another brainstorming thread: ideas for timed "screen cycling"

[idontknow]

I got this idea for a thread where we could brainstorm ideas for different uses for "screen cycling", where there is a sequence of screens that cycle to each other fairly quickly in order to make a scene or an event occurr.

The only practical example i can think of, and actually where i got this idea for this thread from, is a "skylift" (credit to Freedom), where after 3 tics, link appears to progress like 1/2 a tile further on the sky lift.

What other ideas do you have in mind where screen cycling would be more beneficial than combo cycling?

[Freedom]

1/4 tile at a time, also used screens for a dive link makes from a high cliff, and did a wire span like the skylift that uses a hand dolly.
just a little less trouble then combo cycling.

[Dark Nation]

Screen cycling or screen scrolling?

[Jigglysaint]

Think animated combos, on a macro sense. Instead of a combo or tile in a series animating, the entire screen animates. when you step on a screen, you stay put, as well as any monsters, but the map data changes to the next one beside it, and then to the next, or goes back. This would be good for allowing more complex animation, without making very messy combos, plus it would allow for more syncronized animations. It could also be so that each layer has it's own cycle, so you could easily put scrolling mist or clouds, without out the hassle it currently is. Heck, if you can then program a layer to follow a sprite we would most certainly be able to do Zelda 3 type bosses.

[Freedom]

screen scrolling or cycling?
hum.....

There are a series of about 40 screens tied together by insta warping at 3 tic intervals, sort of like the "flip through the deck of cards to watch the old movie" thing.

through all that Link is made invisible and just the screen graphics proceed until the last screen where he is made available again to the player.

Since it would shoot across the map if the subscreen was shown, I guess you could call it scrolling, but at the same time it works just like cycling combos, just using full screens instead on single combos, so I guess I'll let Webster give it a name :)

[automatic]

Wall Crumbling:
You come to a giant wall of rock with one key "rock" in the middle. Hitting the key rock with a hammer starts a chain of destruction, where the rest of the wall crumbles away bit by bit.

Make an combo of solid rock, and a animated combo of crumbling rock (the first frame of which matches the solid combo). After triggering the secret by hitting the first rock, warp to the first screen in the sequence. The first row of rocks is now made of your crumbling combos. Wait just enough tics for the combo to finish animating and warp to the next screen, where the next row of rock is now crumbling combos... etc, until the whole wall is gone. You could animate this on layers 3-4 (Place a sprite of Link with the Hammer down in the place where you hit the original rock), and freeze Link's position by filling layer 0 with unwalkable combos, so when the animation stops, he's in the same spot.

[Freedom]

cycling combos don't work on layers

[Sephiroth]

He is not using cycling combos, but animated combos. he said that you put solid "combos" around link so that link does not move and he is in the same place upon the ending of the sequence. but how would one make this a "one time" event? That will be difficult since a secret is already used on that one screen. :blah:

[automatic]

He is not using cycling combos, but animated combos. he said that you put solid "combos" around link so that link does not move and he is in the same place upon the ending of the sequence. but how would one make this a "one time" event? That will be difficult since a secret is already used on that one screen. :blah:Correct, Freedom... the combos on the layers above Link aren't cycled... just animated.

As for the one-time event thing... use Boss Flags and the Fire enemy. Like so:



*********
*.............*
*.............* <---- Room 2 is the big wall room
*.............*
*.............*
***....****
*.............*
*.............* <---- Room 1 has the Fire enemy
*.............*
*.............*
*********

Room 1 has two versions: Before you smash the wall and After you smash the wall. Hereafter refered to as 1B & 1A.

Room 2 has two versions also - Before and After. Refered to herafter as 2B & 2A.

You enter room 1B. There is an invisible fire enemy somewhere Link can't reach. This room has a Boss Flag on it. There are Secret #16 flags in front of the doorway to Room 2. They are set to become Pit Warps when Enemies-Secret activates. Right now, they don't do anything. Link walks in to room 2B.

Room 2B has the rock wall, and the hammer secret that starts the chain reaction. Link smashes the rock with the hammer. The screens cycle through the animation until Link ends up at 2A.

Room 2A has no enemies on it, but it does have the Boss Flag. Link triggers this automatically just by entering the screen. This also triggers the Boss Flag for room 1B, killing the Fire enemy there, and triggering the secret (the pit-warps). Link goes and does whatever he has to do beyond the crumbled wall, and comes back. There is a side-warp at the bottom of 2A that leads to 1A. Okay, now, let's back up a bit...

1B's pit warps are set just before the door. By stepping on the pit-warp, you are instantly warped to 1A. Exiting North on 1A leads you to 2A.

1A also has pit-warps built in (but there is no need for them to be secret). They are set a little further away from the door at the North, so when Link steps on them he's instantly warped to 1B. He can go back and forth, triggering the warps, and not even know it. But the net effect is, whenever he goes from Room 1 to Room 2 now, the rock wall is still crumbled.

I hope I haven't made this too confusing (I tried to be as clear as possible...) I could make a mock-up qst that shows this if anyone's interested. Also, to see if my theory actually works... ;)

[Sephiroth]

That would be a good idea. Why don't you make a mockup .qst file and then allow other people to mess around with it? It will help out the ZC community alot with your little discovery. :)

[automatic]

Sure, but it'll have to be some time tomorrow... I have class tonight.

[Sephiroth]

Don't worry, take all your time. I will like to see how your idea comes out. hey, who knows, I may even expieriment with it myself tonite. :p

[Freedom]

one problem you'll have is the animations don't start when secrets are triggered, they will show at whatever point they are in their cycle when you trigger, so the wall may be half way down by the time you see it, or even all the way down.

[automatic]

one problem you'll have is the animations don't start when secrets are triggered, they will show at whatever point they are in their cycle when you trigger, so the wall may be half way down by the time you see it, or even all the way down.You're right, I forgot about that. Well, to work around that, I just loaded all the crumbling frames into the combo page and used combo-cycling. Instead of making the animations on a layer above Link, I used "Invisible Link," and made some unwalkable combos that looked like regular ones.

One other thing... it has sound effects. You can hear the wall crumble during the animation (if you're using 192b183, or maybe lower, I'm not sure how lower versions use T-music. Also, I don't think it'll work with one of the new private betas based on what I've read in the updates.) There's a text file included explaining how.

Anyway, I finished the sample, it's ready to share. Unfortunately, filespace seems to be down right now, and I can't upload it. I will as soon as I'm able...

------------------------
Edit:
Okay, filespace is back up (although it seems to be running kind of slow). Here's the zip:
http://www.filespace.org/automatic/Hammer_Time.zip

And now I'm going out drinking (it is Friday night, after all...). If anyone has any problems with the .qst file, post here and I'll check back tomorrow.

Enjoy!

-----------------------
Edit:
So... has anyone tried it out? I know it doesn't look like much is happening, but the trick works... when you arrive at the end of the animation, the secret is triggered on another screen (where you pick up the hammer). The next time you go there, the warps are already up.