
The final guide update is complete, Sonic & Knuckles is now wrapped up with Death Egg Zone, and the Stages and Stories, and Downloads pages. This is where, sadly, Zone: 0 must draw a line under its new guide content and ride off into the sunset.
I sat down and started writing these guides eight years ago this very day. My projects at that time had a history of fizzling out after a few months, and I don't quite know how this one has managed to hold itself together for this long. But I'm grateful that it's received as much support and respect from fans and the Sonic community that it has done, which has allowed me to keep going when it's been a chore as much as it has a complete joy. Although I've said my interest has dwindled in it in the past, I never failed to feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment with every new level guide that I've published, and I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I have writing them.



I thought it would be nice at this point to include some fun stats, including visitor analytics since the current design launched on February 22nd 2009:
- Total number of page views: 1,011,342
- Total number of unique Sonic fans that have visited Zone: 0: 134,372
- Total number of images across the guides: 4558
- Total number of words across the guides: 254,061 (wow)
- Number of community awards won: 3 (I think)
- Number of Zone: 0 maps that have appeared in gaming magazines: 2
- Total time taken to get this far: 8 years on the dot.
Not bad going for a hobby, especially the fact that I've written over 25 times the typical length of a University dissertation just on five Sonic games - that's pretty scary in fact. Why did I do it? How did I do it? Simple really; I love Sonic. I want to tell you everything I can about Sonic because I love it that much, and I wanted a site like this to exist, so I made it exist. I hope that's come across in everything you see here, from the amount of detail I've put into writing about the level structure and visual iconography of Marble Garden Zone, to the placement of every last ring on the map of Spring Yard Zone.



There are two people I will name though, whom I've thanked before but will thank again regardless. Ricky Earl for his outstanding artwork contributions to the Sonic 1 and 2 guides, a brilliant artist and an all round great guy to talk to - I wish him well with his art, and his new life in Sweden. And Mercury, whose talent for programming has made the maps for Sonic CD, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles not only possible, but so much easier. Good luck to him with his new AeStHete game engine and fan game projects. I suggest you click on the ad banner for that, which will remain in circulation.
So what more can I say? I've had a great time, and I hope you've enjoyed my contribution to the Sonic community. Though this chapter ends, it allows new ones to begin, and I hope that my contributions can continue further - I'm pretty sure I'll never stop loving Sonic, and as long as I have ideas, you'll be hearing a lot more from me..!
Enjoy,
LiQuidShade.
Comments 51 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Abi on Thursday, 30th August 2012, 8:04pm
#2. Comment posted by Adam Unknown on Thursday, 30th August 2012, 8:15pm
#3. Comment posted by Brady Meyers on Thursday, 30th August 2012, 9:18pm
#4. Comment posted by Gemster on Thursday, 30th August 2012, 11:53pm
#5. Comment posted by Gemster on Thursday, 30th August 2012, 11:53pm
#6. Comment posted by Brady Meyers on Friday, 31st August 2012, 2:50am
#7. Comment posted by MoDaD on Friday, 31st August 2012, 3:11am
#8. Comment posted by EJ Phree on Friday, 31st August 2012, 3:23am
#9. Comment posted by Gemster on Friday, 31st August 2012, 7:31am
#10. Comment posted by Smiley225 on Friday, 31st August 2012, 9:17am
#11. Comment posted by m on Friday, 31st August 2012, 11:51am
#12. Comment posted by AquaRuin on Friday, 31st August 2012, 4:15pm
#13. Comment posted by Fossil on Friday, 31st August 2012, 9:35pm
#14. Comment posted by Kabam! on Saturday, 1st September 2012, 1:00am
#15. Comment posted by Cybershell13 on Saturday, 1st September 2012, 9:17am
#16. Comment posted by Brady Meyers on Saturday, 1st September 2012, 12:01pm
#17. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Sunday, 2nd September 2012, 12:05pm
#18. Comment posted by MoDaD on Monday, 3rd September 2012, 3:06am
#19. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Monday, 3rd September 2012, 6:30am
#20. Comment posted by Sleebo on Tuesday, 4th September 2012, 3:50am
#21. Comment posted by Michael on Tuesday, 4th September 2012, 9:25pm
#22. Comment posted by Kabam! on Thursday, 6th September 2012, 7:45pm
#23. Comment posted by Brady Meyers on Monday, 10th September 2012, 8:18am
#24. Comment posted by Anonymous on Saturday, 29th September 2012, 1:41am
#25. Comment posted by Kenny Hulpach on Saturday, 29th September 2012, 2:02pm
#26. Comment posted by WaddleDee on Monday, 1st October 2012, 10:53pm
#27. Comment posted by Thony on Wednesday, 10th October 2012, 10:39am
#28. Comment posted by Sparragow on Saturday, 10th November 2012, 10:06pm
#29. Comment posted by Anonymous on Sunday, 11th November 2012, 5:40pm
#30. Comment posted by Kabam! on Tuesday, 20th November 2012, 9:13pm
#31. Comment posted by Pete C on Sunday, 25th November 2012, 12:55am
#32. Comment posted by SomeRandomGuy on Tuesday, 11th December 2012, 11:52pm
#33. Comment posted by Brady Meyers on Wednesday, 12th December 2012, 10:28am
#34. Comment posted by Eclebright on Wednesday, 19th December 2012, 9:06pm
#35. Comment posted by Ditto on Saturday, 22nd December 2012, 3:57am
#36. Comment posted by Tim333 on Wednesday, 2nd January 2013, 6:32am
#37. Comment posted by SonicTailsKnuckles on Wednesday, 16th January 2013, 9:53pm
#38. Comment posted by Jake on Monday, 28th January 2013, 3:31am
#39. Comment posted by mrspell23 on Sunday, 17th March 2013, 8:29pm
#40. Comment posted by mrspell23 on Sunday, 17th March 2013, 8:29pm
#41. Comment posted by SonicTailsKnuckles on Monday, 18th March 2013, 7:19pm
#42. Comment posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, 20th March 2013, 7:21am
#43. Comment posted by Henry on Wednesday, 15th May 2013, 7:37am
#44. Comment posted by Derrick on Thursday, 13th June 2013, 3:02am
#45. Comment posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, 1st April 2014, 2:59pm
#46. Comment posted by El'endia Starman on Saturday, 30th August 2014, 8:37pm
#47. Comment posted by Cullen on Saturday, 13th September 2014, 5:16pm
#48. Comment posted by Dan on Tuesday, 23rd December 2014, 6:42pm
#49. Comment posted by Henry on Monday, 27th April 2015, 4:38pm
#50. Comment posted by ThatOneBFDIFan on Friday, 17th March 2017, 8:22pm
#51. Comment posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, 14th June 2017, 12:49pm