Blonde799
12-31-2002, 04:54 PM
I'll deal with any mod talk later.
I heard a few requests for how-tos on how to do things like custom bosses, one-way conveyors, etc. and I thought I should post as to educate on such. If anyone would like to post tips/corrections, please do it here, so n00bs won't have to search.
Now, on with the edumacatin'.:D
1. Side Scrolling Water: To start, have two combos ready;the top part(for more realistic water, have this part animate like moving water), and the filler part, which is basically going under the top part. I also suggest you have the water tile's colors be blue, or gray. Copy and paste the room you want to put the water in on an blank screen, and designate where the water will be. Now, put the water screen on the room's 3rd layer or higher, and check the trans. option.
To make this watery enviroment even more realistic, have any combos under the water layer be slow walk combos. If you want a lava variant of the water, just make the combos under the layer damage combos.
2. Custom Bosses: To make one of these, you have to know layers, weapon themed secret flags, and pit combos.
I'll make this simple. First, make a tile or tiles that represent the boss. If you want a simple one, it should be a 1X1(1 tile), or a 2X2(4 tiles). Now in the custom boss room, set up the layers for the boss tiles. Next, specify its weak point by putting a weapon themed flag(burn, sword, boomerang, etc.) at the desired spot on the floor under the layer, put secret flags all over the floor except the weak spot, and have the secret flags become pit combos when the weapon flag is activated. Also, have the pit combos warp you to a screen with either the prize for for killing the boss, or another screen with the boss on it again if you want to do multiple stages.
If you want a damaging boss, put damage combos near the monster, so whenever link touches the monster, he receives damage. Want multiple hits for your boss? Take an enemy, preferable a gibdo, and place him in the weak spot specified, have the enemies->secret screen flag checked, and pen up the monster, by putting blocks around it so it won't wander outside the boss. I suggest you also have cover up layers and damage combos, to keep players from going behind the curtains.
Want your boss to have attacks? Put in some fire shooter enemies, and place them using enemy placement flags, or you can have attack graphic layers that damage you.
Repeat the whole process to put in multiple phases for the boss.
If you want a nice animated boss battle, use combo cycling to switch between none and pit combos and different screens to make the boss animate.
Custom Boss Tip:
Let's say you want a spider boss to capture you in webbing, if you decide to step in it. Do the animated custom boss trick, and have it do a scene where it throws webbing on the floor. Next, on the screen where the webbing shows in the floor, have pit combos on the webbing, and have them teleport you to a screen where link is captured in it, and set the timed warp tics to, maybe, 900 or more(if possible), then have the side warp(the warp timed warping uses) take you back to the screen where there was no webbing on the floor.
3. Cutscenes: These aren't as hard to make. Have the graphics, screens, etc. to make your scenes. Now start on the first screen, and place the desired graphics. If you want a string to start, assign the desired string to the room(make sure to link the desired string if you want a conversation). Now, when the first screen is done, now that we don't need that "press right" thing, you can set the timed warp tics. 10 tics equal 1/60 of a second, so chart it, and set it to how you want it.
If you want animated cutscenes, you can always use the flipbook method, which is pretty easy. Just make the tiles for the NPCs in each of their little animations, and set them in as many screens as it takes to do their animation scene(sword slashing, spell casting, mass killing, etc.). Now, have the screens set on timed warp tics that are low, about 600 or less, for each screen, so it looks like they animate, like a flipbook. You can use combo cycling and tile animation as well, but you'll have to be more careful as to how the animation aligns with the screen timing(in other words, more work with this one, just using less screens).
One-Way Conveyors: This is really easy to do. Have a combo cycle between a pit and conveyor, then have the tile warp set to a duplicate screen, where the top half of that combo is unwalkable, but link is under that half, so he won't be stuck. Now, on the next screen, have the same combo in the same place, but have it totally unwalkable, but have that screen be a timed warp screen, where link will be warped to the next combo down. Repeat this for as many screens as you want to simulate waterfalls, and such.
Puzzle Idea
Gobstopper Puzzle: It's called that because the tile changes colors everytime you trigger a secret, used in WE. Get a simple tile, like a ball, make two copies, and have the copies different colors. Now, start on the desired screen, and place the combo on layers 1 or 2(make sure the combo is totally solid).
Now, place a weapon flag on the ground below it, have the weapon secret be the same tile, and have the secret flag become a pit combo, and have the tile warp send you to a different screen, but have a different colored tile, with the same setup as the last screen(not with the same layer though). If you want to trigger boss flags, just have the next to last screen warp you to the desired DMap, have a penned up enemy, and have a kill all enemies item, along with the enemies->secret screen flag, and dungeon boss enemy flag checked. You can make multi-slashable walls, boulder moving puzzles, and other stuff.
Free Screen Scrolling: This is something I've found out while trying to make SSM more like metroid.:)
Set up a straight corridor with any desired tiles. Next, make duplicates of those tiles, and make halved versions of them. An example would be a square block. Instead of it being a whole block, just move the tile 8 pixels left or right in the tile editor, and it'll look like it's been cut in half. Do this with all the tiles that are in the corridor. If any tiles overlap onto other surfaces like rocky wall going into a flat white wall, just take the rocky wall tile, and use the x'ed color to make one half of it invisible, place it on layer, and have it overlap the white wall surface. Now, make a copy of the last screen you made, but put the above layer on top of the white wall, so it looks like the screen only moved half a tile.
Repeat the process for the next 4 screens, until the five screens look like a scrolling level when you look at them in sucession real fast in the map editor. Now for the warping part. At the first screen, set up a side warp to take you to the next screen, with an insta-warp. Now go to the destination screen, and set the blue square to half a tile away from the end of the screen(just to let you know, the set of screens are placed from left to right). Repeat til the end of the string of screens. Now, if done right, when link walks to the end of the screen, instead of the screen going to the next, it'll look like the screen only moved a few pixels, just like the sonic, metroid, and Z2+ games.:)
I heard a few requests for how-tos on how to do things like custom bosses, one-way conveyors, etc. and I thought I should post as to educate on such. If anyone would like to post tips/corrections, please do it here, so n00bs won't have to search.
Now, on with the edumacatin'.:D
1. Side Scrolling Water: To start, have two combos ready;the top part(for more realistic water, have this part animate like moving water), and the filler part, which is basically going under the top part. I also suggest you have the water tile's colors be blue, or gray. Copy and paste the room you want to put the water in on an blank screen, and designate where the water will be. Now, put the water screen on the room's 3rd layer or higher, and check the trans. option.
To make this watery enviroment even more realistic, have any combos under the water layer be slow walk combos. If you want a lava variant of the water, just make the combos under the layer damage combos.
2. Custom Bosses: To make one of these, you have to know layers, weapon themed secret flags, and pit combos.
I'll make this simple. First, make a tile or tiles that represent the boss. If you want a simple one, it should be a 1X1(1 tile), or a 2X2(4 tiles). Now in the custom boss room, set up the layers for the boss tiles. Next, specify its weak point by putting a weapon themed flag(burn, sword, boomerang, etc.) at the desired spot on the floor under the layer, put secret flags all over the floor except the weak spot, and have the secret flags become pit combos when the weapon flag is activated. Also, have the pit combos warp you to a screen with either the prize for for killing the boss, or another screen with the boss on it again if you want to do multiple stages.
If you want a damaging boss, put damage combos near the monster, so whenever link touches the monster, he receives damage. Want multiple hits for your boss? Take an enemy, preferable a gibdo, and place him in the weak spot specified, have the enemies->secret screen flag checked, and pen up the monster, by putting blocks around it so it won't wander outside the boss. I suggest you also have cover up layers and damage combos, to keep players from going behind the curtains.
Want your boss to have attacks? Put in some fire shooter enemies, and place them using enemy placement flags, or you can have attack graphic layers that damage you.
Repeat the whole process to put in multiple phases for the boss.
If you want a nice animated boss battle, use combo cycling to switch between none and pit combos and different screens to make the boss animate.
Custom Boss Tip:
Let's say you want a spider boss to capture you in webbing, if you decide to step in it. Do the animated custom boss trick, and have it do a scene where it throws webbing on the floor. Next, on the screen where the webbing shows in the floor, have pit combos on the webbing, and have them teleport you to a screen where link is captured in it, and set the timed warp tics to, maybe, 900 or more(if possible), then have the side warp(the warp timed warping uses) take you back to the screen where there was no webbing on the floor.
3. Cutscenes: These aren't as hard to make. Have the graphics, screens, etc. to make your scenes. Now start on the first screen, and place the desired graphics. If you want a string to start, assign the desired string to the room(make sure to link the desired string if you want a conversation). Now, when the first screen is done, now that we don't need that "press right" thing, you can set the timed warp tics. 10 tics equal 1/60 of a second, so chart it, and set it to how you want it.
If you want animated cutscenes, you can always use the flipbook method, which is pretty easy. Just make the tiles for the NPCs in each of their little animations, and set them in as many screens as it takes to do their animation scene(sword slashing, spell casting, mass killing, etc.). Now, have the screens set on timed warp tics that are low, about 600 or less, for each screen, so it looks like they animate, like a flipbook. You can use combo cycling and tile animation as well, but you'll have to be more careful as to how the animation aligns with the screen timing(in other words, more work with this one, just using less screens).
One-Way Conveyors: This is really easy to do. Have a combo cycle between a pit and conveyor, then have the tile warp set to a duplicate screen, where the top half of that combo is unwalkable, but link is under that half, so he won't be stuck. Now, on the next screen, have the same combo in the same place, but have it totally unwalkable, but have that screen be a timed warp screen, where link will be warped to the next combo down. Repeat this for as many screens as you want to simulate waterfalls, and such.
Puzzle Idea
Gobstopper Puzzle: It's called that because the tile changes colors everytime you trigger a secret, used in WE. Get a simple tile, like a ball, make two copies, and have the copies different colors. Now, start on the desired screen, and place the combo on layers 1 or 2(make sure the combo is totally solid).
Now, place a weapon flag on the ground below it, have the weapon secret be the same tile, and have the secret flag become a pit combo, and have the tile warp send you to a different screen, but have a different colored tile, with the same setup as the last screen(not with the same layer though). If you want to trigger boss flags, just have the next to last screen warp you to the desired DMap, have a penned up enemy, and have a kill all enemies item, along with the enemies->secret screen flag, and dungeon boss enemy flag checked. You can make multi-slashable walls, boulder moving puzzles, and other stuff.
Free Screen Scrolling: This is something I've found out while trying to make SSM more like metroid.:)
Set up a straight corridor with any desired tiles. Next, make duplicates of those tiles, and make halved versions of them. An example would be a square block. Instead of it being a whole block, just move the tile 8 pixels left or right in the tile editor, and it'll look like it's been cut in half. Do this with all the tiles that are in the corridor. If any tiles overlap onto other surfaces like rocky wall going into a flat white wall, just take the rocky wall tile, and use the x'ed color to make one half of it invisible, place it on layer, and have it overlap the white wall surface. Now, make a copy of the last screen you made, but put the above layer on top of the white wall, so it looks like the screen only moved half a tile.
Repeat the process for the next 4 screens, until the five screens look like a scrolling level when you look at them in sucession real fast in the map editor. Now for the warping part. At the first screen, set up a side warp to take you to the next screen, with an insta-warp. Now go to the destination screen, and set the blue square to half a tile away from the end of the screen(just to let you know, the set of screens are placed from left to right). Repeat til the end of the string of screens. Now, if done right, when link walks to the end of the screen, instead of the screen going to the next, it'll look like the screen only moved a few pixels, just like the sonic, metroid, and Z2+ games.:)