Editing Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) (section)

==Development==
===Background and conception===
During the late 1980s, [[Sega]] had limited success with the [[Sega Mega Drive]] ports of its games for [[arcade system]]s. Regardless, they sought a stronger foothold against its main competitor, [[Nintendo]].<ref name="lame title">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-sonic|title=Sonic Boom|last=Kennedy|first=Sam|publisher=[[Wikipedia:1Up.com|1Up.com]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604011401/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-sonic|archivedate=4 June 2011|accessdate=24 September 2014}}</ref> Earlier on, in 1988, [[Sega|Sega of Japan]] started an in-house competition to find a character that could stand his ground against Nintendo's [[Mario]]<ref name="megatech">{{cite journal|title=Sonic: A brief history|journal=[[Wikipedia:MegaTech|MegaTech]]|date=20 January 1994|issue=No. 26|page=24|url=https://archive.org/details/mega-tech-26/page/24/mode/2up}}</ref> in a game capable of selling more than 1,000,000 copies. This led to both programmers and designers at Sega specifically working on a brand new character to rival Mario for the next three years.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Feature: When did you get yours?|journal=[[Wikipedia:Mega (magazine)|Mega]]|date=December 1992|issue=4|pages=16–20|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/1/14/Mega_UK_03.pdf#page=18}}</ref> Eventually, in 1990, Sega ordered its [[Wikipedia:List of Sega software development studios|in-house development studio]] to develop a game that involved a mascot for their company.<ref name="alive">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/27/sonic-the-hedgehog-vc-review|publisher=[[Wikipedia:IGN|IGN]]|last=Thomas|first=Lucas M.|date=20 January 2007|title=Sonic the Hedgehog VC Review|accessdate=23 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="retro">{{cite journal|journal=[[Wikipedia:Retro Gamer|Retro Gamer]]|issue=100|date=February 2012|title=The Making of Sonic the Hedgehog|pages=46–49|location=Bournemouth|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Imagine Publishing|Imagine Publishing]]|issn=1742-3155}}</ref> Sega wanted a character to compete with Nintendo's flagship mascot Mario; Sega president [[Hayao Nakayama]] in particular wanted a character as iconic as [[Wikipedia:Mickey Mouse|Mickey Mouse]].<ref name="lame title"/> Sega had previously used [[Alex Kidd]] as their own flagship mascot during the Sega Master System era, but because he was considered too similar to Mario, he was deemed unsatisfactory.<ref name="alive"/>

[[File:Sonic1earlyconcept.jpg|thumb|225px|Early drafts of a game called "''Twin Stars''" that would evolve into ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', by [[Naoto Ohshima]]. The two boys with red and blue hair are twin brothers and the protagonists of this game, while the character in the background is a villain called "[[Thirteen]]".<ref name="TwinStars">{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/NaotoOhshima/status/1616849524710068227 |title= Action game draft |work=Twitter |publisher=@NaotoOhshima |date=21 January 2023 |accessdate=21 January 2023 |quote='''[[Naoto Ohshima]]''': I made a draft of the game. An action game about twin brothers who protect the dream world from Nightmare World's boss 'Thirteen'. It evolved into Sonic. 私はゲーム原案書を作った。 ナイトメア世界のボス「サーティーン」から夢の世界を守る双子のアクションゲーム。 ソニックに進化した}}</ref>]]
Over time, the team at Sega would develop ideas for characters, an [[Wikipedia:game engine|engine]], and gameplay mechanics. Various characters were proposed to star the game. These included a wolf, a bulldog, a robot, and a warrior character. Around 1989, [[Naoto Ohshima]] also made a concept of a game called "'''''Twin Stars'''''", which saw two brothers protecting a dream world from a dimension known as the "Nightmare World" and a villain called "[[Thirteen]]", who was called that because of the number being [[Wikipedia:13 (number)#Luck|associated]] with misfortune. While this concept was scrapped, aspects such as the smooth terrain, the [[loop]]s, and the speed remained.<ref name="TwinStars"/>

===Creation of Sonic===
As the game development put emphasis on speed in particular, it prompted Sega to consider fast creatures, such as kangaroos and squirrels, while eliminating character designs not associated with fast animals.<ref name="alive"/> One of these ideas involved a rabbit who could grab objects with prehensile ears. It showed potential, but was too complex for the [[Sega Mega Drive]] hardware. Afterward, the team narrowed its search down to animals that could roll into a ball, based on the idea for an attack-based move, which led them to consider armadillos and hedgehogs.<ref name="lame title"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kafka-is-silly.net/sonicworld/angel_island_interviews/interviews/1992/sonic_1992_unknown_1.htm|title=Sega Visions Interview with Yuji Naka|date=October 1992|accessdate=28 June 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010746/http://www.kafka-is-silly.net/sonicworld/angel_island_interviews/interviews/1992/sonic_1992_unknown_1.htm|archivedate=28 September 2007}}</ref> The hedgehog character, which was proposed by Naoto Ohshima,<ref name="retro"/> ultimately prevailed. After that, Ohshima went on vacation to New York, taking sketches with him. There, he went to [[Wikipedia:Central Park|Central Park]], where he would ask locals for their opinions on them, which led to Sonic being deemed the favorite. A man with a mustache, who eventually became [[Doctor Eggman|Dr. Eggman]], came in second place.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 March 2018|title=Sonic the Hedgehog's origin story, according to the devs who made him|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-sonic-the-hedgehog-i-s-origin-story-according-to-the-devs-who-made-him|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201110459/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-sonic-the-hedgehog-i-s-origin-story-according-to-the-devs-who-made-him|archivedate=1 February 2022|accessdate=22 February 2022|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]]}}</ref>

[[File:S1 needlemouse super.jpg|thumb|225px|Concept artwork for "Mr. Hedgehog", who would later become [[Sonic the Hedgehog]].]]
Initially, Sonic was originally colored teal.<ref name="retro"/> He was later given a light shade of blue, but that got changed to dark blue so he would stand out against certain backgrounds<ref>{{cite web|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|url=http://www.sega-16.com/2006/12/interview-mark-cerny/|title=Interview: Mark Cerny|publisher=Sega-16|date=5 December 2006|accessdate=12 October 2014|quote='''[[Mark Cerny]]''': Sonic had been a lighter blue, but he was very hard to see against the ocean backgrounds, so his color was darkened at the last moment.}}</ref> and so that he would match the color of the Sega logo. According to Ohshima, Sonic's basic design was created by combining [[Wikipedia:Felix the Cat|Felix the Cat]]'s head with Mickey Mouse's body.<ref name="facts">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/21-crazy-facts-about-sonic-and-the-console-war-he-started|publisher=[[Wikipedia:IGN|IGN]]|title=21 Crazy Facts About Sonic and the Console War He Started|accessdate=13 February 2014|date=26 June 2014|last=Claiborn|first=Samuel}}</ref> [[Sonic's shoes|His shoes]], on the other hand, had buckles that drew inspiration from [[Michael Jackson]]'s boots on the album cover for ''[[Wikipedia:Bad (album)|Bad]]'' and [[Wikipedia:Santa Claus|Santa Claus]]'s red and white color scheme, whom Ohshima deemed the most "famous character in the world".<ref name="retro"/> Meanwhile, his personality was inspired by then-future president of the United States [[Wikipedia:Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton]]'s "get it done" attitude, who Ohshima felt embodied a modern sensibility of wanting to get things done right away, righting wrongs as they presented themselves instead of letting them linger.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Brandon |last=Sheffield |publisher=Gamasutra |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4208/out_of_the_blue_naoto_ohshima_.php?page=2 |title=Out of the Blue: Naoto Ohshima Speaks |accessdate=13 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Yahoo Playback|publisher=Yahoo!|url=http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-94/1380785|title=Yahoo Playback #94|accessdate=13 December 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215060432/http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-94/1380785|archivedate=15 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ashcraft|first=Brian|publisher=Kotaku|url=http://kotaku.com/5420201/sonics-shoes-inspired-by-michael-jackson|title=Sonic's Shoes Inspired by Michael Jackson|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> According to [[Yuji Naka]], Sonic's color was also meant to symbolize peace, trust, and coolness, which are the attributes of Sonic's character. Sonic's spikes were emphasized to make him look sleeker, and he was given the ability to spin while jumping so that attacking and jumping could be controlled with a single button.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-history-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-247079.phtml |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Destructoid|Destructoid]] |title=Review: The History of Sonic The Hedgehog |date=27 February 2013 |last=Ponce |first=Tony |accessdate=11 October 2014}}</ref> This new character was originally named "Mr. Hedgehog",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/nakayuji/status/1353259189389332480|title=Yuji Naka on Twitter|date=24 January 2021|work=Twitter|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124083200/https://twitter.com/nakayuji/status/1353259189389332480|archivedate=24 January 2021|language=Japanese|quote=悔しいのでもう一度挑戦しましたがもっと判らなかった感じです。「セガの看板キャラクターであるソニック。世に出る前に彼に付けられていた名前を選べ」と言う問題が判りませんでした。作った人なのにね。セガい共通テスト受験終了！}}</ref> but the eight-member team<ref>{{cite journal|title=Interview with Yuji Naka: The Creator of Sonic The Hedgehog|journal=Sega Visions|volume=3, no. 9|date=August–September 1992|page=20}}</ref> changed his name to "Sonic" and took the unofficial name [[Sonic Team]].<ref name="lame title"/> Ohshima stated that "Sonic" was chosen because it represented speed.<ref name="OhshimaIntHist">{{Cite book|author=[[Naoto Ohshima]]|year=2013|editor=Les Editions Pix'n Love (ed.)|title=Interview With Naoto Ôshima|chapter=The History Of Sonic The Hedgehog|publisher=UDON Entertainment Corp|pages=96–101|isbn=978-1-926778-96-9}}</ref> However, Sonic was created without the ability to swim because of a mistaken assumption by Naka that all hedgehogs could not do so.<ref name="videogamer swim">{{Cite web|url=http://www.videogamer.com/news/revealed_why_sonic_cant_swim.html|title=Revealed: Why Sonic can't swim|date=February 2009|accessdate=27 February 2009}}</ref>

Ideas proposed to flesh out the character included placing Sonic in a [[Sonic the Hedgehog Band|rock band]], giving him notable fangs, and giving him a human girlfriend named [[Madonna]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/feature/a798719/14-things-you-didnt-know-about-sonic-the-hedgehog/|title=14 things you didn't know about Sonic the Hedgehog|publisher=Digital Spy|first=Sam|last=Loveridge|date=23 June 2016|accessdate=10 June 2017}}</ref> but [[Sega|Sega of America]] scrapped these ideas to keep his identity simple. Sega of America also expressed concerns that most Americans would not know what a hedgehog is and initially proposed a full-scale recreation of the character. However, compromises with Sonic Team led to them making some simple design changes instead.<ref name="retro"/> Meanwhile, the main antagonist of the game got named "Dr. Eggman" in Japan and "Dr. Robotnik" in other regions due to a dispute between Sega's American and Japanese divisions.<ref name="facts"/>

===Gameplay and programming===
Having completed their protagonist, Sega would turn to Yuji Naka, a programmer who had impressed them with his work on ''[[Wikipedia:Phantasy Star (video game)|Phantasy Star]]'' and the Mega Drive port of ''[[Wikipedia:Ghouls 'n Ghosts|Ghouls 'n Ghosts]]''.<ref name="retro" /> With Naka himself ironically being a fan of ''[[Wikipedia:Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros.]]'', but desired something with a faster gameplay, the game was made to play quickly,<ref name="RGBoom">{{cite journal|journal=Retro Gamer Sega Archives|date=2016|publisher=Imagine Publishing|location=Bournemouth|isbn=978-1-78546-372-3|pages=50–59|title=Sonic Boom: The Success Story Of Sonic The Hedgehog}}</ref> which was where Naka focused most of his effort.<ref name=NakaInt>{{Cite book|author=[[Yuji Naka]]|year=2014|title=Yuji Naka Game Designer|work=Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Collected Works|publisher=Read-Only Memory|pages=278-279|isbn=978-0-9575768-1-0}}</ref> Naka explained that the reason he wanted a fast game was that he had ported ''Ghouls 'n Ghosts'', and wanted to work on its movement, but found it slow.<ref name=NakaIntHist>{{Cite book|author=[[Yuji Naka]]|year=2013|editor=Les Editions Pix'n Love (ed.)|title=Interview With Yuji Naka|chapter=The History Of Sonic The Hedgehog|publisher=UDON Entertainment Corp|pages=90–95.|isbn=978-1-926778-96-9}}</ref>

The game that would become ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was developed by a team of seven: two programmers, two sound engineers, and three designers,<ref name=NakaIntHist/> although it began with just Naka and Ohshima.<ref name=OhshimaIntHist/> People came onto the team as content for the game increased.<ref name=OhshimaIntHist/> After being assigned a project with the code name "Defeat Mario", Naka and Ohshima began working together on the game. However, they eventually encountered problems: Ohshima's Rabbit proved hard to program. In addition, catching items and throwing them broke the action's rhythm. Furthermore, Naka stated that the rabbit was not suitable for his game engine and that he wanted the game to be playable with only one button. As such, [[Hirokazu Yasuhara]] joined the team to supervise Naka and Ohshima and develop levels. Eventually, his greater experience led to him becoming the game's lead designer. He also found the way to make the game playable with only one button by having Sonic [[Spin Jump|do damage while jumping]]. From there, the trio came up with the idea of Sonic [[Spin Attack|rolling into a ball]]. After the hedgehog character was chosen, many characters were redrawn, and the team agreed on the environments' visual complexity, with particular focus on the colors. After this, four people came onto the team to speed up the development.<ref name="Zone1">{{cite book|editor=Les Editions Pix'n Love|title=The History Of Sonic the Hedgehog|date=2013|publisher=UDON Entertainment Corp|location=Ontario|isbn=978-1-926778-96-9|pages=20–33|chapter=Zone 1 Genesis}}</ref>

Because of Mario's popularity, Naka wanted Sonic to take over the American market. Sonic's default speed was set to be that of Mario while running. Tests were run using the Mega Drive's tool library, and problems such as flickering, slow frame rates, and shaky animation soon became apparent. In addition, increasing Sonic's speed caused animation problems. However, Naka would solve this issue by developing an algorithm that would retain fluidity. At the end, all that was left was to optimize the game speed to adhere to the staff's expectations. However, the team noticed that different people had different perceptions of the game's speed: some believed it was too fast, which caused disagreements. Ultimately, it was decided to slow the game's pace down.<ref name="Zone1"/>

The gameplay originated with Naka's tech demo, who developed an algorithm allowing a sprite to move smoothly on a curve by determining its position with a [[Wikipedia:dot matrix|dot matrix]]. Naka's prototype ended up involving a platform game with a fast-moving character rolling in a ball through a long, winding tube. This concept would be fleshed out with Ohshima's character designs and levels by Yasuhara.<ref name="Yasuhara">{{Cite journal|author=GI Staff|date=August 2003|title=Sonic's Architect: GI Interviews Hirokazu Yasuhara|journal=[[Wikipedia:Game Informer|Game Informer]]|issue=124|pages=114–116}}</ref> Originally, Yasuhara wanted to work on the game for three months due to the delay of his planned move to the United States by the outbreak of the [[Wikipedia:Gulf War|Gulf War]]. However, he ended up being engrossed in the project for nearly a year.<ref name="Yasuhara"/><ref name="Birth">{{Cite journal|last=Thomason|first=Steve|date=January 2007|title=Birth of a Hedgehog|journal=[[Wikipedia:Nintendo Power|Nintendo Power]]|issue=211|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Future Publishing|Future Publishing]]|page=72}}</ref> His designs for levels were intended to attract both hardcore and casual gamers by integrating occasional challenging set pieces into the mostly accessible level design.<ref name="retro"/> The color scheme was influenced by the work of pop artist Eizin Suzuki, and the aesthetics of [[Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog)|Green Hill Zone]] were influenced by the geography of [[Wikipedia:California|California]].<ref name="retro"/>

When it came to designing the gameplay, Naka was ironically inspired by [[Wikipedia:Shigeru Miyamoto|Shigeru Miyamoto]], the creator of the ''Super Mario'' games, whose games he had enjoyed playing years earlier. Admiring the simplicity of Miyamoto's mechanics in complex environments, Naka decided that Sonic would be controlled with only a directional pad for movement and a single button for jumping. He also wanted his creation to be more action-oriented than the ''Mario'' series;<ref name="edge">{{Cite journal|title=The Making of ... Sonic The Hedgehog|journal=[[Wikipedia:Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|issue=101|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Future plc|Future Publishing]]|date=September 2001|pages=118–121|issn=1350-1593|quote=Sonic was delivering [the kind of] high speed no other [game] was capable of, and the Mega Drive allowed this stunning demonstration of rotation during the bonus stages. This was said to be impossible on the hardware at the time.}}</ref> while playing ''Super Mario Bros.'', he would wonder why the game's levels could not be cleared faster.<ref name="retro"/>

Over time, Naka, Ohshima, and Yasuhara would work nineteen hours a day on the project for several months.<ref name="Yasuhara"/> Due to the need to demonstrate the Sega Mega Drive's technological prowess, the game underwent extensive testing and redesign, which took over six months. According to Naka, the game had the fastest-ever character speed in a video game and a rotation effect in the [[Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog) (16-bit)|Special Stages]] that had been considered impossible on the console.<ref name="edge"/>

The team originally intended to add a two-player mode displayed via [[Wikipedia:split screen (computer graphics)|split-screen]], but Naka's programming knowledge was not enough to implement it. However, a two-player mode would appear in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', whereby the second player would control Sonic's sidekick, [[Miles "Tails" Prower]].<ref name="retro"/> Sonic Team also intended to include a [[Sound Test]] with animations of Sonic breakdancing to a band of animal characters, dubbed the [[Sonic the Hedgehog Band]]; including a crocodile keyboardist who was later introduced to the series as [[Vector the Crocodile]] in ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]''.<ref name="soundtest">{{cite web|url=http://xbox.gamespy.com/articles/654/654750p5.html|title=Sega's Yuji Naka Talks!|last=Kemps|first=Heidi|date=30 September 2005|publisher=[[Wikipedia:GameSpy|Gamespy]]}}</ref> In the end, the Sound Test was scrapped due to time reasons and Naka used the freed up memory to add the "''Se-ga!''" chant used in TV commercials as a start-up sound.<ref name="soundtest"/>

[[File:S1concept-eggman.jpg|thumb|left|225px|One of the concepts for the hero of what eventually would be known as ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. This character would later be slightly modified to become the main antagonist of the game, [[Doctor Eggman|Dr. Eggman]].]]
Unfortunately, Naka's relationship with Sega was tenuous during this time, and he received little credit for his work. He left the company shortly after the game's release, although Sega of America hired him later. Before leaving, however, he defied Sega's prohibition of developer credits by displaying a few names in black text on a black background, identifiable only by looking at the code.<ref name="facts"/> Naka stated that level design was a major challenge: he created maps much wider than normal and tried to ensure players would not get lost. It took him around eight months to develop Green Hill Zone as he kept restarting from scratch.<ref name=NakaInt/><ref name="Zone1"/> He stated that he found the process "very interesting".<ref name=NakaInt/> Naka also stated that the team was trying to create smooth maps, and that implementing looping structures was a challenge because Sonic would break through them instead of running around them. The backgrounds were also a challenge, as the game's speed created the impression of going backwards.<ref name=NakaIntHist /> The [[Zone]]s were based on designs by Naka and Ohshima, with the goal of creating the world's fastest action game. According to Ohshima, Eggman was based on [[Wikipedia:Humpty Dumpty|Humpty Dumpty]].<ref name="OhshimaInt">{{Cite book|author=[[Naoto Ohshima]]|year=2014|chapter=Naoto Ohshima Visual Designer|title=Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Collected Works|publisher=Read-Only Memory|pages=328-329|isbn=978-0-9575768-1-0}}</ref>

Yasuhara wanted the game to appeal to both Japanese and American players, which led to Green Hill Zone being redesigned many times. Sonic Team also wanted the level to portray the character correctly. Its checkered ground was inspired by 3D image rendering from computers, an idea Naka obtained from Sega developer [[Wikipedia:Yu Suzuki|Yu Suzuki]], who used this technique with ''[[Wikipedia:Space Harrier (video game)|Space Harrier]]''. The team read ''[[Wikipedia:Famitsu Magazine|Famitsu]]'' magazines to stay informed of what their rivals were doing so they could avoid their mistakes.<ref name="Zone1"/>