Sonic X Shadow Generations

Sonic Generations Cut ContentAlmost everything with some additions to it. Changes from Sonic GenerationsA whole generation worth of changes, featuring Ian Flynn from the Sonic IDW comic series!

Sonic Frontiers Leftovers#

Shadow Generations was built atop the Sonic Frontiers codebase, so there's naturally more than a couple leftovers.

Abilities#

Some of Sonic's abilities from that game still exist in Shadow's code but cannot be performed under normal circumstances.

• Drop Dash: Still functional, but it is set to always fail on the first condition. Forcing it to succeed allows Shadow to perform it, though it's missing sound effects. It's also pretty slow; its speed must be doubled to function like it does in Frontiers.
• Light Speed Dash: Present, and works the same as how it is in Frontiers.
• Spin Dash: The early, unused variant, separate from the unlockable, boost-based one added in the second update. As in Frontiers, this variant causes Shadow to roll for two seconds before stopping.
• DriftDash: Another roll move that is also unused from Frontiers. It behaves similarly to the Drop Dash.
• Stomp Bounce: The third Stomp Bounce (the one that sends shockwaves) is missing its sound effects but has new particle effects.

• Wall Climbing: Wall climbing has also been left over in the game, although it has some unused animations and strange physics. The unique animations imply that it may have been worked on and used at some point.

• Drift: This drift used in the Cyber Stage 3-5 is still functional, but with broken animations. The physics were also tweaked, with the main difference being tighter turning.

• Bump Jump: The state used when boosting off platforms in Frontiers is functional, with broken animations.
• Cloud Jump: The state used on the bouncing cloud platforms in Cyberspace is also fully functional, with broken animations.
• DriftAir.

There are also some moves not listed with parameters left over from Sonic Frontiers in the playercommon.rfl file. These include:

• airtrick
• parry
• avoid

• Cyloop: While this ability isn't programmed in the game itself, textures and effects for it are still left over in Sonic's .pac file. In addition, the effects for Sonic's combat moves are also left over.

Objects#

These are the climbable platforms mainly used in Sonic Frontiers. While unused in this game, they can be fully interacted with.

SideReel#

These are the sideways Up-reels that were mainly used in the 4-3 Cyberspace Stage. These are also fully usable.

SwingReel#

The swinging variant of the Up-reels that were used in Cyber Space 1-5, and 3-1. All functionality for these are fully intact.

Hangglider#

This is the Hang glider that is used in the Cyber Space stages 2-6 and 4-1 in Sonic Frontiers. Interestingly, it uses the same sound effects as the rocket in the Radical Highway stages, and is fully usable.

DriftEndVolume#

This is a volume that was used to disable the Drift ability in Cyberspace. Since the drift dash panels are not present in this game, these go entirely unused.

GoalTrigger#

This is an object that triggers the stage to end when touched. This was used sparingly in Cyberspace Stages, and is left over in this game. It is usable, although obsolete due to the game largely using Goal Rings in their place.

Scene Data Parameters#

Atmosphere#

The dynamic sky atmospheres used throughout Sonic Frontiers are still present in this game, but go unused in favor of cubemap-based skyboxes. Full functionality remains for these, however. Many of these atmospheres were also baked to the cube-map skyboxes.

Density#

The density parameters that were used for foliage in Sonic Frontiers are still present. However, they don't seem to do anything in this game.

Tone mapping methods#

Various methods for stage tone mapping from prior games still exist here, and as with Sonic Frontiers, go entirely unused in favor for the "GT" method. Functionality for these are fully intact.

These include:

• "TONEMAP_DISNEY", which had been used throughout Sonic Forces.
• "TONEMAP_FILMIC", which was used in Sonic Origins' 3D menus.
• "TONEMAP_ACES", which doesn't seem to have been used in any prior Hedgehog Engine 2 game.

Heightmap parameters#

All parameters for the heightmaps used on the islands in Sonic Frontiers are still present, though it doesn't seem to function.

StageData parameters#

Various parameters mentioned in the stagedata.lua file are left over from Sonic Frontiers.

• sideview: Functional, and is used in Frontiers to automatically make Sonic move on a Sideview/2D path. Interestingly, this parameter doesn't swap to the sideview physics, unlike in Sonic Frontiers.
• timelimit: This is a leftover parameter that set the time limit used for the bomb gimmick in 4-E. It does not function.
• noisetime: A non-functional parameter that set the amount of time for the cyber noise to appear when you enter a Cyber stage.
• mission: A non-functional parameter that set the missions for Cyber Space stages.
• ring_mission: A non-functional parameter that set the amount of rings needed to complete the ring collection mission in Cyberspace.
• rank: A non-functional parameter that sets the rank times for Cyber Space stages. This is unused in favor of rankings that are set in the "ranking.rfl" file.
• cyber_name: A parameter that would set the name of a Cyber Space stage. This is unused since the stage names are set in the localization text files.

Leftover Stage Attributes#

• lava: A leftover attribute from Sonic Frontiers that would activate terrain with the LAVA tag. It was mainly used on Chaos Island. While Chaos Island does appear as a stage in Shadow Generations and features lava as a hazard, this isn't used, as lava functions differently.
• navmesh: An attribute from Frontiers that would activate navmesh files.
• boarding: An attribute that allowed Cyber Space stages to use the skateboard.
• diving: A non-functioning stage attribute. It also does not function in Frontiers.
• sidestep: A non-functioning stage attribute. It also does not do anything in Frontiers.
• athletic: A non-functioning stage attribute. It also goes fully unused in Frontiers.
• drift: A non-functioning stage attribute. It also does not function and is unused in Frontiers.

Unused Text#

Unused Tutorial Text#

QandA_TEXT_15#

Black wings that allow Shadow to glide and travel far.
With 100 Rings, press both simultaneously.
Rings will be consumed while gliding.

Unused tutorial text for Doom Wings. This description states that you needed 100 rings (double the amount compared to the final version) to activate the ability. In addition, rings would've been consumed only while gliding, not for the whole time the ability is active, as in the final version. This text was also found in the QandA.cnvrs-text file.

Unused Demo Text#

TUTORIAL_EXP_WINDOW_TEXT_DSURF_2_3rd#

Shadow can now move freely on water.
Some areas are inaccessible because they are under development.
Find and fight the boss "Metal Overlord".

A tutorial message that is presumably made for a demo. Found in the Tutorial.cnvrs-text file.

SHOWROM_TIMELIMIT_01#

Thank you for playing

SHOWROM_TIMELIMIT_02#

Pre-Order Now

SHOWROM_TIMELIMIT_03#

Available Now

SHOWROM_DEMO#

DEMO

Text used for a demo version of the game. These were found in the ShowROM.cnvrs-text file.

INGAME_ARCACT2_TITLE_3rdROM#

Space Colony Arc Act 2

A misspelled version of the "Space Colony Ark" stage was used in a demo version of the game.

INGAME_ARCACT2_TEXT_3rdROM#

 This Act is still in development.
 In Act 2, Shadow will get a glimpse of a mysterious new power.
 Complete this stage to move on to the next.

Text for a demo version of the game teasing Space Colony Ark Act 2. These texts were found in the InGame.cnvrs-text file.

Testing Text#

There are a lot of text used to test out things in the game.

RichPresence_TEST#

Exploring Chronos Island

A test of Shadow Generations's rich presence system for Steam. Found in the RichPresence.cnvrs-text file.

CAPTION_TEST1#

 CAPTION_TEST1

CAPTION_TEST2#

 CAPTION_TEST2

CAPTION_TEST3#

 CAPTION_TEST3

CAPTION_TEST4#

 CAPTION_TEST4

CAPTION_TEST5#

 CAPTION_TEST5

CAPTION_TEST6#

 CAPTION_TEST6

CAPTION_TEST7#

 CAPTION_TEST7

These are all self-explanatory. It is text used to test out the caption system. Found in the Caption.cnvrs-text file.

Unused Dialogue#

There are a few instances of unused dialogue in the files, although most of it is only slightly different from the final version.

Early Modern Sonic Knuckles Rescue Response#

Sonic : Ha! Get in line, Knuckle-head.

The subtitles for Classic Sonic rescuing Knuckles has a leftover early version of Modern Sonic's line from his version of the Knuckles rescue cutscene, in which he doesn't say "Alright!"

CAPTION_METALOVERLORD_PHASE1_1#

 You're no match for me.
 I've become the true Sonic! The ultimate lifeform!

CAPTION_METALOVERLORD_PHASE1_2#

 At my speed, rubble might fly your way.
 Try not to get hit.

These two Metal Overlord lines were found in the Caption.cnvrs-text file. The first line is a slightly earlier version of the line he says in the beginning. However, the second one is unused.

Unused Behaviours#

Unused Jump Dash#

Shadow has a Jump Dash state that is unused in the final game. This seems to suggest that Shadow would have more parity with Sonic's move set. Something of note is that the Jump Dash sends you much farther in White Space compared to the main stages.

Unused Enemies#

testenemy#

Self explanatory. It is a simple test enemy with no assets to go along with it, besides an .aism file.

Unused Audio#

Unused Boss Dialogue#

vo_miller_boss_en.acb contains a few unused lines intended to be played after the player defeats a boss. These seem to have been intended for defeating Metal Overlord specifically, as they reference dialogue from that fight ("I am now the true Sonic! The true Ultimate Life Form!").

Unused Objects#

SpringBoard#

An unused spring that is fully usable, but doesn't make any noise. Interestingly, it shares the same name as an object from Sonic Frontiers, and is listed in the Cyber object category. You also cannot lock onto it.

DSurfSpinTest#

An object used to presumably test out the Doom Surf's spinning physics. Currently, it doesn't really do much when interacted with.

BossModelPreview#

An object used to preview the models of all the bosses in the game. Interestingly, it plays the boss' idle animations.

CharacterModelPreview#

An object used to preview the models of all the characters in the game. When placed, they are completely static.

Unused Stages#

Early Space Colony Ark Act 1#

An earlier version of Act 1 for Space Colony Ark was left in the game's files. This version is known as "w01a10" (the final version is known as "w01a11"). Though this was repurposed for the Sonic vs Shadow cutscene, there are still many minor differences from the final version.

• The rails in the beginning are different.
• There are a few terrain differences. These usually consist of extended terrain, missing terrain, and different routes.
• The Doom Zone section is slightly different, with an extended sliding section near the end. Half of this sliding section would be removed, and later re-used in Radical Highway Act 1.

Development Stages#

There are a lot of development stages listed in the game's master.levels file. They are listed as being in the "stage/develop" directory, which is unavailable in the public release of the game.

Shadow Generations' Internal Name#

According to the .acb and .awb banks for Shadow Generations' original music, Shadow Generations is internally referred to as miller. This name is also present in the metadata of the Sonic X Shadow Generations reveal trailer. It appears to follow a trend of remasters and side projects using codenames pulled from beer breweries, with Sonic Origins using Hite and Sonic Superstars using Orion. However, it was erroneously speculated to be a reference to Tim Miller, the executive producer of Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog film series, and producer for Shadow the Hedgehog's CGI cutscenes.

Version Differences#

Regional Differences#

To do: More regional differences to cover. Document the differences (if any exist) between the NA/EU and JA/Asia releases of Dark Beginnings

Game Select#

Japan	International

The console and PC versions of Sonic Generations was subtitled White Space-Time in Japan to distinguish it from the 3DS version, which was subtitled Blue Adventure. This is reflected as such in the game's logo shown in the Game Select menu in the Japanese version.

Platform Differences#

To do: Find out if the transfer save data prompt appears when booting up the PS5/Series X/S versions if save data from the PS4/Xbox One versions are detected.

General#

• Like with the other Sonic games released since 2017, the PC version utilizes the Denuvo DRM.
• All versions of the game use the US/EU box art as the icon for the consoles' home menu. The Switch 2 version instead uses the Japanese box art for it's home menu icon.
• When the Switch 2 version is started for the first time, a prompt asking the player if they want to transfer over save data from the Switch version will appear if such is detected.

Shadow Generations#

• The game is locked to 30 FPS on PS4, Xbox One and Switch, and can run up to 60fps on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2. The PC version allows up to 120fps.
• The PS5, Series X/S and Switch 2 versions have options for Quality and Performance modes, which are 2160p30 and 1440p60 respectively on PS5/Series X and S, and 1080p30 and 720p60 respectively on Switch 2. The PC version has additional graphic settings for bloom, volumetric lighting, screen-space reflections and ambient occlusion.
  • The PC version also renders at a fixed resolution dependent on the selected resolution. The console versions use dynamic resolution scaling.
  • The game targets 1800p on Xbox One X, 1080p on PS4/PS4 Pro, 900p on Xbox One, and 720p on Switch in both docked/handheld modes.
• As with Sonic Forces and Sonic Frontiers, the Switch version utilizes lower-polygon meshes, reduced texture quality and simpler post-processing to help keep the frame rate consistent.
  • In handheld mode, some post-processing effects are disabled, such as screen-space ambient occlusion and reflections. This is most noticeable in the White Space hub.
  • The Chaos Island-themed dash panels have their emission map darker than the other versions, resulting in their glow not being noticeable.
  • The chromatic aberration effect used in the Doom zones is disabled completely on Switch.
• The PS4 and PS5 versions have a free DLC add-on that has the animated prequel "Dark Beginnings", which also comes with a special animatic version of the prequel.
• FMVs are in 720p on Switch. They are in 1080p in all other versions, with additional 4K versions being included in the PS5, Series X|S and PC versions.
• When the menu for selecting an act appears in White Space, the Switch version changes the background from what's being rendered in-game to pure white. This does not occur in the other versions.
• Analog stick movement appears to be more sensitive in the Switch and Switch 2 versions.
• A typo where the Luminous Forest music track was spelled as "Luminus Forest" was corrected in the Switch 2 version.

Sonic Generations#

• The game outputs at 4K on PS5 and Xbox Series X, 1440p on Series S, and 1080p on PS4/Xbox One/Switch 2 (including the PS4 Pro/One X models). The Switch version outputs at 1080p when docked, and 720p in portable mode.
• The game runs at 60 FPS on all systems except for Switch, which, for some reason, is locked to 31.5 FPS using a busy loop. As a result, frame-rate meters measuring the game tend to fluctuate between 31 FPS and 32 FPS.
  • A similar case occurs in the PC version if the frame-rate is set to 60 FPS on a monitor with a higher refresh rate than 60Hz.
• On Switch, while asset quality is the same as all of the other versions, anti-aliasing appears to be disabled, and shadows are set to a lower quality.
• FMVs are at 1080p on Switch and Switch 2, and 4K in all other versions regardless of resolution.

Revision Differences#

December 12, 2024 Update (1.10.0.0)#

Released on all platforms.

• Adds support for the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie DLC pack.

January 13, 2025 Hotfix#

Released on PC only.

• Moves some dash panels in Space Colony ARK Act 2 to prevent a soft-lock that can occur in the stage.

January 21, 2025 Update (1.10.0.1)#

Appears to have been released on PC only.4

• Fixed an issue in Sonic Generations where keyboard inputs didn't work when the PC language was set to English (United Kingdom).
• General bug fixes.

References#