Sonic R's Development Secrets

[@DrButthugger]

Let me just open up the final code of this 20+ year old Sonic racing game on my windows computer here... Seriously, it’s so cool having a professional game designer open up so much about their process and lifetime of stories on KZbin.

[@technicalmachine1671]

And he codes in Notepad

[@KiyokaMakibi]

The monster under your bed How do you loose the source code for such a mainstream series? Jeez..

[@japhreal]

He’s like one of those developers who retired and realize what people like Beta things It’s a good thing he actually says everything that was unexplain and not a Developer who does not give out anything

[@sammymcfone8281]

Yeah. It's a shame that he worked for travellers tales though. The only thing that company ever released were spin off cash grab games like this crappy effort to shoe horn sonic into a f1 game. The exception to that is rascal BUUUUT they didn't even have the guts to tell their publisher that the publishers dumb idea to use shoulder controls for a 3d performer was fucking dumb. So basicly they worked for months on something and then screwed it up last minute... sound familiar...? Remember toy story? He spent ages writing self generated code to render pseudo 3d... erm ok. Cool. Do you think you could tell the graphics guy that flailing arms and legs for the main character is a really bad idea in a collision based platform game. No. Ok... I can do this for every single game they made. Loads and loads of work only for them to fck it up at the last hurdle. Definitely not a company you would wanna work for.

[@TommyWashow]

@@sammymcfone8281 he IS travellers tales. thats why he can show us this stuff cause its literally his company

[@Larry]

But... where on earth did the inspiration for Tails Doll come from? Especially as he's never appeared in any other game!

[@monkybros]

Larry Bundy Jr He did return in Sonic Adventure

[@greenpuffle]

I honestly don't get the whole Tails doll commotion in the Sonic community. I remember liking it as a kid. Well, fans created Sonic.exe so I shouldn't be surprised.

[@katie2940]

LARRY

[@SNC2319]

But, hello you!

[@Tsukomasi]

*@Mario Jan Marino Bermejo* For me, it was more of a thing that terrified me yeeeears ago. I just remember hearing those poorly written creepypastas and animations when I was 11 and being too scared to leave my room at night. Obviously now it's not really "scary," but when I was little, that felt REALLY out of place. (...yeah, why DOES the sonic fandom have a weird obsession with bad horror games like sonic.exe?)

[@Joevenon]

*You still got the final code? that's great!!!* *It would be a dream come true for you to make a DX version of Sonic R!* *Playing it with Adventure style controls would be incredible! cheers and thanks for the astonishing video, Jon!*

[@null1023]

honestly, this kinda curious as to how he'd distribute it or patch the result, but I'd adore being able to pop a shiny, new updated Sonic R into my Saturn with slicker controls and extra modes

[@ABlob]

I'd be fine with Generations-esque controls too (e.g. Generations' drifting would work well with the courses).

[@exiao3549]

I'd love him to add the flame shield, maybe re-introduce a better online mode, buff eggman's missiles (having them make you loose some rings or a shield if you have one), make it so that the settings save too when you exit the game, make it so that super sonic or any of the unlockable characters didn't become enemy racers too as you unlock them, a few other things

[@merluzacongelada5361]

Meh, major flaw of the game apart from the wonky controls was the lack of tracks and he obviously can't fix that. I mean collecting things, finding all the shortcuts and memorizing the layouts is cool but replaying the same few levels endlessly gets old after a while.

[@flumphflumph6021]

A Blob. I don't think he could actually give "Sonic R" "Sonic Generations" controls. The engine the game uses was meant for a F1 racing game. In a way, you could say that you "drive sonic" in Sonic R (so what I'm trying to say is that it's very unlikely that he could change the game that much). It might be possible for him to add a drifting mechanic though but then the level layouts would probably have to be changed substantialy to account for the drifting mechanic and even then things might not work out when you consider a number of the characters don't actually make contact with the ground but rather float.

[@rivet6403]

Man Ive been looking FOREVER for some more sonic x-treme facts, thanks for that little insight! And this is a great community man thank you for doing this Jon!

[@rivet6403]

Wow never expected that, thank you!

[@rivet6403]

I forget how to do them, but heres the link at a certain time, kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2W6mKSnnpqooJo

[@superrayman3]

honestly I have to question this as it's been pretty much established that Sonic 3D was ported to the Saturn as a backup plan in case Xtreme got cancelled, combine that with the fact that Sonic R came out in late 1997 while Xtreme was cancelled almost an entire year prior, unless Sonic R started development around the same time as the Saturn port of 3D Blast/Flickies' Island I'm having a hard time figuring out where Sonic R fits into everything, could you clarify this GaneHut/Jon?

[@rivet6403]

What im thinking is that since x-treme didnt quite work out, they must have been asking some of their devs on the console if they had projects going, or would make something. Thats just my guess, but it doesnt sound quite like what sega would do. Their must have been some sort of deal or idea that tt pitched to sega.

[@japhreal]

I wanna know if gamehut has witness what sonic x treme really looked like

[@thedarknazo]

When I was a child I got that game for PC, I loved with my life, I remember drawing almost every day the cover, and other artworks of Sonic R...fantastic video, it brings good memories

[@spyronos]

This is still one of the coolest channels out there. Who cares about the thumbnail when we have more info on games and their design than we've ever had before.

[@austinreavis4226]

spyronos At least someone appreciates the work that Jon gives us.

[@greenpuffle]

And Jon is quick to fix anything the people point out in the comments. It's so disappointing to see people just comment on merely just the icon when the video had so much in it.

[@IceHedge]

Sonic R has always been the literal translation from 2D to 3D Sonic for me. The forward momentum is kept making turning without using the L and R triggers a challenge at high speeds. It's not used as much as it could have, but using this momentum to reach higher places is awesome to see in 3D. It was my favorite game for the longest time even though most of my friends went along with the media and panned it. I subscribed awhile ago but love each video about the game and other projects. Keep it coming!

[@alphaprobe20]

Firstly Jon, thank you so much for sharing the different builds to this game 20+ years later. I have since 1997 had a habit of making two save files for Sonic R. One with vocals turned on and the other with the off option ( thus giving me lyrics on the replay). This has been a standing practice from my Saturn to the GameCube versions of this game. I find where you get the song lyrics to be a definitively different experience!

[@3DSage]

I love all your behind the scenes and coding videos! And you have a great memory for all these mid 90's sonic game development details.

[@AKAProm]

i'm so happy that you've been a constant source of information about some of my favorite games. Sonic R and Sonic 3D were big parts of my childhood and to hear all these facts coming from the person who made them makes me smile. Keep up the great work Jon!

[@ActRuNeo]

That kinda thumbnail is the last thing I expected from this channel. lol

[@yaboisanic2922]

F L A M E S H I E L D ?

[@Yassinius]

@@yaboisanic2922 The thumbnail used to be a Uganda Knuckles meme

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

Yassinius Even memes have standards lmao

[@retractingblinds]

You got that right, the Sonic R soundtrack is amazing. One of a kind stuff that made a lot of Saturn titles really stand out. Right up there with the Panzer Dragoon trilogy, the Cotton games, Thunder Force V, and so-on.

[@theburntcrumpet8371]

It's amazing that you got to keep the source code to these games

[@CompleteAnimation]

GameHut, are you still a game dev? If so, what projects have you been working on recently? If not, why did you leave the industry?

[@sana.0451]

Lego games en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveller%27s_Tales en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Burton

[@rivet6403]

And for the insights on Sonic R, its pretty cool that you as a developer come out to show some of the secrets and facts that many would have just left alone. Just imagine if someone like Zyrinx or Lemon did this!

[@rodrigomolinsky]

1:53 OMG! It's Cristiano Gualda presenting a show called "Stargame" for the Multishow (a Brazilian cable channel). I used to watch this after the school in the 90s. I have a bunch of VHS tapes with my recordings.

[@DanielKaspo]

Love these videos "The Sonic R Soundtrack, with lyrics, is amazing" 😂 I can definitely feel the sunshine from that comment, and it brightened up my day.

[@jomon324]

Thank you SO much for the instrumental tracks! I love the lyrical versions as well, but being able to listen to the instrumentals helped me learn about music and what types of music I truly love.

[@lindsaywheatcroft8247]

It’s a shame the light dash wasn’t a thing back then. When someone’s got a lightning shield and being followed by rings, that’d have been your ‘blue shell’ moment right there :D

[@ChrisTheChocobo]

Its allways great to know a bit more of Sonic R. I love this game so much :D

[@suroguner]

Sonic R Director's cut maybe?

[@thecrowchannel4080]

Yes and with Formula cars as extra racers.

[@Joevenon]

With Sonic Adventure controls and manual loops!

[@sanichegehog2734]

Maybe

[@blankmantm2501]

I think it's interesting to see people being more invested in these games than before, and it's all because of you being so open about it, it's cool

[@ShinoSarna]

Huh, it's very cool of you that you actually listened to people and changed thumbnail/title. That's why I love this channel, respect to the viewer.

[@alumlovescake]

Was it clickbait before or something?

[@reloadpsi]

Asking for instrumental tracks was a really good call, honestly. Her voice is great, but those lyrics they gave her must've made her cringe on the early takes.

[@imdone8243]

Wait what?!... There are official instrumentals?! What about Acapella?! Her voice alone!! I COULD MAKE SOME SICK ASS REMIXES WITH THAT

[@alumlovescake]

@@imdone8243 Dude it right there in the options

[@drifter402]

Why they're fine?

[@reloadpsi]

@@drifter402 Can you hear the forced rhymes? Do they make light of your game? Don't you think that sometimes The word flow is kind of lame?

[@GameMusic4All]

That Sonic R soundtrack changed my life. I've been fascinated by Sega history lately, and am so glad you are making these videos!

[@joshstarr6400]

That was epic! Sonic R is one of my favorite games, so I'm really glad you did this!

[@J_Ciner]

I really, really wish we had a dev from Sonic Adventure that was this open about the development of that game. These videos are so fascinating.

[@jamestheredguy5406]

Awesome! Maybe you should do a 10 facts on Lego Star Wars video, and tell us about what happened to the unused characters and Anakin’s flight.

[@ruralpastorva]

I love what you are doing! This brings so much light to some of my favorite games as a child. I do have a couple of questions: 1. Do other developers have channels like these? 2. Have there been talks about making a fan Sonic R HD game?

[@RebeccaGunn]

Love the thumbnail Jon bless ya - bit late for that meme but it made me chuckle. I remember seeing that preview for Sonic R in Sega Saturn Magazine. I don't recall relay mode but I recall there was musing of a weather system or changing weather at that time (also all the shots from that preview seem to be of the E3 demo as it has the more basic looking HUD. To be honest much as I love the different technical effects on the PC version that's become the usual released version, the snow + Ice effect really breaks the main game. I always thought the instrumental R tracks were more in keeping with the fact that Sonic 3D Blast also had "Your My Hero" in both versions and also because Saturn did apparently have Karaoke capabilities. I have many a memory of singing along with the instrumentals via Saturn's Spaceship audio player. Also I always wondered about that bit of art, it always seemed a little odd that this nice bit of classic art got shoved away at the tail end of the credits. I still like the CGI art however, I think it's more representative of the game and a nice look at how a properly rendered classic Sonic cast at that time might of looked like.

[@Caesar_Online]

I enjoy having longplays of this game open in the background!

[@RabbitEarsCh]

Thank you so much! I really liked this episode, lots of cool little things. I particularly liked the look at E3 and how you ended up changing the water speed.

[@tomservodoctor42]

This was really fun to hear! Sonic R was a big part of my childhood, and I still adore the soundtrack to this day.

[@lush7493]

Thanks for all the work you put in Jon! Always click your videos as soon as they appear! One of my favorite games growing up was Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the rescue, I absolutely adore to see some content on that! :) All the best! Love from Australia

[@danwaigand]

Love that you do this! Thank you again!

[@Hwd405]

About number 8 - I've found it's actually quite common for games shown at E3, or other gaming events, to use newer / later builds of the game than the images and footage of the game shown during the event / in videos of the event. For example, footage of Spaceworld 97 was often spliced in with footage of an earlier build of Pokemon Gold and Silver than the build that was actually playable during the event. Similarly official screenshots of Spyro 3 released during E3 2000 are thought to be a bit earlier than the build that was playable at E3.

[@deadsi]

I hope u get more subscribers quick so u can make longer videos, great stuff

[@colonelsandwich641]

*Insert comment about thumbnail*

[@DealsFS]

*g o o g l y e y e s*

[@snocthehead6809]

The thumbnail *was* u g a n d a. k n u c k l e s.

[@SilverTomMedia]

Would you consider ever doing a "Sonic R Director's Cut" in the future, like what you did with 3D Blast? I'd honestly love to see that, as it gives potential for many issues to be tweaked (character turning, balancing etc.) Or maybe Sonic R's code could be rebuilt in a modern-day engine to overcome things like load times, resolution and draw distance? (Some new characters and levels could also be added! :D )

[@levzurcher8902]

Fantastic. We wouldn't have known these otherwise, and I appreciate the new info. That bell... You should program it to send us spicy memes each day.

[@TiStardust]

This is extremely interesting! Thanks fir sharing your development experiences!

[@christianna3561]

Well done! I loved this game on my Saturn and I am so glad I can still play it today on my Nintendo Wii via the Sonic Gems Collection for the Gamecube.

[@mittensfastpaw]

Thanks for sharing this little piece of gaming history!

[@DTX0217]

6:36 😆 “And… I guess there is that bell icon-thing too now (whatever that does).”

[@SLUGGY1990]

The Sonic R soundtrack is amazing! :P

[@elPatrixf]

"Traveller's Tales arch rivals Bizarre Creations" BOIII

[@kapparomeo]

I’d love to hear more about Traveller’s Tales butting heads with Bizarre Creations. Any old war stories you can share with us?

[@bmhedgehog2]

I think relay mode could have been doable if players were given a choice of which 3 characters they would want on their team as opposed to what was originally planned.

[@emanatingf]

yeah

[@RodrigoBadin]

Very interesting to know the tracks are actually made by Sonic Team themselves.

[@YellowYoshi398]

Going to have to agree, I like the original boxart much better! Looks similar to the art style used on Sonic Jam's cover, which would have lent the Saturn era some nice aesthetic consistency. I'm interested in the revelation that day / night changes were never intended for the Saturn version, and all of that was speculation based on prerelease screens. Was changing the time of day always intended for the PC ver, or was that added in response to the speculation?

[@IronicSonic83]

Sonic R soundtrack is indeed amazing (your videos are amazing too!)

[@HenrikoMagnifico]

Please make a DX version. I remember playing Sonic R on my GameCube when I was little and it was a huuuge part of my childhood!

[@Dryboneszero]

That was cool. Thanks for sharing. I still love Sonic R, its an underrated gem!

[@TriforceofShadows]

Thanks for the Development tips, as always. Really interested in this stuff. ^^

[@alanbareiro6806]

Good job on changing the thumbnail. :) Good video too.

[@speciallilcookie1077]

oh my god the thumbnail why

[@supermariohack3218]

It's gone now.

[@speciallilcookie1077]

pff

[@XrosM]

speciallilcookie It's just googly eyes, what's so weird about it?

[@71dembonesTV]

Super Mario Hack it only exists now in our memory...and our notification feeds

[@speciallilcookie1077]

XrosM it used to be ugandan knuckles

[@KamiJoJo]

Man, that fire shield sprite looks amazing!

[@EightbitAdam]

I loved this video. It was great learning some new information about one of my favourite games. Bravo!

[@simon995pci]

thanks for this videos ! , i really liked your studios games

[@gsilverfish]

If you're looking for other video topics for the future, I'd like to know more about the level design in Sonic R! I knew it was done by Sonic Team (Yasuhara specifically, I think) but anything regarding that side of creation would be cool, not just the building, but how you implemented their maps, or if there were any interesting changes that were made, or just your thoughts on the level design in general. In terms of stage design I think Sonic R might actually be my favorite 3D Sonic game, even though it's a racing game. They're just a lot of fun to explore and run around in.

[@Mystere1985]

IIRC, CGI boxart had a massive "cool" factor in the 32-bit era, and replaced illustrated boxart in a big way, artistic merit be damned. So as for why the (excellent) Sonic R illustration wasn't used with Metal Sonic airbrushed out, perhaps this trend was a factor.

[@JohnnyThousand605]

Very much so. But, and this makes me cringe a bit to say it, I find the CGI box art of the time kind of appealing. It really places it in time both for my own experience (nostalgia) and that period of gaming history.

[@akongas]

Love these videos so much!!! Thank you!! ❤️

[@4.0.4]

*I really liked the old thumbnail!*

[@joethemanager1]

I think the older boxart is an unlockable artwork in the museum for Sonic Gems collection, which also has a port of the PC version of the game.

[@ScottErosLegend]

Good stuff, thanks for this video, great to see this trivia for one of my favourite games!

[@greenpuffle]

Very very interesting video! Sonic R means a lot to my childhood so it's always fascinating to know more facts about it as an adult. And yes: Sonic R soundtrack is flat out AMAZING. (Also, I saw the thumbnail before it was changed. Why was everyone so concerned about it? The video content more than compensates for the old video icon.)

[@pedrovay2003]

Naysayers be damned, I LOVED Sonic R, and it was easily my most-played Saturn game. I upgraded to the big-box PC version when I was able to find it, and I still have the Sonic Gems Collection on the GameCube, mainly for Sonic R.

[@Mario583a]

Can you feel the GameHut Does he brighten up your day?

[@digital4ddict]

I wouldn’t know how to explain to my 12year old self that in 2018 I would learn more about this game I played to death. I got so good at Sonic R, that I would do two laps in reverse and move forward both as super sonic and sonic. This game so much nostalgia. And the music. Sigh! The memories!

[@XenonSlayer]

I think I still have that Sega Saturn magazine featuring Sonic R in my parents attic. Totally forgot about that fire shield screenshot.

[@sandeia]

How to get memers to watch a vid: put Ugandan Knuckles and the source of a meme song in the thumbnail

[@purnya2]

no true memer accepts Ugandan Knuckles anymore

[@jabmaster1000]

Purnya speaks the truth

[@EmApex]

No true memer accepted Ugandan Knuckles in the first place

[@purnya2]

actually, Jay, true memers welcome new memes, but accept it when they die.

[@haaxxx9]

Neo EclipsE Normie trash

[@roxynano]

People would love to see a Sonic R Director’s Cut. Maybe you could include a few of the modes that didn’t make it. However do what you want to do and have fun!

[@occamsblazer25]

I love your channel, but I want you to reconsider your EQ settings for your voice. Cut the low-end a bit, it will make your voice sound clearer

[@MikeStock88]

Awesome channel, thanks for sharing this :)

[@catalystsedge]

Loving every of your videos. Please keep making this amazing content for us!

[@CasperEgas]

Great video. Thanks!

[@RamLaska]

Jon, would you consider doing a video about how the Sega Saturn hardware works, and how different it is from its contemporaries, and modern 3d gaming hardware? From one of your previous videos, I got the idea that the Saturn hardware was still somewhat sprite-based (or sprite-oriented), and I'd love to see a more in-depth analysis/explanation. (analysplanation? ;) Do you still do coding, or do you feel that there isn't much of a challenge left. I definitely feel like computers are far too easy, and far too powerful for programming to be as interesting as it used to be. I loved the old days where there was a real need for optimization and proper planning. I'm not a coder myself, but I've played with it. ;)

[@SorcererLance]

so the short of it is; a lot of the extra planned content were omitted due to the extremely tight schedule to get this released for the holiday season... a shame, since the game was fun for the era, but felt pretty short even with just a handful of unlockable characters it'd be far from the last time Sega would rush a Sonic game to arrive on time for the holiday season... as we very well know most notably back in 2006.

[@sugarfree_]

You changed the thumbnail. Good man

[@AdeonWriter]

If you ever do a director's cut for Sonic R it would be nice to see the fire shield return! It seems after Sonic R the trend of leaving the fire shield out and only having lightning and water shields stuck around for many future games... It didn't come back until Generations and Mania! If you want to make it different from the other shields, you could have it hurt/knock away any other racers you touch (but get used up in the process) Would love to see the original title screen art too... (without metal sonic) looks so much nicer

[@emanatingf]

Yes but I like the CGI Title Screen it's nostalgic and fits in with the rotating R better.

[@fenixlolnope361]

Wow dude, thanks for literally coding my whole childhood!

[@B-C-D]

It would be great to hear the first version of super sonic racing but alas it has been lost.

[@martiusr2404]

Really nice and interesting video, well done! I'm also totally for DX version of Sonic R, if you're considering such thing, I can only say "please, make that happen!". I personally think that Sonic R, despite its lacks (mostly about insufficient amount of levels), is really fun to play, despite its "reputation" (built mostly by people who didn't play (or didn't play too much) in this game and are cricising in-game music (vocal version).

[@jeroenboth167]

This is an awesome video because now we know even more about the developtment 😄👍

[@basteagui]

you are the freshmaster sir. rarely do you get a game developer that remembers such details so long after. even in official interviews. but you remember why you switched the skybox, because the name of the song was about sunshine... just excellent. this is the type of random info i want to know

[@PastoKage]

The first Formula 1 for PS1 was an awesome game!

[@jabmaster1000]

Thanks for changing the thumbnail

[@yourfairyking]

I don't know... there's something I find insanely charming about the final box art.

[@ClassicSonicSatAm]

For the fire shield you should of made it so it protected you and could be used a boost once before losing (sort of like Super Mushroom in Mario Kart) Since in Sonic 3 where these 3 shields came from, it allowed Sonic to boost. also was there any prototypes that had Knuckles with his climbing skill? cause in the English manual for the game it explains how to climb up and down walls but this never happens in game.

[@emanatingf]

didn't the water shield make you go faster and you've got the speed pads so..

[@kekodemoner6915]

WAIT, ARE YOU JON BURTON? thanks for making my childhood. So you’re saying, nobody remembers creating tails doll? That just adds mire mystery to the table

[@EpicMarioPlayer]

This game is genuinely nice, I wonder how it would have turned out with more development time, it seems like there's a lot that was planned. I still believe this game plays better than some later 3D Sonic games, it just feels easier to control. And I love the level design too, at least it tries more than just doing a straight-line where you run on.

[@Gileum]

Have you ever considered doing a Sonic R Director's Cut? Maybe of the PC version (since it has the day/night cycles). One of my biggest problems with Playing Sonic R is that turning is super stiff. I have a really hard time playing once I get some decent momentum going. The characters all control like race cars, which, knowing the game;s origins, makes a lot of sense. Would you consider making a version where they can turn faster, so they behave more like characters, as well as maybe adding in some features? Like maybe being able to turn off Super Sonic once he is unlocked so regular Sonic isnt overwritten? I would also have loved an "Explorer Mode" when I first played the game. This was the first time Sonic was in true 3D, and I has so much fun just looking around the tracks, but hated the pressure of having to be in the race. Anyways, those changes would basically be my definitive version of Sonic R.

[@UltraPixelP]

Sonic R has unironically one of the best Sonic soundtracks

[@Monacomaverick]

Ever since Sega gave us that lousy F1 Challenge we never got a decent F1 title on the Saturn.

[@andersdenkend]

Yes, very interesting! Thanks a lot!

[@Jaylobeans]

The final box art is classic. I wouldn't have it any other way personally. Though the original box art is cool too.

[@CryptoQuest95]

What an amazing channel!

[@soviut]

"I would have preferred the name stay at TT for obvious reasons". What are the reasons? They don't seem obvious to me. Did you like they were Travelers Tales initials or because TT is more well known motor sport acronym (I've never heard it before)? etc.

[@Schimnesthai]

Yes, really loved this, i always appreciate more details.

[@SuperShadow]

did Jon Burton have any hand in Sonic Gems Collection or PC ports of Sonic R?

[@GameHut]

One of my coders handled the ports. I just oversaw them...