This page is for Windows 95 compilation. For the emulated re-release, see Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Key points
- Higher resolutions over other versions.
- Allows one the choice of playing Sonic 3 or Sonic & Knuckles standalone, the way they were initially released.
- Runs at an unplayable speed on newer systems. Using Sega PC Reloaded is recommended to install and patch the game on newer systems.
- The original Genesis/Mega Drive music has been replaced by synthesized MIDI. A mod for Sega PC Reloaded can restore the original Genesis/Mega Drive music.
General information
- The official developer website
- Sonic News Network - A massive wiki for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
- Sonic Retro - A huge fan site for everything Sonic the Hedgehog. Mods for all the games can be found here.
Availability
- This game is not available digitally. This game was also included in Sonic Action Pack, Sonic Action 4 Pack, and Sega PC Mega Pack.[1]
- This collection includes Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and the Blue Spheres lock-on game (listed as "Special Stage Mode").
Essential improvements
- Simple and easy-to-use launcher with many options and tweaks.
Korama's Sega PC Reloaded is an installer, launcher, and patcher for some of Sega's older PC games. It currently supports Sonic & Knuckles Collection, Sonic CD (1995), Sonic 3D Blast, and Ecco the Dolphin (deprecated). It also fixes issues and/or broken functions of these games and allows them to run on Windows Vista and later along with some added improvements.
Installing the game with Sega PC Reloaded[citation needed]
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- Insert the Sonic & Knuckles Collection disc into your CD drive or copy the
GAME folder from the disc into your computer.
- Download Sega PC Reloaded from the link above, run the launcher, select the
Install Game option, and then select Sonic & Knuckles Collection.
- Select the
Select source option from the menu to install from the disc or the folder containing the game's files, then you will be asked to find the drive letter where the disc is located (e.g. D:\ ) or the game folder, afterwards the launcher will then ask you to create a new folder to install the game with the patches. Alternatively, you can install the patches into <path-to-game> by selecting the Already installed option to patch the game.
- If the Sega PC Reloaded launcher has detected the game, you can adjust the settings as you see fit, then click
Launch! to play the game. You should see "Korama's patches active!" appearing on screen when launching the game.
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SMPS Player
- Sega PC Reloaded is required.
- Makes use the 16-bit chip tunes of the Genesis hardware, and restores the original music for Carnival Night Zone, Ice Cap Zone and Launch Base Zone among others.
The original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of the games' music has been replaced with synthesized MIDI in Sonic & Knuckles Collection, with some tracks being completely replaced altogether.
Installing SMPS Player[citation needed]
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- Download the SMPS Player, then extract its contents to
<path-to-game> .
- Run the Sega PC Reloaded launcher.
- Select the Configure Game option, and then select Sonic & Knuckles Collection.
- Click on
... on the Music DLL section.
- Select
SMPSOUT.dll . The settings should look something like this.
- Now launch the game. You should able hear "SEGA!" and the game's original music playing.
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Run without the CD
- Sega PC Reloaded includes this fix by default.
Create a S3K.INI file[2]
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1. Create a new text file with a text editor (e.g. Notepad, Notepad++).
2. Add the following:
[Debug]
MukaiDropFrame=0
DebugMode=1
EnableFrameDrop=0
ShowFrameCount=0
EnableFrameCapture=1
UseModeX=1
NoSoundEffect=0
CDCheckEnable=1
SonicGameMode=0
3. Set CDCheckEnable= to 0 .
4. Save the file as S3K.INI (File → Save or Ctrl+S), then place this file into %WINDIR% . The game should be able to run without the disc.
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
- If using Sega PC Reloaded, its settings will be stored in
SONIC3K.ini
under <path-to-game>
.
- The
SonicGameMode=
changes which game will be played: 0
is Sonic 3 & Knuckles (default), 1
is Sonic & Knuckles, and 2
is Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Save game data location
Video settings
General settings of Sega PC Reloaded launcher.
Template:Video settings
Input settings
Template:Input settings
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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French |
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German |
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Japanese |
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Only in the Japanese version. |
Korean |
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Only in the Korean version. |
Spanish |
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Network
Multiplayer types
Type |
Native |
Players |
Notes |
Local play |
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2 |
Co-op, Versus Only Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles have multiplayer. For co-op mode, start a 1 Player game and play as Sonic & Tails; player 1 is Sonic and player 2 is Tails. |
LAN play |
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Online play |
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Issues fixed
Game runs too fast
Enable Frame-dropping[citation needed]
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- See Run without the CD.
- Set
EnableFrameDrop= to 1 .
- Save the changes.
Notes
- Noticeable frame-stuttering.
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Use Sega PC Reloaded (recommended)[citation needed]
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- The game may still run too fast, even when using Sega PC Reloaded. Try using
Vsync (reverse) in case Vsync (normal) does not work.[citation needed]
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Other information
API
Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
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System requirements
Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
Windows 95 |
Windows 95 or 98 |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 75MHz
| Intel Pentium 133MHz |
System memory (RAM) |
8 MB |
16 MB or more |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
20 MB |
50 MB or more |
Video card (GPU) |
1 MB SVGA VIdeo Adapter DirectX Direct X3 compatible
| 2 MB SVGA Video Adapter or more DirectX Direct X 5 or later compatible |
Sound (audio device) |
PC Speaker |
ISA/PCI Sound card with FM synthesizer, Sound Blaster |
References