CJC
12-25-2006, 07:34 PM
Alright, I've got a two-for-one deal here, and they're sort of simple in theory (Though a load of pain to explain). This is the final version, so if you’ve already read it, go ahead and read it again. There’s stuff from the lower posts, and some new things too.
I understand it's a lot of text, but I tried to be as detailed as possible.
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Item #1: "Lens->Layer" Screen Flags:
This works with radio buttons, and is accessible from the Screen Flag menu. Using the Lens would toggle the layers selected by this screen flag, giving the designer a better way to work 'unseen' secrets. Also, this could potentially create puzzles that can only be worked while the lens is on (The combos aren't 'push' combos unless that layer is active)
Lens->Layer
On-----Off-----No
( )-----(X)-----( ) Layer 1
(X)-----( )-----( ) Layer 2
(X)-----( )-----( ) Layer 3
( )-----( )-----(X) Layer 4
(X)-----( )-----( ) Layer 5
( )-----(X)-----( ) Layer 6
With this setup, there are three selectable options. 'On' makes the layer appear when the Lens is activated. 'Off' makes the layer disappear when the Lens is activated. 'No' makes the layer act as normal (It's on all the time).
Layers 1 and 2 would function as they normally do ONLY if they're on. So, if there is a pushblock on Layer 2 in this example, it would only be pushable when the lens is turned on.
With this particular setup, Layers 3, 5, and 6 would be off until the player used the Lens of Truth, and then they would turn on. When the player put away the Lens, these layers would become inactive again.
It has been brought to my attention that something like this could cause some ambulatory conflicts when the lens automatically switches off (Walkable combos could suddenly become unwalkable again).
For that reason, I suggest also adding the following quest rules:
Item #1.5: Lens Quest Rules
“Lens of Tangibility”: This quest rule would have to be on for the above screen flag to be functional. It stops the Lens from draining magic or rupees (Which may seem cheap, but…) as well as prevents it from revealing the flags on the screen. This would prevent any and all clipping errors that could occur with a lens that runs out, as well as makes the effect look smooth and planned.
“Double Lens Bubble”: I know full well this has been suggested elsewhere, but I might as well plump it here with my related suggestions. Basically, this rule doubles the orb around the player when using the Lens. It would allow a greater scan of the screen when trying to solve an invisible puzzle.
“Halve Lens Bubble” (Low Priority): This of course conflicts with the Double Bubble, and I don’t know how developers would work around it. It’s the opposite of the Double Lens Bubble, it limits the field of vision to even less than that of the normal Lens.
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Item #2: "Active" Link Tile Modifiers:
This is a little more complicated than the Screen Flag, but it's not too bad. This would be an extra checkbox next to the Link Tile Modifiers in the items screen, and would only apply to items that can be selected in the 'B' button slot.
When checked, the tiles are modified only when that item is in the player's 'B' button slot. When taken out of the slot, the modifier would be reversed.
Example:
The Longbow has a Link Tile Modifier of 40 tiles. It is set as an "Active" Link Tile Modifier. When Link selects the bow from his items, his sprites all leap ahead 40 tiles, to a version of him that is carrying the bow. When he switches the bow off for something else, the modifier is reversed (-40 Tiles), and his sprites return to normal.
For even further precision, it has been brought to my attention that a modifier that’s only applied when the item is used would also prove incredibly useful. And so, another checkbox would be placed below the Active tile modifier…
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Item #2.5 “When Used” Link Tile Modifiers: What may only seem to be a quarter of a second may still be improved with the option of customizing every item. With this, a creator could make tiles of Link actually shooting an arrow, from his bow, without the fear of it interfering with other animation (Like a sword strike). Though in game it would only appear a minor bonus, to a quest maker that extra boost of precision means the world.
Of course, getting this to work would be even more complicated than the “Active” tile modifier, which is why I’ve brought it up last.
Potentially, this could have it’s own number, separate from the “Active” tile modifier. It all depends on what degree of effort the developers are willing to put in. Below just spells out an ounce of the potential this could serve.
Example: Link’s hookshot has an “Active” tile modifier of 80 tiles. When the player selects it, Link’s sprite changes to one that’s carrying the hookshot. Then, the player uses the hookshot. Link’s hookshot also has a “When Used” tile modifier of 20 tiles. As soon as the player presses the B button, Link’s tiles switch again, converting to one that animates the hookshot firing and then corkscrews his body around the chain as he’s propelled along. When the hookshot completes its action, the “In Use” modifier is reversed and Link reverts to simply carrying the hookshot. The player removes the hookshot, and the “Active” tile modifier is reversed, returning Link to his empty-handed state.
I will combine the suggestions for one final example, an improvement on the Twilight Princess example I provided earlier.
First, the creator sets up his tiles to accommodate the wolf sprites, and assigns the appropriate Link Tile Modifier to the Lens of Truth (Set on Active) so that when the player selects that item, they become the wolf.
The creator then assigns another Link Tile Modifier (Set on When Used) to take effect as soon as the Lens is turned on.
Toggling the quest rules, the quest maker turns on both the “Lens of Tangibility” rule and the “Double Lens Bubble” rule to avoid confusion and clipping errors.
Next, the creator sets aside layers 2, 4, and 6 for the various visual effects that will be activated by using the Lens of Truth (Or in this case, the wolf's senses).
The creator then sets up layer 3, which is set to disappear when the lens is turned on.
On the screen in question, the creator turns the "Lens->Layer" flag ‘On’ for layers 2, 4, and 6; and ‘Off’ for 3. Layers 1 and 5 are set to ‘No’. All layers will be depicted normally in ZQuest for editing purposes, but the Lens effects will be applied as soon as ZC.exe opens the quest file.
The player equips the Lens of Truth, switching to the wolf sprites. When he/she turns it on, the sprites shift again, to depict the wolf sniffing the ground. The secret layers react according to their instructions, making certain areas passable and puzzles possible.
EDIT: This post has been updated for the purpose of elaborating and improving the original suggestions.
I understand it's a lot of text, but I tried to be as detailed as possible.
----------------------------------------------
Item #1: "Lens->Layer" Screen Flags:
This works with radio buttons, and is accessible from the Screen Flag menu. Using the Lens would toggle the layers selected by this screen flag, giving the designer a better way to work 'unseen' secrets. Also, this could potentially create puzzles that can only be worked while the lens is on (The combos aren't 'push' combos unless that layer is active)
Lens->Layer
On-----Off-----No
( )-----(X)-----( ) Layer 1
(X)-----( )-----( ) Layer 2
(X)-----( )-----( ) Layer 3
( )-----( )-----(X) Layer 4
(X)-----( )-----( ) Layer 5
( )-----(X)-----( ) Layer 6
With this setup, there are three selectable options. 'On' makes the layer appear when the Lens is activated. 'Off' makes the layer disappear when the Lens is activated. 'No' makes the layer act as normal (It's on all the time).
Layers 1 and 2 would function as they normally do ONLY if they're on. So, if there is a pushblock on Layer 2 in this example, it would only be pushable when the lens is turned on.
With this particular setup, Layers 3, 5, and 6 would be off until the player used the Lens of Truth, and then they would turn on. When the player put away the Lens, these layers would become inactive again.
It has been brought to my attention that something like this could cause some ambulatory conflicts when the lens automatically switches off (Walkable combos could suddenly become unwalkable again).
For that reason, I suggest also adding the following quest rules:
Item #1.5: Lens Quest Rules
“Lens of Tangibility”: This quest rule would have to be on for the above screen flag to be functional. It stops the Lens from draining magic or rupees (Which may seem cheap, but…) as well as prevents it from revealing the flags on the screen. This would prevent any and all clipping errors that could occur with a lens that runs out, as well as makes the effect look smooth and planned.
“Double Lens Bubble”: I know full well this has been suggested elsewhere, but I might as well plump it here with my related suggestions. Basically, this rule doubles the orb around the player when using the Lens. It would allow a greater scan of the screen when trying to solve an invisible puzzle.
“Halve Lens Bubble” (Low Priority): This of course conflicts with the Double Bubble, and I don’t know how developers would work around it. It’s the opposite of the Double Lens Bubble, it limits the field of vision to even less than that of the normal Lens.
---------------------------------------------
Item #2: "Active" Link Tile Modifiers:
This is a little more complicated than the Screen Flag, but it's not too bad. This would be an extra checkbox next to the Link Tile Modifiers in the items screen, and would only apply to items that can be selected in the 'B' button slot.
When checked, the tiles are modified only when that item is in the player's 'B' button slot. When taken out of the slot, the modifier would be reversed.
Example:
The Longbow has a Link Tile Modifier of 40 tiles. It is set as an "Active" Link Tile Modifier. When Link selects the bow from his items, his sprites all leap ahead 40 tiles, to a version of him that is carrying the bow. When he switches the bow off for something else, the modifier is reversed (-40 Tiles), and his sprites return to normal.
For even further precision, it has been brought to my attention that a modifier that’s only applied when the item is used would also prove incredibly useful. And so, another checkbox would be placed below the Active tile modifier…
------------------------------------
Item #2.5 “When Used” Link Tile Modifiers: What may only seem to be a quarter of a second may still be improved with the option of customizing every item. With this, a creator could make tiles of Link actually shooting an arrow, from his bow, without the fear of it interfering with other animation (Like a sword strike). Though in game it would only appear a minor bonus, to a quest maker that extra boost of precision means the world.
Of course, getting this to work would be even more complicated than the “Active” tile modifier, which is why I’ve brought it up last.
Potentially, this could have it’s own number, separate from the “Active” tile modifier. It all depends on what degree of effort the developers are willing to put in. Below just spells out an ounce of the potential this could serve.
Example: Link’s hookshot has an “Active” tile modifier of 80 tiles. When the player selects it, Link’s sprite changes to one that’s carrying the hookshot. Then, the player uses the hookshot. Link’s hookshot also has a “When Used” tile modifier of 20 tiles. As soon as the player presses the B button, Link’s tiles switch again, converting to one that animates the hookshot firing and then corkscrews his body around the chain as he’s propelled along. When the hookshot completes its action, the “In Use” modifier is reversed and Link reverts to simply carrying the hookshot. The player removes the hookshot, and the “Active” tile modifier is reversed, returning Link to his empty-handed state.
I will combine the suggestions for one final example, an improvement on the Twilight Princess example I provided earlier.
First, the creator sets up his tiles to accommodate the wolf sprites, and assigns the appropriate Link Tile Modifier to the Lens of Truth (Set on Active) so that when the player selects that item, they become the wolf.
The creator then assigns another Link Tile Modifier (Set on When Used) to take effect as soon as the Lens is turned on.
Toggling the quest rules, the quest maker turns on both the “Lens of Tangibility” rule and the “Double Lens Bubble” rule to avoid confusion and clipping errors.
Next, the creator sets aside layers 2, 4, and 6 for the various visual effects that will be activated by using the Lens of Truth (Or in this case, the wolf's senses).
The creator then sets up layer 3, which is set to disappear when the lens is turned on.
On the screen in question, the creator turns the "Lens->Layer" flag ‘On’ for layers 2, 4, and 6; and ‘Off’ for 3. Layers 1 and 5 are set to ‘No’. All layers will be depicted normally in ZQuest for editing purposes, but the Lens effects will be applied as soon as ZC.exe opens the quest file.
The player equips the Lens of Truth, switching to the wolf sprites. When he/she turns it on, the sprites shift again, to depict the wolf sniffing the ground. The secret layers react according to their instructions, making certain areas passable and puzzles possible.
EDIT: This post has been updated for the purpose of elaborating and improving the original suggestions.