Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Stage Differences

This is a sub-page of Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sonic 3 Zones

Angel Island Zone

To do: Layout and object differences. (AIZ was finished as Jorge Nuno had a good collection of differences on his user page. Different subpages for each zone are now necessary at this point.)

Act	Proto	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

• The intro features Sonic riding a surfboard into Angel Island Zone. In the final game, Sonic rides the Tornado, jumps off, and turns into Super Sonic. The surfboard Sonic object still exists in the final game, but goes unused.
  • The only way to see this intro is if you wait on the title screen for the demo. Going into Angel Island Zone Act 1 normally does not play the intro.
  • Knuckles also has completely different sprites and simply blocks Sonic's path instead of punching him out and stealing the Chaos Emeralds. Because they share the same palette, Knuckles also causes the HUD text to turn green; the developers actually implemented two different fixes for this in the final game: Knuckles was given a different palette, which uses yellow for his socks instead of green (and, oddly, pinker shades of red) plus in this particular scene the HUD isn't even drawn at all anymore.
  • Knuckles is visible even when skipping the intro, which is a problem since the player has full control at that point, and moving past Knuckles before he leaves will glitch him out.
• Tails does not seem to spawn into the level for a while, aside from flying above the first badnik. The player can be airlifted by Tails, interestingly.
• A fire shield and badnik right before the miniboss are missing.

• Underwater countdown timer graphics do not load correctly.
• In the debug list, there is a strange object that seems to test sprite scaling. It causes some very adverse effects on the game, the level collision, and its VRAM.
• In one of the upper alcoves early in the level, there are 2 static monitors that hurt the player when broken. These were replaced with monitors containing Power Sneakers and 10 Rings in the final game.
• The area before the miniboss has a few tiles incorrectly placed.
• The miniboss cutscene is slower, rougher, and the miniboss plays a different sound when launching missiles.
• The second part of Act 1 loads much more slowly, leading to some garbage object graphics at first.
• The waterfall platform objects do not play any sounds.
• Act 1's boss arena has the decorative flame objects like final, but they load incorrect graphics.
• During the tunnel to the end of the level in Act 2, you can see for a moment when the flying ship graphics are loaded.
• The HUD pauses for the entire duration the flying ship is present, and it resumes once it leaves. This was scrapped in the final because it also stalls the ring counter from refreshing, should the player get hit by the ship's bombs.
• Eggman's "whooshing" sound when he goes through the trees at the end is completely different.
• The sound that plays when Eggman burns the bridge is different.
• The boss palette tends to cause issues with rings.
• Even if you jump off the bridge while Knuckles destroys it, you still go to Hydrocity Zone anyway.

Graphical Differences

To do: Actual comparisons.

The full set of Knuckles sprites used during the intro cutscene. All of the other cutscenes use the finalized cutscene graphics already, complete with pink-ish palette. Notably, these sprites more closely match the April 1993 design of Knuckles.

Layout Differences

Angel Island Zone Act 1 Map

Proto
Final

Angel Island Zone Act 2 Map

Proto
Final

Act 1

To do: Replace the current CSS image crops with separately cropped images of level potions.

Proto	Final

A floating platform was added above the first palm tree, making it easier to access the small Monitor alcove.

Also, in the 1103 prototype, the monitor subtypes are not set, which results in the player being damaged when breaking them.

In the final version, a ceiling was added to the entire level.

A tall column of path swapper objects were added to help reset the collision plane when starting the level.

Proto	Final

The final version adds 3 rings and a small alcove with a Super Ring Monitor.

A floating platform added in the final, hinting that something up there.

And a ceiling was added to the area.

Proto	Final

In this area in the 1103 prototype, Tails will fly down to pick Sonic and carry him to the upper right ledge.

In the final version, a Rhinobot was shifted further to the right.

Proto	Final

3 rings were removed from the final.

Some aesthetic layout changes between the versions.

Proto	Final

A palm tree with a Monkey Dude was deleted from the final game, and the Rhinobot has been moved to the right.

The unset hidden Monitor on top of the palm tree was changed to a Fire Shield.

A pair of spikes was also added in the final version, just before the zipline rope ride.

Proto	Final

The floor changed slightly, and the final version adds a second, backwards-facing spring.

The foreground plants' graphics were updated slightly.

Proto	Final

The monitor has been changed to an invincibility one; perhaps a Robotnik Monitor in the first level was a bit out of place?

Some rocks were added in the final version, to help make the area feel less empty.

The swinging rope's position was slightly moved to the right.

Proto	Final

A Bloominator was added in the final version.

A group of spikes was changed to a harmless rock, and the sneaky Rhinobot was deleted.

In the loop's exit, the path swapper object's range was lengthened so it now touches the bottom of the floor above it. Originally, the player could miss the object entirely, breaking collision.

Under the underwater ledge, formed by the loop's exit, the the 1-Up Monitor was changed into a Water Shield for the final game.

Proto	Final

To make room for a palm tree with a Monkey Dude hanging off it, the floor was lowered.

The Rhinobot was removed.

The underwater grotto was filled with goodies, and had a seemingly useless path swapper object added; perhaps it was meant for a Special Stage Ring?

Proto	Final

The spring, and the rock it's hidden under, were moved to the right in the final version.

A small floating island was added, along with a Starpost and a cluster of rings above it.

Proto	Final

The palm tree, with its Monkey Dude inhabitant, were removed to make room for an additional loop on the way to the giant tree trunk.

Proto	Final

There used to be a second 1-Up Monitor above the second loop, but was swapped for a Super Ring Monitor in the final. It was also shifted left, so it's hidden by the leaves.

The final versions adds more path swapper objects, preventing Tails from being on the wrong collision layer if he skips the loops by flying over it.

The giant trunk 1-Up monitor's position was adjusted slightly.

Act 1.5

Proto	Final

The ledge, with its Starpost, were moved 128 pixels to the left, shortening the orange sky transition area.

The cavern containing the Special Stage ring moved 128 pixels to the right.

Proto	Final

In the proto, the cavern is much smaller than in the final, which also adds rings and a passage to the area below.

The giant waterfall starts much sooner. It's also filled with falling logs, which were removed in the final version.

Proto	Final

A ceiling was added to the top of the waterfall, and a small alcove was created with a Super Ring monitor in the final.

Proto	Final

The entrance to the Special Stage room was made less obvious, and the hazards were removed from the path in the final version.

Most of the lake that used to exist in the proto in this area was filled with earth and its objects were removed.

Proto	Final

A log bridge with 4 rings is missing in the prototype.

A collapsing platform was added to the left side, making it easier to avoid falling into the water in the final.

Proto	Final

The floor between waterfalls changed between the proto and the final, the version in the proto is more even.

The log bridge turned into a collapsing platform, and is now an extension of the solid ground preceding it.

Proto	Final

There are more layers of terrain in the final game; the prototype only has a series of descending terrain platforms to the cavern below.

A ledge with a Bloominator and a few objects was added in the middle of the waterfall in the final version.

Proto	Final

This underwater cavern used to be a simple tunnel in the prototype.

Proto	Final

A loop was added in the final version, with a Thunder Shield Monitor hidden on top of it.

Proto	Final

Some spikes were added in the final version to prevent Knuckles from climbing into Sonic's boss area.

A helpful Fire Shield Monitor was added in the alcove to the left, now guarded by a Bloominator.

In the final version, a Super Ring Monitor was added in the bottom route.

Proto	Final

Like the rest of the level, Sonic's miniboss area had a canopy ceiling added for the final version.

Act 2

Sonic's Route

Proto	Final

The final version's tunnel at the beginning of Act 2 received an extra bend, losing three rings in the process.

Proto	Final

More of the tunnel.

Proto	Final

Upon exiting the tunnel, Sonic falls into the the water. The final drains most of it, with the only underwater section being a small pool containing 3 rings.

This is where the level begins in the final version, either from entering the level with the level select, or respawning as Sonic when you haven't touched a Starpost yet.

Proto	Final

In the prototype, the Waterfall's plunge pool is a direct extension from the previous area. The waterfall was also wider.

The prototype's collapsing platform in the was replaced with a log bridge, with 2 rings added, in the final.

The obscured 1-Up Monitor was changed to a Water Shield.

Proto	Final

The waterfall had a ceiling added, and a small nook was created, containing a 1-Up monitor and Bloominator.

A falling log spawner was added, letting Sonic access this area.

Proto	Final

The upper path was changed, with a small left-facing ledge breaking up the middle section, the rings were removed, and the Rhinobot was moved closer to the edge.

A swinging rope was added on the left, and a pair of collapsing platforms were added to both sides, in the final.

Proto	Final

A small floating island was added in the final version.

The lower terrain was changed slightly, adding a small slope on the rightmost ledge.

Proto	Final

More terrain changes, but overall the same concept, the pool's exit both being taller and shifted to the left, along with a few accompanying changes.

Proto	Final

The way the path splits was changed, with the lower one exiting into a spin tunnel, and the upper one reachable via a moving platform, in the final version.

Proto	Final

The upper path adds a secret room to the left, containing a Thunder Shield Monitor.

The spikes on the ledge were removed, and a swinging rope was added for better accessibility.

Proto	Final

The upper path was made more dangerous in the final version, with a Rhinobot and a spike pit added to this area, while the rings were removed.

The waterfall is half of its original width in the final.

Proto	Final

A second dedicated switch room for draining the water, and thus, opening the upper passage was added in the final. In the proto, the upper passage was always open.

To the left, an empty alcove was added above the waterfall, with an added Fire Shield and Bloominator.

Proto	Final

Both a ceiling, and a cluster of rings, were added in this upper path area.

Proto	Final

A small floating islet, a rope and a floating platform were added, making it easier to reach the ledge on the left.

The upper portion has an added ceiling in the final version.

Proto	Final

In the final, a ceiling was added, and the cave now continues through and exits on the right.

Unfinished cutscene

In addition to the surfboard cutscene, an early version of the final intro does exist in the prototype ROM, as shown in the embedded video. It can be enabled using the PAR codes 003CC6:0003 and 003CC8:5AD2. There are a few differences:

• Some of the graphics are glitched.
• The Tornado doesn't bob up and down while flying.
• The final Knuckles object is present in addition to the prototype one. However, he doesn't jump up to uppercut Sonic (although it makes Sonic lose his super form), which softlocks the game because it leaves the player unable to move.

Hydrocity Zone

Proto	Level Select Icon

• The background in Act 1 is completely different from the final game, featuring gray bricks and pillars, waterfalls, and rows upon rows of plant life. It also completely lacks any parallax scrolling. This early background design can still be seen in the level select icon for Hydrocity Zone in the final game.

• Sonic and Tails do not play their falling animations when entering the level.

• After dying, the background does not seem to load properly.
• The giant fan object does not play any sound.
• When Sonic runs across water, there is no sound associated.
• The Buggernauts use different graphics.
• The grabbing hand booster object plays no sounds.
• The Turbo Spikers play no sounds.

• There are some misplaced spikes in Act 1.
• Destroying a Blastoid causes the player to bounce back the other direction as if they hit a boss.
• The pseudo-3D water effect in Act 1 has different graphics and lacks any horizontal parallax. It is also incorrectly placed later in the level.
• The Big Shaker's underwater palette is incorrect.
• If Sonic is twirled around by the miniboss, he uses his death-animation instead of his floating animation.
• When the miniboss enters, no sound is played.
• The "whooshing" sound is played more frequently when the miniboss causes a whirlpool.
• The drowning miniboss music bug exists in this prototype, but it plays Ice Cap Zone Act 2's track instead of the Sonic & Knuckles miniboss theme.
  • Turning super in either act, triggering the drowning music, and then leaving the water surface will instead play Mushroom Valley Act 2's track for until the super ability wears off.
• Some walls in Act 2 use slightly different sprites during the wall crusher segment.
• The wall crushing segment plays no sound.
• Sonic will play his previous animation when jumping on a spinning cylinder.

• Rings overlap tubes.
• Knuckles is blue when first loading in.
• The boss overwrites the water surface graphics.
• Trapdoor objects have issues with sprite priority.

To do: Screenshot

• There is a section in Act 2 involving a vertical bar object that is unused in the final game.
• The Knuckles cutscene is very different and unfinished - he immediately charges towards Sonic upon seeing him, which in turn presses the button and makes the bridge collapse in under a second.
  • The small wall between the two also doesn't stop Knuckles from running, which results in him floating in air near Sonic.
• The pathway to the boss has no objects.
• Act 2's music has issues with volume.
• After defeating the boss, the level music does not start back up.

• In the final version, the level includes a couple of swinging balls and water droplet objects as eye candy. The proto lacks this, making the level look rather bland.

Unused Level Chunks

Act 1:

• 

  ID DF A colorful mosaic? This is really too colorful to see in Hydrocity.

Act 2:

• 

  ID 28

Layout Differences

To do: Actual comparisons.

Hydrocity Zone Act 1 Map

Proto
Final

Hydrocity Zone Act 2 Map

Proto
Final

Marble Garden Zone

To do: Object & Layout differences

• The player doesn't start up in the sky.
• The drillbot enemy seen throughout the level does not play any sounds when drilling.
• Tails seems to be able to influence the spinning top object when both he and Sonic are on it.
• The spinning top object doesn't fall out of the level when hitting a dead end.
• The chain with spike ball object plays no sound.
• The spinning wheel object makes no sound.
• Neither Sonic nor Tails have animations for grabbing pulleys, instead continuing whatever animation they were playing before grabbing on.
  • The "switch" sound plays when grabbing the pulley.

• There are some misplaced rings in Act 2.
• It's possible to see below the level in Act 2.
• When the player encounters the Act 2 boss, the background is buggy. The player also dies when they hit the bottom of the screen, so two-player Tails must be used to start the fight properly.
• The game lags a lot during the Act 2 boss, and it's possible to stand on the air.
• Like with Hydrocity Zone, there's no transition to Carnival Night Zone.

Marble Garden Zone Act 1 Map

Proto
Final

Marble Garden Zone Act 2 Map

Proto
Final

Carnival Night Zone

Act	Proto	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

• Both acts use a completely different music track. MIDI renditions of these songs would go on to be used for the same zone in Sonic & Knuckles Collection (although Act 1 is in a different key).
• The Act 1 boss arena has no walls.
• Once the Act 1 boss is beaten, there's no way to progress further without using the level select.
• The underwater palette is very different, identical to the one seen in early screenshots.
• Knuckles doesn't appear in Act 2 at all, though an early version of his first cutscene exists. This means the blackout and subsequent flood never happen, as well as Sonic not being able to leave Knuckles' ending area of Act 2 outside of Tails and debug mode.
• The capsule at the end of Act 2 is not present.
• Touching one of the spinning cylinders as Tails will crash the game, possibly due to the game trying to load incorrect/missing graphics.

Carnival Night Zone Act 1 Map

Proto
Final

Carnival Night Zone Act 2 Map

Proto
Final

Unfinished Cutscene

Much like Angel Island, a preliminary version of Knuckles' Act 2 "blackout" cutscene exists. It can be enabled using the PAR codes 1FC022:1DE0 1FC024:032C 1FC026:C70C 1FC028:1E00 1FC02A:0338 1FC02C:C904, though nothing happens after Knuckles lands on the switch and runs away. The level just continues on as normal, though Knuckles' theme will continue to play until another song is loaded.

IceCap Zone

To do: The prototype map of ICZ Act 1 needs fixing. Map exist, but there's a error in TCRF that won't let it show.

Act	November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

• Both acts use a completely different music track. MIDI renditions of these songs would go on to be used for the same zone in Sonic & Knuckles Collection. Act 1's appears to be unfinished due to unfinished drums and a general lack of polish.
• Sonic begins the stage running down the mountainside. In the final, he snowboards down it.
• The "trap" glitch (in which the game treats the vertical screen wrap position as a bottomless pit under specific circumstances) affects both playable characters at this stage in development. The final version of the game fixed it for Sonic, but Tails would be stuck with it until Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles.

• There are some misplaced ice spikes in Act 2.
• Act 2 doesn't have water.
• Though the tunnel leading to Launch Base Zone is present, the game does not actually send the player there like in the final game.

IceCap Zone Act 1 Map

Proto
Error creating thumbnail: convert: ../../magick/quantum.c:216: DestroyQuantumInfo: Assertion `quantum_info != (QuantumInfo *) NULL' failed. /usr/bin/timeout: the monitored command dumped core /var/www/tcrf/includes/shell/limit.sh: line 101: 6009 Aborted /usr/bin/timeout $MW_WALL_CLOCK_LIMIT /bin/bash -c "$1" 3>&- Error code: 134
Final

IceCap Zone Act 2 Map

Proto
Final

Launch Base Zone

Act	November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

• Both acts use a completely different music track. MIDI renditions of these songs would go on to be used for the same zone in Sonic & Knuckles Collection (although the MIDI version of Act 1 is in a slightly different key).

Proto	Level Select Icon	Final

• The background has a different palette, resulting in a bluer ocean, a somewhat pink sky (not unlike Act 2) and a greenish Death Egg with darker supports. Much like Hydrocity Zone and Flying Battery Zone (initially), this palette would show up in the final game in Launch Base Zone's level select icon.

To do: Add better documentation for the Twin Hammer fight (and possibly a video)

• The player does not start by launching through the snow.
• Knuckles' palette and sprites mess with some objects.
• Some animated tiles are missing.
• The building doesn't collapse, though the transition to the boss still works.
• There are four warp tubes in the Twin Hammer boss arena, two on the floor and two on the ceiling. Entering a floor tube will warp the player to a corresponding ceiling tube.
• The top of Act 2's background is buggy.
• Jumping on the first floating platform encountered in Act 2 triggers a series of FM chirps. This can be found in a few other areas of the level. This does not seem to be found as a playable value in the sound test. Instead, this appears to be a bug related to jumping out of the water while only partially submerged.
• Part of the first Act 2 boss is overlapping the foreground.
• Knuckles stands on a bridge. The animated tiles also disappear for some reason.
• After a certain point in the cutscene, Sonic freezes, making it impossible to beat the stage.

Water Level

Just like the final version, the water level is disabled, but intact. To activate it, follow the same directions as in the final version of Sonic 3.
Unlike the final version, these color palettes are greenish. The final version points to a copy of Launch Base Zone Act 2's palette. It would appear that water was intended for a much earlier layout, as the water levels do not match with the layout very well.

Pallete	In-game
‎	‎

Layout Differences

To do: Actual detailed comparisons. LBZ2 Final map doesn't cover the same amount of level space as the 1103 map.

Launch Base Zone Act 1 Map

Proto
Final

Launch Base Zone Act 2 Map

Proto
Final

Sonic & Knuckles Zones

• With the exception of Flying Battery Zone (which technically is between Carnival Night Zone and Ice Cap Zone), all of the levels between Mushroom Valley Zone and The Doomsday Zone reuse Launch Base Zone's title cards. Additionally, any level after The Doomsday Zone shows no title card.
• Unless otherwise noted, all acts are assigned their intended music.

Mushroom Valley Zone

Act	November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

This zone has been mostly removed from the game at this point.

• The level is titled "Mushroom Valley" in the level select. This early name is still used in the final game, but it was renamed Mushroom Hill in Sonic & Knuckles.
• As soon as you spawn in, Sonic and Tails die.
• Early versions of the badniks exist, and can be placed in debug mode.
• An early version of the Hei Ho miniboss is implemented.
• A decompression error corrupts nearly all the graphics. A fix is provided below.
• Uses Azure Lake's graphics and color palettes. Leftover palette data unique to this prototype exists, which is documented below.
• An object layout is intact for both acts, but it doesn't fit the later Sonic 3C 0408 prototype Mushroom Hill Zone layouts.
• Some unique background scrolling code is still intact.

Decompression Fixes

• 04A8D0:46EE - MVZ ACT1 decompression fix (Part 1)
• 04A8D4:46EE - MVZ ACT1 decompression fix (Part 2)
• 04A8E8:46EE - MVZ ACT2 decompression fix (Part 1)
• 04A8EC:46EE - MVZ ACT2 decompression fix (Part 2)

Unused Color Palettes

Unused color palettes can be found at offsets 0x1F2F0E, 0x1F582A for Act 1 and 0x1F2F6E, 0x1F588A for Act 2. These color palettes are identical for both acts and completely different from any of the palettes used for the final game. Two colors are wrong here, the brightest white, causing rings and the HUD to look incorrect, and the darkest shade of the ground colors being white, possibly meaning the art of Mushroom Hill could have been different during development.

A re-imagining of how Mushroom Valley Zone may have looked. This screenshot is taken from the Sonic 3C 0408 prototype using this prototype's color palettes.

Layout Differences

To do: Actual comparisons. Fix MVZ 1103 maps.

Mushroom Valley Zone Act 1 Map

November 3rd (only object layout)
Error creating thumbnail: convert: ../../magick/quantum.c:216: DestroyQuantumInfo: Assertion `quantum_info != (QuantumInfo *) NULL' failed. /usr/bin/timeout: the monitored command dumped core /var/www/tcrf/includes/shell/limit.sh: line 101: 6014 Aborted /usr/bin/timeout $MW_WALL_CLOCK_LIMIT /bin/bash -c "$1" 3>&- Error code: 134
Sonic 3C 0408

Mushroom Valley Zone Act 2 Map

November 3rd (only object layout)
Error creating thumbnail: convert: ../../magick/quantum.c:216: DestroyQuantumInfo: Assertion `quantum_info != (QuantumInfo *) NULL' failed. /usr/bin/timeout: the monitored command dumped core /var/www/tcrf/includes/shell/limit.sh: line 101: 6019 Aborted /usr/bin/timeout $MW_WALL_CLOCK_LIMIT /bin/bash -c "$1" 3>&- Error code: 134
Sonic 3C 0408

Flying Battery Zone

Act	November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

Flying Battery Zone is in a very preliminary state, lacking animated tiles and many objects.

Proto	Level Select Icon

• The background is different, and matches the design seen in the zone's unused level icon. Oddly, the palette in the icon is a bit more blue. It additionally always uses the indoor background even in outdoor sections, and features "EGG" capsules not present in the final.
• The background isn't set to loop and as a result, the background becomes more broken as you progress.
• The Act 1 boss position matches that with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Alone and Sonic 3C 0408.
• Act 2's layout is even less complete.
• The Barrier Eggman boss isn't in the level. Its object does exist within the data, though. The boss arena also exists, although the boss itself locks the screen much higher for some reason, possibly leftover from an earlier layout.
• Act 2's boss position matches that with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Alone.
• Act transitions are once again not present.
• There are color palette cycles listed for both Acts, but they are empty. Perhaps the lights in the background could have been intended to animate.

Unused Chunks

To do: There is a lot of unused chunks left. Chunks that were altered in 0408 onward.

• 

  ID F3. Meant for the background, this chunk is intended to combine with FD, F9, and F4.

• 

  ID F4. Meant for the background, this chunk is intended to combine with FD, F9, and F3.

• 

  ID F9. Meant for the background, this chunk is intended to combine with FD, F4, and F3.

• 

  ID FD. Meant for the background, this chunk is intended to combine with F9, F4, and F3.

The unused background chunks, once combined, look like this.

Layout Differences

To do: Actual comparisons.

Flying Battery Zone Act 1

November 3rd
Sonic 3C 0408
Final (Sonic & Knuckles)

Flying Battery Zone Act 2

November 3rd
Sonic 3C 0408
Final (Sonic & Knuckles)

Flying Battery Zone Background

Proto	Final (Sonic & Knuckles)

Lava Reef Zone

Act	November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection
ACT1
ACT2

Proto	Proto (Restored)

Lava Reef is normally broken upon loading, but it's possible to make it playable by forcing the game to load leftover data from an earlier build, which just so happens to contain all of the necessary data for Act 1. The only data that is missing is collision. The prototype contains a set of 6 identical maps for Act 1 and 1 map for Act 2, which both have differences, there are 7 complete maps and 2 identical map fragments. Unfortunately, no graphical data for Act 2 is present in the ROM.

Act 1 seems to be the most intact of the Sonic & Knuckles Zones, having a full layout prepared for it, albeit completely lacking objects.

• The level's palette is completely different from the final.
• The pipes were completely redrawn and replaced in later builds.
• The upper-right path was shrunk down in the final game.

Full Maps

• 0x1EB85E LRZ2
• 0x1EC4CE LRZ1
• 0x1ED2F6 LRZ1
• 0x1EE11E LRZ1
• 0x1EEF46 LRZ1
• 0x1EFD6E LRZ1
• 0x1F0B96 LRZ1

Fragmented Maps

• 0x1EAF4A LRZ1
• 0x1F3EC4 LRZ1

Download Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Nov 3, 1993 prototype - LRZ1 restored) File: Sonic 3 (Nov 3, 1993 prototype - LRZ1 restored).bin (2 MB) (info)

Download Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Nov 3, 1993 prototype - LRZ2 restored) File: Sonic_3_(Sonic_3_Nov_3_1993_prototype_-_LRZ2restored).bin (2 MB) (info)

(Source: Drx)

Color Palettes

Act 1		Lava Reef Zone color palettes 0x1F58EA (Act 1) and 0x1F59AA (Act 2).
Act 2		A color palette for Lava Reef Act 2 is located at 0x1F594A or 0x1F302E. This color palette does not match well with any known version of Act 2. However, a few of the colors are recognizable to the final version, albeit arranged very differently.

Background

Act 1 Background

Proto
Final (Sonic & Knuckles)

(Background, Map Rips: evilhamwizard)

The lava channels, far-end cavern hollow background, and Death Egg were redrawn. The coloration is also more blue-green in the prototype.

• The HUD uses an incorrect palette here. The second palette line apparently has not been defined and is only using a single color in place of white.

Unused Chunks

Act 1:

• 

  ID 7E. Only a single chunk is not used in the level.

Act 2:
Although the map contains several unused chunks, these may have been intended for the boss area.
1D, 1E, 32, 82, 86, 99, A8, A9, AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, AF, B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, DA, DB, DC, DD, DE, DF, F0, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, FA, FB, FC, FD, FE, FF.

Layout Differences

Lava Reef Zone Act 1 Map

November 3rd
Sonic 3C 0408
Final (Sonic & Knuckles)

Lava Reef Zone Act 2 Map

November 3rd using S&K dataset and palette, with chunk IDs shifted / remapped
Sonic 3C 0408
Final (Sonic & Knuckles)

Unimplemented Zones

To do: Add the missing music rips, with the S&KC versions for consistency.

The remainder of the main Sonic & Knuckles zones all use placeholder data from Angel Island Zone, indicating that the levels proper weren't yet implemented into the game.

Act 1	Act 2

There are still some interesting things to look at in here, as level data isn't the only part of what makes a zone.
Note that all of these levels still use the placeholder entries in the final version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sandopolis Zone

• The Act 1 boss is coded into the game, and can be spawned through hacking. Behavior is a little different from the final and it cannot be defeated.
• The music is only slightly different from the final.

Sky Sanctuary Zone

November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection

• While the title card reuses Launch Base Zone's, the act number is missing. This is because the hardcoded zone check in the title card code is already implemented.
• The music instrumentation here is quite different.
• Act 2 oddly uses Death Egg Zone Act 1's music. This is likely the result of the Death Egg's track being right after Sky Sanctuary's.

Death Egg Zone

• The music is almost identical to the final.
• Both acts use Death Egg Zone Act 2's music.

The Doomsday Zone

November 3	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection

• Much like Sky Sanctuary, the act number is missing.
• The music here has different instrumentation on a few parts.

Zone ID $0D

To do: Any other differences?

• In the final version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Act 1 of the zone was used as a dummy slot for loading in the stage data instead of the intro cutscene data when skipping the intro cutscene in Angel Island Zone act 1. This special case isn't yet implemented, so both acts of the zone are still using the default placeholders.
• Unlike the final game, this zone lacks a title card.
• Uses the Special Stage music, much like the final game.

Zone ID $16

• Act 1 was later used for Lava Reef Act 3 or Lava Reef's boss.
• Act 2 was later used for Hidden Palace Zone.
• Both acts play the Special Stage music, like the final game.

Zone ID $17

• Act 1 was later used for Death Egg Zone's boss.
• Act 2 was used for the alternate Hidden Palace Zone that is accessed through a big ring in Sonic & Knuckles.
• Both acts use the special stage music, like the final game.

2-Player Stages

Azure Lake

• There is a spring that was removed from the final.

Balloon Park

Proto	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection

• The arrangement of the music is very unrefined and light on bass.

Chrome Gadget

Proto	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection

• The background scrolls differently.
• The music is arranged differently.

Desert Palace

Proto	Final	Sonic & Knuckles Collection

• One of the background palette's colors is incorrectly set to black instead of brown.
• The music is arranged differently with a quieter lead instrument.

Endless Mine

• The large breakable gold nuggets aren't present.
• The music is almost exactly the same as in the final.

Bonus Stages

• The HUD has SCORE and TIME listed, as the smaller HUD isn't yet implemented.
• None of these levels have title cards. This is due to zone IDs past The Doomsday, which the bonus stages are, hiding the title card. The "Bonus Stage" title card isn't implemented yet either.

Gumball Machine

Incredibly barebones at this point, but a start has been made.

• Plays the Special Stage theme.
• The map only features a layout - there's no collision detection for the walls, the gumball machine itself doesn't do anything, and most importantly, there aren't any bumpers, meaning you unceremoniously fall... to your death, as the code to end the bonus game isn't present. The tiles for the spring net are present and are even a different color, but alas, there's no springs atop them, nor does said net have any collision itself.
• There's some different graphics, namely in the tileset for the walls - the final has more shading details. The background is filled with placeholder tiles instead of the finalized checkerboard, and the layer in front of it is quite different in design. The gumball machine itself is more or less finalized, however. The floor structure is the same in both versions, in the final version only the palette will be changed.

To do: Add the final map for comparison

Proto	Final

Full Map

To do: Add the final map for comparison

Proto	Final

Glowing Spheres

• Plays the Slot Machine theme.
• Even less complete than the Sonic 3C 0408 version, if you can believe it.
• The stage's background does not exist in the ROM, and instead uses placeholder number tiles. These numbered tiles are intended to be animated by a reloading routine that doesn't seem to be present.

Slot Machine

• Plays the Gumball Machine theme.

Proto	Final

• The slot machine looks different:
  • The simple hole that operates the machine was replaced with an elaborate glass cage.
  • A bunch of shadowing was added. The top arm's shapes were shifted down for the newly added shadow.
  • The squares and triangles had their colors changed to a cycling yellow palette.
  • The indigo color used by the slot machine was updated to a proper blue.
• The prototype's second palette is missing the colors needed for Rings, which is obviously a problem.

Proto
Final

• The colors in the object palettes had to be shuffled around to accommodate both the Rings and the updated slot machine, resulting in the slots themselves losing some of their details.
• A layout is present, but collision has not been implemented.

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Unused Chunks

Some unused chunks exist, most of which are blank, but some appear to be laid out to test the background animations. Blank chunks include C-F, 2A-2F, and 34-4E.

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Special Stages

Merely tech demos at this point in development, using different sprites entirely for the spheres. No proper gameplay has been implemented, though the proper Special Stage music is used.

Holding A and pressing Start will return you to the title screen.

Special Stage 1

A pre-rendered gray sphere with red spheres rotating around it. This set of spheres remains in the final game in Angel Island Zone Act 1, unused.

Button	Controller 1	Controller 2
Start	Toggles between automatic and manual rotation.	Toggles between automatic and manual rotation.
A/C	Rotates left or right.	Zooms the spheres in or out. A zooms out, C zooms in.
B	Resets the spheres to their point of origin.	If automatic movement is enabled, stops the spheres from rotating along one of the axes if held down.
Up/Down	Adjusts how fast the spheres rotate on one of the axes.	Moves the matrix up and down.
Left/Right	Rotates the spheres along the Y-axis	Moves the matrix up and down.

Special Stage 2

A flat square of spheres bouncing up and down while rotating. A secondary animation causes them to contract and expand. Parts of this animation overload the VDP's sprite bandwidth, causing some of the sprite pixels to disappear (as can be seen in the expanding animation below).

Button	Controller 1	Controller 2
Start	Toggles between automatic and manual rotation.	Toggles between automatic and manual rotation.
A/C	Speeds up or slows down the rotation when automatic, or rotates the spheres left or right along the X-axis when manual.	Zooms the spheres in or out. A zooms out, C zooms in.
B	Toggles between the primary and secondary animations.	If automatic movement is enabled, stops the spheres from rotating if held down.
Up/Down	Rotates the viewing angle in the given direction.	Moves the matrix up and down.
Left/Right	Rotates the viewing angle in the given direction.	Moves the matrix up and down.

Bouncing	Expanding and Contracting