Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast)/Action Stages
This is a sub-page of Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast).
Contents
Unused Acts
There are a number of empty, unused Acts in the game. Most of these unused acts have files for them such as objects or textures, but the Acts are never used.
- Hedgehog Hammer has a single unused Act after the one used in-game. The only file for it is its object file (SET0001S.BIN), which contains a single ring at (0,0,0).
- Hot Shelter has two unused Acts after the three used in-game. These unused acts have no geometry or starting coordinates, but they use the music from Acts 2/3. Act 4 has a single ring present at (0,0,0) but Act 5 has no objects at all.
Japanese Mission A Cards
The objective cards for timed missions include the exact time that the stage needs to be finished within. These are a group of alternate cards that don't have the exact required time on them, possibly placeholders from a period before the requirements were finalized. These cards only exist in Japanese, but interestingly they don't exist in the original Japanese version of the game at all.
The text for the balloon/capsule cards translate to "destroy the capsule/get the balloon within _ minutes", while Gamma's cards translate to "destroy the target/capture the frog with no less than _ seconds remaining".
Start Coordinates
There are many stages in the game that include starting coordinates for characters that don't normally go to that specific stage or act. They're mainly positions used by other characters, but sometimes they're entirely different due to the coordinates being set in an earlier version of the game.
| Stage | Character | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Coast Act 3 | Sonic | 5815,5,1136 | Same as Big. |
| Windy Valley Act 2 | Gamma | 694,-113,-205 | Sonic's starting coordinates from the original version of the stage. |
| Windy Valley Act 3 | Gamma | 0,700,0 | Sonic's starting coordinates from the original version of the stage. |
| Casinopolis | Sonic (All Acts) Tails (Act 2) |
0,0,0 19,-1695,2850 |
This stage has hardcoded coordinates when it loads an act (Every character uses them). The used ones are: 75,-201,270 |
| Red Mountain Act 2 | Tails | -397,1039,3141 | Near the capsule. Leaves the stage immediately due to how the game exits the stage after his cutscene here. |
| Sky Deck Act 1 | Knuckles | 0,-410,360 | On the first platform immediately after the cannon at the beginning. However, a bug prevents him from spawning normally in this stage outside act 3. |
| Sky Deck Act 2 | Knuckles/Tails | 327,-74,2535 | Same as Sonic. |
| Sky Deck Act 3 | Tails | -1237,15,97 | An entirely different spot to Sonic and Knuckles on the edge of the stage. |
| Lost World Act 1 | Knuckles | -264,-23,-168 | On the ground directly below where Sonic starts. |
| Lost World Act 3 | Knuckles | 0, 0, 0 | (Exists in his spawn array) |
| Final Egg Act 1 | Gamma | 187,-75,957 | Used for Sonic in earlier versions/the AutoDemo. |
| Final Egg Act 2 | Amy/Gamma | 1060,588,-384 | Same as Sonic but facing right. |
| Final Egg Act 3 | Amy | 1078,15,-830 | Used for Sonic in earlier versions/the AutoDemo. |
| Final Egg Act 4 | Sonic/Amy/Gamma | 2811,-405,-1001 | Black void, originally contained the Egg Viper cutscene area. |
| Final Egg Act 5 | Sonic/Amy/Gamma | 2383,-3125,-509 | Black void |
| Final Egg Act 6 | Sonic/Amy/Gamma | -335,10,0 | Black void |
| Hot Shelter Act 2 | Big/Gamma | 215,278,-398 | Inside a pipe near the beginning. |
| Hot Shelter Act 3 | Amy/Big | 19,252,75 | At the cross-shaped area in the beginning area. |
| Sand Hill Act 2 | Sonic/Tails | (A copy of the other's Act 1 spawn) | Black void |
| Station Square (Unused Stage IDs 27/28 | Everyone | (Identical to used version) | (Leftover from an earlier version of Station Square.) |
| Mystic Ruins Act 2 | Amy | 0,0,0 | (Exists in her spawn array) |
| Mystic Ruins Act 4 | Tails/Knuckles/Big | 2.11,108.68,172.29 | Usual spawn point, exists in their spawn array. |
Twinkle Circuit Tracks
While only one course is available normally, there are actually 6 courses for Twinkle Circuit in the game. One of these can be played via a VMU download (Samba GP), but the remaining 4 tracks go unused. Interestingly, the course used for Samba GP is actually the third course rather than the second. A "Mercury GP" banner can be found hidden on the game's website, but no downloads for it are known to exist.
Casinopolis Sound Files
In the Japanese version of the game, files containing sound effects and voices (.MLT) for Amy, Big and Gamma in Casinopolis can be found:
- CASINO_AMY
- CASINO_AMY_VOICE
- CASINO_BIG
- CASINO_BIG_VOICE
- CASINO_E102
- CASINO_E102_VOICE
Despite never going to Casinopolis, these extra files allow Amy, Big and Gamma to use their correct sounds for actions such as jumping or attacking. In other versions these files were removed, so the three use Sonic and Tails' sounds and voices instead. None of these files contain idle lines, as those weren't added until later versions.
Alternate NiGHTS Icons
The cards in the NiGHTS Pinball area of Casinopolis have a set of alternate designs that never get used. While some cards (NiGHTS and the Nightopian) look similar to the used ones, these versions have stars in the background that aren't present on the regular cards.
Sky Chase Cannon Failure
When the player gets to the end of Sky Chase 2, they must defeat the Egg Carrier's cannon to complete the stage. However, if the player waits for roughly a minute and a half the cannon will suddenly start to take damage and drain its own health bar, eventually defeating itself without the player needing to do anything.
It's not known why this happens.
Unused Cameras in Twinkle Park
Under Twinkle Park Act 2‘s kill plane are a couple of unused cameras. It is unknown if these are leftovers from another stage or if this implies that this part of the stage was meant to be slightly bigger.
Hidden Areas & Geometry
Extra Tubes in Casinopolis
Inside the Twin Seeds tower in the center of the NiGHTS pinball map are two tubes just like the ones Sonic goes through after falling from the Reala board. However, the flight path around this area never goes inside the tower. This is a leftover from the earlier "spiral" version of the stage (seen on the right), when the flight path did go through the tower.
Blocked Passage in Casinopolis
Right at the start of "Dilapidated Way" (e.g., the sewers), there's a passage up to the right. Although it's clearly visible, it cannot be accessed due to an invisible wall. It goes on for some time, twisting and turning, but abruptly hits a dead end.
The items you find in the path are different for Sonic and Tails:
- As Sonic, the path is empty except for two item boxes at the top of the path containing an Extra Life and Speed Shoes.
- As Tails, the path contains a Lightning Shield box and many trails of rings throughout the path.
From the objects present in the path it was likely intended to have been used as a starting point for Tails.
The entrance to the unused path, seen at the start of Dilapidated Way.
The top of the path when playing as Sonic.
Icecap Geometry
Leftover geometry from other Acts exist in Icecap that can't be seen normally.
The top of the mountain from Act 3 in Act 1. Sonic never gets close enough for it to appear.
Part of Big's path in the small pool in Act 2. A layer of ice prevents Sonic from going here normally.
Final Egg Leftovers
Final Egg has some interesting leftovers from earlier stages of development.
There are a lot of inaccessible areas around the stage that are either permanently blocked off or impossible to reach:
An inaccessible area behind the start of the stage that was originally going to be used for the starting point.
A piece of geometry out-of-bounds in Act 2 at (0,0,0). It's impossible to see due to the background and the fog.
Above the first Beat room in Act 3 are two small holes that lead to this area. It's nearly impossible to access and completely empty though.
A blocked off area at the end of the stage. It was originally intended for Act 4's transition point and even has the cameras for doing so nearby.
This stage has an unused 4th Act complete with its own starting coordinates, objects and textures. However, it has no geometry and the object placement (SET1003S.BIN) is a copy of one of the early test stages (SET0000S.BIN), with the only difference being in object IDs.
The Act itself is a leftover from an earlier version of the stage where the map seen in the cutscene before fighting the Egg Viper was part of Final Egg rather than the Egg Viper's map. The second inaccessible area was originally part of the Act transition to this area - in fact, the camera for doing so is still used if the player walks up to the blocked entrance in the final game.
Blocked paths in Sand Hill
There are two forked sections in the rightmost path of Sand Hill that have one path blocked off by large objects. This is due to reusing the same geometry for both forks.
The first fork near Sonic's starting point.
The second fork just after the first open area.
