Since the Sonic Unleashed PC port released, I've been paying very close attention to the port's GameBanana page, excitedly awaiting any new mods that might address the problems I have with the game. I decided to submit a mod request to improve a part of the Werehog's controls, and I later decided to repost it here. The post goes into the kind of depth and includes the kind of writing that I hope to do more of on a much larger scale in my video essays, so it felt appropriate to share it here.
The platforming as the Werehog is the most frustrating part of the game. I've seen requests for the camera to be improved and a drop shadow to be added, but not for improving the controls of the Werehog directly. There are already two mods that tweak daytime Sonic's controls, so it seems like it should be possible for nighttime Sonic too.
The first issue I have is with turning. If Sonic is facing forwards and you press forward, he'll go forward. If Sonic is facing a different direction and you press forward, Sonic will sometimes go closer to the direction he's already facing instead. I think he's trying to face forward by walking around in a semicircle instead of pivoting that way immediately, but on tiny platforms above pits, this just means he'll run off in the wrong direction and die. (The same thing happens in Super Mario 64, but the only time it's noticeable imo is in certain Rainbow Ride missions where it makes it harder to stay on the little magic carpet.) I think that limiting how sharply you can turn when you're already going fast is good in moderation, but it needs to be tuned down for the Werehog and removed entirely when starting from a standstill.
The second issue I have is with controlling the Werehog at slow speeds. Rather than Sonic increasing his walking speed smoothly the further you push the stick, Sonic will go from one fixed level of speed to the next. This is a problem on small platforms because the difference between the slowest walking speed level and the next level is way too large, causing Sonic to sometimes suddenly take a large step off of a platform as the stick crossed the threshold between the two speeds. This also might be why Sonic occasionally keeps running faster that expected when landing, not unlike in Sonic Heroes. This problem could be solved by making the Werehog's speed increase precisely instead of at fixed points, adding an extra speed level between the current slowest and next slowest, or if neither of those are possible, adjusting the walking speeds for the existing stick values.
These are the biggest issues I've noticed in the Werehog's basic movement controls, but I'm open to seeing further tweaks of this kind if anyone else can think of more. The climbing controls also could use some work, but I'll leave that for another request if I get around to it. Feel free to beat me to it.
Requirements
- Adjust Werehog walking speeds when lightly pushing the stick to be more granular and/or prevent any sudden speed changes.
- Decrease the Werehog's turning radius overall, and reduce it to zero when starting from a standstill.