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Botanic Serenity is a level pack created by Digiku. Its main stage, Botanic Serenity Zone, is a very processor-intensive NiGHTS-mode level. Additionally, two unlockable maps are included in the pack, as well as a special secret. It is highly appreciated for its detailed environment, as well as being the first custom NiGHTS stage.
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Current Release Information
- Current Version: v2.0, Part 1
- Available at: At the SRB2 Message Board
- Discussion: At the SRB2 Message Board
Contents
- Botanic Serenity Zone: This is the main level of the mod. 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 final release, this level will feature five emblems to collect for every character.
- Boss level: A boss level that follows after The Perception is planned for the final release, although it will be different from the boss found in the original version.
- ??? Secret: This secret will be unlocked by collecting all the emblems in The Perception.
History
Original
Botanic Serenity dates back to the beginning of the SRB2 v1.08 era, in early 2004. Though actual development time spans across two years, active development time has only taken place for about one year. It has been worked on from January 2004-August 2004, and then from August 2005-December 2005. Since then, development time has been on and off.
Botanic Serenity was released on August 20th of 2006. Because Botanic Serenity Zone is a very resource-intensive level, Botanic Serenity was distributed in three versions: High-End, Mid-End, Low-End, with an unofficial Ultra High-End. 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 sacrifice of some visuals. Low-End version sacrificed most of High-End graphics for the best running speed.
The final unlockable of Botanic Serenity was completed on April 25, 2008, more than one-and-a-half years after the game's release. It's available using the details provided in the game itself.
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 SRB2ME, work on Botanic Serenity v2.0 was resumed, now focused on updating the level for the new SRB2 release. However, 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 and emblem locations, a new boss, a jukebox that allows the player to change the music played in the stage and a Match/Tag version of the level.
Part 1 of Botanic Serenity v2.0 was released on August 24th of 2006, approximately four years after the original release. It consists of the main stage and the unlockable The Perception. Unlike its predecessor, it is 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 is currently in development, and will feature emblems for the unlockable, a boss stage, and Match/Tag support.