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Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion Coming To Retro World Expo This August

If you’ve been around the Sonic Internet scene, more than likely you’ve heard of the Sonic Stuff Research Group. Affectionally known as SSRG, it has been a hub for discussing and researching the inner workings of the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, and the techniques in modding Sonic both old and new.

What you may not know is that the SSRG has, in one form or another, existed since 1996. Initially a small subsection on Andy Wolan’s gaming-themed website EmulationZone, it grew to house a number of Sonic websites dedicated to uncovering the history of the franchise, the lost content that sparked the imagination of an entire generation. Sonic the Hedgehog Area 51, Tom’s Hacking Station, Simon Wai’s Sonic 2 Beta Page – separately, they told snippets of a hedgehog’s history. Together? They became the foundation of what would come.

When Andy stepped away from the project in 2003, it was truly the end of an era.

Twenty years later, Andy Wolan, along with three charter members of the SSRG community, are coming together for the Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion panel. Taking place at the Retro World Expo in Hartford, CT this will be the first time that these four individuals have ever been in the same room together, telling the story of what once was, and how it informs where we are now. Who knows what stories they have to tell? Or what wild things could happen live and in person?

Who are the others joining Andy on this trip down memory lane?

The expo will take place on August 26th and 27th of this year. A schedule has yet to be set, but the OG crew will be hosting two panels, “one for a general talk and historical reflection on SSRG and it’s impact, and another focusing on the technical challenges we faced as we attempted to tear into the classic games for the first time ever to figure out how they worked.”

If you plan on being in the area, be sure to check it out. For more information and future updates, be sure to keep an eye on the panel’s dedicated thread on the forums.

Fan Works, Hacking

SHC 2021: The Results Are In

2021’s Sonic Hacking Contest has officially come to a close. For those who’ve been playing, or even those just watching others, its clear there’s been some great games this year. Sonic 1 Definitive, Hellfire Saga, Shivery Mountainside, and Sonic 2 Mania SHC2021 Demo have shone out as the overall favorites of the competition, but they’re certainly not the only games worthy of praise (or worthy of an award!)

Continue on after the jump to check out the overall top three’s plus the winners of every award handed out this year.

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Fan Works, Hacking

Sonic Hacking Contest 2021 Is Now Live

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder that today, the Sonic Hacking Contest 2021 is up and running! Last week, the official trailer went up, which you can check out above. The week is looking to be an exciting one, the streaming schedule packed with some of your favorite personalities from the Sonic Tubeaverse, along with a smattering of Developer Streams sprinkled in there. But we all know why you want to go – it’s the games. This year, there’s 41 entries to vote on, plus another 40 games that are part of the expo. To check them all out, be sure to head to the official website and give them a go, then vote for your favorites. Remember, you have until until the end of the 16th to vote on the Community Trophies and Contest Entries, so don’t wait until the last minute if you want to take part!

[Source: shc.zone]

Fan Works, Hacking

Sonic Hacking Contest Now Accepting Submissions

A few months ago, we let everyone know the when’s and the where’s regarding 2021’s Sonic Hacking Contest. For those hard at work coming up with something they hope will dazzle and wondering when they can submit their entries, wait no longer! Submissions for SHC2021 officially opened the 10th of August, and will continue to be open until next month.

Due to some unforeseen delays getting the site ready for submissions, the original contest deadline announced back in March has been extended. The new dates are down below:

CONTEST DEADLINE – End of Sunday 12th September
UPDATES DEADLINE – End of Sunday 19th September
EXPO DEADLINE – End of Sunday 26th September
CONTEST WEEK – Monday 11th to Sunday 17th October

So if you were worried about getting things done in time, that extra week will hopefully be enough, if you’re wanting to be part of the contest. Either way, the show is still set to go on come October. For all the details, be sure to read the newsletter so you don’t miss out on how to get your work in the show.

To keep up to date, be sure to follow the SHC on Twitter, and don’t forget that you can still chat about it on the Retro forums.

[Source: Sonic Hacking Contest Official Site]

Fan Works, Hacking

Sonic Hacking Contest Announces 2021 Dates

The 30th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog is upon us. Among the celebration of three decades of the blue blur comes the annual Sonic Hacking Contest. This year the contest has revealed the deadlines for entries as well as the date for the contest week which you can see below.

CONTEST DEADLINE – End of Sunday 5th September
UPDATES DEADLINE – End of Sunday 12th September
EXPO DEADLINE – End of Sunday 26th September
CONTEST WEEK – Monday 11th to Sunday 17th October

This year includes a change to the judging process including additional judges separated between the three categories, Retro (For hacks based on vintage Sonic titles), 3D (For mods based on 3D titles and 2DPC which includes mods for 2D titles such as Sonic Mania including the RSDK decompilation projects.

For further information regarding the contest you can check out additional details, such as contest judges and categories, from the Sonic Hacking Contest website here. You can also join the discussion on our forums regarding the contest on the dedicated thread for 2021 here.

Community, Fan Works, Hacking

The Sonic Hacking Contest 2019 Site is Live!

Just a few short weeks after SAGE 2019, the Sonic Hacking Contest 2019 site is live! As noted on the site’s main page, account registration is still separate from the Sonic Retro or SSRG forums. However, existing accounts from 2018 should still be live, though to access them, you’ll need to use the password reset before logging in. This year, entrants will be able to submit as many entries as they like, provided they follow the contest rules. The SHC 2019 contest submission deadline is November 3rd, updates to said submissions allowed until November 10th, expo submissions due by November 17th, and finally, the contest itself running from December 2nd to the 8th.

Fan Works, Hacking

Sonic Hacking Contest 2016 Announced

It would be an uneventful year without the time honored tradition of the hacking contest. Despite the delays and complications the Sonic Hacking Contest got 2016’s back for another round of ROM hacks and more! For the time being, there are no entries being accepted as the website will be up later.
You can get your submission ready by viewing the rules here on our forums courtesy of hacking contest judge Spanner. Deadline is Sunday 9th October 2016, so there’s plenty of time before the contest begins. Watch this space or check with the forums when the website goes live.
Remember that you can submit more than just ROM hacks as there are entries for mods as well. Will you make the ultimate mod to Sonic Lost World?
[Source: Sonic Hacking Contest 2016]

Community, Fan Works, Site News

Sonic Hacking Contest 2015 Voting Now Open

SHC2015_LOGO[UPDATE: The SHC site seems to be overloaded! For now, hang out in the IRC channel provided below for as-they-happen updates.]
Rise and shine, Retro. Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re already groaning that another work week has come in this hamster wheel called life. But that’s fine, because there are several new hacks waiting for you to get your digits all over.
If you swing on by the Sonic Hacking Contest 2015’s website, you now have a selection of titles from some of the Sonic Scene’s more technically inclined to try out and evaluate. While you can play the games without restriction, voting does require a Sonic Retro or an SSRG account, so try to snag one by Saturday if you want to guarantee your vote.
If you’re not about that, you can enjoy a week of streams, with one kicking off in a less than 20 minutes. These streams will let you see some of the community’s finest play the games for you to watch and just hang out with fellow fans. Fan-favorites MegaGWolf and SomecallmeJohnny also return, with a music workshop hosted by DalekSam Saturday, if you’re interested in learning how to create songs for games. The schedule is as follows:

5pm BST / 12pm EDT to 7pm BST / 2pm EDT – Monday to Friday: Donnie
7pm BST / 2pm EDT to 9pm BST / 4pm EDT – Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Spanner
9pm BST / 4pm EDT to 12am BST / 7pm EDT – Monday to Friday: MegaGWolf
12am BST / 7pm EDT to 3am EDT / 10pm BST – Monday to Friday: SomecallmeJohnny
5pm BST / 12pm EDT to 7pm BST / 2pm EDT on Saturday: DalekSam Music Workshop
7pm BST / 2pm EDT to 11pm BST / 6pm EDT on Saturday: Nova
7pm GMT / 3pm EDT to 9pm GMT / 5pm EDT (clock change on Sunday): Results Show

So come on by and relax in the Sonic Hacking Contest’s IRC. Just point your favorite client (or mibbit) to irc.badnik.net #shc2015.

Community, Fan Works, Hacking, Sega Retro, Site News

Sonic Hacking Contest 2015 Open for Entry

SHC2015_LOGOAs sure as the air gets crisp and the leaves turn brown (or green if you’re upside down in the world), the Sonic Hacking Contest is live once more for the next generation of game hackers and homebrewers. We’re partnering with SSRG once again to see what the more creative of you can do given a digital game jam of sorts.
To start, you’ll need a forum account for either here or SSRG (the rules are a little more relaxed if you’re actually entering.) Participants will have until Oct. 4 to submit a playable build of their game or hack, and then a further week to work on their projects should the entrant deem it necessary. Voting will then go live on Oct. 19, and also requires an account to either site.
Much like last year, everyone can download and play the entries,  but streams will be held that showcase the games for those more interested in hanging out and talking with others.
Don’t be shy if you feel you’ll be swept up by more veteran groups. It’s not unusual for someone to come out of left field and stun the competition, such as with the likes of Robotnik’s Revenge, which in a roundabout way inspired the boss rush mode in Sonic 2 Mobile (2013)/Egg Gauntlet Zone. Practice the craft and have fun with it. Joke hacks are certainly welcome too, but not joke submissions. Basically, you can make something funny, but don’t submit something that’s clearly just stupid (see: Sonic 1337.) If you’re going to swing for worst hack, do it with some grace.
If you’re not into the whole Sonic theme, you can also submit SEGA-themed fangames too. Golden Axe, Shinobi, Jet Set Radio, Puyo Puyo… any of those brands are ripe for the picking. Going off the hip, I can say a Mighty Switchforce 2 styled Burning Rangers may be a neat idea, but you didn’t hear it from me.
And yes, this isn’t just limited to the Mega Drive games. The 3D games like Sonic Adventure, Sonic 2006, and Sonic Generations are encouraged.

Community, Fan Works, Hacking, Site News

Sonic Hacking Contest 2014 Live!

shc2014

Has it already been a year? We and SSRG are teaming up once again for the annual Sonic Hacking Contest, where talented fans work on creating their own game hacks. Now, this may make some people think that it will be nothing but the usual MegaDrive game hacks, but the contest also features Sonic Generations and Sonic Adventure DX edits among others.
New to this round is the introduction of Team entrants, which allows multiple users to be credited together for a work instead of last year’s single representative. Teams can consist of Retro members, SSRG members, or a mix of both.
As always, you’ll need a Sonic Retro or SSRG account to log in and actually vote for which title you feel best deserves an award from many categories. Downloading, however, is free to the public. Who knows, maybe these works can inspire some of you to take a stab at it next year, especially with the many tools Generations hacking has.
You’re still reading this? Get over to the site already!