SEGAPEDE

The Death of Robotnik?

Dr. Robotnik has finally devised the ultimate plan to control Mobius. The evil doctor has pulverized and condensed the power of the Chaos Emeralds into a potent and even more dangerous Chaos Dust. He now has the means of transforming, with a single stroke, the entire population of Mobius into mutant mechanizmos; but then, for Robotnik, catastrophe struck. The plan had been, from the safety of orbit, to envelop Mobius in a cloud of Chaos Dust. Unfortunately, while working on the final tests, an explosion in the lab exposed the doctor to the pure, undiluted dust. This powerful dust, in this purest of forms, was too much even for the doctor's body to metabolize. The power of the dust has pushed the doctor into complete insanity and near the brink of death.

When Sonic learns of the accident, he is torn between his loyalty to Mobius, and his memories of who Dr. Robotnik used to be. Should he let Robotnik die? This is the perfect opportunity to rid Mobius of her deadliest enemy, yet, Sonic remembers the days of fun and friendship, before Robotnik was twisted into the evil thing he is today. Sonic decides that there is only one choice; he must do everything in his power to save his old friend.

Sonic surmises that the microscopic particles of ultra-condensed chaos dust are now scattered and embedded throughout Robotnik's tormented body. If these particles could be removed, then Robotnik's health would be restored; but how to accomplish such a task? The only way to remove the chaos dust is to go into Robotnik's body and meticulously remove each and every particle, a seemingly impossible mission. Ironically, the solution is found to be one of Robotnik's own evil inventions, by the name of Zip. (working name only)

Before Robotnik captured him, Zip had been a small friendly centipede, but now he, along with many of his tiny friends, have been transformed into microscopic mutant machines, horrific shadows of their former selves. These tiny henchmen are known as Nanites. These nanites are one of the smallest and most evil of Robotnik's inventions. Fortunately for Sonic, Zip's transformation was not complete, an inner part of this tiny creature's former self remained. At the time of transformation Zip realized this fortuitous mistake, yet fearing detection by Robotnik, he continued to play the part of the mutant machine. Until now, Zip has carefully been bidding his time, waiting for the right moment to escape, or possibly to make a move against his evil master. That time has finally come.

The Hero

Zip is a cybernetic centipede of nearly microscopic proportions. Designed and transformed by Robotnik to be his deadliest of henchmen, Zip and his transformed friends, are now know as Nanites. However, unlike his friends, Zip's transformation was not complete, so although he now has the form and powers of a Nanite, he is still a loyal citizen of Mobius and a friend to Sonic.

Zip is constructed as a string of elastically connected segments. Within the game there are many types of segments, each with its own specialty. Zip's basic body contains; his head, complete with an armored helmet, a torso-segment with arms, then several pair of leg-segments. These leg-segments sport in-line skates, which give Zip his fluid speed and agility. On occasion, Zip will acquire vertical jet-thrusters or other forms of specialized locomotion, but his main means of travel are his in-line skates. Additional segments that will be available to Zip at various times throughout the game, some of these will be; armored, spiked, or weaponized segments, along with highly specialized segments for digging, climbing or swimming.

Should Zip take a "hit" while maneuvering through the zones, he will not die, but his various segments will scatter. Zip must then hustle and gather back as many of his segments as he can. This will be similar to Sonic losing his rings. If Zip takes a second hit while he has no body segments then he is captured by Robotnik and taken back to the lab to be reprogrammed.

The Goal

Zip will travel through various regions of Robotnik's body searching for the infecting Chaos Dust. Each region or zone will have a different flavor and focus of play. Zip will have to clear away enemies, avoid traps and solve simple puzzles in order to progress. When Zip comes across the dust, he will then try to destroy or "neutralize" it using his built in Neutro-Blaster. On some occasions finding the dust may be easy, but destroying it may be far more difficult. Much of the dust will be guarded either by its location or by heavy fortifications and shielding. Zip will also have to keep an eye out for new and different body segments which may help him traverse various obstacles along his journey.

Is Segapede the Game to Make?

The two strongest elements in Segapede are; the play dynamics of Zip, with his segmented body, and the fact that the game takes place within Robotnik. Zip, our hero, will have a very unique look and feel as he slides and rolls over and around the playfield. A great deal of excitement will also be found as Zip takes a hit and must hustle to regain his now scattering body segments.

One of the elements in games that is approaching its saturation point is the use of the standard, forest, jungle, cave worlds that are found in many of the games on the market today, including Sonic. By setting this game within Robotnik, we will be able to explore a whole new universe. This will give Segapede a look and atmosphere that will be exciting and new, setting it apart from other games. Besides, what ten year old wouldn't love to see the insides of Robotnik!

The System

Segapede could be designed for the Genesis as:

• Side-View: Similar in feel and style to the Sonic games. This is the most straight forward approach. There are many benefits with this format, but the horizontal view is heavily used.
• 3/4 Down-Isometric View: Similar to what was being attempted in Treasure Tails. This view has potential, but could be quite limiting with regards to the game dynamics. This would also be a difficult format to deal with the very organic look that this game will demand.
• Full-Down-View: Similar to what was used in Link 3 on the SNES. Although this view may cause some initial problems in the art design, it allows for a great deal of additional play dynamics which are not possible with the side-view.

OR

• The game could be designed with the upcoming 32-bit system in mind. Possibly with the POV of "over-Zip's-shoulder" giving it the feel of Wolfenstien 3D (on the PC). There will be lots of corridors and mazes with doors, traps and enemies to harass the player.

A decision as to what format to finally create the game around will require a team discussion as to the pros and cons of each style.

More Detailed Game Specs

Body Segments

As Zip moves throughout the body in any given round he will find various additional body segments. These additional segments will either be hidden throughout the playfield or Zip can attain additional segments by capturing them from defeated cyborg henchmen. These new segments will be things such as:

• Additional Arms and Legs, each with different specialized abilities: i.e.
  • Climbing: Hooks or Suction Cups
  • Speed:
  • Fighting: Pincher claws
  • Flippers: For Swimming
• Spiked or Armored Segments: These will protect areas of his body from various forms or attack.
• A Scorpion Stinger: Which would serve defensively as well as offensively
• A Drilling Tail: This would allow the player access to subterranean or concealed areas of the playfield.
• Jet Engines or Helicopter Blades: Giving Zip the ability to fly.
• A Gun Turret: Cannon or Laser.
• A Force-Shield: Covering all or part of Zip's body.
• A Second Head
• With independent intelligence: Should it, and any attached body segments, become separated from the primary body)

The maximum length of Zip will be determined by game design and programming so as to avoid game play problems and sprite or line over-run.

The player will be able to decide in what order Zip's various body segments are arranged as he loses and gains new parts.

Taking a Hit

When Zip takes a hit, he will separate at the point of impact; Similar to the way that Sonic looses his rings when hit. The player retains control of the segment that still contains Zip's head (the primary head). The remaining part or parts will either remain where they fell or possible start to crawl away (i.e. legs and wings will tend to wander off). As in Sonic with his rings, Zip must now hurry to recover as many of his body parts as he can before they wander off or are destroyed by an enemy or dangerous play field element, i.e. crushed by Robotnik's molars or falling into a pool of stomach acid.

Occasionally a severed body part will grow into an enemy and turn to attack Zip. This will happen only should an enemy manage to connect with the stranded body segment or should the segment somehow become "infected" by a hostile computer virus (another of Robotnik's evil creations).

Zip can gain back his severed parts simply by touching them again. However this might prove difficult should the parts be lying in the center of a trap or if enemies continue to attack. In general, should a severed body part take an additional hit, it will 'die' and disappear.

Zip's "Death" (Reprogramming)

Zip does not actually ever "die". Instead he is captured by Robotnik's evil henchmen and returned to the lab for "reprogramming". This capture is possible when Zip's head is separated from the rest of his body. Since Zip is a machine this separation does not cause his death, it simply means that he is unable to move or defend himself. It is at this point that one of Robotnik's creatures comes and carries Zip off the playfield and back to the lab.

As long as Zip has at least three contiguous segments, his head and two other segments, he can move about and is safe from another hit. Zip must always hurry and try to re-gather his body segments as soon as he has taken a hit. Should Zip take a hit while he has only his head and one other segment, he will lose that one remaining segment and thus becomes stranded and will then be carted off to the lab.

Zip's Attack

Zip's attack will vary depending on which body segments are in his possession. His basic attack is the "bump". Zip contracts his body segments tighter and tighter, then releases them with a sudden, explosive kick, using his head to ram his enemies into oblivion. The longer and tighter Zip contracts, the harder and the farther his bump is. The number of segments in Zip's body will also make a difference in the strength and range of his attack; the more segments, the stronger the attack.

Upon acquiring an "armed" body segment or segments, Zip will have the choice of which of his forms of attack he will use. Various examples of a special attack would be: a sting from the scorpion tail segment, firing a cannon or laser from a turret-segment, or while flying, dropping objects on top of enemies. The choosing will all be done via buttons on the control pad. In laying out these controls the simplicity of the controls on previous Sonic games will be kept in mind and such simplicity should be maintained.

Chaos Dust

The Chaos Dust will be scattered throughout each zone. Much of the infecting dust particles will be encrusted in the walls and floors, or will simply be free floating, drifting along the corridors and passages within Robotnik's body. When Zip encounters these particles he can shoot a burst of energy that will neutralize the dust. This neutralizing laser is fired on the players command, but auto-targeted by the Genesis. Sometimes the Chaos Dust will be shielded or otherwise protected. In order for Zip to deal with these particles, he must maneuver into a more strategic position or accomplish a certain task in order to shut down the force shield that is protecting the targeted dust.

The dust is VERY deadly! Should Zip touch any of the particles before they have been neutralized he will take a "hit" and scatter into his segmented parts. Should any of Zip's disconnected segments come in contact with the dust they will either be destroyed or metemorphisize into an enemy.

Random Elements?

A twist to the game would be to have an option similar to what was found in Toejam & Earl. That is, you can play the game so that it is the same every time, or you can set it on "Random". On Random, each time the game is started the playfields themselves would not change, but the location of the dust would. So, each time you played, the game would be slightly different.

Depending upon the technical limitations it would also be nice if when set on "random" some of the playfield did change. This would continually challenge the player and not allow him to become too familiar with the game's layout. Of course, should a different player not enjoy this variance, all he would have to do is to turn the random feature "off" at the beginning of the game, or not turn it on.

Zones

At no time will the body/playfield appear any more real then it would in something like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. This is not meant to be a game for kids in Pre-Med.

• The Mouth
• The Stomach:
• The Heart:
• The Strange Organs:
• The Bones:
• The Spinal Cord:
• The Brain:

Details of rounds to be developed.

Special Stages:

At the end of each zone the player will enter Robotnik's blood stream in order to travel to the next Zone. The ride would be something similar to the bonus stage in Sonic 2, but more so. The game play will be: ???

Enemies / Immune System

Robotnik's immune system is made up almost entirely, but not completely, of mechanized mutants. Each and every one of these cyber-microbes is doing its best to stop Zip from accomplishing his task.

Some of these enemies will be segmented like Zip. When Zip destroys one of these creatures, the cute little animal inside is freed leaving the horrid mechanical shell behind. This tool of destruction is now turned to good as Zip joins it to his own body, adding its abilities to his own. These would be the type of cybernetic segments shown prior under "Body Segments".

The End

Should the player finish the game and successfully complete all of the bonus stages then Robotnik is cured. However, Mobius and the universe are now at risk again, but Sonic and Zip have done the honorable thing and in the end good will prevail.

Two Player Options

Methods for making Segapede a two-player game:

1. Turns: Multiple players take turns, one at a time, playing Zip. This is the simplest and most common method, and also the least desirable.
2. Simultaneous 1: Player One plays Zip and Player Two plays a second character with similar abilities to Zip named Zap. This is one of the best solutions, but it is also one of the most difficult to accomplish. It places a great deal of load on the hardware to run so many sprites and etc.
3. Simultaneous 2: Player One plays Zip while Player Two plays various enemies against Player One as he tries to take Zip through the body. The tricky thing here would be to properly design everything so that both players would be having a good time. Competitive sports games are some of the best selling games out. If that spirit could be captured and made playable it would be a great advantage to the game. One of the options the players could choose would be to have Player 1 and Player 2 reverse roles each time that Zip was captured, (died). This would allow each player to play Zip and also Robotnik's immune system.
4. Special 2 Player Mode: Player one plays Zip with a control Pad, while Player Two uses the Menacer to activate traps and enemies to try and stop Player One / Zip.

Alternate Story: The Rebirth of Robotnik

The following is an alternate story line. It deals with the transformation of Robotnik from the evil doctor that we all know, back to his former friendly self. This, of course means the lose of Sonic's current arch villain, which would have repercussions all throughout the world of Sonic; the video games, cartoons, comics, etc.. However, I would like to take this opportunity to mention that such transformations have taken place before, with wonderful success. One such example of rebirth is found in George Lucas's 'Star Wars Saga'. Luke Skywalker's kind and loving father is reborn from the epic's ominous villain, Darth Vader. Another example, though not quite as dramatic, is the transformation in Star Trek of the Klingons; from arch nemesis to ally. I can see the hesitation to take a well-known villain away from the world of Sonic, especially now, with the expansion of Sonic into the world of comics and television, but if done properly, a great deal of depth and integrity can be added to the story of Sonic and his world, thus building a stronger character that will be able to last and last.

Sonic has finally had enough of the evil Dr. Robotnik and his diabolical plans, so he's doing something about it. Remembering the days when Robotnik was a kind and caring friend, Sonic believes it must be possible to return Robotnik to is old, friendly self. Discovering the cause behind the doctor's evil transformation, Sonic now knows what must be done to bring his friend back.

Scattered throughout Robotnik's tormented body are microscopic particles of ultra-condensed chaos dust, remnants of the horrible accident that transformed Robotnik so many years ago. Sonic theorizes that if these particles could be removed, Robotnik would return to his former self; but how to achieve such a task? The only way to remove the chaos dust is to go into Robotnik's body and meticulously remove each and every particle. The solution is Zip, one of Robotnik's very own inventions. Zip is a Nanite, one of Robotnik's smallest, and most evil mechanizmos.

Before Robotnik captured him, Zip was a small friendly centipede, but now he, along with many of his tiny friends, have been transformed into microscopic mutant machines, horrific shadows of their former selves. However, Zip's transformation was not complete, an inner part of his former self remained. Realizing this fortuitous mistake, yet fearing detection by Robotnik, Zip continued to play the part of a mutant machine, bidding his time for the right moment to make his move against the new master.

That time has finally come. With the help of Sonic, the tiny machine now has the knowledge necessary to combat his dreaded master. Zip is glad to restore Dr. Robotnik to his old, good natured self. He remembers what his own life, and what life on Mobius was like before Robotnik turned to a career of evil. Zip is eager to help and glad that the solution to the their problems does not necessitate the death of Dr. Robotnik, but instead the rebirth of their old friend. Sonic and Zip immediately go to work planning the difficult mission ahead. With the help of Sonic, Zip sneaks onto, then into Robotnik; the quest to rid his old master of the evil dust has begun.