Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
Also known as: Sonic Boom: L'ascension de Lyric (FR), Sonic Boom: Lyrics Aufstieg (DE), Sonic Boom: El Ascenso de Lyric (ES), Sonic Boom: L'Ascesa di Lyric (IT), Sonic Toon: Taiko no Hihou (JP) Developers: Big Red Button, IllFonic Publisher: Sega Platform: Wii U Released in JP: December 18, 2014 Released in US: November 11, 2014 Released in EU: November 21, 2014 Released in AU: November 29, 2014 This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused objects. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused cinematics. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has revisional differences. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (unrelated to Sega's 1987 Sonic Boom arcade game or the 100 other uses of "Sonic Boom" in the Sonic franchise) is one of three games based on Sonic Boom cartoon.

While the other two Sonic Boom games are considered to be fine, Rise of Lyric quickly became infamous for its abundant glitches and general lack of playtesting, arguably rivaling Sonic '06 in sheer incompetence.

To do: Please find the bink_alpha_test_01.bk2 file Lots of cut dialogue. See talk page. Look in the game's data for any Unused animations Search for any Unused areas in the game files Document the 7/18/2014 prototype.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Debugging Features A wealth of debugging tools.

E3 2014 Leftovers

Similar to the debugging features this game has, there's a console command called g_e3build, which upon enabling will activate the E3 main menu. From here, you can choose three stages; e3_level06, e3_level07_eggman, and e3_road. There is one additional stage called e3_level04 which goes unused and is missing a lot of terrain, which is remarkably still in the pre-rendered cutscenes.

The following videos are in the respective order of the stages listed above:

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Assets

Unused Debugger Textures

• 

  hit.dds

• 

  pbar.dds

• 

  unexpected.dds

Located in global_textures.wiiu.stream\engineassets\codecoverage\, these textures pertain to some kind of code debugger - "HIT" and "Checkpoint" possibly referring to breakpoints.

• 

  averagememoryusage.dds

• 

  highmemoryusage.dds

• 

  levelshadercachemiss.dds

• 

  livepreview.dds

• 

  lowmemoryusage.dds

• 

  navigationprocessing.dds

• 

  nullmusicsystem.dds

• 

  nullsoundsystem.dds

• 

  shadercompiling.dds

• 

  streaming.dds

• 

  streamingterrain.dds

Located in global_textures.wiiu.stream\engineassets\icons\, these textures pertain to an in-game debugging overlay. Curiously, some of these icons are borrowed from Windows XP.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Mouse Cursor

• 

  cursor_green.dds

Located in global_textures.wiiu.stream\engineassets\textures\, this green mouse cursor goes unused.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Placeholder Textures

• 

  defaultnouvs.dds

• 

  replaceme.dds

• 

  shadercompiling.dds

• 

  shadererror.dds

Located in global_textures.wiiu.stream\engineassets\texturemsg\ are some 4×4 textures that just contain the colors blue, cyan, green, magenta, orange, purple, red, white, yellow, and grey - use your imagination for those. As for the more relevant ones, they're seemingly just placeholder assets for when objects are initialised under certain conditions.

defaultnouvs.dds and replaceme.dds are technically used, but not intentionally - you can find them in e3_level04 and here, respectively.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Placeholder Cube Map

• 

  replacemecm.dds (reconstructed)

Located in global_textures.wiiu.stream\engineassets\texturemsg\. The original version without the "Replace Me" text can be found in the same archive under global_textures.wiiu.stream\textures\cubemaps\visual_benchmark\.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Character Art

• 

  amy_block_diff.dds

Located in heroes.wiiu.stream\art\textures\, this texture contains an early icon of Amy from the Sonic Synergy period of development. Where this would be used is unclear as such art doesn't exist for the other three characters

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Developer Comments

To do: Move this to a separate page with the complete text documents.

The following comments can be found in system.cfg in the game's root; Many of the comments have mentions of various consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, suggesting that these comments were written during the game's original period of development on PC, before SEGA agreed to port the game exclusively to the WiiU.

-- *************************************************************************************************
-- Default system.cfg configuration for development
--
-- Your personal settings can be stored in 'systemcfgoverride.cfg' so that they don't create
-- any conflicts for version control
-- *************************************************************************************************

-- Disable fullscreen mode
r_Fullscreen = 0

-- Shaders are compiled in parallel in precache mode
r_ShadersAsyncCompiling = 3 

-- Disables Remote Shader Compilation 
r_ShaderCompilerServer=192.168.1.21

...

-- disable road rendering
e_Roads = 0

-- Store the shader cache in local Game directory instead of User folder (MyDocuments\MyGames)
r_ShadersUserFolder = 1

-- Defaults System Spec to "PS3" / medium and enforcing DX9 on DX11 hardware (more closely emulates WiiU console)
r_Driver = "DX9"

...

-- Disables Geometery Highlighting in SandBox
ed_highlightGeometry = 0

-- Sets Current Game Folder
sys_game_folder = Sonic_Crytek

...

-- for development, disable loading of IMG files, load the cafs instead 
-- if no IMG files were created, this will also disable the warning spam messages
ca_UseIMG_AIM = 0
ca_UseIMG_CAF = 0

...

-- For development only, on pc and when no dbas used, disabling unloading of on demand animations
ca_UnloadAnimationCAF = 0

...

pl_fallDamage_Normal_SpeedSafe = 100 -- fall damage
pl_fallDamage_Normal_SpeedFatal = 200 -- fall damage

...

--Point light shafts!
--r_pointlightshafts = 1

...

-- EI settings for more aggressive SSAO on console (should only tweak values in time of day if necessary for a very specific variation)
r_SSAO = 1
r_SSAOAmount = 2 -- now matches setting on PC
r_SSAORadius = 1.5 -- now matches setting on PC
r_SSAOTemporalConvergence = 0 -- this seems to fix the flicker

...

-- Reduced motion blur
r_MotionBlur = 0
r_MotionBlurFrameTimeScale = 1
r_MotionBlurShutterSpeed = 0.0033

...

e_VegetationMinSize = 0.25 -- this guarantees we see the smaller flowers
e_Dissolve = 0 -- doesn't appear to work, plus it appears to be slow on WiiU

...

--ai_useMNM = 1 -- enable pathfinding
-- Disabling PostMSAA to eliminate ghost frames
r_PostMSAA = 0

...

--Disabled Screen Space Reflections:
--r_SSReflections = 0

...

--Enabled precaching of all sounds (for now):
--s_PrecacheData = 1

...

--Fix the crash with breakables in Win32:
g_glassSystemEnable = 0

...

-- Allow Backround Generation of Navigation Mesh in Editor only
ai_MNMEditorBackgroundUpdate = 1

...

-- those cvars are also set in singleplayer.cfg, multiplayer.cfg, console.cfg, x360.cfg, ps3.cfg (please check)
r_TexturesStreamPoolSize = 512

...

r_TexturesStreaming = 0 -- currently breaking cube maps on WiiU

...

--e_ViewDistRatioVegetation = 25 -- too aggressive (50 is console default)

The following comments can be found in first_load.wiiu.stream\cafe.cfg;

--r_ShaderCompilerServer = 192.168.1.21 -- this doesn't work yet
r_ShadersRemoteCompiler = 0 -- enabling this will cause every shader cache miss to crash

...

pl_fallDamage_Normal_SpeedSafe = 100 -- fall damage
pl_fallDamage_Normal_SpeedFatal = 200 -- fall damage

...

r_SSAOAmount = 2 -- now matches setting on PC
r_SSAORadius = 1.5 -- now matches setting on PC
r_SSAOTemporalConvergence = 0 -- this seems to fix the flicker

...

e_VegetationMinSize = 0.25 -- this guarantees we see the smaller flowers
e_Dissolve = 0 -- doesn't appear to work, plus it appears to be slow on WiiU

...

r_PostAA = 2 -- new BRB technique (doesn't rely upon back buffer blending or frame jittering...other PostAA settings do NOT apply)

...

r_DepthOfField = 0 -- no longer a necessary step in HDR Post Process...blooms and tonemapping should work without dof or blur (auto-disabled in split screen)
r_WaterReflectionsQuality = 3 -- this is slow, but not slower than rendering to DRC (so reflections now get disabled in split mode)

...

r_TexturesStreaming = 0 -- currently breaking cube maps on WiiU

...

e_ShadowsCastViewDistRatio = 1 -- fixes some of the popping shadows seen on objects like the rings

...

e_ShadowsMaxTexRes = 256 -- modified shadow shader to look good despite lower res buffer

...

r_ColorGrading = 0 -- we have not been using this, so this should remove the need for the color grading chart

...

e_ViewDistRatioLights = 25 -- this value is lower than PS3 spec
e_ViewDistRatioVegetation = 30 -- this value is lower than PS3 spec
r_MotionBlurMaxViewDist = 16 -- this value is lower than PS3 spec
r_UseShadowsPool = 0 -- shadowmap pool has issues on WiiU

...

e_WaterOceanBottom = 0 -- saves up to 1.259ms per frame ( and I don't think we often have opaque objects intersecting z = 0 when we use the ocean )

...

e_WaterTessellationAmountY = 6 -- reducing the tessellation since noticing that ocean rendering errors only seem to occur in higher vertex indices...plus there's something nice about nearly square grids

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Voices

To do: Add the voice clips.

Scrapped Plane Level

There are many unused voices referencing a scrapped plane level, likely between the scene where Sonic jumps on and when it crashes.

Transcript
Sonic: Come on guys.
Tails: It's gonna get rough, hang on!
Knuckles: Now there is a difference between flying and falling Tails!
Amy: How about you let us know when you're turning?
Sonic: Incoming!
Tails: Watch out for enemy fire!
Knuckles: You're firing at us.
Amy: You're shooting at us!
Sonic: Enemies straight ahead!
Tails: Targets ahead!
Knuckles: Targets at 12 o'clock!
Amy: Aim for the targets right in front of us!
Sonic: Destroy those guns!
Tails: We need to take out that cargo hold!
Knuckles: The only good things about more enemies, is I get to destroy more enemies!
Amy: Look at the size of Lyric's ship!
Sonic: The tower just took out a ship!
Tails: We're starting to win!
Knuckles: This is nuts! Oh no, now I'm hungry.
Amy: I've never seen anything like this before! THIS IS NUTS!
Sonic: Heroes are made, go, go!
Tails: Stay focused, this is crazy!
Knuckles: We got to take out the two big ships, that control everything.
Amy: Aim for the biggest ship we see!
Sonic: Try and destroy the cloaking systems on the command ship!
Tails: How do you know it's the command ship?
Sonic: The big one!
Tails: We must take out the engine of the main ship!
Knuckles: Go after the big one!
Knuckles: We need to destroy the communications tower!
Amy: Can't have any more ships, Lyric!
Sonic: I don't know which one I'm loving more right now, the ancients and their turrets.
Tails: Wow look at those turrets go!
Knuckles: Yes! Hard to fly without an engine!
Tails: It destroyed! They are flying blind!
Knuckles: I'm getting a little, *sick sounds*, queasy.
Amy: The bigger they are, the greater they fall!
Sonic: I hope they have insurance.
Tails: Take out those fighters while they're on the launch pad!
Knuckles: I'm not hitting anything!
Amy: I'm destroying everything I see! I could get used to this!
Sonic: Nice flying Tails!
Tails: Lyric's getting away!
Sonic: He's got to be taking the Crystal somewhere!
Knuckles: All right. This time we are doing some damage!
Amy: Here we go, get ready, this is the one that counts for the win!
Sonic: We did it!
Tails: Success!
Knuckles: We are alive!
Amy: Yes!
Sonic: Lyric has the Crystals, stay with him!
Tails: Gonna try catch up to Lyric!
Knuckles: Where do you think he's headed?
Amy: Down.
Knuckles: Flew right into that one.
Sonic: Whoa!
Tails: Whoa!
Amy: Whoa!
Sonic: Go down!
Sonic: Dive!
Sonic: Watch out!
Tails: Whoa, hold on-!

Alternative Takes

There are alternative takes to some lines.

Transcript
Knuckles: You guys must of really pissed them off!
Sonic: Ohh shiii-oooooot!

Misplaced Objects

Debugging Buttons

There are several developer buttons hidden out-of-bounds, both to activate crystals and trigger missions and events. These were likely used to test said events, and were simply missed or left behind at the end of development.

Bygone Island

There are a few out-of-bounds buttons around Bygone Island, where Perci stands. Possibly activates the "Perci" mission and the Crystal nearby.

Cliff's Excavation Site

In Cliff's Excavation Site, there is a button right underneath Chef Woody's tent. When you press it, it activates the "Chef" mission and you can collect the reward.

There are two more buttons shown in this video:

To do: Describe.

Unused Objects

"Replace Me" Ball

To do: Find the model and rip it. Also, upload a better photo of this.

An unused ball loaded in the main area of Slowpoke Isle, with a texture of the words "Replace Me" on it. It doesn't seem to do anything.

"Emotive" Text Bubble

Out-of-bounds in The Pit, just behind where you meet up with Tails and Amy, is a 3D model of a text bubble that has the word "EMOTIVE" embedded on it. Like the "Replace Me" ball, this does absolutely nothing.

Oddities

Around the cave area in Crater Lake is an invisible Hammer rail. You can swing off of it, and it behaves like normal.

Early Cutscene

Early	Final

Present on the disc is an early version of a cutscene showing Sonic using one of the Crystal Shards. Notable differences include the early version's cutscene audio being mixed a bit differently, the shard being a different color and shape, Sonic's neckerchief being lower than the final, Tails' goggles lacking an orange tint, and Amy's eyes being positioned differently. The door also opens differently than it does in the final version.

(Source: @Aruki)

Unused Character Biographies

Full descriptions for every character in the game exist in the game's text. It was meant to be accessed through Q-N-C's Database, but none of it is accessible in the final game. They would've been organized into four groups: Heroes, Friends, Bosses, and Enemies.

Q-N-C's Database
Hi, this is my Database where I store all sorts of cool info on all the characters in Sonic Boom. Come back here to check out new entries as you explore the world!
Q-N-C's Database
Concept Art
Movies
Music Player
Heroes
Friends
Bosses
Enemies

Heroes

Name	Text
Sonic	He's blue, and he's fast, and spiky. I like fast and spiky! Although I don't like being blue; red is more exciting color, and Sonic's shoes are red, so I guess that's cool! Sometimes he's a little mean to me, but I think it's because he's so impatient. Nobody is perfect, but I wish I could be a hero like Sonic one day (maybe when I grow up). Oh wait, I'm a robot, so I'm already old. Shucks!
Tails	Tails is short and smart and into gadgets and technology. Kind of like me! He's always handy at repairing things and he's got plenty of Buddy Bots to play with. I wish we could hang out more often and become friends, since we have so much in common, but he's always going off on wild adventures with Sonic. I think they've been best buddies for, like, ever, so I guess I'm not that high on his list of priorities.
Knuckles	Knuckles is really good and climbing and digging into the ground with his big strong arms, but he's always disagreeing with Sonic. I think they used to be rivals or something. I think they kind of want to be buddies, but they're just too stubborn to admit it. Isn't that silly? Friends should just be honest and play nice! Everything would be so much better for everyone. A robot buddy would never act like that!
Amy	Amy is an acrobat who does flips and jumps and all sorts of gymnastics on the balance beam. I really admire her! She packs a whallop with her hammer, and out of all my new best friends, she's the friendliest. She's always trying to get the rest of the gang to co-operate, but Sonic and Knuckles are usually too busy arguing about this or that to listen to her. It's too bad because I think she is super-duper nice and cool.

Friends

Name	Text
Cliff	Cliff is the head of the Expedition to find the ancient tomb where Lyric was imprisoned. It was SO boring to be sealed underground for all those years with nothing to do, but Cliff is really into all that old stuff with the ancients and technology. I don't think he knew what he was getting into when he started telling his workers to digging around. Oops, live and learn!
Q-N-C	Hey, that's me! Pretty cool looking for an ancient robot, huh? Lyric was my creator, but then there was little weird accident where my wires got crossed, and I started to think and act for myself! I realized that I did some bad things, but now I want to be a good robot, help people, and make a best friend.
Tucker	Tucker wandered into the Expedition Site a few weeks ago. I heard some of the workers say that he came from a far away land called Slowpoke Isle and that he was once a great scientist. He stays away from the camp near the entrance to that old, Abandoned Facility. He's always looking around there for something and seems kind of sad and lonely. I wonder if he'd like to hang out sometime and play some games! That always helps when I get the blues!
M.A.I.A.	M.A.I.A. stands for Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence Administrator. What a mouthful. I bet she wishes she had a cool name like Q-N-C! She's the boss program that runs Lyric's Ancient Weapon Facility.
Salty	Captain Salty is a sailor who hangs out by the waterfall on the west side of the Excavation Site. He has this cool boat called the Riptide. Did I mention that it is cool? It is SO cool! It can sail through the roughest rapids, plus, it has all sorts of cool gizmos and zappers on it. LOVE gizmos and zappers! But sometimes, it doesn't work, so Salty gets all grumpy when he has to fix it up. I think he's just visiting the Excavation Site and has family in a distant town somewhere. Must be nice to have a real family!
Chef Woody	Chef Woody prepares the food for all the workers at the Excavation Site. He is a great chef but he's super-grumpy! You would think that eating all that delicious food would make him happy, but it doesn't do a bit of good.
Doc Ginger	Doc Ginger helps keep the workers of the Excavation Site healthy and happy. But she carries around a big needle and that makes some of the workers run away. I wonder why? Whenever I don't feel good, a little repair work never hurts. People are very strange creatures!
Mayor Fink	Mayor Fink heads the village of Bygone Island. He seems really friendly and really likes to talk to lots of people. I think he enjoys being popular! It's too bad Bygone Island is so far away - maybe we could be friends too!
Sticks	Sticks lives on the outskirts of Bygone Island. I've heard that she's kinda weird and strange. She loves to collect shiny things then go bury them in the ground. I hope she doesn't mistake me for some old piece of junk and try to bury me - that would be terrible!
Pepper	Pepper is Captain Salty's brother, and he lives in Crater Lake, overlooking Bygone Island. Pepper also has a cool boat like the Riptide, but I think he got trapped up there by all the Swarmer Hives. He says he's too scared to leave and re-unite with his brother, Salty, but I think he can't fit into his boat anymore!
Hokey	Hokey is a jellyfish that uses an ancient robotic carriage to get around above the water. She lives with her husband, Pokey, around Crater Lake. They used to live closer to Bygone Island but they moved to the warmer waters of the volcanic crater. Much nicer for the tentacles, I guess.
Pokey	Pokey lives with his wife, Hokey, in the warm waters of Crater Lake. They are always bickering and arguing. I guess after all those years together you start to get irritated over the silliest little things. Or maybe they are just bored. I wonder if they still love each other or not - good thing robots are not programmed that way!
Perci	Perci lives on Bygone Island. She cares very much about her home and the people of the village, but they don't seem to take her worries about Lyric seriously. They should! I've seen him do some bad things! I like that she's not afraid to take action no matter what people around her think. Sometimes you gotta be brave and be an individual to stand up for what you think is right!
Hayward	Hayward is a farmer in Bygone Island. He wants to be a hero just like Sonic and friends and join the fight against Lyric, but he has to take care of the crops first. Chores must be such a drag when you've got big dreams!
Fastidious	Fastidious hangs out on the shores of Conundrum Cove, waiting for someone who can beat his challenge. I don't think he's really all that excited about it, but nobody is pushing him towards something better, so he just sticks there, like a wet blanket on the ground. Maybe he would enjoy the life of a heroic sidekick one day?

Bosses

Name	Text
Shadow	Shadow could care less about the ancient ones' crystals. As long as it torments our hero friends, he'll gladly play a game of keep-away.
Driller Worm	There aren't enough breath mints in the world to get this guy a date. It must be a lonely life digging up and chewing on dirt looking for those ancient crystals.
Metal Sonic	I can never understand a word he says, but I don't think wants to swap cupcake recipes. Maybe after the dust settles we could road trip to the tech expo and have a good laugh at our creators.
Eggman	Eggman is Sonic's greatest enemy, but I can't imagine why! His new school robot engineering techniques are rudimentary at best. Kid stuff!
Lyric	As my creator, Lyric was once my idol. He was dominating and angry with a dollup of charm. But the thought of all those bad deeds makes my hydraulics boil.

Enemies

Name	Plural Name	Text
Swordsman Trooper	Swordsman Troopers	Best evade these guys when they start swinging.
Parasite Snake	Parasite Snakes	Get these suckers before they waken dormant enemies.
Beam Drone	Beam Drones	They make great targets for air attacks!
Gunslinger Trooper	Gunslinger Troopers	Bob and weave is your best tactic against these rangers.
Commando Husk	Commando Husks	Might I suggest destroying these before they wake up?
Charger	Chargers	Be ready when these tough guys start head-banging.
Roller Recoiler	Roller Recoilers	Just stay airborn and everything will be alright. Right?
Blaster Trooper	Blaster Troopers	Sometimes you gotta fight fire with a buddy.
Crusher Brute	Crusher Brutes	Well, at least they're slower than grandma's dial-up.
Driller Snake	Driller Snakes	If only there was a way to get underneath these pests.
Swordsman Guard	Swordsman Guards	If you can't break 'em, yank 'em.
Gunslinger Guard	Gunslinger Guards	No point in attacking until you destroy that shield.
Blaster Guard	Blaster Guards	Enerbeam plus shield equals fair fight.
Furnace Brute	Furnace Brutes	Air attacks are no good here. You'll just get burned.
Roller Bouncer	Roller Bouncers	Don't wait around for these guys to ball up!
Charger Dart	Charger Darts	Tails might be able to handle these guys.
Fridge Brute	Fridge Brutes	Too heavy to throw, but if you can stun him first..
Ring Thief	Ring Thieves	Bot stole my rings! Better get my hammer.
Gatling Elite	Gatling Elites	Boy is this guy shockingly fast.
Roller Shocker	Roller Shockers	Hope you've got friends. You're gonna need em against this rust bucket.
Bomber Elite	Bomber Elites	You're gonna need a bigger boat. And a new pair of pants.
Swarmer	Swarmers	Harmless fodder, but I hear they carry weapons in their packs.
Minion	Minions	[No description for this one?]

Revisional Differences

An update was released in January 2015 which made several tweaks to the game:

• The notorious Knuckles infinite jump glitch no longer works.
• The cutscene where Lyric takes control of Metal Sonic has different, more cinematic lighting, The laser Metal Sonic fires at Eggman in this scene was changed from red to yellow, and the brightness was increased.
• Collision for six levels was altered to prevent characters from going out-of-bounds: Cliff's Excavation Site, Bygone Island, Crater Lake, Tomb of Lyric, Lyric's Weapons Factory (past), and Ocean Purification Plant.
• The framerate is more stable in some speed sections.
• The controller diagrams in the pause menu have slightly different coloring, such as a blue ring around the Home button.

(Source: Sonic Stadium, Nintendo Life)