*b*
02-18-2007, 03:51 PM
ZQuest's current dungeons are beginning to piss me off. The limitations on both Interior and NES Dungeon DMap types make it so you can only have a dungeon with no rooms, or a dungeon with rooms only (By that, I mean the entire dungeon is either one long corridor, or has one-screen rooms seperated by doors)
So, here's what I'm thinking. A new DMap type, obviously, but one with the following features:
- PERMANENT secrets. Neither Interior or NES Dungeon types have permanent secrets, and in some cases, this is a very annoying thing
- Door Detection. When Link passes between screens where a door has been placed (By the Doors menu, obviously), ZQuest will detect that and make him move forward two tiles when he enters the following screen. Otherwise, Link's screen transition will be the same as normal. Or...
- Auto-Walk. To allow for more freeform doors, maybe a side-warp-like system where you select which edge, or edges of the screen triggers this. When Link moves to the next screen via that edge, the next screen will make Link move forward two tiles
To accompany this, there are a couple other things that would make dungeon making a lot easier as well:
- Auto-Complete Door Combo Sets. Clicking the graphic of the door you want to set will take you to the combo selection page as usual, but instead of having to set each tile, you only select the upper-left corner, and ZQuest will assign the appropriate combos to that door
- Door Placement Flags. Sort of like the 'item appears here' flag, there would be one for each direction. Placing the marker at the edge of the screen will make ZQuest center the door over that marker. Maybe for convenience sake, the marker will be the size of the door you're placing (2x2 or 3x2 tiles)
I know it's asking a lot, but as it is, there are so many restrictions on how dungeons are set up, they don't make use of a few features that they really should, like layers. And with bigger Link tiles, layers are pretty much a must have for making accurate dungeons. (Come on, a 16x16 hole in the wall can't fit a LttP Link). Dungeons are like the one thing nobody has bothered to mess with, and they're outdated
So, here's what I'm thinking. A new DMap type, obviously, but one with the following features:
- PERMANENT secrets. Neither Interior or NES Dungeon types have permanent secrets, and in some cases, this is a very annoying thing
- Door Detection. When Link passes between screens where a door has been placed (By the Doors menu, obviously), ZQuest will detect that and make him move forward two tiles when he enters the following screen. Otherwise, Link's screen transition will be the same as normal. Or...
- Auto-Walk. To allow for more freeform doors, maybe a side-warp-like system where you select which edge, or edges of the screen triggers this. When Link moves to the next screen via that edge, the next screen will make Link move forward two tiles
To accompany this, there are a couple other things that would make dungeon making a lot easier as well:
- Auto-Complete Door Combo Sets. Clicking the graphic of the door you want to set will take you to the combo selection page as usual, but instead of having to set each tile, you only select the upper-left corner, and ZQuest will assign the appropriate combos to that door
- Door Placement Flags. Sort of like the 'item appears here' flag, there would be one for each direction. Placing the marker at the edge of the screen will make ZQuest center the door over that marker. Maybe for convenience sake, the marker will be the size of the door you're placing (2x2 or 3x2 tiles)
I know it's asking a lot, but as it is, there are so many restrictions on how dungeons are set up, they don't make use of a few features that they really should, like layers. And with bigger Link tiles, layers are pretty much a must have for making accurate dungeons. (Come on, a 16x16 hole in the wall can't fit a LttP Link). Dungeons are like the one thing nobody has bothered to mess with, and they're outdated