Quill & Link - General Status Reports

[Scotian Gold]

Hello all, Scotian Gold here. As you may have already guessed, the name of my quest is Quill & Link. This thread will be updated with progress reports on a semi-regular basis until the game is ready for beta-testing.

PROGRESS SUMMARY
August 2005 - discovered ZQuest
September 2005 - theme of quest determined
October 2005 - scope of overworlds and dungeon locations determined
December 2005 - plot written
May 2006 - overworld design 1st pass* completed
December 2006 - overworld design 2nd pass** 25% completed
*basic screen layouts
**complete screen layouts

Basically, I'm still at the 'dumb graphic' stage. I decided to complete the overworld and dungeon design before working with secret combos, etc., assuming newer versions of ZQ would be released in the meantime (presumably offering more options, easier programming, scripting, etc.).

As a teaser, below is an image of the overworld as it now appears. Blackened out screens are either incompete or confidential(!)

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/OverworldSample071206.jpg

The image really doesn't do the overworld justice, since it's at 3.125% of actual size. Quill & Link's overworld is not 16 x 8, it is 32 x 32.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to put up another progress report after the holidays. Of course, I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

[ShadowTiger]

Well holy crap, that looks like quite the overworld. :) I can't wait to see it when it's done. ^^.


All the gray content is water, right? Ocean and shoreline?

[*b*]

Damn, man. You've got way too much free time. That's a way impressive overworld

[migokalle]

cool! but can i ask a question? ok, how do you make a pic of the overworld map? do you just use pait? or is there a program? plz answer....
but seriously, that overworld looks HUGE!
EDIT: i got some more questons:
is the game in hyrule? or is it in another land?
and what's the quest about?

[Scotian Gold]

QUICK REPLIES

Shadowtiger - Yes, the grey is ocean. If you look closely, you should be able to spot cliffs, surf, and beaches. Lakes and rivers are in blue.

So what's the difference? Link will only be allowed to swim in blue water (lakes/rivers) and not in the grey ocean, where he would likely die of hypothermia. I have not decided if the ocean tiles will be unswimmable or severe HP hits. By making the ocean unswimmable, I can still use the raft and avoid having to build these 'rock mazes' that are so common in other quests.

*b* - My spare time is limited. I have a full time job and a wife to keep happy. I get somewhere between 0 and 10 hours a week to work on Quill & Link.

migokalle - I have Corel so it wasn't too difficult to make screen caps and put them all together. I posted a thread in another forum asking if there was a way to export the entire map as an image, but I did not get a reply.

Quill & Link does not take place in Hyrule, but it is a place I am very familiar with. As such, Link will have to overcome some obstacles before the townsfolk will talk with him. That's about all I'm prepared to say about the quest at this point.

[DarkFlameWolf]

looking forward to this, hope you got some good ideas for dungeons. Its good to play other quests for ideas and inspiration.

[Petoe]

Indeed, I hope to see this quest finished and released some day.

Keep up the impressive work!

[ms_zelda_lady]

:) Wow beautiful map of Nova Scotia Scotian Gold. Can't wait to play your quest. Are you going to use names like Halifax of Truro in your quest? When I was younger I spent every summer there because my mother was born in Halifax and all of her family still lives there.

ms_zelda_lady

[Petoe]

Wow, it is a map of Nova Scotia indeed! I just realized that too! Awesome job! O_O (I love geography and Canada so ignore me freaking out here :p )

Yeah, are there going to be places like Halifax and St. John's?

[Scotian Gold]

DarkFlameWolf
The idea for my dungeons is very good, I believe. However, I think the overworld and plot will be the strongest points of Quill & Link. Not to say the dungeons won't be of interest...Freedom knows some of my plans in this respect.

Note to Freedom: Please don't mention my dungeon plans here!

ms_zelda_lady / Petoe
Yes, I am indeed a Bluenoser so I went with what I know. Besides, I didn't want a 'square' overworld.

The overworld is based on real geography. Cities, towns, rivers and mountains are represented faithfully, with artistic license.

Location names in Quill and Link will suffer from my whims. I come from Kentville, which will probably be shortened to Kent. Truro ("What's a Truro?" people are asking) will probably be called Beaubassin after it's original 17th C. name. But great names like Kejimkujik will probably remain the same. You can't make up a name like that!

[Imprisoned]

WOW!!!!!! That sure looks... umm... err.... well, I'm out of words.

By the way, what is the "quill"?

[Scotian Gold]

Imprisoned
If Link is a character, that would have to make Quill much more than just an olde-tyme pen, don't you think? Just like a quill and ink go together, so do Quill & Link.

I may discuss Quill's role in the game later, but suffice it to say that Quill and Link are the only Hyrulian characters in this land.

[Freedom]

......... Not to say the dungeons won't be of interest...Freedom knows some of my plans in this respect.

Note to Freedom: Please don't mention my dungeon plans here!



Who Me? ;)
It's a secret to everyone
Good looking map, I'd like to see it full sized. ;)

[Scotian Gold]

Yes, even I would like to see it at 100% scale! I don't play that many quests, but I remember that one time, a BMP file was generated for the screens that I had visited. Is this a setting hidden somewhere in ZQ or ZC? If so, I can probably do the same thing on my own for Quill & Link.

Since the overworld map I created is fairly vague and lacking in details, I thought I would throw up a screencap of one of the nicer screens. I'll probably keep doing this from time to time as a 'thank you' to all the people who take the time to follow this thread.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M03S01_111206.gif

There's nothing terribly special about this screen, although I do like its appearance. Oh, I did make the chimney smoke transparent but I'm sure I'm not the first to do that!

[Rakki]

That screen has a nice autumny feel to it. I'll be checking this quest out when it's out, now... :D

[Imprisoned]

I'm definately going to play this...

That screen looks very good to me. Will you open the house later for visitors?

[Scotian Gold]

Imprisoned
We'll see, won't we? Once I get the overworld completed then I will have a better idea of what will be needed in this location (be it a store, a hint, a secret dungeon entrance...)

But I can say this: The villagers in this world are nice, and the only reason they would close their front doors is because there are strange monsters roaming the hillside...oh, if only there were a hero around somewhere!

Here is a screencap of a screen I finished today. It's an orchard of some kind, with a fruit stand on the other side of the road. The cart tracks look pretty nice too.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M03S16_121206.gif

[Scotian Gold]

Hello all, I just thought I would put up one more screenshot before the holidays. This is the entrance to one of the cities in Quill & Link.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M05Sxx_131206.gif

I will be with my family for the next three weeks, and you all know how that goes...can't afford to be antisocial just to work on a few overworld screens!

All the best!

[elise]

as being a player I wouldnt mind to kill some of the monsters for the villagers ;)
Have a nice time with the family ;)

[Imprisoned]

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. Those screens are cool. But I can say that there's a very stupid villager there, building a house to a spot like that.

BTW, you could just edit your first post and put the new screens there. Thanks! ;)

[elise]

BTW, you could just edit your first post and put the new screens there. Thanks! ;)and nobody who already was here would look again cause they would think nothing was changed :rolleyes:

[Moresco]

This looks pretty sweet. You're very creative, reminds me of me. ^^ haha...anyhoo...

It's rather like pulling teeth to make your map full detail. I am doing this with my game and it's taking forever. Naturally I want a map to look empty, no enemies, so I'm taking the screenshots in ZQuest. While this works fine, there is a row on the bottom with a checkered pattern over it and so far the only way around that it seems is to edit the map manually after I cut/paste it together in photoshop. :( If anyone thinks up a better way, they should share...

[DarkDeath]

:weirdo: ............O M G how do you do it!!!! its magnificent its wonderful
this just tells me to make my own.....any tips?:)

[Scotian Gold]

:weirdo: ............O M G how do you do it!!!! its magnificent its wonderful
this just tells me to make my own.....any tips?:)

Like I said in an earlier post, do what you know. I am a cartographer by trade, so I know all about maps. So once I decided on WHERE the quest would happen, the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY and HOW all fell into place.

Using a real world location made many of my decisions easier, and it also gave me confidence that the human and physical geography would make sense. For example, I won't have a big city in the middle of a swamp. My overworlds may end up being more 'green' than some others, but I wanted my land to be entirely 'good'...not simply starting out 'good' (green, sunny pastures) and getting 'evil' (deserts, mountains, swamps, etc.) as the quest develops. Why wouldn't 'evil' beings want to live in a 'good' atmosphere? So most of my overworld is pleasantly idyllic, with an occasional hint of evil.

Uh oh. I was dangerously close there to giving out plot details! That's what happens late at night...

[Scotian Gold]

Hello everyone! All the presents are wrapped and under the tree so I thought I could kill a little time before Christmas dinner with a quick post. (Assuming I can figure out my in-laws Portuguese keyboard! :rolleyes: )

PROGRESS SUMMARY
Mid December 2006 - Call for dungeon designers made
December 24th, 2006 - Overworld design 2nd Pass 30%

In other words, I've managed to finish off about 60 screens in the last couple of weeks. I also see a lot of potential in the new scripting language, having played(?) a little of Revolution. And I've played a couple of quests by people who have offered to be dungeon designers.

I'm also pleased by the amount of attention that my quest has generated; 400+ hits already. Thanks for the support, it's really great to have that extra boost when I need it. Maybe some day I'll even be on the first page of the forum, when you sort it by number of posts. :tongue:

Here's an image from a screen I finished yesterday, one of the exits/entrances to a large lake.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M04S16_241206.gif

I think there's expresso (cafezinho) brewing...best go downstairs and partake in the conversation! Happy Holidays!!! Boas Festas!!!

[Petoe]

I'm glad to hear you are making some nice progress with this quest. I know the release is still faaaaaaaar away but you seem to be determined to get this done which is awesome! :) :thumbsup:

[Scotian Gold]

PROGRESS SUMMARY
January 10, 2007 - Overworld design 2nd Pass 40%

Slowly but surely, things are coming along. I'm starting to air out the major details with the people who volunteered to help with my dungeons, etc. Mostly logistics at this point.

Thanks to <fill in name here later> who told me how to get the map function to work in Zelda Classic. Thanks to him/her I was able to create a higher resolution image of the overworld.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/OverworldSample100107.jpg

It's at 20% of actual size so you will have to scroll right to see it all. Oh, this isn't the entire overworld, just the northern half. What you see here corresponds to three 16 x 8 overworld maps (32 x 12). Blackened out screens are confidential!

Hmm, it's 01h10 here...so until next time! Looking forward to some new posts!

[ms_zelda_lady]

OMG:clap: What a gorgeous looking map! I can't wait to play this quest.

ms_zelda_lady

[Scotian Gold]

PROGRESS SUMMARY
January 17, 2007 - Overworld design 2nd pass 50%

What this means, really, is that I have finished the graphics for 4 of the 8 Overworld maps. Oh sure, there will be some tweaking, guaranteed.

I have decided to change my status reports to reflect concrete numbers. This is entirely for my own benefit and for those of you who like to see how things are coming along.

PROGRESS SUMMARY January 17, 2007

OW SCR 2nd 1st MT Legend
01 089 089 000 00 OW = # of Overworld
02 051 045 000 06 SCR = # of walkable screens in Overworld
03 123 116 003 04 2nd = # screens, 2nd pass complete
04 067 054 009 04 1st = # screens, 1st pass complete
05 095 008 067 20 MT = # empty screens (MT, get it?)
06 014 007 001 06
07 049 000 032 17
08 004 000 000 04
T# 492 319 112 61
T% 100 65% 23% 12%

Gee...I could've finished three more screens with the time I wasted building this table! :laughing: But looking at the math, I jumped from 50% to 65% so *nyaah*

In any case, here's another screen cap of some cliffs that I find quite nice, even if they are on the simple side.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M03S6A_170107.gif

That's all for now. Thanks to everyone who is following the thread!

[Scotian Gold]

PROGRESS SUMMARY January 30, 2007

OW SCR 2nd 1st MT Legend
01 089 089 000 00 OW = # of Overworld
02 051 051 000 00 SCR = # of walkable screens in Overworld
03 123 116 003 04 2nd = # screens, 2nd pass complete
04 067 059 004 04 1st = # screens, 1st pass complete
05 096 054 022 20 MT = # empty screens (MT, get it?)
06 019 019 000 00
07 049 007 026 16
T# 494 395 055 44
T% 100 80% 11% 9%

LV SCR Legend
01 032 LV = # of Dungeon Level
02 038 SCR = # of walkable screens in Level
03 029
04 050
05 041
06 047
07 060
08 060
T# 357

Things are coming along well, although the last 55 partially designed screens and 44 empty screens are likely going to take some time. I do not think I will bother you with another status report until the second pass is 100% complete, when I will be able to upload a screencap of the entire Overworld.

The theoretical layout of the dungeons has been completed, so I know how many rooms there are going to be. But the actual designing of the levels won't start until the Overworld in complete.

I wonder if Quill & Link will be the largest quest to date, in regards to the number of screens it has? The first quest in Zelda I, for example, has 308. It's got 851 so far, but that number could get up to 1000(!?!) once the non-Triforce caves/dungeons are completed.

As usual, I have attached a screencap of an Overworld locale. I really like the colour of the cliffs, which was acheived by combining brown coloured combos on Layer 0 and blue coloured combos on transparent Layer 1. I did have to create some custom tiles to remove the background grass, but other than that it was really straightforward. I still haven't played that many quests, but I have yet to see this technique being used.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M02S0F_300107.gif

I really should have made an animated GIF so you can see the waves moving, but I'm sure you've seen it before! :)

[pauldoo]

Ohh Yummy it looks Great keep working away

[DarkDeath]

WOW... i wish i could do a good as quest as you. Once i download the the proper
tile set i will begin on my quest hope you guys like it when its done. Im code naming it Hero of legend check it out i will make a thread just for it.:) oh and one more thing im making an actual game too with the Exist game engine:cool:

[Scotian Gold]

I hope you do too! Just as long as it isn't anything *like* mine, then I'll be happy ;)

And what do you mean by *actual* game? Is mine ficticious? Or does that engine allow you to slap your product onto a cartridge so that you can play in on your NES from 1985? :laughing:

[DarkDeath]

Ha Ha Ha very funny any way scratch the making my own game i cant get the right file for it. Well this lets me focus on zelda classic but now i have to fix my browser then i will get to work on my quest:D b.u.t... i need some beta testers for my first quest using nes grafix so... how do i post my quests on here?(in a different thread :tongue: )

[DarkDeath]

also... is there any way to make the over world bigger than on zelda quest like say... triple it:sly: so i can make a huge quest:D well i'll be on to check your replys in a min gotta go play zelda on the wii:cool:

[Scotian Gold]

Hello everyone! Some of you probably thought that I had fallen off of the face of the earth, but that's not the case - I was just out visiting a good chunk of it! For the last five weeks I have been travelling around Canada (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Yukon Territory for those of you who just needed to know).

I said I would not send another status report until the second pass was finished, but since it's been so long I thought I should check in.

PROGRESS SUMMARY April 19, 2007

OW SCR 2nd 1st MT Legend
01 089 089 000 00 OW = # of Overworld
02 051 051 000 00 SCR = # of walkable screens in Overworld
03 123 119 000 04 2nd = # screens, 2nd pass complete
04 067 063 000 04 1st = # screens, 1st pass complete
05 096 086 006 04 MT = # empty screens (MT, get it?)
06 019 019 000 00
07 049 024 013 12
T# 494 451 019 24
T% 100 91% 4% 5%

LV SCR Legend
01 032 LV = # of Dungeon Level
02 038 SCR = # of walkable screens in Level
03 029
04 050
05 041
06 047
07 060
08 060
T# 357

Here is a screencap of a labyrinth that I put together just before my trip.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/M05S1E_190407.gif

Hopefully the next time I sit down to send a report it will be to say that the Overworld is complete!!! (Except for the flags...and enemies...and music...and...)

[Scotian Gold]

Hello once again! I'll keep this short and sweet because I really don't want to write much and supper is waiting. I have finished the Overworld graphics for Quill & Link! I'm sure they will suffer some modifications but I believe that most of what I've done will remain the same.

The image below is rather large (1639 x 1128) but only 380K.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/OverworldSample170507.jpg

As always, I look forward to reading your comments!

[erm2003]

Looks awesome. I really can't wait to see more of this quest. Keep up the great work!

[ms_zelda_lady]

Wow.....The map looks incredible!! I can't wait to play this quest.

ms_zelda_lady

[_L_]

The chessboard area intrigues me.

[*b*]

Jesus Christ, that's incredible. With this zoomed-in version, how much has changed since the last full-overworld map you displayed? Like, nothing specific, but just general things...

[Scotian Gold]

_L_

It intrigues me as well...I still have to decide its importance. But I spent too much time on it for it NOT to be worth at least a piece of heart... :rolleyes:

*b*

The last full Overworld map I displayed only showed the four northern-most Overworlds (32 x 16 screens) whereas this one shows the entire 32 x 32 map. The original map I posted back a long time ago, at a lower resolution, still had many incomplete screens. I wouldn't say that there are any drastic changes - no volcanoes magically appeared - but there certainly are some subtle ones, like the new area in the northeast corner. But how will you sail there with all that ice in the port to the south? :)

[Ricky of Kokiri]

That map makes me cry from mouth-dropping awe and the feeling that my map-making skills are absolute zilch.

WOW. I cannot wait until you finish this quest!

[DarkDeath]

Holy Crap!!!

Thats not a full over world map of your game...
you mean its bigger than that Scotian Gold?
wow... nice so far (of what we see) I'm still
interested in the blanked out area what
could it be? I would also like to know what
tile set your using.

[Scotian Gold]

Hello everyone! It's hard to believe that SIX months have passed since my last update. Work is to blame as I recently made the transtion from consultor to employee so I had many 16-hour days for awhile. But now things have calmed down - a little bit - so I have been able to plot out a couple of the dungeons.

I don't have an official status report at this time but I do have a draft screencap of the first floor of the first dungeon. I don't think that there's anything really innovative here, but it doesn't look too bad, I guess, for someone who admittedly doesn't like designing dungeons! It's still missing 'decorations' like torches in some rooms - since I haven't decided what final tileset I will be using, I thought it best not to put in all of those details.

http://142.179.175.46/TheInterloper/D01F01_181107.gif

I'm glad to be back and I'm looking forward to your comments!

[Din]

Whoa! Now I really can't wait for the release! I must keep myself from blowing up. Too late! *asplodes*

[_L_]

So, what kinds of items can we expect to collect in these dungeons?

[Freedom]

Pretty incredible work.

[SpacemanDan]

Lookin' good there! Can't wait to see this when it's ready. :D

[LostInHyru1e]

Quest looks AWESOME. I can't wait for it to be released. The first dungeon's rooms seem to be, on the whole, a little too square, but the overworld is completely amazing.

Is there a demo available or upcoming?

[Scotian Gold]

_L_

All of the items from the original Legend of Zelda will definitely appear in various incarnations in Quill & Link, and most if not all of these will have more classes than in LOZ. Magic will likely be used but for which items I do not know. Since I don't like the hookshot, it will probably be used sparingly if it appears at all (athough it would be interesting to make it available before an equally powerful sword or boomerang...)

LostInHyru1e

There are and will be no demos for this game until I make the call for (experienced) beta testers. I could perhaps post something on YouTube as a demo to whet people's appetites, but that's still a loooooong way off.

The dungeon layouts are somewhat blocky, but it is in accordance with the plot so there's not too much I can do there. :)

[DarkDeath]

Finally!, and I thought you were gone from the forum forever lol

[LostInHyru1e]

No Public Demo? Somewhere between now and release you should definitely, if you want to get a good fan-base, release a demo including a small portion of the overworld and the first dungeon.

[Imprisoned]

Okay, it looks fine, but to me, I think some of the rooms are just too empty.
Also the room with the curtains - I know, I know, I have to slash them. It would be a good idea to put some curtains to other rooms too, and then the player will just think that there's nothing behind those curtains, just like the other curtains, but there is?