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Certain things like DX's Game Gear games ports are missing from SA1 Xbox/Steam without the Better SADX mod whereas the Gamecube and original PC version on CD had them.
Dreamcast Conversion is but one mod you can have on Better SA1DX but if it's not your thing, you can always turn it off. The Xbox/Steam port without mods adds too much bloom to the levels whereas the DC and Gamecube didn't do that. The water texture for Xbox/PC is also stretched badly on higher resolutions, making, for example, the Emerald Coast sea look like cling film and the station square hotel pool look like it's full of soap.
Better SA1DX has a mod that emulates the original Gamecube water, which was one of the few genuine upgrades from Dreamcast that the Gamecube one had. Combining the GC water toggle with Dreamcast Conversion makes the game look perfect.
My knowledge of everything that was cut out or removed in each different version is limited by what I've seen for myself however, so checking the wiki might also help. It also lists the differences to the DC version, some of which DCC mod doesn't keep, such as the Chao system.
Which is fair as the original relied on connecting the console to the internet and browsing a chao garden black market online like Martian Buddy for Doom 3, and/or transferring the chao into the memory card (VMU) and playing a minigame on it to unlock stuff called Chao Adventure. I'm yet to do that on physical DC.
The Gamecube garden is similar to Xbox and PC, but the transfer device could be used for either deleting chao or transferring the chao to Sonic Advance and Pinball Party's tiny chao gardens on GBA and back again. On Xbox/Steam, all it does is delete them.
And does the BetterSADX mod, whether I choose Dreamcast or Director's Cut mode still install the mod manager so I can then see what it did /did not install and change them?
Is there a list anywhere so I can just install the Mod Manager and then myself chose which mods from each to install?
I mainly want basically the best of all options combined if I can, not to completely turn it into a different version of the game if that version had some aspects that were worse and others better.
There wasn't a mod called vanilla. I was referring to the base Xbox port of SA1 without the "DX DLC" there, which comes pre-packaged with the Steam version, at least for me when I bought it.
I think Better SADX does have the mod manager and a list of pre=packaged mods that come with it that you can tick on or off, but I recommend checking out ModDB or Gamebanana for it and any other good SA1 mods you may decide to use just in case it doesn't.
In my setup, Dreamcast Conversion doesn't restore everything from the original game e.g. Eggman is still called "Robotnik" in the Egg Hammer minigame (I own the 1998 release build of SA1 DC), the chao system is still the PC version one despite the gardens being the DC originals (in size and textures) and certain particles from DC like Chaos 2's bubbles and the "star effect" of the E100 mech explosions are still missing.
You can also still get the missions and the Metal Sonic unlock with DCC: The actual Dreamcast original gave you nothing if you got all emblems and I think it had no missions either, outside the DC version's DLC extras triggered by the system clock, which DCC also restores in an optional mutator code. Those Dreamcast DLCs (yes, even before the Xbox and Xbox 360) included holiday themed events and minor bonus games at certain times of the year, such as christmas trees that played NiGHTS music in winter, a unique Twinkle Circuit Track in spring or summer and even a Happy New Year 2000 event.
DCC is however, compatible with Better SADX's main features (such as the Game Gear games missing from the vanilla/base steam version) and other mods, at least the ones I use e.g. Super Sonic, Classic Icecap theme and the ever required Retranslated.
Also, I think DCC is just a texture and geometry restoration: If you want the Dreamcast lighting and the lower polygon characters, it has companion mods respectively called Lantern Engine and Dreamcast Characters Pack.
Sorry if I ramble too much. If all else fails, I recommend checking out this video as well as the sites I mentioned and see if it helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR_GmG0bcro
Seems like there was a lot of confusion with the "Dreamcast Conversion" thing, at least in terms of models.
So from what I understand, there are two sets of Dreamcast textures, one for the environment (which most prefer) and one for the models.
And as for the models, there are two sets of textures for those, depending on if you choose to use the lower fidelity Dreamcast models, or the higher quality DX models.
The full Drreamcast conversion seems to use the DC models, trying to turn the game into the Dreamcast version as much as possible, not really what I want, I want to pick the best bits and pieces of out all of the different games and combine them into a definitive one.
Not sure how I feel about the "Fixes, Adds, and Beta Restores" mod though. I would like the fixes.... but I don't really want to add what is basically fan content or deleted beta content to the game. Are those three separate things, or are they all one set? (Also it wasn't clear if this only adds Japanese voices and other features in, I would prefer to play it in English).
Wasn't aware this existed for SA2 as well, I was told that SA2 was a pretty good port and didn't need the kind of work that was the mess that the SA1 port ended up being.
Is it only the Mod Manager for SA2, or does it have "packs" like SA1 has with BetterSADX and such?
Quite a useful list, thank you. Not going to use the mods that modify the way the game actually works/basically almost let you cheat by changing/giving you abilities, but I am taking note of all the ones that are basically improvement/fix/best of both worlds mods. Probably won't be adding any fan or beta/unreleased content though as that just feels like too much of a mish-mashed mess.
Glad to be of help. :) If you like, my Null DC screeenshots showcase the things SA2 is missing, especially things the Partial Dreamcast Restoration pack doesn't fix, like the pulse alarm effects, flame jets on flying mechs and harriers, translucent Artificial Chaos ala Shadow, the Xbox Classics on Crazy Gadget and the missing meteorite ember effects. (The latter technically still exist in Battle, but they're so small you can't see them unless the angle is exactly right)
I can't actually remember if the mod manager comes with packs or not but if it does, it should have the option to let you turn off the ones you don't want.
https://i.imgur.com/ypV6ZlF.png
This is basically the best I can do to try to have all the improvements (especially models and textures) from the Gamecube and DX/PC versions that were added while also putting back any better textures, lighting, and features the Dreamcast version had right?
Two things that I don't get though.
1: The BetterSADX mod says that it also adds back in some GameGear games that were included originally but removed from the Steam version.... but I don't see that listed anywhere in the mod manager. Did these not get installed somehow? Or do they get installed in a different way?
and
2: I noticed that the water ripple effect seems to be missing? Did I just mis-remember, or was there a mod to add that ripple effect back into the Steam version?
By "ripple effect" do you mean the waves at the edge or the big ones when the orca jumps in the water in Emerald Coast? If the latter, that's a Dreamcast thing as far as I know. Dreamcast Conversion certainly puts it back, plus it looks great with the fixed Gamecube water enabled.
If it's something else, you may need to either look online or if it's in the mod manager, either check the codes menu or check the "configure" menu for each mod and see if it's hiding in there.
The Game Gear games appear in the game itself once SA1 Better DX is installed, and are unlocked as you earn emblems, like when unlocking Sonic 1 in Generations (console versions). I have them all as there's a code tickbox that lets you get all emblems straight away, including Metal Sonic. Only use that if you don't mind cheating to 100% however. SA2 does something similar if you want Green Hill cheaply.
As for GameGear, I meant that I didn't see them listed anywhere in the Mod Manager. Does that mean they are not installed? Or are they installed outside of the mod manager? I coulden't find them as a separate mod to install anywhere, which is why I uninstalled SADX and then reinstalled it just so I could install BetterSADX in Enhanced Director's Cut Experience mode. (I wish instead of making me choose a pack, it would just show me all the mods it has and let me pick-and-choose instead of having to hunt them down after the fact, especially since many are not easy to find.... or some seem exclusive to the BetterSADX pack).
So l I have no idea if this means they installed, or I would have had to choose the DreamCast option to actually install them, because I didn't want the Dreamcast character models over the DX ones.
The Game Gear games are from the Gamecube version and are part of Better SADX by default. They will be installed so long as the mod is but they don't appear in the manager as far as I know. As for the ripple effect, I just checked the mod manager myself and it's unfortunately a configure menu checkbox for Dreamcast Conversion labelled "Reslore the SA1 water ripple". Mine is active at the moment. The DC character models i.e. "Dreamcast Characters" are treated as a separate mod to DCC itself however, so you can always turn that one off.
As for DCC itself, all the other options like specific levels converted etc can be fine tuned to your liking in the configure menu as well.
I hope this helps. Either way, have fun. :)
I admit, I don't really follow what you mean.
Do you meant that the Dreamcast conversion mod itself adds some type of in-game menu or special program on top of the mod manager that will let me enable that effect? And I can't enable it on it's own in the Mod Manager?
DCC changes the behaviour of the game such as animations, physics, levels etc. to match the Dreamcast original and the water ripple is one of the things it fixes. When you select the mod in the mod manager, there's a button labelled "Configure" near the bottom of the window. Click on that and you can adjust exactly what parts of the game Dreamcast Conversion is allowed to change. One of the options in that menu is the water ripple.
The character models for Dreamcast are counted as a different mod entirely to DCC so all that needs to be done for that particular mod is simply keep it uninstalled.
The guide actually mentions the configure menu in question.
The thing I said can't be changed in the mod manager is the game gear games, as those are part of Better SADX by default. As long as Better SADX is installed, you will get the game gear games.