rouge And Ray obtainable through ACH. Or finish the game with every character (not collecting every red ring tho) maybe adding a secret skin just for the goofs or make a super hard mode of the game which unlocks new skins, classic sonic, mighty the armadillo and extra unlockables! It wouldbe cool but i can tell it will take some time. (P.S maybe add anims to the enemies so they look alive)

[@nokingo10098]

I think u can add for the eggman robots to move around the map a little bit,like in Sonic 1.Also add for Sonic and Knuckles movable quils and for Tails movable tails,also add homing attack if u did then ok.Question,will the game be playable on mobile?

[@nuggets283]

I might recommend adding more dinamic animations, since the platforming looks more traditional, adding squash n stretch along the lines of Crash 4 could really help to make the game a lot more dynamic.

[@tobin7673]

Love this feedback! Squash and stretch is an awesome animation technique, I remember Cuphead using this as well.

[@nuggets283]

@@tobin7673 yeah, good animation can really change how controls feel, the Jak and Daxter games feel satisfactory to play because of the amazing animation and sound design. Hope you do well with your project!!

[@squaresoftvevo]

pretty awesome i like it

[@Mystery-ri5il]

It look awesome but i think you should change the grinds to a less thic cylinder to match the sonic characters

[@Snow_Buddy18]

I like this game so far but i suggest more expressive animations and a little more transitions between animation but yeah good job

[@somerandomguyintheinternet]

The character's animations, particle effects and overall ui and background elements could use a little work but other than that the game's alright!

[@driftywashere0]

Not gonna lie I might play this!

[@Jek_Official]

i think you should add an animation for the rail grinding because when they just teleport it looks kinda weird

[@tobin7673]

Im going to make sure there's an animation for sure because I do agree with you, now looking at it again, the teleport doesn't look appealing

[@Jek_Official]

@@tobin7673 also i forgot what its called but im pretty sure in the real games, the wing thingies swing around the spinner so it would be cool if you did that too

[@SweewzStudios]

You could add shadow to the game and he could use the boost gameplay.

[@jelkoo99]

Maybe as a paid DLC

[@waff64]

this looks the same exact same also i want it where when switching rails you have to hold left/right key and then jump to switch rails

[@LunarBiohazardMusic]

I still feel as though the landscape is a bit bland. Level layout : Instead of each island just being a floating rectangle, I feel it should be shaped as more of a chunk of land ripped from the ground (if that makes sense) as it would definitely give more life to the layout. The slopes could also seem less artificial and blend more naturally with the layout. Background : If you added a cloud effect below the level layout, it would definitely give more life to the game, rather than just using clouds as a PNG. I'm not a 3D programmer myself so don't ask me how you'd add all this lol.

[@katycolvin7129]

I would like a demo for the game, to give a taste of what it will be like!

[@tobin7673]

The game will be releasing on September 1st

[@shayanbahalgamer1382]

Can we get some high quality textures and higher quality models ? I think it will make the game look even better

[@doomytunes9374]

do you think you can make it like sonic lost world

[@alextoonz166]

Imagine if this was ported to android, I would like to see if you can somehow implement a score multiplier like Sonic Runners, also for these set multipliers I feel like there should be items other than rings and such like the crystals from runners

[@purrfectisepic]

The main problem that makes it look eh is the animations. It feels like the character just snaps into place without any animations in between. The visuals could do with a little bit of polishing and cool camera work would help. Even if u released the game like this with more levels I would still probably like it though. Looks fun

[@ChiseledPeanut]

You should Use cel shading so that the game will pop

[@none8450]

The game LOOKS good but the animations feel stiff and whats the piont of slopes if there is no momentum but the graphics were a good change

[@jarjbarj]

It would probably look a lot nicer if the game had a bit more saturation in the colors

[@darkkirby714]

animate the god damn flying enemies like holy shit they are just floating with no gravity

[@memebakeryt]

you should add animation when changing rails it just fells really weird

[@edwinsanthosh5707]

Casual Tobin W

[@maricthehedgehog]

Outside of the physics feeling weird there's nothing bad not about this game

[@medinywaw7435]

Really waiting for the final product ..... XD

[@tobin7673]

The final product is coming out on September 1st at SAGE

[@GearWorldofFantasy]

A little cozy and cool fangame and please add rhs and make i'm fire power just for fun

[@HardMODE-]

I think some PBR textures could help these graphics look better

[@whindorix2737]

Can you add a tiny story mode?