Quoted from SkyKing2301:Great job on this, as I know this was a ton of work to implement, and it's another good example of your excellent efforts to bring in the themes from the game. Constructive criticism ahead though ... which I'm sure isn't what you'd want to hear after putting all the effort into this part. But thinking about it did spawn another idea. Read on...
Personally, I always found the slot machines to be the absolute most boring part of the Sonic games -- it just takes too darn long. I don't want to stop and wait around for slots to spin and rings awarded. Any time I'm playing through S3 or S&K, whenever the slot machine bonus level appears at the lampposts, I skip it every time. I'd much rather play the Gumball Machine or the Spheres -- and I do stop to play those. They're short, and they're more fun because at least you have control. I imagine this will be a problem here in the pinball too -- having to hit the shots will be fun, but sitting around waiting for the slots and rings will get boring.
Come to think of it, the Gumball Machine would actually serve as great bonus game / Video Mode, since you can have control (only need to move left and right via flipper buttons). Plus it's a much shorter mode and wouldn't bog the game down.
So here is my take on this: I agree with you.
When playing Sonic and Knuckles I always skipped the slot machine bonus because it was tedious. the slot itself had crap rewards and it was a pain to enter. I really just prayed I got the sphere level because the rewards were just incredible. I could easily get 300+ rings every time in less than a minute of sphere. It was just better. This was bad game design though. unbalanced incentive. All or most of the players options should be viable, and each should be better in different ways. If you make 2 levels, and one is just always better rewards wise, the other becomes a disappointment instantly
In spite of this, every-time I'm going through casino night zone I cant resist hopping in the slots once or twice. The aesthetic is delightful and iconic. The things that made slot bonus bad aren't a problem here. Entering the slot is playing pinball and therefore not a chore, and as it sits its a very high scoring mode, so the incentive to play is there. The DLC pinball machine in Sonic generation's main goal is to spin the slots over and over and it doesn't get boring. Also, Since this mode is inspired by casino run in Jackbot, I can tell you from experience that a 2-3 second reel spin doesn't get boring either. I am planning on adding a flipper cancel to the ring count up (not the reel animations though. That would be a damn nightmare to code) I can even make it faster by default now that i figured out how to make the sound effects not sound terrible on such a short timer. Also as its a mini wizard mode, you wont be getting to it every game. it being rare helps keeps it fun instead of tedious.
And now for a rant! Gumball is the actual worst bonus level in all of sonic. The rewards are terrible, and the aesthetic is forgettable at best and non-existent at worst. Seriously just put me in a room with a bunch of shields and tell me to pick one and leave. maybe throw 10 rings at me. it achieves the same effect without the overused side bounce sound effect. Gravity in sonic is too strong to make the design work. Ive always hated the gumball bonus.
The third and final mini wizard mode will be blue sphere. I already have an idea of how it will be implemented. Gonna need to playtest it to see if its fun though.
Newtown, PA
)
