Sonic DS

Sonic DS
Sonic DS
General
Author	Simon Thomley (Stealth)
Type	Platform
Version	2013
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2013/03/05
Links
	Download
	Website

This is a proof-of-concept port of Sonic 1, 2 and 3 created in 2010 by Simon Thomley. It is improved based on the Sonic 1 port on the Game Boy Advance.

The project included several enhancements including playable Tails, Knuckles, and elemental shields, as well as a new Special Stage mode.

Installation

Hardware:

Copy the main "Sonic1" folder (which contains "Sonic1", "Sonic2", etc.. subfolders) to the root of the SD card.
Place SonicDS.nds anywhere on the card.
Run SonicDS.nds.

No$GBA (recommended for emulation):

Run SonicDSFull.NDS

DeSmuME (not recommended):

In the "Emulation" menu, select "GBA Slot" > "MPCF Flash Card Device", and then click "Use path of the loaded ROM".
Ensure that SonicDS.nds is in the same folder as the main "Sonic1" folder.
Run SonicDS.nds.
This emulator exhibits a noticeable delay before the initial disclaimer screen appears.
This emulator exhibits a noticeable stall when the music changes.
This emulator exhibits a noticeable stall when the level changes.
This emulator exhibits a noticeable stall when switching games (after having pressed down to move back to the normal menu).
There are additional level graphics errors (mostly many missing tiles) in Angel Island Zone when played in this emulator.

User guide

What works

General:

Sonic.
Tails.
Knuckles.
Invincibility, Sneaker, and regular shield powerups.
Elemental shields with special abilities, including ring attraction.
Level End Sequence.
Animated Tiles.

Sonic 1:

Title Screen.
Title Card.
Green Hill Zone acts 1-3 with all objects and boss.
Labyrinth Zone act 1 without most objects.
Special Stage with entry from big ring (appears at level end when you have 50+ rings).

Sonic 2:

Emerald Hill Zone act 1 without most objects.
Corkscrew object without proper animation.
Special Stage with entry from starpost (touch while carrying 50+ rings).

Sonic 3:

Angel Island Zone acts 1-2 without most objects.
AIZ1 tree (sometimes).
Miniboss fire cutscene.
Miniboss.
Level chaining.
Bombing cutscene.
Zone Boss cutscene.
Zone Boss.
Bonus Stage entry from starpost (touch while carrying 20+ rings).
Special stage with entry from big rings placed throughout levels.
"Blue Spheres" stages (manual or randomized "magic number" selection).

Megamix:

Sunny Shores Zone acts 1-3 (v4.0b).
Both old and new SSZ bosses.
Homing Attack (mostly).
Light Speed Dash (mostly).
Special Stages.

What doesn't work

Drowning.
Emerald Hill Zone background and animated palette.
Angel Island Zone Background and animated palette.
AIZ1 tree (sometimes).
Sonic 3 Bonus Stage gameplay.
Some sounds are incorrect (Didn't rip them all).
Some music is incorrect (Mostly substitutions due to lack of existing modules).
Some graphics are garbled.
Basically anything that wasn't listed in "WHAT WORKS".

Main menu

Navigate through options using up/down on the D-Pad.
Change most options by navigating to that option and using left/right on the D-Pad.
Change the selected game by navigating up beyond the "Title" option and using left/right on the D-Pad.
Selecting the game "Sonic Megamix" will set all games to "Megamix Mode", in which Sonic will use his Homing Attack and Light Dash instead of shield actions. This can only be disabled by quitting the program.
Change Zone and Act by using A/B and X/Y.
Select an option by pressing Start.
Change the "Magic Number" for "Blue Spheres" by navigating to the "Blue Spheres" option and using left/right, A/B, X/Y, and L/R to modify each component.
"Randomize" will choose a random "Magic Number" for the "Blue Spheres" game.

Gameplay

Use the D-Pad to move, and A/B to jump.
Use R trigger to toggle Debug Mode. While in Debug Mode, A and B become object cycle and placement.
Touch the options on the second screen to enable powerups-
- 0 - No Shield
- 1 - Sonic 1 Blue Shield
- 2 - Sonic 2 Blue Shield (Not implemented)
- F - Fire Shield
- L - Lightning Shield
- B - Bubble Shield
- I - Invincibility
- S - Speed
Hold Select and press Start to return to the Main Menu

Sonic 3 Special Stager Mod

Press R Trigger to enter/exit "Blue Spheres" editor mode.
Hold Select and press L Trigger to clear the level.
Use left/right on the D-Pad to select an object to place, or tap the object in the row at the bottom of the screen.
Use up/down on the D-Pad to pan the map up or down. The map wraps around, but scrolling in either direction is restricted by the player's position.
Touch the screen to place the selected object at that location in the stage.
- Green Sphere - This sphere effectively takes two hits. One hit will turn it into a normal blue sphere, that must be hit again to turn it red. Green spheres will not turn into rings when surrounded by red spheres
- Purple Sphere - Touching this sphere will teleport you to another purple sphere placed somewhere in the level at random. There will be a brief pause after teleport to allow you to get your bearings

Screenshots

Credits

Sonic Team/Sega are responsible for the original Sonic the Hedgehog games reproduced here.
The majority of the work that went into this project was performed by Stealth (www.headcannon.com).
Various members of Team Megamix (www.teammegamix.com) are responsible for some of the content in the "Megamix" portion of this project.
This project uses MaxMod (www.maxmod.org) for audio (DS version only).
The module music used in this project is from "Sonic Project" (http://sphere.chronosempire.org.uk/~HEx/sonic/).
Steve Snake, who is, among other things, the author of Kega Fusion, provided some helpful tips in dealing with graphic emulation for the multiplatform version.

External links

Official website - https://www.headcannon.com/hchc/SonicDS/