2.0:Botanic Serenity

Botanic Serenity title screen

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Botanic Serenity is a level pack for Version 2.0 created by Digiku. Its main stage, Botanic Serenity Zone, was the first custom NiGHTS level ever made for SRB2 and is highly appreciated for its detailed environment. Additionally, the pack includes an unlockable map. As of Version 2.2, Botanic Serenity has been added to the main game as Alpine Paradise Zone Act 1 and Alpine Paradise Zone Act 2.

Current release information

• Current version: v2.0, Part 1 (August 24, 2010)
• Available at: SRB2 Message Board
• Forum topic for original version: SRB2 Message Board

Contents

• Botanic Serenity Zone: This is the main level of the pack. It features a single-mare NiGHTS track as well as seven Chaos Emeralds that are scattered throughout the map.
• The Perception: This level can be unlocked by beating BSZ with all emeralds. The terrain is almost identical to BSZ, but it has a different sky and a four-mare NiGHTS track. In the unreleased v2.0 Part 2, it would have also included five emblems to collect for each of the three characters.

Part 2

The unreleased Part 2 of Botanic Serenity v2.0 would have added Match/Tag support for BSZ, as well as the following two unlockables:

• Boss level: The original release of Botanic Serenity included a boss level that followed after The Perception. It was removed for v2.0 Part 1, but a new boss level was planned for Part 2.
• ??? Secret: This secret would have been unlocked by collecting all the emblems in The Perception. In the original release of Botanic Serenity, this secret consisted of a download link to an archive containing sketches, resources and other materials from the development of Botanic Serenity.

History

Original

Development for Botanic Serenity was started in January 2004, shortly after the release of SRB2 v1.08. At the time, NiGHTS levels were a new feature in SRB2, having been first showcased in SRB2 2k3 in March 2003. Spring Hill Zone was the only NiGHTS level for SRB2 at the time, which inspired Digiku to create the first custom NiGHTS level. Botanic Serenity was worked on between January and August 2004, then from August to December 2005, and sporadically afterwards.

The original version of Botanic Serenity was released on August 20th, 2006, one day after SRB2 v1.09.4, which added a second NiGHTS level called Slumber Circuit Zone to the game. Because Botanic Serenity Zone is a very open and detailed level, it had performance issues on many PCs at the time. To remedy this, Botanic Serenity was distributed in three versions: High-End, Mid-End, Low-End, with an unofficial Ultra High-End version created by community member Cue. The High-End version featured the most detailed visuals, but required a high-end PC to run fluently. The Mid-End version featured better performance, at the expense of some details. The Low-End version sacrificed most of High-End's details for the best performance.

The final unlockable for Botanic Serenity was completed on April 25th, 2008, more than one-and-a-half years after the pack's release. It could be obtained from a download link hidden in a secret level, but the website hosting it has since been removed.

Version 2

A Version 2 for Botanic Serenity was first planned in 2008, although it was canceled early on in development. It was focused on improving the performance and rectifying some problems, particularly with the unlockables.

With the release of SRB2 v2.0, work on Botanic Serenity v2.0 was resumed, now focused on updating the level for the new SRB2 release. New features were gradually added to the project during development, and the final product featured an overhaul of the visuals and the NiGHTS tracks, new emerald locations and a jukebox that allows the player to change the music played in the stage.

Part 1 of Botanic Serenity v2.0 was released on August 24th, 2010, approximately four years after the original release. It consists of the main stage and the unlockable The Perception. Unlike its predecessor, it was not distributed in three versions. The only available version is an optimized High-End version that performs similarly to the old Mid-End. Part 2 was supposed to feature emblems for The Perception, a boss stage, and Match/Tag support, but development on it was stopped and it is unlikely to be finished.