The PC version of Sonic R was notably improved over the Sega Saturn original by including the option to play with four players instead of two, along with various weather effects. This version of the game would later be ported as a part of Sonic Gems Collection.
The Player X In graphic went unused, as the Joystick/Keyboard X graphic were used instead.The graphic for the network mode went unused due Network Mode being removed. Curiously, the final build of the network patch went for a text-based interface.These relatively non-descriptive letters for the menu models were replaced with actual icons.Some unused animated icons for the different time attack modes.There's a placeholder "SAVE" menu option for the results screen along with its background.The main menu graphics contain an icon for the unused Network mode, cobbled together from the default Windows 95 graphics. It ended up being used in the network patch.
The Localise folder contains various graphics for the main menu, some of which were either placeholders or meant for the scrapped Network Mode.
Sonic R was advertised to have network play from the get go, however for unknown reasons this feature was cut from the final game and was only added in a post-release patch released around June 2002. However, there's an early version of this feature still found in the retail build, accessible with a memory editor. Only TCP/IP actually works, since IPX just dings at you. Not to mention, you cannot enter an IP address or have a name other than Player. Despite this, the mode is still functional. You can select a course and a character and play against a friend, so long as they happen to be on the same computer as you.
There are debug strings that do not appear to be used, or at least are never referred to directly by any active code. A weird amount of these refer to features or files that no longer exist, likely to a early version of the game.
Active debris @
Active homing rings @
Active bombs @
EM Sonic visible? @
YES@
EM_Sonic.raduis #w%i@
Objects drawn #w%i#g/#w%i@
F6-trackvisnum #w%i@
F7-STARTSPLINEPOINTCOUNT #w%i@
F8-STARTBOXPOINTCOUNT
F9-positionnum #w%i@
F10-PODIUMPOINTCOUNT #w%i@
F11-camposnum #w%i@
F12-WARPSPLINECOUNT #w%i@
000x000x00 (MONO) 0000
000.00 fps 00000000.00 tps 0000.00 mppps
balloon.dat
emerald.dat
Found only on the German "Green Pepper" release in the readme.txt file is a changelog detailing some of the changes in the 2004 release, as well as instructions meant for whoever is in charge of placing the files on the disc. Interestingly, part of the instructions mentions to not include this file.
SonicR - PC Build 24/08/04
==========================
New Additions
=============
Remembered to include the autorun.inf this time!
Changes to installer, the user can now choose a custom install option which allows them to pick the
install location and optionally install DirectX9
Building a CD
=============
To make the complete disc, use the contents of this zip file (excluding this readme - obviously!).
In addition, you will need to add the music directory you already have. So the top level directory on
your final CD should should look like;
MUSIC
Setup.exe
sonicr.ico
autorun.inf
SonicR - PC Build 23/08/04
==========================
New Additions
=============
The environmental SFX in the game are now positioned in 3D (as they were on the Saturn version)
Fixed several oddities in the SFX/Music test options
Fixed links in English HTML help files
Added Help shortcut to installer
Building a CD
=============
To make the complete disc, use the contents of this zip file (excluding this readme - obviously!).
In addition, you will need to add the music directory you already have. So the top level directory on
your final CD should should look like;
MUSIC
Setup.exe
sonicr.ico
autorun.inf
If you force windowed mode using D3DWND or another DirectX windowing program and choose Direct3D, the caption will read SonicR by Traveler's Tales, but if you choose DirectDraw it will read BackBuffer.
The levels have have prefab objects placed out of bounds, presumably for the level designers to copy and paste as needed. This also includes the balloons from the Saturn version. The prefabs placed out-of-bounds are still visible in-game, but the in-bound balloons are removed by the game's code before the level starts. (The PC version instead uses a lookup table of coordinates for positioning balloons.1)
Strangely, the GameCube and PC versions seem to differ in where these out-of-bounds balloons are located.
If you somehow get five Sonic tokens on Radiant Emerald by using cheats, you will be challenged to race against Tails. This is because the game never sets the opponent for Radiant Emerald, so it just reuses whoever the second player was during the Grand Prix race.
The texture on EggRobo's gun got botched in the conversion between the Saturn and the PC. The texture of the part next to the trigger was replaced with the top of Tails' eye. This would be carried over to Sonic Gems Collection.
In English, at the start of a game, the words "Ready", "Set", and "Go" are displayed. For unknown reasons, in French, German, Spanish, and Italian, these words are not translated and the process is instead represented by "traffic lights".
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