Item Levels

[The_Amaster]

Just wondering. At what level is it a good idea to introduce the following items:
Hammer
Hookshot
Wand
Bow
Magical Boomerang
And any others you belive I might make the mistake of underestimating and introduce to early.
Thanks.

[erm2003]

The big one here is the hammer. Since it can make fighting darknuts a piece of cake, it's generally frowned upon to introduce it early in a quest.

[The_Amaster]

Yeah, I had planned on lv6 at the earliest. I was thinking Hookshot lv3, Wand Lv 4, Bow lv 3,4,or 5?, Magical boomerang 6+. Does this sound good?

[ShadowTiger]

Hookshot
Best Gotten: Mid-Quest
This item can stun some enemies that the (Normal) boomerang(s) cannot, and allow Link to reach areas that he could not otherwise reach. To restrict Link's movement to the lower numbered dungeons, don't give Link this until mid-way through the quest, at least. The sooner you give it to him, the sooner he'll be able to cross large gaps and stun Darknuts and Wizrobes.

Wand
Best Gotten: Later
The wand is more a weapon than a tool. If you're still using the L1, and you give the player the wand, don't expect him to use his sword ever again until he gets the L2 sword. The wand's magic-firing ability is somewhat costly, but swinging the wand is free. You can also enact wonderous and whimsical puzzles using the wand and its magic. Use it wisely.

Bow
Best Gotten: Any Time
The bow has its own set of laws ruling it, really. It always has the same restrictions through out the quest, and is never, ever free to use. The Wooden arrow does two damage, the silver four, and the golden eight. (I think.) All use either one rupee or one arrow to fire, so you're always under that restriction. There are people who like to use it in combat, but that's a surefire way to drain your resources relatively quickly. Thus, most stick to the sword. It can be gotten at any time with the same level of impact on the quest. The later you get it, the less of a chance you have to use it in combat, since more of the stronger enemies aren't susceptible to arrows anyway. (Wizrobes and Darknuts, etc.)

Magical Boomerang
Best Gotten: Any Time
This is another weapon that can be given at any time. It's just as effective as the wooden boomerang, only it flies farther, and I think that its sparkles it leaves behind can stun some additional enemies for a time. Really, the only difference is the range.

Hammer
Best Gotten: LATEST
This is definitely not a weapon that you want to give the player anywhere before Level six, at the earliest. It does -four- damage, (Equivalent to the L3 Sword.) which is enough to kill a red darknut on its first impact, and it only takes two strikes to destroy a blue darknut. Unless the player has the L3 Sword or better, it can easily replace the player's melee weapon. Its only disadvantage is that it's slightly slow to use.

Super Bombs
Best Gotten: Mid-Quest
Super Bombs are like normal bombs in terms of effectiveness, only you need to conserve them even more since they don't come in bunches like regular bombs. You generally wouldn't use them in combat unless you have a dire need for it.

Lens Of Truth
Best Gotten: Later
This is an interesting exception to a few of the "rules" really. It has NO use in Combat WHATSOEVER, so you'll only be using it to spot secrets. It uses magic or rupees, so you won't be using it all of the time. It's really up to the quest author to see that this gets used to the best of its ability by the player. There are some puzzles that just need it, and every other puzzle doesn't need it because there's nothing to be lens'd for. (Yes, I just made up a word, .. or most of one, anyway.)

Red Candle Any Time
This is an item that you should never feel stingy with. Its magic cost is pretty low, (If even applicable: You can turn off "Candles Use Magic" in the Rules area.) It only does as much damage as your L1 sword, (Though enemies can become trapped in it if against a wall and can accumulate two to three damage then and there.) So you can indeed use this as a replacement for the L1 sword if you'd like to remove the sword for a while. (Just watch the whole mana thing, okay? :) 2.11 now has Fairy Magic flags you can use.) Remember now, it can burn the L2 Burn flags. ;) Do keep that in mind.

[The_Amaster]

Okay, that's great. This brings me to my next question...When would you suggest sword upgrades. My problem is that I have very little zelda experiance, as I only own a DS and a GBA, so the only games I've played through are the oracles and minish cap. I was thinking upgrading to Lv2 sword between the 5 and 6th dungeons. Is this too early, too late?

PS: By the end of the second dungeon(as far as I've designed) the player has gotten the sword, boomerang, flippers, whatever the lv1 candle is(I always forget, and the power bracelet. (The flippers have to be early on, as Migokale and I are making Wind Waker 2, and require water transport)
EDIT: This is what I have decided so far, based on your data:
Lv 1: Boomerang and Flippers
Lv 2: Candle Lv1 and Power bracelet.
Lv 3: Bow and Boots
Lv 4: Hookshot(Short) and Super Bombs
Lv 5: Power Braclet Lv2 and Ocarana(This levels boss is Digdogger)
Sometime in between: Sword Lv2
Lv 6: Magical Boomerang and Wand
Lv 7: Magic Shield and Long Hookshot
Lv 8: Lens o' Truth and Hammer

[zeldafan500]

I think you should have the master sword in or right before the last level. I think people forget about it at times.

[ShadowTiger]

... ... Whoah. ... You're giving out the FLIPPERS that early? O_O .. And the BOOTS? .. Geez man! XD Flippers shouldn't ever be given out before Level 5, minimum. There's just too much water you can use it on. Give out the raft instead. Not even the ladder. The raft can ONLY Be used in situations where there's a dock combo and a raft flag together.

[The_Amaster]

I'll put the boots later, and I'll ask Migokalle about the flippers.
PS: What does the amulet actully do, and whats the difference between the two candles?

[Pineconn]

The blue candle can be used once per screen, the red candle as many times as you like.

The amulet allows you to see invisible enemies. You can make enemies invisible by going to Data -> Screen Data and checking "Invisible Enemies". It's difficult to make the amulet a required item, so I suggest making it a convenience item.

Also, I do believe you want to use Amulet 1 because Amulet 2 isn't implemented yet.

[koopa]

EDIT: Pineconn posted in just as I was writing this :) Still,

Amulet: allows you to see enemies in "Invisible Enemies" rooms.
Amulet 2: looks nice, doesn't do anything.

Blue candle: can be used once per screen.
Red candle: can be used as often as you wish, or until magic's gone if you have it on.

As to items:
The wand is as strong as the L2 sword, and so should in my opinion be given shortly before or after that item.

The hookshot is easily my favourite item, and it' doesn't hurt to give it out early, just if so adapt your enemies accordingly because it's quite powerful in stunning.

The hammer is as strong as the L3 sword, and makes short work of darknuts, so should be given late in the game. A hammer in L1 spoils a lot. once you've got it there's little you can do to gradually increase the difficulty of the game.

The boomerang makes the game quite a bit easier, and the magic boomerang even more so, so I personally don't like it when you get the magic boomerang early in the game. I'd personally not give it before about L4.


Swords: I like swords :) Well, there are four and each one is twice as strong as the last. I'd say the L4 sword shouldn't come in until very late in the game, the others you can do pretty much what you want.

anaother Item I wouldn't give until the very end is the gold mail, it cuts damage down to 1/8 of normal.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Most of my quests usually follow this format:
Wooden Sword
Whistle
Wooden Boomerang
Red Candle
Raft
Bow/Arrow
Magic Shield
Power Bracelet
Magic Boomerang
White Sword
Wand
Ladder
Boots
Blue Ring
Hookshot
Amulet
Lens of Truth
Hammer
Magic Sword
Magic Book
Power Bracelet Lvl 2
Flippers
Silver Arrow
Red Ring
Mirror Shield
Magic Key
Golden Arrow
Master Sword
Granted, most of my quests do swap certain items around a bit depending on quest needs, but for the most part, that would be a perfect item line-up for most quests. Change the list as you see fit, but those are my suggestions.
As for Amulet 2, I do believe I read somewhere that its only purpose is to see Ganon when he is invisible. I could be wrong though.

[migokalle]

thats a good list! me and Amaster42 are going to make a great quest!
but we really need to stick with the flippers couse you need them to get to ceratin small islands between the big ones...

[The_Amaster]

Yeah. There are a few differences, of course, but that list is generally what I've got...