Prototype Windy Valley [2018, Updated, No Commentary] [4K]

[@BlackZeroNRG]

I like this version so much more than what we got. It's pretty much classic Sonic level design in 3d.

[@Chixel]

BlackZeroNRG exactly

[@dimondsi]

If it's not broke, don't fix it, eh?

[@MidoriMushrooms]

Doesn't look as fun to play as Tails though.

[@Treyworld]

The final version of Windy Valley is to automated for my tastes.

[@rodrigoalves-cg6xv]

@Mr. Man Guy yes.

[@fisherdotogg]

If you stand still and look around you can see an inner layer of clouds in the skybox overlap distant parts of the level. It's gorgeous.

[@ChrisPoindexter98]

I can't tell how much of this is actually how this beta stage was made by Sonic Team or helped and enhanced by modders and their interpretation. Whatever percentage combinations of those two teams this stage is a wonderful blueprint for a much brighter and clearer future in the 3D realms of Sonic.

[@thesch2867]

Chris Poindexter It's very accurate to the original, the modders behind this mod spent months looking at beta footage and looking for unused set files in the autodemo.

[@supercoolsonic1]

We didn't spend months searching for files lol. We spent months programming the objects, designing textures, squinting at footage to see said textures, and creating a fleshed-out object layout on top of what was already placed in the level by Sonic Team. :)

[@NoOneAsk]

@@supercoolsonic1 This is such a rad mod!! Great job, thanks for your work!

[@supercoolsonic1]

@@NoOneAsk Thank you! :D Glad you enjoy it!

[@youdontknowme3577]

@@supercoolsonic1 ok but can u spill if possible to get knuckles beta move set??? The uppercuts he had

[@temptressaylachan]

Based on how buggy the camera was in Sonic Adventure I can see why this was scrapped. It was too ambitious for the Dreamcast more than likely.

[@lioneart19]

If I'm not mistaken, they couldn't fit this in DC's memory.

[@ScutoidStudios]

Really? I dunno about that this is in sadx, which has a worse camera if anything.

[@greejams2960]

I read they scrapped it because they couldn't implement the physics Sonic needed for it to work. The earliest image of the level even has more hills like they were trying to make the 2D physics work in 3D. Just look at how much help Sonic needed at 2:55 to 3:10 compared to SuperSonic68 in "Green Hill Paradise: Act 2".

[@75JUNAKI]

@@greejams2960 Make sense but how come they couldn’t make Classic Sonic physic’s for Modern Sonic in the DreamCast?

[@jonathanchen4987]

​@@greejams2960 That makes sense. Bummer. I hope a future Sonic game will make a stage like this one.

[@trashlybin151]

The version we got blended a lot better with the world the game was set in, however, this was designed far better looks so beautiful and vibrant!

[@Jaffersin]

Nice profile pic :^]

[@trashlybin151]

@@Jaffersin Thanks, here's a link to the full picture. twitter.com/trinityfate62/status/1028778155614470144

[@Xannyphantom905]

that profile picture gives me lymphoma

[@trashlybin151]

@@Xannyphantom905 fuk. hope you get better my dude

[@Lugbzurg]

I don't know about that. Have you looked at the original DreamCast release, much? The DX version has very different texture work, designed to make it look more realistic. The rest of the DreamCast release looked very much like this prototype action stage. For instance, Twinkle Park had a lot more grass. www.dcshooters.co.uk/sonic/sonic128bit/adventure/images/twinklepark_shot2.jpg

[@juliannajm3592]

This is what I would want in another Adventure style game

[@0palheart]

I want someone to make a fangame with all levels like this

[@digimaks]

Check Sonic GDK

[@sirbirbton]

That would be Sonic GT you're looking for.

[@Moonlow.]

Thats what i just planned. can't code so :(

[@erwinljungberg6318]

​@@Moonlow. Same I am trying to build a team for an original Sonic fan game where the ground is set for how sonic should be in terms of level design story enviroment Charcters atmosphere and so on

[@KTChamberlain]

Ahh, this really takes me back to a simpler time when I played this game on the Dreamcast. I know this version never made it into the final game, but just seeing this with the same music by Jun Sunoe gives me that same sense of awe and wonder I felt when I played this game when I was 10. This video took me back to my childhood. This was one of those games that really made me feel as though I was transported to another world and had fun with it. Makes me want to play the Dreamcast version with this version of Windy Valley.

[@Lugbzurg]

If Sonic Adventure got a remake, I'd definitely want this level fit into the Super Sonic episode. Maybe rename it something like "Angel Heights". Cash Bandicoot finally got its unused level restored in its own remake, after all!

[@Glsmakgn]

@@Lugbzurg idk why but "cash bandicoot" sounds great

[@Lugbzurg]

@@Glsmakgn CASH BANOOKA!

[@flaregamer64]

I like this more then the real Windy Valley.

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Flare Gamer 64 Exactly. There's more to do in this version.

[@dreamcastdazia4753]

@@SuperSonicWarrior93 it was cut due to hardware limitations

[@OKeijiDragon]

Wowsers. This prototype level's potential is much more realized here. Stunning and elaborate detail everywhere. Maybe a bit overwhelming though in some cases, compared to the all the final levels.

[@lardian6304]

Wow i can picture this stage being in the final game in a parallel universe and child me being completely lost 😐

[@channel-re5uq]

Lmao same I wouldnt even know where to go

[@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx]

This shit is why games like Sonic Forces are so linear.

[@Tarquin23]

@@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx lol, no it’s not

[@bluestreakedladyshe-her8507]

@@channel-re5uq Hence exploration. Like Sonic 3, the level is completed through exploration, with plenty of places to go fast, versus mostly being speed and focused on linearity.

[@bluestreakedladyshe-her8507]

@Guy Dude Yeah. Like I hope one day to work with SEGA on a freelance project, making the first true, full 3D Classic Sonic game, and I am using SA1 as the basis, and level designs like this as the goal, and like SADX, plenty of missions for replayability. Maybe I'll even have it where times of day and weather can affect your ability to find things. And maybe Mecha Sonic will be the villain. What if he were able to sort of rebuild himself after his destruction in Sonic 3 by Knuckles, in a similar way the Iron Giant rebuilt himself at the end of the movie? What if bided his time preparing and studying Sonic & friends' battles throughout Chaotix, 3D Blast, and Mania? What if we had a new set of macguffins too?

[@Mykenai]

Sonic Adventure is the greatest Sonic game to ever graced this green Earth. I'm proud to have lived during its existence.

[@TarnishPrower]

Pretty ironic the best 3D Sonic stage Sonic Team ever designed is an unreleased prototype.

[@JeremyBX]

I bet they thought it would be too complex for younger audiences

[@BLOODY__FATALITY]

Hmmmmmmmm I think Metal Harbor was the best......

[@trover5179]

BLOODY__FATALITY metal harbor is a lot more linear than this. this is the closest we have to a classic sonic stage design in 3D.

[@yazanhawari4441]

Ut got discarded because the dreamcast couldn't handle it

[@tjlnintendo]

@Manek Iridius Sonic utopia says otherwise. You can bring it 2d elements like momentum and the open level design. (Albeit it doesn't have to be a giant open world game)

[@LAZRGATR]

As much as I love this stage over the Windy Valley we ended up with, this level was nearly 6 minutes long and there was a lot of open ended space. For my skill level now, this stage is absolutely beautiful. But for a young child? I don't know about that chief. I do not think I would have had a good time with this when I was 7.

[@durtypan]

I think it's only that long because the player is taking their time, I imagine you could easily blaze through this in 3 mins or less

[@snakey888]

You would've hated Rares 3d platformers then.

[@LAZRGATR]

@@snakey888 I played them when I was that age as well. You’re right. Did not enjoy them.

[@SkyeWeeb]

Sonic Team: *makes this* Also Sonic Team: Let's scrap this for a ton of bridges in the sky!

[@digimaks]

Ah this makes perfect sense with their logic- why in every game Sonic loses emeralds and have to search for them again ))))

[@hunterkearns7876]

@Skye Windy Bridge

[@captainmidnightgaming]

As much as I like the final Windy Valley a level like this needs to be realized someday

[@SpankSandwitch99]

It's amazing how HUGE a departure this is from the actual level and style of the game we got. Halfway through I was just like, woah

[@xxGamerToadxx]

I think this is the best example of the crossroads the team faced in terms of moving sonic forward as a franchise, this version is much more akin to platforming and less focus on his speed whereas the final version of the level is much more linear but directly focused on points of speed(with some breaks in between.) Imagine what we would have if they'd used this layout across the entire game, perhaps we wouldn't have later installments such as sonic and the secret rings esc gameplay and more traditional platforming.

[@LordNightmare47]

Ladies and gentlemen, this is how 3D Sonic levels should be.

[@thecoolxchannel9965]

Yes

[@rogersstinson4019]

On point

[@Daimando]

This does give it a slight Super Mario 64 vibe compared to the Windy Hill we got.

[@sirbirbton]

Eh, kinda. Better controls and the removal of instant speed boosters would put this in ideal Sonic level territory, like Sonic GT.

[@bautistasolisgd4988]

Sonic frontiers: ¿Too much?

[@BiggusWeeabus]

Is interesting to think how much of a different path the franchise could've gone If Sonic Team decided to go with more open and exploration based stages rather than speed based ones

[@dashi-musashi351]

It’s so colourful and beautiful. This is totally the look I think they were going for when they were originally developing the game for the Saturn.

[@AyaneOfDeath]

I simply love this. Especially the third section. Theres way more to see, and the Stage feels not so small and short like the Final Version. The Design reminds me a bit on Marble Garden from Sonic 3.

[@lioneart19]

Wow, this beta had AMAZING design! Much better than the final level we got.

[@HNfilms]

for the love of god we need a new game with this kind of gameplay

[@mattstat716]

Still longer than Sonic Forces. ...come to think of it, a lot more fun, too...

[@paalaaa]

Ikr

[@IkkoArts]

I can see why they changed the level. It must've been total murder on the Dreamcast's CPU to render all this stuff! The level's geometry by itself probably took up like, 92% of the disc space!

[@irregular_breadstick]

Or maybe it was because they had no time to finish the level so they just had to make a brand new one that was a lot shorter.

[@thesch2867]

Geometry barely takes any space just like any other 3D model, textures and specially sound take way more space, back in the day Sonic Team showed a demo of this running at 60fps, maybe the levels was just removed because the design of the stage wasn't in line with the aesthetics and story of the final game not to mention players could get lost.

[@Vote4waifu]

Just an fyi, Adventure was a Saturn game before. I'm sure the original story and stuff was a lot more lighthearted.

[@digimaks]

No, not alot of disc space at all. Many level elements are instance objects- they stay as a single copy on disc and duplicated when level loads.

[@IkkoArts]

digimaks S.C. 2.8 ah, i see. Didn't know that, lol

[@Tutajkk50]

Ah, so the Sonic level wasn't so undetailed after all. And no unescapeable bottom island on the first part either.

[@RG7621]

This is amazing and is actually what I expected Sonic Adventure to be. I wish this would have been the final game.

[@KasbashPlays]

I love this version more than the one we got on the proper release. I only wish this level retained those set pieces where Sonic runs on air. That stuff really wowed me as a kid.

[@superhedgehog6447]

Wow this is amazing level, its much better than the version we got. I like how open ended this level is, its like sonic adventure and utopia merged together. This the best level and its not even in the game

[@protocetid]

Isn’t it tragic Sonic Team likely made more levels in that vein and they could remain forever unseen?

[@superhedgehog6447]

@@protocetid Yeah it's ashame that all the hard work on levels like windy valley beta will not be seen by the public. Sorry for not replying sooner btw

[@protocetid]

@@superhedgehog6447 Don’t sweat it, nobody’s really obligated to reply to someone on here. Sega is more open to showing cut material than Nintendo so there is a possibility we will see those levels and the rest of what was cut from SA. They released early drafts of some music and art in exchange for donations during a charity stream. As the popularity of game prototypes rises the amount of fans urging companies to show us also gets bigger.

[@superhedgehog6447]

@@protocetid Well that's good. It's great to actually see Scraped full fledged levels and unused level music and artwork. I appreciate the fans encouraging Sega to release beta content from Sonic games.

[@onthedre]

While it isn't better, its much more imaginative and leaves you in a state of awe. The enviornment feels like an actual world and not a floating island in the sky. Its very beautiful. Wish the chao can come back by the fountain though.

[@LoganOnTheRun20]

Ya but I see why they removed it as it must have been hell for the Dreamcast to render

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@LoganOnTheRun20 no they removed it because it not fits the rest of the game in terms of level design

[@Lugbzurg]

@@RaphielShiraha64 I find that hard to believe. It looks just like the rest of the DreamCast version. It's the DX version that got very different texturework that tried to make environments look more realistic. I mean, just look at Twinkle Park on DreamCast. It looks like some kind of Oz Wonderland in the original release with so much more grass and stuff.

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@Lugbzurg nop that is the truth if you look very well that stage look more like a genesis 3d level that not fit sonic adventure level design in the rest of the levels

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@Lugbzurg in fact i not even get why you are talking about texturework when i literally not even mentioned it

[@saricubra2867]

This level, Emerald Coast, Red Hot Mountain, Sky Deck, and many others are the reasons of why this game is so special as Sonic 3&K.

[@dummytri]

my theory is that the devs made this stage first and then realized the stage was too big and they reworked it and made the other stages less open ended. still the beta windy valley is so awesome, wouldve blew my mind as a kid

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Ya see? THIS is the Windy Valley we've long deserved!

[@abicto]

The funny part is that this level take a lot of space of the disk its so good that the disk suffers to run

[@Agent-yw1kj]

@Manek Iridius Sonic is about that and momentum. Not speed

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@Agent-yw1kj exactly this is why 2d games is always better than the 3d ones even if the 3d ones end up being good (unleashed)

[@Agent-yw1kj]

@@RaphielShiraha64 Actually the adventure games have momemtum,just not as much as the mega drive/mega CD/32X games.

[@coopercastille]

Glad this mod finally got updated, I love it so much.

[@theedwardian]

I like how wide open and sprawling it is. Using changes in elevation and the winding cliffsides to guide the player forward rather than just a straight path.

[@digimaks]

You know, THIS level layout and style feels far more superior in terms of staying true to classic 2D level design. It has multiple ways, places to explore, allot more detail, more interesting places to run. The final release has SINGLE track, extremely linear, with many animated runs, where it does not depend on your control o skill. Very bad that Sega scrapped this level and gave us watered down version.

[@rouge939]

This level looks amazing. So open ended let’s hope Frontiers is like this

[@abzmal44]

I appreciated how the level opened up a bit at the end

[@ShamBell]

0:53 - a good spot to have Sonic run along the invisible path of Wind.

[@StarGazerTom1991]

Always thought Windy Valley felt lazy, this is awesome to see, as it's so much better!

[@selmaalkan729]

That level redesing was made like almost before the release that it is not really lazy. This level originally max gets 10fps in dreamcast that it is incredible they was able to keep it's original form.

[@TurboPikachu]

Just seeing this prototype and also playing Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Heroes again, I'm reminded that 3D Sonic really wasn't bad at all until the boost era. With more than a half-dozen playthroughs of each, upon each additional playthrough, I adore Adventure and Adventure 2 more than I did before. The level design, the diverse jazz-synth of SA1's music and separate Rock/Spy/Rap signatures of SA2's music being some of my favorite in all of gaming, the chao gardens driving my first SA2 save file's play time in excess of 250 hours, the story (though being quite messy at times) having actual stakes compared to the most-recent games like Lost World/Boom/Forces, and even small details like the voice cast being a delight to listen to unlike the current one we've had since 2010. Dreamcast/GC/PS2/Xbox/GBA was my favorite era for dozens upon dozens of franchises, but Sonic and the rest of Sega's 6th-generation IPs really stand out as showcasing a level of quantity *AND* quality that Sony, Microsoft, and even Nintendo themselves haven't been able to top in the 15 years since Sega's stopped being the 2nd-greatest game developer in the industry.

[@abicto]

Well sega saturn was a thing

[@brazencoronet17]

How did they make one of the greatest platformers of all time, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, then 20 years later make Sonic Boom? How far they fell...

[@snakey888]

@How did I get subscribed to this channel? Not to mention sa2, with level design barely better than Forces, and awful alternative playstyles taking up 2/3rds of the game.

[@CaptainSwag]

I wouldn't say all boost games are bad, since Gens and Unleashed exist. But I would rather have a good Adventure formula game again.

[@CaptainSwag]

​@@snakey888If you say SA2's level design is comparable to Forces, you just suck at the game. Not a fan of straight lines, but at least there's something to do in SA2.

[@thetwistedsamurai]

The end of the stage reminds me a lot of a Sonic Heroes beginning level. I think one of the very first levels.

[@WMan37]

I can see why they changed it. While this version of the level is more visually stunning and feels more like a level from the sega genesis versions of sonic where it feels more like an actual place, the flow through the map isn't as good as the final version and there is such a thing as having a level be too elaborate and long.

[@fisherdotogg]

I will agree that the path forward is pretty unclear at points, but then the camera's automation serves the purpose of pointing in the general direction of "forward" at just about all times. Plus the actual difficulty of the platforming looks pretty low, and unless you fly off the side of a wide open space you had room to stop on, it's pretty forgiving and will prop you back up onto the stage with wind.

[@WMan37]

@@fisherdotogg It's not that the path forward isn't unclear, it absolutely is. When I say "elaborate and long" I mean it lacks a certain level of polish since it relies on gimmicks that artificially lengthen the level a bit too much. For example: There are points in this version of the level where they use a repeat bounce trampoline where a single bounce pad would have been better like 0:36 1:57 3:17 and 4:17 I also don't like wait platforms like the one at 2:03 very much, even being a huge sonic fan I didn't like them in the genesis era either since they clashed with sonic being "🎵The fastest thing alive🎵", also there are some questionable design decisions like @ 2:56 like, why even have that wind gap there? If they let players rocket upwards with their momentum instead of slowing them down there a player would be able to assess the split path better then decide on where they want to go and it would double as a small rush of satisfaction from gaining air, but thanks to that gap slowing sonic down he just barely makes it which makes it feel like a speed blueball, no pun intended. Just because I have 2 paragraphs here explaining the parts I don't like doesn't mean I hate this version of the level though. It's way more in line with sega genesis sonic and makes it feel more like a _platformer_ than a race to the finish which I really like, I just thinks it needs a little bit more flow and some minor polish changes to make it a cooler version of the one we got, but as it stands I prefer the final version.

[@fisherdotogg]

@@WMan37 That's valid, and mostly a matter of preference as far as I'm concerned. Personally I prefer that this version is more platformy, more open, more involved, and encourages you to go slower if you want like the old games did. The thing with speed in most Sonic games up until Rush and Unleased was that speed was a reward for mastery of the stage and you were expected to go at a more moderate pace until you got to that point. You were also incentivised to explore with the special stages and all manner of goodies. All that said, it should go without question that my favourite games are 3&K, CD, and SA1

[@WMan37]

@@fisherdotogg It probably makes sense that my favorite 2D sonic game was Sonic 2, which had a lot of forward momentum compared to CD especially, which was like the antithesis philosophy of sonic 2's level design. From a purely objective standpoint Sonic CD had incredible level design, but it didn't gel with why I subjectively liked sonic. I do appreciate exploration aspects, but I also liked when that "BLAST PROCESSING" was put to use to let sonic gain incredible speed. But yeah my favorite 3D sonic is adventure. I think adventure objectively aged like milk (mostly in controls and cutscenes which were super jank), but that doesn't change how much I subjectively loved and still love the game, flaws and all. It's even better when you use the Better SADX mod.

[@fisherdotogg]

@@WMan37 Oh the controls in SA1 are fine, even SA2's work because they're mostly just an extension of SA1's control scheme. It was Heroes that shat the bed with control but even that's playable. What's aged badly in SA1 is like you said, the cutscenes. Really mostly the cutscenes. Graphics don't match the art direction very well but it's no better in that respect in DX soooo iunno. SA2 got that right at least.

[@beanieweenie1349]

This level actually has ramps without speed boosts in front of them!!

[@streled5361]

In Shadow the Hedgehog, there's two levels that seem to share some elements from that prototype Said levels being Sky Troops and Glyphic Canyon

[@EnergyBurst2]

I quite like how this level looks from both a design and color standpoint. Though it does give me a bit of an adventure field feel or the feeling of a hub world of a different game.

[@GaryViews]

This is so much better than the original what the hell

[@greenlight9896]

Wow, this is really impressive. I've only seen images of the beta version of this level (and a low quality clip or two), but never anything this high quality or detailed. The level has come quite a distance from it's beta days to the final release. The tornado section was quite disorientating, and I do not fault them for changing that in the final release, but nevertheless, I think that it's awesome that we get to see some unused content! :)

[@WaylonPlus]

Now THIS is 3D Sonic level design

[@AubreyTheKing]

You know how in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle if you collect all 180 emblems you unlock a 3D stage of Green Hill? In Sonic Adventure, if you collected all 180 emblems, WE SHOULD HAVE played the beta version of Windy Valley! This stage is outstanding! If this was in the game, hands down, THE BEST LEVEL IN THE GAME!

[@krislillies7460]

You will see virtually no difference of a 1080ip version to 4k version of this game. This was a dumb aspect for the mod

[@LuneNova]

Let me guess, they rebuild most of the level because it was too heavy for the Dreamcast memory disk. Why they aren’t take this level for new modern games? They really have amnesia in this team, no wonder why they built Shadow next.

[@thesch2867]

Nah it was remade because this version of the level didn't fit in with the new direction the game was going for, both visually and in terms of gameplay.

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@thesch2867 you are right if you look very well at the level of this video it is very similar to a genesis level but in 3d is not bad but compare it to the actual levels of the final version the level design not fit

[@Lugbzurg]

This is pretty much what the DreamCast version already looks like as it is. If you compare the DreamCast and DX versions, side-by-side, you'll notice that a lot of areas have very different texturework. The DreamCast version looked more fantastical; very much in line with this prototype level. However, the textures for the DreamCast version tried to make things look more mundane and realistic. If this level actually made it into the final game, the textures would undoubtably be different by the time it was ported to the GameCube. No checkerboard rocks and whatnot. As I understand, this level structure was dropped because it was considered too confusing or daunting or something, and they wanted to make it more linear. Notice how wide open this stage is, as well as the numerous paths that interweave in and out of each other.

[@brazencoronet17]

This is so much contrasted to Sonic Adventure's final level design. It's more sprawling, which has the downside of being confusing while on the upside allowing room for exploration. Sadly it seems like they last-second remade the level, which does make since due to level standards being changed by then, but since the final level is too short and the last section is basically automation, but this one is too long and large, what could've they done to give Windy Valley its right balance? Oh yeah and thanks for the 4K it looks gorgeous

[@ubdrift5904]

2019:50% of sonic Adventure beta has been restored..

[@ubdrift5904]

@@athandog well it all started when ppl discovered sonic adventure lamented time srry if i spelled it worng. It was only released in Japan. Before you say its a prototype this was a updated version of a retail version with better camera control and more. However this was only released for 3 days and you had to order it soon ppl found a ROM for the game and discovered a model for that Windy Valley level in that video how ever if you try to load it the game crashes. Also ppl found several beta pictures including Gamma in the hotel or a unknown motorcycle that was ment for Speed Highway also some beta clips from the game are on you tube and unused music and sounds r in the files of the game i recommend to look at the beta64 sonic adventure video because without it we never know some stuff

[@Harrinsain]

No clue why this got cut. It's straight up the best level in the entire game, no contest. Red Mountain, eat your heart out. What's worse is that the final version is one of the weaker stages of the bunch.

[@alexwells9624]

same here im just watching this kinda baffled why anyone would cut this stage. My only guess is they got a bad batch of focus testers that played it really bad. its just i want a childhood where i got to play this version lol

[@Harrinsain]

@@alexwells9624 From what I've heard, it was cut because it was simply too big for the DC to handle, but idk if that's true or not

[@supercoolsonic1]

Hi! One of the guys who developed this mod, here. According to an interview with Izuka from a couple years ago, it was remade from the ground up at the time because they were running out of development time and had a lack of staffers available to clean up the level. So Izuka stepped in and remade it from scratch. A bit of a shame, in my opinion, but the level was so unoptimized that it was going to lag the heck out of the Dreamcast. That, and its artsyle didn't line up with the rest of the game. I personally like the brighter colors of this version of the level, but I think it was doomed because of its more 'classic' artstyle alone.

[@Harrinsain]

@@supercoolsonic1 Oh damn. Well, thanks for that information. Always good to be informed. Great work on the mod btw, love it to death that this has been restored

[@purpleboye_]

Imagine having level design

[@ChavvyCommunist]

The only thing's better about the final Windy Valley is the level aesthetic. Everything else is so much better in the prototype.

[@bymoltres4346]

they need to Remaster these classics

[@Lugbzurg]

I want this level implemented into Super Sonic's story in a Sonic Adventure remake. They could make this be the way Sonic gets to Station Square, with the trains being out of service (because the city is flooded and under attack) and the Tornado out of commission because it crashed and its chaos emerald has been removed. Call it "Angel Heights" or something like that. Maybe change the tornado to some other kind of storm so it doesn't feel as much like a Windy Valley repeat.

[@joegomez5463]

Playtesters : Wow! This stage is gonna be one of my favs! Sega : LMAO, the final stage will be much worse....

[@BologneyT]

I think this level is really good with lots to do, but I can see why they ditched it. It definitely had lots of little things in it that were placed where they didn't have enough purpose, and those elevators, while cool, just slowed the game down. The rest is just a lack of polish. But this version was so cool because of how non linear it was! Look at all the stuff you could do on the way to the end of the level!! THAT is what old Sonic games that they were moving away from at the time were like! But there was almost zero running on the wind in this version so that takes away a lot of points for me, heh.

[@jdstewart5331]

You mean the wind paths? If so there are 5 of them actually, the person recording just didnt go on all of them.

[@banksy7376]

Absolutely fantastic!!! I cant wait to see the finished design

[@MichaelSodaro]

4:25 that Dark Souls cage tho

[@diegovargasdiego]

This is BEAUTIFUL

[@saildust]

This is probably the best i've ever seen Sonic in 3D.

[@ViceN53X]

The tornado looks scarier in this compared to the one we got. I like it

[@MrAppleSalad]

THIS is how 3d Sonic should be! I have no doubt that if this was the version we got it would have changed the coarse of Sonic history for the better.

[@BrinkPink]

god, for once, can sonic team just make a sonic game from start to finish like THIS! Adventure Styled, straight up, get as many sonic stages as they can and cram into the game. Then you can release dlc for tails, knuckles and amy versions of those stages later. I cant believe im still waiting for that, Sonic Team and Sega know how big both SA1&2 are still to this day

[@tetrastreamxvii]

Sure there is more Windy Valley to explore in this version, but I think the final version does a great job streamlining the level. In this version, there is a lot of jumping and waiting get to the next platform which kills the momentum. The more open level could have worked, but there's no objective/reward other than to make it to the goal, which can be kind of boring and out of place for a Sonic game. The final version, while it's more linear, they maintain the momentum with more springs, jump panels, and homing targets. They do have other routes to keep it interesting. Plus it's so cool to see Sonic riding the wind and running those loops.

[@frap3105]

I like it very much... PD: I think that the music in the background is Sonic Heroes.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

Why was this cut... This is greatest 3D sonic level ever designed :/ Guess I'll have to play this a million times myself whenever I reinstall my control for this game to make up for it.

[@CapsUnlocked]

This is fantastic, you did a great job polishing the original husk of the level into a lively sonic level. Although it depresses me to see what this series could have been if sega was actually competent.

[@thetbhresistance7042]

This is an recreation of the official beta version of this level, this version was shown in pre release trailers of the game, this was made by sega lol.

[@supercoolsonic1]

@@thetbhresistance7042 Aaaaand we polished it up. lol if you wanna see how much object layout design Sonic Team had done before it got scrapped, check out this guy's other video on this mod. It's wildly incomplete, especially in the third section.

[@thetbhresistance7042]

@@supercoolsonic1 well then, that's a bit slimy claiming your re-imagining as a restoration, especially since you can only access the original version if you mess with the insides of your "restoration". Eh? Plus, now I can better understand sonic teams decision to just do over the stage, especially since it's pretty incomplete, though, it's pretty interesting that the much more complete act 1 got much more carried over from the prototype version than the much more incomplete act 3. I have a hunch though that the reason the autodemo version was so incomplete is because as it was compiled the stage was in the process of being deleted.

[@thetbhresistance7042]

@@supercoolsonic1 though, one question, why did guys change some of the ring layouts? Especially since that's one of the only objects leftover in act 3 lol

[@supercoolsonic1]

@@thetbhresistance7042 How is it slimy? You're given the option to play what Sonic Team originally had, as well as an interpretation as to what the level could've been like if it were finished. We didn't change any of the ring layouts. Not a single one. We simply added onto what was already there. Also, the stage was not in the process of being deleted in terms of object layouts. The object layout files were last modified in July of 1998, well before the unveiling of the game, and thus well before the stage got scrapped. The object layouts seen in the footage for the stage and the object layouts that you can enable to experience only what Sonic Team placed down are one in the same.

[@HEXE-ft5cv]

Reminds me alot of Hill Top Zone from Sonic 2, with the turquoise dirt textures.

[@reversalmushroom]

This version is so much better.

[@milkywayrealestate]

the perfect 3d sonic level...

[@17jacoyne]

Why this wasn’t in the final project is something I will never fathom

[@x-mighty7602]

The tornado looks weird.

[@cookiem1541]

OK 4K WITH THIS EPIC

[@Seiyol]

It is extremely funny to me that this level demonstrates level design priorities more close to the classic games than the final one. The final levels are slick and impressive, but none of them seem to approach the tiered depth of this one.

[@sausagesausage]

Holy crap, why wasn't this level used?! It's awesome.

[@jackhumphries1087]

I found out recently that this stage surprisingly works with gamma, since I accidentally had it on when playing through his story for the first time, and I was wondering if it would cause problems, but nope, the level actually accounts for him, even the boss fight works fine.

[@davegamesalot6526]

This should be a secret level in a remaster of this game. Just like how Christian Whitehead got Hidden Palace to be featured in Sonic 2 Mobile.

[@RyneMcKinney]

With how open this is, this feels more like a 3D Mario level

[@TerraFuu]

So chunky now. What a glowup.

[@noir269]

I feel like Sonic Team wanted Sonic Adventure to be more of an open world platformer but the project was already ambitious enough, so they had to scrap it entirely and go for more linear level designs. Which is a shame, because imagine of how massive this game could've been. I really hope the next Sonic title is more inspired by this mod.

[@streled5361]

Looks like one of the final attempts at making a prototype of Sonic X-treme... in 3d

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

Now *this* is a level.

[@amberthesuperfox]

This is super cool great job

[@aeroblu2002]

Playing this level myself, I can see why it was scrapped. All of Sonic's levels are pretty straightforward and simple, while this one is WAY too huge and oretty confusing to navigate. It would fit more of an exploration type level for a character like Knuckles or Big. While it's good that this is preserved, it's probably for the best that we have the Windy Valley we've got in the final game.

[@HouseOfFunQM]

This looks like it came straight from Sonic Xtreme. How bizarre

[@aclstudios]

Except this one actually isn't seizure-inducing.

[@AndrewsOpinion15]

GREAT PROTOTYPE WINDY VALLEY IN SONIC ADVENTURE 1998 !!!

[@hankosanko]

love the 2nd theme of windy valley. sounds awesome

[@abicto]

Its a sonic 3d blast music bro

[@RaphielShiraha64]

@@abicto still awesome

[@deslardesslok]

1 YEAR LATE SQUAD WHERE YOU AT?!?!?!?!?!?

[@aortaplatinum]

So weird, I wonder why this was totally scrapped just 3 months before release. Like based on the visual design and the openness of the stage, it definitely seems like one of the first stages designed back when Adventure was supposed to be Sonic & Knuckles RPG for the SEGA Saturn, but they really didn't need to totally throw out all of this and remake it to be worse for the final

[@trollmas2996]

that giant tornado tho 1:29

[@tyfp3854]

at least the spindash is finally back.

[@paalaaa]

It always was there from the start. Lol.

[@mezykin]

The editor looked at this and immediately yelled "I WANT IT FASTER!"

[@edurmissa]

This make me think... Could developers consider make every level like this at some point? This level is just too large, there is so many things around and almost 6 minutes to finish it. Now I know the final project I find it too much, but you know what? This level REALLY gives the "Adventure" feeling. The possibilities remind me to Crash Twinsanity, that game's levels are nos action stages like most platformers, levels are open world stages where you can find enemies, points, obstacles but also puzles, side games, collectables and maybe something like that was heading this early stage: an adventure field inside the action stages, where you can do stuff like you do in Station Square but also leading to and exit to proceed in story mode. What could have done in Sky deck, Speed Highway or Final Egg which are already big maps placed in quite big locations?? Probably I'm overthinking, but for sure, Sonic Adventure was so ambitous.

[@bryanc7094]

Amazing comment

[@hyphema]

"Select a State"

[@Sparkette]

Look closely at that ring at 2:21...