User:Ultra64Detective2401/4th Floor BBH Theory

Hello. Welcome to the first time I’ve made a theory post!

You might be wondering why I’m making theory posts when I’m already working on my sequences. But the thing is, as you may be aware, the sequences are starting to become slow. The reason for that is that I’ve reached the point where I have to comb through a bunch of different reports, go through what reports are plausible and what aren’t, in an attempt to establish what the main real anomalies are.

However, we all know my first sequence (or my second sequence depending on whether or not I split it) will almost certainly end with me just agreeing with the Community Canon, just having proven it to any who may doubt it, so for these posts, we can just assume Community Canon, since we at MIPS hole sort of already accept that. These posts can therefore allow me to share theories well before I reach them (more thoroughly) in the sequences.

As you’re aware, the fourth floor is an additional area that can manifest in certain personalized copies of the game.

The reason for this is that the Personalization AI is able to bring back removed areas, and attempt to finish said areas. Not given a full model, it would take what little it has, and procedurally generate the rest of the level, based on you, the player. This results in variations of the fourth floor that have several things nearly universal, while also having many variants.

One thing that is common, however, is that the 4th floor appears as a labyrinth. These do not fit the design of a floor, meaning they are the result of the AI generating rooms and halls for the floor. Due to the vastly different layouts found in copies, it is likely that the fourth floor was cut very early in its development. All that appears to have been coded was the Toad Shrine-Everything else varies, and appears to have been generated by the AI.

The original (now lost) video introducing the 4th floor (by giving us a theme and one of the most well-circulated images of the floor) stated that the floor was from the 7/29/1995 build.

A very common area in this floor is The Internal Garden, a peaceful garden whose purpose appears to be unknown. Copies with this area also tend to have Boos roaming the halls in the fourth floor.

Now here’s where things get interesting. Taking a look at the final game’s level select, the Castle Courtyard was the lastpart of the castle to be added to the game. By far, as well, as this was 10 stages after the outer castle, which itself was 10 stages after the inner castle. This means first, there was a castle, then the Castle Grounds were made, then the Castle Courtyard. In fact, the Castle Courtyard was made after all the main stages were complete (Except Tall, Tall, Mountain, which evidence suggests was made last minute to host the slide that was originally meant for Cool Cool Mountain, being given a snowy slide last minute)

This brings up a question:If the inside of the castle was made before the outside (likely so levels were enterable), what was the initial plan for Big Boo’s Haunt? Where were Boos going to be before the Castle Courtyard was created?

The only real answer I can come up with... is the Internal Garden. The one place where the Boos were coming from.. and have already left, to haunt the halls.

Big Boo’s Balcony is one of the hardest stars in the game. What is it doing on the first floor? ...What if it was never meant for that floor, and was meant for a different floor?

The basement has 4 courses. The second floor also has 4 courses. (Starry-Night Skies likely would’ve been there before Tall Tall Mountain took its place). The first floor may well have also been meant to have 4 courses, before BBH was shifted over. (As a matter of fact, in Spaceworld 1995, it did have 4 courses!)

This would make the likely time the 4th floor was cut sometime before Spaceworld, since the Courtyard was already there at the time.

So, here’s my hypothesis:The 4th floor was cut early in development, sometime between August 1995 and November 1995. It was intended to have a Toad Shrine somewhere, and Boos roaming the halls. Inside the fourth floor somewhere would also be Big Boo’s Haunt, or, as it was known then, Boo Apparition.

After the 4th floor was cut, the game designers needed somewhere to put Boos, and needed at least one haunt level in the game. So, they created a sub-area specifically for that purpose alone, the Castle Courtyard. That is why it is barren beyond the Boos and a fountain, ripped from the Internal Garden. Boo Apparition was moved to the 1st floor and reworked into Big Boo’s Haunt. (Yet signs of its difficulty remain, just like how Spring Yard Zone from Sonic 1 still shows signs it was meant to be the fifth zone in the game by its difficulty compared to Star Light Zone)

Because the 4th floor was cut early in development, when it is manifested by the AI, it attempts to finish it on its own, giving different results for different players, but since it procedurally generated it, it gives the telltale signs-A labyrinth of random halls and random rooms.