2.0:XSRB2/Levels/Factory Farce Zone Act 1

XSRB2 levels
MAPX9: Factory Farce Zone Act 1
DDZ MAPX0 MAPX2	SSZ MAPX3	FFZ MAPX9 MAPXB
Sonic Golf MAPZ0–MAPZ8

MAPX9, Factory Farce Zone Act 1, abbreviated as FFZ1, is the first act of Factory Farce Zone, the fourth zone in XSRB2. It is set in a factory populated mainly by Crawlas and Pop-up Turrets, featuring gimmicks such as damaging electric panels, conveyor belts, the Shrink Monitor and, most notably, bouncy panels that were borrowed from Sonic CD's Wacky Workbench. An incomplete version of this level was originally entered into the May/June 2009 OLDC, where it finished fourth in its division (due to particularly strong competition) with a score of 7.64.

Walkthrough

You start the level in a small room filled with crates. In front of you is a larger room with bridges passing overhead and electrical panels on the floor that flicker between red, blue and green. If you touch these panels, they will bounce you up into the air. You can either use the bouncy panels to reach the top of the tower in the near left corner from the starting point or the walk through the door to the left. In this room, you can also propel yourself upwards with the bouncy panels or you can climb up via a set of ledges and springs. In both cases, you should reach a walkway at the top of the second room. At the end of the walkway is a set of diagonal yellow springs that lead to a platform hanging from the ceiling. This platform has another set of springs that propel you into a corridor with a transparent glass floor. At the end of a corridor is the first Star Post.

The floor of the next room is partially covered with bouncy panels, while the ceiling is covered with damaging panels. Jump over the panels to avoid being sent into the ceiling and taking damage. At the other side of the room is a row of springs that lead up a stack of crates. From here, you can reach the next room. It is partially sealed off by a wall that is reaching down from the ceiling. Turn right and spindash into the springs clinging to the wall. They will propel you into another room with bouncy floors and a damaging ceiling. Cross it and use another row of springs to enter the next room. Here, you have to navigate around a large stack of crates while avoiding damaging panels on the floor. At the end of the room is a row of blue springs that you must use to reach a ledge with the second Star Post across another set of damaging panels.

Now you have to navigate across several stacks of crates, some of which are connected by stairs and a bridge that collapses after stepping on it. The floor of the room is covered by damaging panels, a death pit and some safe ground. If you should fall down, there is a set of springs near the entrance that lead you back on top of the crates. Once you've managed to cross the room, there is a set of diagonal springs on the last stack that pushes you into the next room. It is similar to the previous one, except that it also includes conveyor belts that are attached to the walls. The bridge to the exit again collapses after being used. In the next room, you must jump across conveyor belts that are suspended from the ceiling, some of which push you sideways. The last conveyor belt ends with a row of blue springs behind Pog-GX2 enemies. Spin through them to get to the springs, which will propel you to a stack of crates on the other side of the room. Now turn right to reach the third Star Post.

Follow the corridor in front of you until the floor is again covered by glass panels. In front of you is now a hole that leads to another platform hanging from the ceiling, similar to the one in the beginning. It leads to a room with a walkway high above a pit of bouncy floors that push you back up if you fall down. At the end of the walkway, turn left to see several thin platforms floating above the pit. At the end is a row of diagonal red springs sandwiched between two of them. Spindash to reach them and be propelled down to a second room below the previous one. You will land on another thin platform. Walk forward, jump over the stack of crates to your right and step on the platform with the Level End Sign. It will collapse and fall down, ending the level.

Points of interest

Shrink room

In the first room, there is a Shrink Monitor on top of the crates. To reach it, turn around at the beginning. Walk behind the crate in the corner behind you to find a blue spring. Use it to get on top of the crates and turn right find the Shrink monitor hidden behind another crate. After popping it, you will be shrunk for thirty seconds. Turn around again and jump over the crates until you get to the far right corner of the room, where three crates form an L-shaped figure that leaves a hole between them and the wall. Jump into that hole. You should see an opening to an air vent in front of you. Follow it until the end to collect a Force Shield. Now go back and exit the vent again. Use the blue spring to jump over the crates. All this should be done quickly so you still have some time left before you become normal-sized again.

Now go to the other side of the room. There is a small gap between the rightmost two crates. Behind the rightmost crate is another opening that you can only fit into while you're shrunk. Behind it is a small room with a shrunken Crawla. Climb the stairs at the end to reach another room. To your right is another Shrink monitor. Pick it up quickly to stay alive, because if you grow normal-sized while in one of these rooms, you will die. At the end of the room is another small opening that leads into a square room with a normal-sized Pop-up Turret in the middle. Since you are shrunk, you cannot defeat it by normal means. This is where the Force Shield comes into play: By pressing the spin button after jumping, you can reflect the Pop-up Turret's shots and destroy it. Make sure to time this correctly or you will be hit. After destroying the Pop-up Turret, an elevator will activate and send you up into a room with two extra lives and three Super Ring Monitors. An exit is located to the right of them that leads you to the walkway at the top of the second big room.

Shortcut

In the room after the first Star Post, you should be able to see a stack of crates with a ring monitor on top that is leaning against the right wall. Use the bouncy panels to get on top of it and spindash into the wall. The wall will bust, revealing a tunnel to the room right before the second Star Post. On the other side is another bustable wall and another ring monitor. Between them is an Armageddon Shield Monitor.

Special Stage Tokens

• Just before the Level End Sign, there is a hole up high in the right wall. You can reach it either by using a Whirlwind Shield jump from the wall of crates or by Crawla bouncing. The latter can only be tried once at a time, because you cannot get back to the wall of crates afterwards. The hole leads to a room that contains a token in a small pit and an extra life on one of the crates. You can reach it by jumping over the crates from the hole in the wall.

Extra lives

• Upon entering the room after the first Star Post, you should see a formation of crates to your very left. It contains two holes that you can walk through. The higher one of the two contains an extra life. Use the bouncy panels to get to it.
• Just before taking the springs leading down to the lower half of the last room, turn around. You will see an extra life monitor sandwiched between two platforms. Spindash between them to get it.

Shields

• After being propelled up the corridor with the glass floor above the second room, turn around. You will see another corridor with several Crawlas in it behind you. At the end of it is a Whirlwind Shield.
• Right after the second Star Post, there is a wall of crates to your right. At the very top of it is a small alcove that contains four ring monitors and an Attraction Shield. Sonic can only access it via a bouncy panel in the opposite corner of the room. To reach it, you must jump across the crates in the room to reach the one with the ring monitor on it. Just behind it is a small pit with the bouncy panel at the bottom. After bouncing off it, you need to bounce on one of the Pop-up Turrets in the room (the best one to use is the one across the collapsing bridge) to make it to the alcove.
• At the end of the corridor after the third Star Post, jump across the hole leading down to the next room and continue forward. You will find a Whirlwind Shield.

Other power-ups

• In the room directly after the starting point, there is a diagonal yellow spring in the far left corner. It leads to a series of platforms and springs that lead you to a small platform up high with a Combi-ring.
• In the room after the first Star Post, there is a stack of crates to the left of the exit with an Invincibility Monitor on top of it. Getting to it via the bouncy panels is almost impossible without getting hurt, so it is recommended to jump to it from the other stack of crates with the ring monitor and the shortcut as described above.
• In the second room after the first Star Post, there is a stack of crates in the corner to your left after entering the room. Although difficult, it is possible to use the bouncy panels to reach the top of it without being hurt by the damaging ceiling. From there, you can drop down into a hole in front of you that contains a Combi-ring.
• Near the exit of the second room after the first Star Post, there is a row of three stacks of crates, the third of which contains a Giant Monitor. To reach it, turn around and get on top of the crates with springs on them at the far end of the room. The springs lead to two overhanging platforms from which you can access the stacks. Be careful not to jump too high and spindash through the monitor to avoid hitting the ceiling.

Beta version

A beta version of Factory Farce Zone Act 1 is included in XSRB2 as MAPY9. In this version, you start in a small room with an extra life monitor and four teleport stands. The rightmost stand warps you to the main level itself (which is unchanged) while the other three lead to unfinished testing rooms. The extra life is necessary as the testing rooms do not contain exits and can only be escaped by dying. The testing rooms are as follows:

• Left (red): A room for testing the Temporary Player Color Change and Check Player's Color – Continuous linedef types. Jump into the pools of dye to change your color and be able to pass through the laser barriers without taking damage.
• Middle (blue): A room for testing the Shrink/Giant monitors and both the shrunken and giant varieties of enemies. Break the Giant monitor and carefully navigate the maze of Shrink monitors to climb your way up.
• Right (green): A room that uses a combination of custom gravity and springs (including XSRB2's additional blue spring types, such as diagonal blue springs) to fling the player into a deadly black void.