Sonic the HedgeHog (Genesis) question

[Coptur]

So, I'm playing Sonic the Hedgehog 1 on Genesis and I have a question. The Genesis controller has three buttons. But they all seem to do the same thing. No matter which one I press, it just jumps. Is it supposed to be like that?

[Edmond Dantes]

Yes, that's 100% normal.

[Emperor Megas]

As mentioned, yes. they're all just jump buttons.

[Coptur]

Ah. Why are there three buttons that do the same thing? That's pretty bad design.

[Nionel]

Well, back then the series only needed one button, I suppose that Sega decided it was better to make them all jump than it was to have one button jump and the other two do nothing.

[Sunnyvale]

Ah. Why are there three buttons that do the same thing? That's pretty bad design.

Cause the game didn't need any other buttons, but the system did. Hell, I still gripe about MK on the Genesis for missing a few buttons. And I never even gave SFII a chance for that reason. But Sonic already builds up speed, so no run button required.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Not bad design. There are a lot of games that have all the buttons do the same thing. It allows you to use the button that you feel most comfortable with.

[Edmond Dantes]

And I never even gave SFII a chance for that reason.

With SFII you're actually supposed to buy a new controller...

And yeah, to my knowledge the only Sonic game where the three buttons do something different is Sonic Spinball.

[Emperor Megas]

Ah. Why are there three buttons that do the same thing? That's pretty bad design.How is that bad design? There was only one button function, so what's the harm in allowing you to use which ever button you want to jump? What would be the benefit is having two functionless buttons?

[treismac]

Each button does something different on Sonic on my Genesis.

A) Jumps

B) Makes Sonic say, "Plug in an Atari 2600 Joystick if you don't like having two extra buttons!"

C) Sonic face palms himself and asks, "Haven't found an Atari joystick yet?" while he shakes his head.

[Emuaust]

So, I'm playing Sonic the Hedgehog 1 on Genesis and I have a question. The Genesis controller has three buttons. But they all seem to do the same thing. No matter which one I press, it just jumps. Is it supposed to be like that?

Not sure if you're being serious or not? and if you are and more in response to your second post, how are you only learning of this now? I was going to make a snide remark that you must be a youngish guy but you confirmed that with your statement: Ah. Why are there three buttons that do the same thing? That's pretty bad design.

Unless this is a poor attempt at trolling.

[Wraith Storm]

Ah. Why are there three buttons that do the same thing? That's pretty bad design.

Tell me about it, man! But the design gets even worse.

Get this. Plug in a 6 button controller and try to play the game. All three top buttons (x, y, and z) don't even do anything! Seriously, give it a try. Its absurd.

Why make a 6 button controller just for Sonic the Hedgehog, promote the hell out of it like it plays so much better with 6 buttons, and then they don't even do anything.

[BlastProcessing402]

Hell, I still gripe about MK on the Genesis for missing a few buttons. And I never even gave SFII a chance for that reason.


With SFII you're actually supposed to buy a new controller...

That also works for MK, but then because MK is designed to use 5 buttons, you're back into Sonic territory with extra buttons! Y and B do the same thing! It's a vicious cycle!

[Robocop2]

Each button does something different on Sonic on my Genesis.

A) Jumps

B) Makes Sonic say, "Plug in an Atari 2600 Joystick if you don't like having two extra buttons!"

C) Sonic face palms himself and asks, "Haven't found an Atari joystick yet?" while he shakes his head.

LOL
Can we change around the button mapping then?

[Sunnyvale]

With SFII you're actually supposed to buy a new controller...

Huh. I always assumed the 6 button controllers were for CD games only. Guess I'll give it a go and see if it's good or not.

[substantial_snake]

Each button does something different on Sonic on my Genesis.

A) Jumps

B) Makes Sonic say, "Plug in an Atari 2600 Joystick if you don't like having two extra buttons!"

C) Sonic face palms himself and asks, "Haven't found an Atari joystick yet?" while he shakes his head.

Im guessing you haven't played Sonic the Hedgehog OmoChao Edition? :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXu75Gytj58

http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_OmoChao_Edition

Hitting the other buttons really does something different in this hack, this is just the right think for the OP.

[jb143]

Huh. I always assumed the 6 button controllers were for CD games only. Guess I'll give it a go and see if it's good or not.

A few other games make use of them as well. For example, in Comix Zone the extra buttons let you easily use your items instead of cycling through them as you would with a 3 button controller.

If it was only used on CD games then there would be no need for the extra buttons on the Nomad.

[SparTonberry]

So I've heard Sega required developers to use all 3 buttons, telling them to repeat button functions if necessary.

[Sunnyvale]

If it was only used on CD games then there would be no need for the extra buttons on the Nomad.


http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n629/ConneticutLeatherCompany/huh.jpg


http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n629/ConneticutLeatherCompany/1311993949997.jpg

[Compute]

I know WWF Royal Rumble and WWF Raw used 6 buttons, as well as MK for the Sega CD and subsequent fighters. I had Raw but only a 3 button controller, so for years I had to A+B, B+C, and A+C to get the "extra" attacks, never quite knowing which one I would get. To this day I find it disorienting to play with a 6-button controller and have the "top row" moves work predictably.

[treismac]

Im guessing you haven't played Sonic the Hedgehog OmoChao Edition? :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXu75Gytj58

http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_OmoChao_Edition

Hitting the other buttons really does something different in this hack, this is just the right think for the OP.

Words fail me. My brain explodes comprehending how great/awful this hack truly is. Well played, Substantial Snake. Well played.

[Edmond Dantes]

Huh. I always assumed the 6 button controllers were for CD games only.

Why the deuce would you think?

[Sunnyvale]

Why the deuce would you think?

I never bought an Genesis till a few years back. And almost every 6 button controller I've found in the wild had a Sega CD system or game somewhere nearby, so I assumed.

One of the reasons I got on DP. So I can learn things faster than one man can experiment.

[Koa Zo]

I just skimmed one of the dumbest threads ever hoping to find someone who quoted Yuji Naka...
No luck.

I'm not going to waste my time searching for the actual quote.
But Yuji Naka specifically said (back in 1990, or whenever) something to the effect of: "Super Mario Bros. was a two button game, so he wanted to make a one button game."

Yeah, bad design!

[Edmond Dantes]

I never bought an Genesis till a few years back. And almost every 6 button controller I've found in the wild had a Sega CD system or game somewhere nearby, so I assumed.

One of the reasons I got on DP. So I can learn things faster than one man can experiment.

Ah, that makes sense.

Actually, I can't think of many Sega CD games that use the six-button controllers... can anyone name some? Does Mortal Kombat CD use them?

[Jorpho]

I was waiting for someone to mention that in the game's Debug mode, the three buttons do in fact have different functions. But that's the debug mode.

[Sunnyvale]

Ah, that makes sense.

Actually, I can't think of many Sega CD games that use the six-button controllers... can anyone name some? Does Mortal Kombat CD use them?

Dunno, I assumed MK CD did, but now...

[crazyjackcsa]

Holy crap, there is a lot of stupid in this thread. For a website called digitpress, with a focus on retro games, full of experts, this is really disappointing.

Sega later released a six-button version in 1993 coinciding with the release of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition; this pad is slightly smaller and features three more face buttons, similar to the design of buttons on arcade fighting games.

[NerdXCrewWill]

I am disappointed by the lack of expertise in this thread! Come on, people. We should all be experts here.

I think that while Coptur's statements in this thread are a little puzzling, we should probably give him a straight answer and just move on. The buttons were assigned the same function so as to give the game simplicity while still giving you the option of pressing which button feels more natural for your hand size.

[substantial_snake]

Words fail me. My brain explodes comprehending how great/awful this hack truly is. Well played, Substantial Snake. Well played.

That hack is pure genius that forces you to think about Sonic completely differently or go insane in the process. :D

[treismac]

I think that while Coptur's statements in this thread are a little puzzling, we should probably give him a straight answer and just move on.

Straight answers belong in a straight world; only crooked answers can jolt Coptur's mind into enlightenment in a crooked world. If Sonic loses his rings in a forest, does the Yamaha YM2612 make a sound?

[Edmond Dantes]

If Sonic loses his rings in a forest, does the Yamaha YM2612 make a sound?

Considering how many Sonic zones actually are forests, the answer is a resounding "yes."

[treismac]

Considering how many Sonic zones actually are forests, the answer is a resounding "yes."

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/048/783/a_winner_is_you20110724-22047-1nd3wif.jpg?1311564834 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Li9wi9lpEg)

Click the image above to collect your prize, Sir Dantes.

[MarioMania]

I hate people like this, Why do people ask this kind of question

[Edmond Dantes]

Probably because they don't know the answer.

[GarrettCRW]

And to think I joined this message board because I needed help with an FDS-related question, and the people seemed intelligent.

http://hotnerdgirl.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/picard-facepalm.jpg

[Wraith Storm]

Wow...

Despite being full of win... at 5:00 in the morning... This thread is still going?

[jb143]

At least the buttons on the Gamegear Sonic games have different functions. One button makes Sonic jump, the other makes Sonic jump with a weird rainbow effect on the screen.

[xelement5x]

I know this is on the tail end, but another 6-button game is Eternal Champions for the regular Genesis. You can use the 3-button pad but it's a pretty painful experience that way.

[Lady Jaye]

Holy crap, there is a lot of stupid in this thread. For a website called digitpress, with a focus on retro games, full of experts, this is really disappointing.

Well I think the mention of the jump mapping to all three buttons being bad design is what makes people react. The original question itself was fine, though.

[treismac]

Well I think the mention of the jump mapping to all three buttons being bad design is what makes people react. The original question itself was fine, though.

Yes and yes.

[Edmond Dantes]

I don't really see the point of all the "this thread is so stupid" comments. Not everybody is a know-it-all who has an omniscient knowledge of Sega, and sometimes its more fun to discuss things than to Google it.

So howsabout we compile a complete list of six-button Genesis and CD games (32X? What's that?)! So far we have SFII, Eternal Champions and... maybe Mortal Kombat...

[Leo_A]

So howsabout we compile a complete list of six-button Genesis and CD games (32X? What's that?)! So far we have SFII, Eternal Champions and... maybe Mortal Kombat...

I can't say if we have such a thing for the 32X and the Sega CD, but I bet we already have a thread with a near complete list of six-button Genesis games.

Here are some lists that appear likely to be nearly complete that I located after a couple of seconds in a search engine.

Genesis
http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,191/p,16/

32X
http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,191/p,21/

Sega CD
http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,191/p,20/

[crazyjackcsa]

Well I think the mention of the jump mapping to all three buttons being bad design is what makes people react. The original question itself was fine, though.

Nope, the original question was stupid. This isn't an obscure game, or a brand new game. It's the single largest franchise for Sega, one of the largest developers. It's a design that's never changed. It's such a simple idea, that if you've never picked up a controller you can understand it in an instant.

It's like if I asked if Mario was supposed to walk to the right when I push right, on the D pad. Or why does the start button pause the game? Isn't it supposed to start the game?
Ridiculous. :roll:

[Robocop2]

Holy crap, there is a lot of stupid in this thread. For a website called digitpress, with a focus on retro games, full of experts, this is really disappointing.

Sega later released a six-button version in 1993 coinciding with the release of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition; this pad is slightly smaller and features three more face buttons, similar to the design of buttons on arcade fighting games.

So if you use a 6 button controller you have 6 different buttons to make Sonic jump with? GAMING NIRVANA I SAY

[Edmond Dantes]

This isn't an obscure game, or a brand new game. It's the single largest franchise for Sega, one of the largest developers. It's a design that's never changed.

That doesn't mean that everyone on Earth has played it, or knows what its like.

It would be like if I called you stupid for not being able to recite the entire text of the Bible. It's only the oldest and most well-known book on Earth, surely you know it by heart, right?

Some people just set their expectations too high.

[Sunnyvale]

Holy crap, there is a lot of stupid in this thread. For a website called digitpress, with a focus on retro games, full of experts, this is really disappointing.

Sega later released a six-button version in 1993 coinciding with the release of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition; this pad is slightly smaller and features three more face buttons, similar to the design of buttons on arcade fighting games.

Thanks. Got it. Next time I am ignorant of something, in order to not appear to stupid and protect the 100% knowledge ratio DP proffesses, I need to google the answer and act like I knew it all along. Maybe I could throw in an insult or two?

Just because it's in your mental library don't mean it's in everyone's. My son knows this. But it's ok you don't... Even though you're decades behind on this one, I won't call your ignorance stupidity ;)

[NerdXCrewWill]

You know, I'm going to guess that maybe the OP has seen Sonic before, maybe a sequel, and is wondering why he can't do anything besides jump. Sonic can do other moves like a spin dash, homing attack, etc. but those don't become available until later sequels. That's probably what was meant by the bad design comment. Insulting people is not necessary and makes the site seem xenophobic.

[jb143]

Sonic can do other moves like a spin dash, homing attack, etc.

I'd settle for one of the buttons letting him swim. I have fun with Sonic games until he lands in water and that countdown begins.