Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)/Simon Wai Prototype/Chemical Plant Zone

This is a sub-page of Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)/Simon Wai Prototype/Chemical Plant Zone.

General Differences

• The loops are still using their hexagonal corners, as seen in the Nick Arcade prototype. Starting in Beta 4, the top of those loops is a flat surface.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4+

• The rail-guided platforms are 50% wider in later versions.
• The blue bubbles make the same sound as fireballs in the Simon Wai version. In later builds, they have their own unique sound.

Graphical Differences

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4+

Colors 0&1 in the underwater palette 0 are darker, and colors 6-9 are brighter.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4+

Easiest to see with Sonic & Tails, whose eyes and gloves now have a properly bright pink tint. The contrast between the outline color (check the bottom of their shoes) and the rest of the colors was improved as well.

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4+

Underwater colors 0 and 1 are the same dark blue color as palette 0, color B has more red, and colors C-E changed from a purplish blue to pink.

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4+

With the earlier palette, the moving blocks keep their blue center while underwater, but the water tubes have blue flecks set against a pink base.

With the final palette, the moving blocks now have a pink center but the water tubes look better. The blocks still look fine, though, so it's a good change.

Act 1

Full Maps

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4

• Three rings and a super ring monitor were added after the Simon Wai prototype.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• While the layout is pretty much there, there isn't much in the way of objects in the Simon Wai layout. Later versions add 12 rings, two Spinies, and a Grabber to this area.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• A super ring monitor was added to the bottom-left corner of this area.
• Three groups of three rings were placed on the half-pipe, and five rings placed above the spring lid.
• The one-way barrier isn't in the Simon Wai layout. It was probably added to point the player in the right direction, in case they got to this area through the transport tube.
• Two Spinies and five rings were placed at the end of the path.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Nine rings added to the top path, eight rings below.
• The suspiciously empty cubby on the lower path of the Simon Wai layout was filled with three monitors: Invincibility, super ring, and an extra life.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Three 128x128 chunks were added near the first loop:

• The first chunk (the one with the tube) was probably added to keep the player from getting into the tube transporter from the left side.
• The second (up and to the right of the loop) was added to keep players from landing on the previous chunk without a way to get out.
• The third (the one with the red pipe on top of the tube) might have been added to let the player get on top of the second chunk. They may have been planning to put something up here...

The "Knuckles in Sonic 2" lock-on game adds a super ring on top of the loop and an invincibility monitor on top of the second chunk.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Twenty-seven rings were placed throughout this area in later versions of the act.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• New for Beta 4: Three rings, two Spinies, and a super ring monitor. That monitor also acts as a stepping stone to a secret area, though in Beta 4 there's nothing up there yet.

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4

• Twenty-two more rings, three more super rings, Spinies, a Grabber, a checkpoint...it's madcap!

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• The four connected rotating blocks at the top were changed to two disconnected blocks.
• An eight group was placed under those blocks, and a three ring line further below.
• The player can enter the tube transporter on the middle-left in the Simon Wai layout; Unfortunately, it just goes around in a square-shaped path, looping back to the entrance. There's a spring lid covering the entrance in all other versions.
• Three monitors were added to the lift of the former tube entrance to give the player some incentive to come there.
• A backwards booster was added to the right of the small quarter-pipe at the bottom.
• A super ring monitor, shield monitor, and checkpoint were placed under the curving tube.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Four rings were placed before the booster, and one more ring was added to the circle of rings in the loop.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Four more rings and a Spiny. That'll be $4.50.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Rings.
• There are gaps in the ceiling above the last tube transporter on the bottom path. This isn't a problem in the Simon Wai prototype, but Super Sonic can jump high enough to get in there. Since the only thing to the right of the gap is a pit, it were plugged up in later versions.

Act 2

Full Maps

Simon Wai prototype
Beta 4

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• There's an important change here: If the player gets enough speed, they can jump over the first pipe here and land on the second, which skips a good part of the act. A floating landmass was placed in-between the two pipes to patch this exploit.

It's suspiciously empty, though. They could have just put solid blocks instead of these steps; Maybe they thought this looked better? Anyway, there's an extra life monitor here in Knuckles in Sonic 2.

• Less interesting are the added rings and Spiny. They're not in the older prototype, you know.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Twelve rings were added in the large quarter-pipe's launch area, and three rings were added before the rising block line.
• The rotating block line is 16 pixels higher in later versions. This was likely changed to cover up a discrepancy between Sonic's apparent height while crouching / spindashing, and how big it actually is:

If the player is on top of the second highest block and tries to duck under the rotating block line, it seems like they'd be able to pass safely under it, but they'd be crushed instead.

• An invincibility monitor was placed to the left of the super ring monitor.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• The later layouts add twenty-three rings total (three rings and two super ring monitors) to the path split, and forty-four rings (twelve loose rings and three super ring monitors) to the top path.
• The shield monitor is one pixel higher than it should be in the Simon Wai version.
• A checkpoint was added below the rotating block line. To allow the player to get back up to the top path, the block line was lowered by 112 pixels.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Another super ring monitor placed at the end of the upper path. Can't have enough of those, apparently.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Down in the bottom path now. You can never have too many rings!
• For some reason, the ceiling was extended to the left, then down more in later versions of the act. This doesn't seem to be bug-fix related, and the path works fine either way.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen. Thirteen more rings. And a Spiny.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Someone put ten rings in a single monitor! How'd they do that?

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• If you don't like rings and Grabbers and checkpoints I don't know why you even came here.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• In the secret top path, there's now a super ring monitor, a checkpoint...but where's the Grabber? Where's the Spiny??

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• An upside-down quarter-pipe was added to keep the player from being launched over the top of the stage.
• That ring monitor sure is super.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• Two super ring monitors and an extra life monitor were added to the end of the top path.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• The ceiling above the rail-guided platforms is lower in the Simon Wai prototype.
• Three rings were placed at the start of the path.
• The only thing under the rail-guided platforms is a bottomless pit. Later versions add ground to keep it from being a death trap, spike pikes to keep some element of danger there, and an extra life monitor at the end for savvy players.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• The infamous rising water section near the end of the stage was actually toned down in later layouts:

• An extra rotating block line was added at the bottom.
• The fourth and third-to-last rotating blocks were moved up by 32 pixels to keep the player from getting crushed by the blocks.
• The last two blocks were moved up by 64 pixels, both to keep the player from getting pushed off the third-to-last block and to make jumping to the higher ground easier.

• Three rings were placed above the higher ground.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• A super ring monitor was placed to the left of the rail-guided platform, and a checkpoint to the right.

Simon Wai prototype	Beta 4

• The act ends here in the Simon Wai build, but the ceiling continues for two more 128x128 chunks before the level ends. As usual in the Simon Wai version, there's no boss arena.