# General

Here are a few miscellaneous topics that apply mostly to all the game modes. At the end of the level, if SIGNPOST MONITORS are enabled, you will be able to fight it out to see who can get some last-minute points from the monitors. Having the sign hit a monitor will make it pop up, but this time you can see where they are.

Signpost monitors in their natural habitat

Monitor behavior is slightly more interesting in this hack. If the MONITOR MODE is random, and FLOATING MONITORS are enabled, it will add a little spice to your gameplay. You can disable these settings and you will have the original Sonic 3 & Knuckles monitor behavior. With random monitors, all monitors will be replaced with a ? icon, and the game will choose an appropriate powerup for the player. It will try to give balanced output, meaning that the losing player will in general get more favourable items. It will also avoid giving you the same shield repeatedly, and giving you a bubble shield when you are near water.

A random monitor waiting to be hit

Floating monitors are an additional feature to the game. This will increase the total number of monitors present in the game. These monitors are given non-random contents, but can be randomized as well. These are special monitors that can be destroyed by colliding to them, and are often in air in places that are easier to hit. The idea behind adding them is to encourage the losing player to take a risk to get them.

A random floating monitor

This hack has a pause menu. This is useful if someone needs to leave for a moment, if you want to quit a level, or you if manage to get stuck (Those damn diabolical traps am I right?) To pause, simply press START. In order to choose any of the selection, you will both have to highlight it, and press START to choose it. This is to make sure neither of you can cheat or exit the level accidentally. The respawn option will kill you both. This ensures that you will respawn to the last known safe location, and if you were stuck somehow, you should no longer be. Quit will simply just exit the level or mini game. It is there, in case you get bored of the level. The selector will flash once you've confirmed the selection.

Example of the pause menu

# Battle Race

In the Battle Race game mode, your goal is to simply gain more points than your opponent. You gain points by either outrunning your opponent, or by having them die. The mode is governed by the Box System™, which will show you the direction to go, and who is ahead. An arrow will appear, pointing roughly to the best direction. While there may be some exceptions (mostly because of certain limitations with the box system), generally you want to get towards the arrows direction.

Example of the arrow pointing towards top-right

There are also a few sections where the arrow will change into one with 4 pointers. This means that there is no particular winning direction, or that you have to do something to advance on the level. This is most used for bosses, or places where you have to press a button.

Example of the arrow not pointing to any direction

If you fail to follow the arrows and go offscreen, you will die immediately, and wait for respawn. You will respawn after some time delay, if the other played is not attached to an object, spindashing or jumping. When you respawn, you are both given some invulnerability time, the respawned player is given rings equal to the other and your positions and speed will be matched. However, if either player have invincibility, shields, or speed shoes, they will be able to keep them.

Occasionally, you both may die at the same time. If this is the case, you will be teleported to the last known safe position, your ring counts will be reset, and invincibility, shields and speed shoes removed. You will both lose a point since you both died.

Each death counts as a point for the opposing player. Whoever finishes the level with most points, will win the level and get a win, displayed on the level select. Additionally, the HUD will show how many rings each player has, and any monitor items that are currently active. On the left side, you will see information about Sonic, and on the right about Tails

Example image of the HUD in action. Sonic has a bubble shield powerup and Tails just got 10 rings!

At the end of the level, if LEVEL BOSSES are enabled, you will face off with a boss fight. Two exceptions to this rule are; Lava Reef act 2 does not have a boss (we did not have time to implement a custom boss), and Hidden Palace always has a knuckles fight because the level is otherwise so short. These are subject to change for the full release of the hack.

# Mini Games

## Sky Sanctuary & Death Egg Zone act 2 Mini Games

I'll put them as first because they are the easiest to explain. Basically, both of these work much alike Battle Race, with the exception that the levels loop. Instead, you have a 60 second timer, and once it runs out, the level ends. Whoever has the most points when it ends, wins the mini game.

## Angel Island act 2 Mini Game

In this mini game, missiles will drop from the sky to the ground much like in the Knuckles' boss. But unlike that boss, these missiles are endless! The longer you play on the level, the more missiles will drop to kick your ass. The idea of the minigame is to avoid the missiles, and if BOUNCE MODE is enabled, to knock your opponent into them. Every so often, monitors will pop up from the ground with random items. The invincibility timer is shortened to make the mini game more fair. The winner is the last person standing, but if you both die at the same time, you will get a tie.

## Carnival Night act 1 Mini Game

In this mini game, your mission is to break the blocks in order to have your opponent fall into a pit - hopefully. In order to break blocks, you must first get some rings. There will be monitors floating from the top of the screen, downwards, which can give you rings. +1 monitors will give you 20 rings, and normal ring boxes give you 10. When you have rings on you, you get the option to use bubble shield's bounce move to break the blocks. 2 rings will be deducted from your ring total each time you do this. As you break the levels, more blocks will start to spawn from the top of the screen to replace the old ones. Be careful, because you can be squished! Eggman monitors do not reduce your rings, they will only hurt you. The winner is the last person standing, but if you both die at the same time, you will get a tie.

## Launch Base act 1 Mini Game

In this mini game, your mission is to destroy enemies faster than your opponent does. The enemies come in waves, and the screen stays locked until all of them are destroyed. Then, you move to the next area, and it will start all over again. Each time you kill an enemy, you are given a point. Your goal is to destroy the most enemies and not die before the end. The level will end with a signpost, where you can then attempt to get more points if SIGNPOST MONITORS are enabled. The winner is either the last person standing, or the player who got most points in the level.