Lost Isle RELEASED

[Petoe]

Without wasting anyone's time, I will get straight to the business:

Lost Isle is finally released. The project Wolfie and I have been making during these 2 years is completed, thoroughly tested and polished, ready for the great ZC community to play. When you download Lost Isle, be sure to check out the very helpful README file, and if you don't, you should know something important:

LOST ISLE WORKS ONLY ON THE LOST ISLE SPECIFIC ZC BETA:
ZC 2.11 Beta (Lost Isle Build).
WHEN DOWNLOADING LOST ISLE, MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE LI BUILD AS WELL.
TO BE CERTAIN YOU GOT THE CORRECT VERSION OF ZELDA CLASSIC, GOTO "Misc -> About" AND CHECK OUT IF YOUR ZC SAYS THIS:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/About.gif
That's what the Info box SHOULD say :)


Everyone probably knows by now what this quest is about. But in case you are not that familiar with Lost Isle, check out this thread for tons of Lost Isle information and speculation:
http://www.purezc.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28958



Some new and old screenies to remind you how Lost Isle looks like, heh:
;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/01.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/008.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/009.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/colorgood.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/012.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/011.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/010.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/015.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Finnishflesh/016.gif


With that out of the way, it is time to provide you with the tools to play Lost Isle.

GET THE LOST ISLE ZC BUILD HERE:
========================
http://www.sephiroth.ws/ZC/Lost-Isle-Build.zip
or here
http://edc-info.net/files/zcf/Lost-Isle-Build.zip
or here
http://www.zshare.net/download/2803393d7c3d04/


GET THE QUEST LOST ISLE HERE:
=====================
http://www.sephiroth.ws/ZC/Lost_Isle.zip
or here
http://edc-info.net/files/zcf/Lost_Isle.zip
or here
http://www.zshare.net/download/2816480bd1a0b9/


Be sure to download both .zip files and extract their contents to the same folder!


YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD BOTH .ZIP FILES FROM THE LOST ISLE WEBSITE:
http://koti.welho.com/pranta18/index.htm


There it is! Now go and play it, people! Check out Lost Isle!
Post all comments, questions, feedback and issues here! Enjoy Lost Isle!


-Pete

[Sam Atoms]

Hot sweetness. I've been anticipating this moment for... at least 6 months, most likely more.

I feel like a kid who's been standing around and all of a sudden he's in the middle of a candy store which just came falling out of the sky.

There have to be some words which can describe how awesome this is, but I have no idea what they are.



*explodes*

. . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well I say, what have we here!

You dunder-brained turkey Sam Atoms, look what you had to go and do.

How are you going to play Origin or Lost Isle now that you've exploded, you shrimpy little dumbass?

Put yourself back together and let's get on with the show.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . .

*does his best impression of T-1000 from Terminator II and re-assembles*



Cool.

How about we commence download . . . . right . . . . about . . . . NOW . . . .

[Gleeok]

Sweet, just downloaded it. I've had bad luck with epic quests, save files, and zc getting corrupted and the like in the past. But thanks to a build specifically designed (and only playable) for one quest...Problem solved! Super neat-o. I'm gonna go play it play it now. It looks awesome.

-Hey Peteo gottsta ask: A lost isle tileset? hmmmmmmmmmm..............

[Petoe]

-Hey Peteo gottsta ask: A lost isle tileset? hmmmmmmmmmm..............

Well, I will definitely release at least the dungeon tiles at some point. ^_^

And yeah, this LI ZC Build is pretty darn good, but you never can be too sure so it's not a bad idea to make backup copies of your zc.sav file every now and then. One of Lost Isle testers got his sav. file corrupted, so it is not nice to lose your saves.
There's no reason to worry though, the LI Build has been under heavy testing and this corruption only happened once.

[The_Amaster]

Yes! YES! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

*downloads at a speed faster than light*

[zcAmazing]

Wow!

I just downloaded the LI build and the quest and I am about to try it out. This is going to be BIG!!! After the experience, I will give you the feedback. I have Windows! :)

Too bad for Macintosh and Linux users.... it is so sad that they won't try it out. :(

EDIT: Petoe, do you, by any chance, are you going to tell the developers to also make a Linux and a Macintosh LI build release? (For Linux, ask Koopa or Sean, but Koopa recommended...)

[Pineconn]

*cries*

*downloads*

God dang dial-up... AOL at that.

[Petoe]

Too bad for Macintosh and Linux users.... it is so sad that they won't try it out. :(

EDIT: Petoe, do you, by any chance, are you going to tell the developers to also make a Linux and a Macintosh LI build release? (For Linux, ask Koopa or Sean, but Koopa recommended...)

Yeah, it kills me to think about Linux and Mac users... :(

I can always ask if it would be possible to get a Mac and Linux version of the LI Build.

[Sephiroth]

Yeah, it kills me to think about Linux and Mac users... :(

I can always ask if it would be possible to get a Mac and Linux version of the LI Build.
And I could easily mirror the download for these as well, for I too, would like to play Lost Isle sometime when I'm running Fedora Core 7.

[SpykStorm]

:DOhhh Ohhh!!:D *starts downloading*

[SpacemanDan]

Oh yeah!! I'm lookin' forward to this! Downloading it right now! (Actually, just finished downloading it...) Can't wait to boot it up...

[SpykStorm]

I have a question. I have the bow but I cant find the arrows. Where are the arrows?

[Petoe]

There is a small dark green-roofed building on the southern part of the village. Place a bomb on the cracked part on the wall and enter... ;)

[C-Dawg]

So far, so good. Massive-ass over-world? Check. Bewilderingly large space to explore at the outset? Check. (I've got no idea where the hell to go, but I can wander all over the place.) Special effects used to good effect? Check.

I'm not cool with this whole "Link talking" nonsense (everyone knows he's mute!) but other than that, awesome so far.

[DarkFlameWolf]

he's actually thinking to himself rather than talking, so that's.....partially not talking, yes? :P

[Petoe]

Oh well, that's a valid annoyance since Link never speaks in the "real Zelda games", but yeah... he's not really speaking, he's just thinking to himself I guess. :P

I know the lack of scripts will surely disappoint you (there are only a few scripted enemies in the quest), C, but the overall flashiness/usage of ZC features should still satisfy. Though who cares about features and crap if the gameplay is good? ;)

[C-Dawg]

Features matter. They encourage the player to keep going to see what happens next, and set some quests above others with equal gameplay. In some cases, features even offer expanded gameplay options (scripting especially comes to mind!) Now that you're done with Lost Isle, I hope you guys will join the crowd in the scripting forums cranking out new features so the devs don't have to.

I'm not dissapointed at all. You've put FFCs and scripts to use in a few subtle ways throughout the quest. (Orbiting spark enemies, moving ghosts in cut scenes, etc). Because FFCs and scripts let you part from the normally predictable ZClassic features, this really adds a touch of "I don't know what's about to happen next" to the quest. Makes me want to figure out WHERE THE HELL TO GO. I also like the creative use of the engine's normal features. For example, using the initial "title" string that displays when you enter a location to discuss the player's impression of the area. Much more immersive than just announcing the area's name. (Even if Link is talking, bah.)

The only use of scripts that might improve on what I've seen so far would be using signpost scripts rather than warps to make characters and signs speak. But the old methods work fine, so no trouble there.

I don't care for the muted music you chose, but that's such a personal decision that it doesn't make any difference. I prefer music that KICKS YOUR ASS. On the other side, I LOVE the cave tileset.

[Petoe]

I am glad to see you are enjoying some aspects of the quest, and hopefully the whole quest in general. Me being a big fan of your work, your comments mean a lot to me, like they did during the time I released the very first version of MMDWR. I remember you were impressed but said how the story sucked and how the sprites looked godawful and both of those issues were at least partially taken care of in the Director's Cut version, mostly thanks to your comments. Though do not expect a DC version of LI, but I am definitely interested in learning scripting and taking full advantage of it in my future quest projects (unless I get a life and forget about ZC).

Hopefully you will be able to get through this quest because even a ZQuest wizard like you might be impressed by some of the later levels and custom bosses. Sure, there aren't many custom bosses in the quest and I don't know if they're just as kick arse as C bosses, but using FFCs, direct timed warps, multi-warps and auto-warps I'd say the custom creatures in LI are pretty smooth and exciting.


Music is something that people either love, hate, or don't notice at all. We decided to go with dark, gloomy and kind of silent midis with LI because it just fits the mood so perfectly.

[Revfan9]

Hmm...

Since Lost Isle is such a big release, I'm going to have to give it a thorough review...

When reading this review, keep in mind that I have only made it up to level 3, and I have no intention of continuing any further into the game, honestly. I can imagine that a lot of worshiping newblets will read this review and disagree with it. So I give a warning now:

If you are one of the group of people who do not like me (in laments terms, all of you bastards), disregard this review entirely.

To start off, I expected Lost Isle to be one of the worst quests I had ever played. I mean, I hate DFW's quests, and I hate Peteo's work. So, by simple math, I can tell that I would loathe a combined work of theirs with every shard of my soul. On a positive note, it wasn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be. Let's start off with...

Sound

Okay. There's no excuse for this. The OW tracks sound like something out of a Barbara Strisand concert and the dungeon themes are repetitive and just make me feel not like playing. After I entered level 1 I shut off the MIDIs, opened my Media player, and played my own background theme as to spare me from the horror. Now, DFW's quests have bad music always, so this was to be expected. What I'm wondering is why I didn't just shut the MIDIs off in the first place. Don't make the same mistake I did, folks.

2/10

Now for:

Graphics

Hmm... The majority of the graphics of Lost Isle are ugly ugly uhhgly Pure graphics, with some custom work and rips that aren't much better. The palettes aren't very easy on the eyes and some tiles, like the castle, for instance, are just impossible to look at without barfing. The only graphics in Lost Isle that are somewhat pleasing are some of the interior wall tiles, and I emphasize greatly on some, that is, not all. I also see a number of ripped tiles from *b*'s works, most of which, to the best of my understanding, were ripped without his permission. At this, I cannot help but say "ololololo". With the dungeon walls saving this score by a lot, the final verdict comes to:

8/20

With the dungeon walls giving it a whopping +7 points. And for...

Originality

Originality, must I admit, was a high point in this quest. Instead of finding the pieces of the Triforce in dungeons, you find them in small caves floating around the OW. Personally, I don't think this works, but I'll come to that later in the Gameplay section. But this is about the ideas themselves, not the way they are executed. There are also some kinda nice uses of FFCs in the quest. You get a:

4/5

Now, for a bit of depressing stuff...

Plot

The plot of Lost Isle, I must say, is completely horrible and unexcusable even. It appears that a stab at having a plot was made, with a mysterious "plague" wiping out the island, but it stops there. There's no explanation as to what exactly is going on, nothing about what the hell the Triforce pieces are doing there at all. All in all, the plot feels like an old 1.90 quest where instead of "Save the princess", it's "Run around on this island with a bunch of dead people". No backstory for anything, and the dialouge is rather crude and feels hastened. On this, Link talks, which can work if done really really well, but it doesn't here. You get a...

9/25

With all 9 of those points coming from the plague thing that it tries to lead into. And now for the big one...

Gameplay

Sorry to say... But it kinda... Blows. Hard. The OW (and this is noticable right from the beginning) feels like there was really no planning to it at all, like each screen was made as it was gone along. It doesn't feel like you're exploring a real island, it feels like you're walking through a fabricated maze of tiles. "Let's go left! Ooh, now I can go up, or down! Let's go down! Oh look, another intersection!" I also do not like the sudden changes in scenery. "Wow! I'm in a forest! *screen down* Now I'm in a swamp where it starts raining for no reason!" I understand that part of this is because of limitations on ZC, but much more effort could have been put in that could have easily stopped this feeling. As for the dungeons, I've only gone through the first 2 and partially into the 3rd, but they all feel very linear. Unlike the OWs, where you actually have to try to figure out where the hell things are, in the dungeons, every path but 1 is blocked off, basically. It feels like any minute now, there's going to be this giant arrow that says "Shortcut to the end", which I really wish would happen because these dungeons are boooooooring. More on the dungeons, you don't have to fight the boss. You can just get the item and leave. The only boss I've fought was in level 1 (before I discovered that the rest of the dungeon after the item is found is optional), but it was lackluster at best. I also managed to completely skip level 2 for a while without much consequence, only going back after going through a portion of level 3 thinking that I might need the item sometime in the future, which I haven't yet had to do. For gameplay, Lost Isle gets...

24/40

Which is a rather generous score I might add. Now, for the final results...

Sound: 2/10
Graphics: 8/20
Originality: 4/5
Plot: 9/25
Gameplay: 24/40

Total Score: 57/100

Ouch... If this was a school assignment, you would get an F. For failure. It's a nice try, but all in all, it's not worth my time. Now, I said before that this was much higher than I predicted I would have given the quest, so here's my predicted scores:

Sound: 2/10

I nabbed this one. DFW can't pick out good music for shit.

Graphics: 1/20

Pure Pure Pure Pure Pure

Originality: 0/5

Old tricks, like playing Isle of the Winds all over again

Plot: 0/25

It still wasn't as much of a 1.90 quest as I thought it would have been.

Gameplay: 12/40

I expected it to be a steaming pile of shit. Classic dungeons, enemy bosses...

Total Score: 15/100

So yes. I expected Lost Isle to be much, much worse. Muuuch worse, than it actually was.

So, I hope this review impacts your opinion on Lost Isle, but it probably won't. You'll still buy into the hype and you'll still worship Peteo/DFW for no reason at all. I'm seeing a lot of negative rep in my future. I'm also seeing a few PMs from LI fans flaming me about how I "Suck monkey cock". Hell, I wouldn't be suprised if a mod deleted this, seeing how much the creators of LI kiss their asses.

Hating you all forever,

~Revfan9

[Fire Wizzrobe]

Disregard this post

[Petoe]

Keep the reviews coming, it is very entertaining to read them. :)

Though it would be nice if people who make reviews would try to get at least halfway through the quest first, but I guess that is too much to ask for some. ;)

[C-Dawg]

I remember you were impressed but said how the story sucked and how the sprites looked godawful and both of those issues were at least partially taken care of in the Director's Cut version, mostly thanks to your comments.

Did I say that? I don't remember saying that. MMDWR is one of the best quests out there, if not the best. I didn't play far enough to get into the plot; I think I might have expressed that there was so little plot early on that I was not compelled to continue. That's not a problem at all with LI, so far.

Oh, and RevFan? What the hell are you talking about? LI is solid as a rock so far, and probably one of the best quests out there. Most of your comments don't even make sense. You're only up to level 3 and you're upset that the big mystery of the plot hasn't been revealed yet? You don't like how the overworld is arranged as a big maze? Seriously, what are you talking about?

If your most vocal critics are those who are whining about difficulty and design decisions, you're doing well. I can see what you two set out to do, and you did it perfectly (so far). I don't know how anyone can find fault with that, especially given what steaming piles some quests turn out to be.

[Pineconn]

Ignore the two posts above yours, Petoe. They're treating it like a Nintendo-made game, the unappreciative ignoramuses. Jeez. (You can't review/rate a game until you've beaten it!!!!)

EDIT: Perfectly said, C-Dawg. ;)

Status report: Just entered the Sky Garden, with exactly 7 hearts. I found the first Triforce Piece, too. Time? 6:09:54. Death count? 14.

So far, I'm lovin' it. Best quest I've played so far, absolutely no doubt about it... as long as the rest of the quest holds up to the first part. The only things I don't like are how Link can't move left or right when he charges up for the spin attack (but it can't be changed, anyway...) and the little statue in Level 1 that shoots fire at you that you have to shoot at. But whatever, it's just personal taste.

But seriously, I'm finding this quest to live up to the hype very well. And I personally find the music to be excellent and very fitting. (The only change I would make is to make the melody in the swamp to be sitar instead of metallic drums, but just hit me upside the head with a pan. :p)

Bug report: Very minor, but right outside the cave that has the statue that reads, "The 3rd mayor of Oderra was killed by...", you can enter that cave from the left. :shrug:

I'm looking forward to the rest of the quest! But I really need to take a break (and work on the rest of my quest...)! Great job thus far, guys.

[Freedom]

I haven't made it very far, I've had life getting in the way.
I'm ready to go to level 1, I have the sword, bow, and arrows, as well as a good stock of bombs.
I walked about everywhere it will allow me to go I believe at this point, and the most serious problem I've seen is a few bushes give the wrong colored leaves when slashed.
I wouldn't pay any attention to the ney sayers, like Revfan, which I guess was his usual diatribe, going by the reactions of others, I put him on ignore long ago so I don't know what he's whining about today, but I'm sure it's well worth ignoring like usual.
There are some tight spots, but hey.... I build the same way, let those who like the wide open spaces build their quests their way. ;)
I'm pretty impressed with what I've seen so far. ;)

[Petoe]

C, yeah, the only criticism so faar seems to be the difficulty, and some people don't like the depressing mood of the quest, which is perfectly understandable. before release I even said that the quest might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hopefully everyone can at least appreciate the effort Wolfie and I put into this monster. I seriously sacrificed real life many times for Lost Isle, but looking at the reactions at PureZC, I can say all time devoted to the project was probably worth it.


Pineconn, you say that LI is very hard. How so? You only have 14 deaths. ;)
When I played through LI, I had 48 deaths. But whenever it feels like the enemies are too much for you, maybe you are in a wrong area or maybe it is a good time to go hunting those HC Pieces.


And Freedom, this time Revfan really put some thought into his post. Heh. Surprisingly Lost Isle is not a steaming pile of crap, but just a crappy overrated quest in his opinion. :)
Oh and Freedom, it's your time to release the next big quest! Hopefully Robinhood can be released some day. I will join you in ZC testing soon and try to be as much help for the developers so that we could get that bloody stable Zc some day.

[Pineconn]

Pineconn, you say that LI is very hard. How so? You only have 14 deaths. ;)
When I played through LI, I had 48 deaths. But whenever it feels like the enemies are too much for you, maybe you are in a wrong area or maybe it is a good time to go hunting those HC Pieces.

Those 14 times I failed to press F6 before I died. ;)

[Fire Wizzrobe]

Ignore the two posts above yours, Petoe. They're treating it like a Nintendo-made game, the unappreciative ignoramuses. Jeez. (You can't review/rate a game until you've beaten it!!!!)

:(:uhoh:

I was just giving my honest opinion, to maybe help petoe with his next quest and how to make it better. :) I'm not treating it like a Nintendo based game, I wouldn't because LI was only made by two people. Maybe I should delete my review. And I do appreciate and respect the two for spending countless hours to make a great game to provide fun to the masses.

[Petoe]

Fire Wizz, there's certainly nothing wrong in saying that you dislike some aspects of the quest. It's just that if you really want to help me, you will not review LI before you have completed it. You have not gotten the correct picture of the quest if your'e not even halfway through it yet, so I cannot really pay attention to your comments even if you are being honest and say the things you say with good intentions.
I love constructive criticism, but when I am reading reviews of my work and I see something like "oh and even though I'm still at Lv2 I can say that..." I stop reading. ;)

Giving comments and reactions while you play is more than welcome, but I seriously don't pay attention to reviews by reviewers who don't invest enough time into the product they are reviewing.

[Fire Wizzrobe]

Ok, see my next review in week. (Or 36 more hours of gameplay);)

[DarkFlameWolf]

Don't really care much for Revfans reviews since
a) he didn't finish the quest and
b) this was to be expected from him and his attitude and
c) Not sure how the heck he got to level 3 without beating the boss of level 2.
My only thought would be the burnable bush just to the right of the entrance of level 3 leading to the Tahou Woods, but that'd be a pain in the ass to burn coming up from the south, I've tried many times, so I thought you couldn't do it. But looks like I was wrong. Sequence break? Possibly. Effects the overall quest? Probably not, you're just missing out on a boss battle and a heart container which you are just going to have to go back and get anyway for 100%. So it makes no difference.

[WindStrike]

Alright... I'm just completely... stumped. In level 2... with a key... and I don't know where to use it, because I can't find it. Suppose I'll just take a break right now afore I await an answer.


Just my personal preference, but I'm not fond of the music. I know it's supposed to be dark and all which fits the quest quite well but... ... it's not something I can listen to while playing for a few hours. Level 2 music is fine, though I still prefer my MP3s played in the background. Speaking of music (offtopic), need to get back to playing my clarinet, heheh...

I honestly think some of the places in Isle of the Winds looked better than the majority of the areas on LI's overworld. However, I did catch one shot of the castle up in the north above Tahoe Woods... and it looks like it'll be my favourite of the overworld areas graphically.
I don't mind it when I see packing of small trees just to cover borderings and then mix it up appropriately to the mood and feel of the area, but when it's in the masses... ... then it just gets outright repetitive and dull. Most particularly I'm referring to the lava area in the bottom right corner area...

One thing that's really helping me find my way on the overworld - the map (spacebar). ^_^ Now I just need to start finding bomb upgrades... well, after I get through level 2 somehow.

Overall, quite good and cool so far... still need to get to the rest of the quest though.

Ah! DFW just gave me the answer over chat... ... though if I am somehow still stuck, I'll just edit this.

[elise]

Darkflamewolf and Petoe

Thanks for making a great Quest !!!!!!!

a great big overworld with lots to discover and levels best described as big puzzles where you have to set triggers and keep very good track where you are where you hading too and where you have to go back too .
What I didn't like is when you die in a hard area you restart with only 3 hearts , and I always have trouble to find out what it is custom bosses need to be killed before I get killed myself , but thats my problem and has nothing to do with the quest.
This quest gets easy the 5 stars from me , from start till end you can see the loads of work the 2 of you put into it , to make it the perfect quest the two of you wanted it to be and at the end thats all that counts , you made the quest you want and you where very kind to share it with us .
I had a lot of fun playing it and can only say to everybody just start playing ,
if you make it to the end or just halfway you are gonna have a great time getting there ;)

[SpykStorm]

I can't find any bombs. I found some hidden in a bush but I used all of them. Is their another place with boms?

[DarkFlameWolf]

There are bomb stashes ALL over the world map, and some you can buy in shops for a hefty 60 arrows and some you get off enemies. You'll never run out of bombs for very long.

[oceansoul22]

Best quest ever!!!!!!

No matter what anyone says, this is the only completed quest, thus far, that is this good. I rather enjoy how you can see which quest maker did what, and how all of their good qualities were woven together to make this awesome quest. The dungeons are insanely long particularly level 3. Or maybe it just seems that way due to key finding?????

Anyways I will say this is the most impressive work out there hopefully more quest releases will come out and wow me the way this has.

Oh and Revfan?

You really should give it up. This isn't a popularity contest nor a quest making contest. This is a large project that a couple people worked on in order to complete something they enjoyed creating. There is no reason to be spiteful towards others and for what means? It almost sounds like you're jealous and not even for the quest making skills these people have, but for the praise they receive? In the end when it's time for you to release a quest, which I'm sure you never will, everyone is gonna lay into you so maybe you could just bugger off and stop playing everyone's quests. I'm surprised you're allowed on the forums with the way you act!

[DarkFlameWolf]

And I really don't want to have this thread degenerate into a flamefest, so I'm going to nip it in the bud right now. If any other flames erupt in this thread, your posts will get deleted, plain and simple. No more of this crap. The thread is about the quest, not of grudges against each other and their opinions.

[Pineconn]

Continuation of glorification. :D

I like how you use water combos as ladder combos. Very original, very creative. (At least I THINK they are water combos. Makes sense.)

I like how the world isn't completely barren. I was expecting a completely lifeless (save for enemies) island, but there are indeed lifeforms.

I find the arrow/Rupee system ingenious, too. Never would have thought of doing it. It's not like you couldn't just use the new bow & arrow system, though.

The ghosts in Oderra freak me out. Seriously. And got a chill down my spine when I read Elise's diary. I'm tellin' ya', this quest could very easily be an official Zelda game!

Level 1 was simply excellent. I found myself bringing up the map and actually using it, something not often done by myself. Who would have thought that a huge dungeon could be made with only 2 keys? My largest dungeons for my upcoming quest have 10 or more keys each. :D

Well, time for Level 2. Comments when I complete it! (If I need no help.)

[Petoe]

Who would have thought that a huge dungeon could be made with only 2 keys?

Well I have to tell you that's one of the things I am proud of. ;)
It was all Wolfie's idea, he restricted me to only use 2 keys / level, and I think that really made the levels interesting as they're not just about collecting keys, byt solving all kinds of puzzles and triggering all kinds of secrets.


And people, don't be afraid to ask help if you get stuck. Oh and the Lost Isle Readme.pdf is a really helful file but not many have read it, lol. It has some very useful information in it, so be sure to check it out.

[erm2003]

I have just scratched the surface on this quest. I don't have much time during the week so I found the sword, bow, and arrow, and I just saved for now. I can't wait to check out level 1 in another day or so. From what I have read you guys did a really great job. I am sure LI is living up to all the hype you guys tried to keep down over the past several months. Congrats on finally being able to release your masterpiece!

[SpykStorm]

When I clicked on the readme file an error meesege comes up.
Error; veiwer can not understand all of the content.
And then all I see is a bunch of dots in the document.

Edit; Is there by any chance that you are going to put this in the new database?

[Gleeok]

When I clicked on the readme file an error meesege comes up.
Quote:
Error; veiwer can not understand all of the content.

And then all I see is a bunch of dots in the document.

It's a pdf. I'm using adobe acrobat reader 6.0 and it works just fine.


Man this overworld is huge, and i'm completely lost. I've been just about everywhere you can get to with the sword and arrows. (found potions and magic containers also)
I might of missed some obvious stuff due to traversing the majority of the landscape without bombs, so umm....let me be the first to say it. heh. Where the heck is the bow and level 1?
-Someone had to do it. why not me? -Gleeok's the goose. ;P



Oh, and Revfan...just curious. What quests do you think are good? ...or do you hate them all.

[HeroOfFire]

This has been an impressive quest so far. The overworld is huge and maze-like, while the dungeons are just as huge. I liked how the dungeons have a familiar theme with a unique spin (or in Level 2's case flip) on them. The quest is definetly on the more difficult side, with strong enemies thrown at you early and a lack of magic shields with too many "Like-Likes".

I've done well so far, but when you've been running around a dungeon in circles for who knows how long searching for anything you've missed, you're stuck. I'm in Level 3 trying to find a key for a lock block. I've already found the compass and a key that I used on a locked door, and I've found some bombable walls here and there. I still have not made it to the second floor and I guess I need to find the Royal Melody to open some of the doors. But do I need a key for a lock block first? Or should I be searching for something less obvious? I have yet to find anything important in the basement, and there are some areas I've seen that I can't get to yet in the lower right regions of the first floor.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Well, from that locked door you 'unlocked', go south and if you haven't yet, there the blocks on the right should have receeded. Go right, bomb the south wall. solve the timing challenge and go right again. Lower the blocks and bomb the right wall, step on through. Next up is a 2x2 maze of rooms, be careful here! Its dangerous! Your ultimate goal is to head north in the upper left of the 2x2 room. From there, its relatively easy to find your second key, just don't fall into any pits just yet.
The bow is in the caves underneath the house with the purple roof and the cracked doorway, bomb it open Gleeok.

Oh, and I can't put this up for the new AGN database, their size limit is 5 megs, and its 6.16 megs. Go figure.

[WindStrike]

Ok, I've searched Mt. Hogrus and its summit for too long:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/Wind_Strike/zelda001-3.jpg
Can I get to the boomerang from there? Seriously, I've checked every cave access to the summit and it's either dead end because I don't have a candle (which is in level 3 which I'd rather not go to without a boomerang) or the boomerang itself. So unless I'm completely missing something, which it seems to be the case...

[Petoe]

Yes, the boomerang is there. Go back to the cave that brought you to the Summit. In that cave try to find a screen with a Gleeok. Kill the Gleeok and proceed.

[Gleeok]

OK, I got the bow and i'm assuming those are the arrows in the bushes next to the beach. I bombed the wall and went through the cave, but no luck. So do I need the candle or glove to get them?

Maybe someone should write a book entitled "Lost Isle for dummies", I think that might help me out some. ;p




Anyhoo, there's a dark green-roofed small house at the southern part of the village. Bomb the cracked part on the wall to get inside and proceed further... that is the way to the Arrows.

Doh! I went through there already...must've missed something obvious, as usual. thanks!

[Petoe]

No need for a book, though a walkthrough would always be nice I guess. ;)

Anyhoo, there's a darkgreen-roofed small house at the southern part of the village. Bomb the cracked part on the wall to get inside and proceed further... that is the way to the Arrows.

[WindStrike]

Ok, went back to that cave... rather, the start of it. Two routes I can go from there - left, which leads me to a room a need the candle for (spikes block the way up) or north, which branches off again, but right doesn't take me to the summit, whereas going north and taking the stairs does. Is this the right cave? I've tried searching for a bomb wall, but to no avail...

[Petoe]

Oops, my bad... you DON'T have the Candle? Man, I have to learn to read... sorry.

Yeah, you need a Candle in that cave. And the Candle is in the northeast corner of Dasa Woods. Now that you have the Wand, you can get there.

[WindStrike]

OHHH.... I figured it was in level 3 because of all the unlit torches and all... hehehehe.... ... crap. *headdesk for too much wasted time* Wheee!!!

[C-Dawg]

I like how you use water combos as ladder combos. Very original, very creative. (At least I THINK they are water combos. Makes sense.)

Ah, well, this is the first time that technique was used in a FINISHED quest, correct. ;)

I'm seeing a couple of great applications of some older techniques that never made it past demo quests - fixing the heart animation so it drifts down to the ground ... the aforementioned climbing animation ... and some other small bits. All of which I heartily approve of.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Windstrike, if you were paying attention to the skull dudes in the houses, as you should have been, one of them mentions a 'burning-type' object that probably wouldnt be found in a forest/woods. (which means it WOULD be!)

[Pineconn]

Alright... I'm just completely... stumped. In level 2... with a key... and I don't know where to use it, because I can't find it. Suppose I'll just take a break right now afore I await an answer.

I'm at this point as well. Found the key after the plant creature thing, and I'm unable to use it since I haven't found anywhere to use it. Trust me, I did some extensive searching to look for the door/chest/lock block, no luck on my part.

[Petoe]

Where to use the 1st key at Lv2? Use it to open the Big Item chest that contains the Wand.
Ah but where is this Big Item Chest? It is on the southwestern part of the LIGHT Side. But you can only get there by using a warp portal on the northwestern part of the LIGHT Side. If you need step by step help, I will gladly help you guys.

[Pineconn]

Mmm.... okay. I'll try that. Thanks, Petoe/Peteo. :)

[WindStrike]

... I'm missing a key somewhere in level 3. One last key so I can obtain the ladder... but the problem is that I can't think of where it could possibly be in all of these floors. I highly doubt it's on 1, it can't be on the sub-floor and it can't be on floor 4, which leaves a fairly extensive area of 2 or 3. I haven't re-explored everything yet (going to try the eastern half of 2 now), but it might be helpful if I could get a hint at what I may have missed, even though it could be any number of key locations.

EDIT: Oops... guess it was on floor 1. Three right and two down from the start... originally, I thought that ice disappeared permanently on the screen but then I realized that it comes back... ... heh. *head-desk*

[SpacemanDan]

I'm currently in level 2 at about 4 ad 1/2 hours with 43 deaths and am enjoying it alot. I LOVE the graphics! Are you two releaseing a tile set for this?? (I hope so! :P)
I like some music you two picked out, but others, not so much. (Curse you two for using the FF3 final boss theme before I did! lol j/k) But meh, music isn't nearly as important as gameplay.
I'm not sure why, though, but this quest (to me) has a very different feel to it. (It may be because there's next to no keys to find. And that most items are found in caves.)
I'm looking forward to seeing what'll happen next. Excellent job with this!! :D
However, I am stuck at the moment in level 2. I have yet to find any keys, and the furthest I've made it is up to the plant thing that tries to eat me. What do I do? (I have a hunch that bombs may work, but I never have any bombs! Or arrows, for that matter.) Anywho, if bombs isn't the answer, what is?
Oh yeah, at this point, can I get the map? (I went through all of level 1 without it. That was hell...)

[Petoe]

Yeah Blaman, bombs is what you need to feed that plant thingy. And you can get the map already, but the way to the map is really complex without the Wand...


Oh and Pineconn, I dunno if you found where to use the key yet, but I had had to test my new video maker and I uploaded a video on youtube just to test how to make Lost Isle videos. The quality is poor, but the video clearly shows what to do: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mjr6-zCUfqo
if you wonder why Link moves so fast, it is because I am using cheats. :p

[Pineconn]

Didn't need the video. Thanks for the guidance, it narrowed down most of the dungeon. I figured out

-=SPOILER=-

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/PokeMaster/zelda005.gif

Ta-da!

[C-Dawg]

Havn't made it that far yet, but the video looks like a top/bottom level akin to the Floating Garden in Illusion of Gaia. Very nice!

[WindStrike]

Key hunting! Again! Except this time, I'm pretty sure I've scoured the entire place from top to bottom (or the other way around). I just need one last key so I can obtain the boss key. If you're wondering which two keys I have gotten, it's the ones on floors 3 and 5. Dunno where that pesky last one is...

[Petoe]

Ah, after getting the ladder those are the 2 keys you have gotten? Ah, good. That means you haven't gotten the kay that is outside of the level, on a beach, right? You have to get through a short cave to obtain it. To get to the outside area of Lv3 that I am talking about, go to the northeastern part of F1 and exit the level there.......


And C, yeah, I have never played Illusion of Gaia but DFw has and she wanted to have a level like the Sky Garden in Lost Isle.

[C-Dawg]

19 deaths into the game, I finally find level 1. Got four hearts, big shield, and the bow and arrows to help, though. Im puttering around Level 1 now. Good job! I probably know more than most people how long it takes to design (or wing it) these kind of multiple-dmap levels to ensure the player can't get where they aren't supposed to be.

There's a reason that level doesn't rely on finding keys, gentle players. ;)

[Gleeok]

*Beware the floor?*
That's real mature Peteo. I bet everyone had fun with that one too. So death count: 1 ..Bastard! hehe...somehow I thought beware floor =[translation] run really fast! ...Doh!

Anyway, been all over lv1 at LEAST twice. Found the Big chest but NO KEY!!!! Aaaarrfg!!!! Umm...little help here perhaps. -(I GOT RAFT!)-

Also I freakin love the palletes used thus far in the caves/dungeons. Nice colors, easy on the eyes too. Good effects also. Not many, but just enough for flavor.

[AmazingAmpharos]

First of all, I've really been loving this quest. I have no major complaints so far but a few minor ones. I'll save any criticisms until I finish the game, though if it keeps up the quality of design it will earn high marks in my book for sure.

I understood "beware the floor" instantly (avoid those tiles), but I was curious what would happen so yeah, +1 to my death count (of many, I don't really care about dying). Perhaps my death count is so high because I let myself fall into stuff like that out of curiosity.

Also, I'm having one hard time finding the second level. I don't so much want to be told where it is so much as give me a general hint. I have no idea what section of the world I should be exploring, though I've been almost everywhere since I got the Power Glove. Really, I've spent quite a few hours exploring, and I've found some pretty cool things but not the next dungeon. I am probably missing something small somewhere, but the world is just too big to carefully peruse all over again so could someone just tell me the overworld area I need to prod around in?

Is the Spin Attack not supposed to let you walk perpendicular to the sword charging? That's quite unlike it was in every other Zelda game, but I've never used the ZC spin attack before. It certainly seems like it will limit the potential of the spin, though at least you don't move like molasses when charging like in lttp.

[elise]

It's in the South east lava area
:)

[DarkFlameWolf]

Although I do believe you need to use that power gauntlet to move a few rocks to find another item to get to level 2.

[Nicholas Steel]

download adobe acrobat reader instead of some 3rd party PDF viewer.

i didnt realize this lol, i'll download this now and check it out !

---
edit: a second page indeed exists ~_~

[Nicholas Steel]

hey, in the readme, petoe says he was gonna help wolfie before he moves to 100% custom quests... i would have thought MM: DWR was a 100% custom quest ~_~

also the images in the PDF like the enemies and the island, are very crappy in quality, surely you could have made them vastly better in quality with a negligible increase in file size?

EDIT: - I CAN'T PLAY THIS.

the version of Zelda Classic included uses an old timing engine that (as i have stated in the beta bugs area) annoys me greatly.
if darkdragon or someone is able to release a build with a update to only the timing engine update then that would be great. (this issue was already solved a while ago but the version included is older)

[Petoe]

Well MMDWR was a 100% custom quest, but what I meant was that LI was my final chance to make a Zelda game before completely moving on non-Zelda projects and never looking back. ;)

And the pictures in the readme are poor quality because we wanted to keep the file size small and to give a bit of a mysterious feeling to the enemies. Since they are a bit blurry, you cannot see all the details in them etc so you have to play the quest to see how they look like in action. :p


Oh and 19 deaths, C? Holy crap! Since your own quests are pretty damn challenging, I thought you were some insanely skillful player who zero games quests with ease... heh.

[C-Dawg]

Non-Zelda is where it's at. No fringeinfray opyrightcay.

What I really like about Lost Isle is that it is polished enough that my concerns and critiques boil down to design decisions, not problems. (Although the arrow game was a tad buggy; you can mess up the combo animation by hitting them too fast, and one of the arrow flags didn't go away even though the statute went down.)

So, for instance, I'm making a mental note to myself that open-ended is fine and good, but the player should still have some feeling of progress and direction. The overworld is a great size, but I'm left wondering if, perhaps, the player's hand shouldn't be held at least until Level 1.

I see you've tried to do that a little bit by dropping the player a few hints about where to go (the skeleton tells you his friends are in the swamp, the swamp intro tells you to find a temple). The problem, for me, was that the maze was so effective I didn't think I could go anywhere in the swamp yet.

Now, I wouldn't change a thing about your overworld. It's the best I've ever seen. But I'm thinking that a massive maze overworld might work better if there were more than one discrete place to go at one time. Now, this might be the case already, but I didn't find anything except caves until I found Level 1 - and I wandered all over the place. If the player had the choice of completing one of half a dozen levels first, that might make the random wandering more satisfying. Like, say, one level in the Odderra village or graveyard that has no item, only plot information and a heart container piece. Stuff like that.

These concerns don't detract from Lost Isle at all, they're just things to think about for future quests. It really is a testament to Lost Isle's excellence that it raises such high-level concerns about quest design.



Oh and 19 deaths, C? Holy crap! Since your own quests are pretty damn challenging, I thought you were some insanely skillful player who zero games quests with ease... heh.

What? No, I die constantly in my own quests. I just don't mind dying. Continue, continue, continue until you get it just right!

I believe this is a disconnect between me and most players.

[Nicholas Steel]

ok, well i can play it, just gotta put up with random lag :P im pretty sure i just need to find the first dungeon now :)

bow
wooden arrow
sword
bombs?

-----
great work so far, but i think theres a bug with the green ghost :) it never said anything for me :P if you enter from the right side and walk across the very base of the -=SPOILER=- you can walk in a 3x1 grid while the ghost appears, now walk down just 1 square of the entrance to the building to lock you from walking all 4 directions and the ghost wont say anything at all, it just comes and goes.

[Petoe]

franpa, not a bug. It's just a random ghost who flies through the screen, giving the village and the whole quest a certain eerie feeling, and hopefully makes you wonder what that ghost was and is the ghost somehow meaningful to the story..... ;)


C, that's what I like as well. Dying dying dying until you get it right! And fortunately in LI there are many shortcuts, so if you happen to die, you don't have to go through a certain part of a level or overworld again. That's a good way to avoid annoyance and when building the quest I constantly kept telling DFW "we need more shortcuts in this quest!!". Of course if the player somehow forgets or misses the shortcut trigger, then dying might get annoying.

[Nicholas Steel]

ah, ok then :)

[Gleeok]

Ran out of arrows. Death count at 2 now. And still can't open the big chest in lv1. Is this so obvious that i'm going to slam my head into the keyboard, or are the keys hidden really well? I hope for my sake it's the second.

[Nicholas Steel]

heh, any hints on getting a piece of food?

im gonna leave this till tomorrow :) and thanks for the info petoe. (aka: Pete)

[Petoe]

Gleeok: One of the keys is on the B1 floor. When you come to the B1 floor, from the block puzzle room exit to left and go down 2 times. If you have activated the shortcut in this screen, just walk to the middle of the big water hall by using those wooden pieces that you see on water.
To get the other key, lower water from F1, then go to the southwest corner of F1 and go down the vines. When you come to the dark room on B1, cut the vines to find a hidden door...


Franpa: Oh you wanna feed that hungry guy in the Windmill? Well you have th beat the 2 first levels before you get your hands on some tasty fish.... ;)

[DarkFlameWolf]

keys hidden really well. Both keys are on b1.

And C-dawg, thank you for your comments. I almost consider the caves underneath Oderra for the Bow and Arrow to be a mini-dungeon of sorts. Already straight off the bat, you can explore Chovian Fields, Oderra Village, Dasa Woods, Akavir Swamp, Oderra Graveyard, Yeven Basin, Tahou Woods and a part of the Vasshinghon Flows. That's already a wide area to explore. And as a result you can get before level 1:
7 HC pieces, 2+ potions, 1 bomb upgrade, 1 magic upgrade. I'd say that's pretty darn good for some exploration before hitting level 1. ;)

[AmazingAmpharos]

I found where I needed to go, but I think I also found a minor bug. In the Tahou Woods, there are a few screens on which the map won't come up. They're a bit north of the place you use the Raft. I'm really can't see why the map won't come up on those screens, but it doesn't seem intended.

[DarkFlameWolf]

was left over from a previous beta where room-state carryovers didnt' exist so we had to use extra dmaps with level numbers to get things to work, but since the advent of carryovers, we got it working, but forgot to swap out that you didn't need to go to a new dmap anymore, so thus, two screens can't have map viewing on them.

[C-Dawg]

Already straight off the bat, you can explore Chovian Fields, Oderra Village, Dasa Woods, Akavir Swamp, Oderra Graveyard, Yeven Basin, Tahou Woods and a part of the Vasshinghon Flows. That's already a wide area to explore.

Oh, no doubt. I'm delighted with the range of exploration allowed. But these areas don't have much to do other than poke around for HCPs. I'm thinking, for future quests, it would be more rewarding if each place to explore had something more meaty to it. A specialized mini-dungeon (caves don't stand out), perhaps a special mini-plot. For example, a mini-dungeon in the graves under the Oderra Graveyard with, I don't know, King of the Worms who describes what happened from his perspective. "Dinnertime!" That sort of thing.

Of course, this is just design philosophy. You can see what I'm talking about in that old Sabotage Dragoon demo. I tried really hard to make sure wherever you wandered, there was something quirky/interesting/humorous/new to reward you for your wanderings.

[Pineconn]

And as a result you can get before level 1:
7 HC pieces, 2+ potions, 1 bomb upgrade, 1 magic upgrade. I'd say that's pretty darn good for some exploration before hitting level 1. ;)

Ah crap. Missed that. :rolleyes:

[WindStrike]

Alright, I've got everything I need before level 4 (except 4 or 5 heart pieces, but I have cheap combat skills so I probably don't need them). But... I can't get into level 4. I'm guessing it's past that rock where if you hit the statue above it with an arrow the rock with disappear but... the arrow won't go through the rock, so how do you hit the statue? Unless I'm actually suppose to access the level by the caves or something...


... also, that graveyard level was bloody (literally) insane. Is it even possible to survive one hit from... well, the slow moving gibdos? I'd look up the name, but I'd rather just call 'em deathtouch mummies, heheh. But really, you know some people of younger age or those sensitive to blood, even though pixelated (it did look quite real almost) could cause seizures or something. I dunno... still, that was CRAZY! Ah well, at least I have... THE ONE WEAPON! TO RULE THEM ALL!... ... now I need "the one defense." ^_^

[annnot]

I still can't find level one. Can someone please help me. Thanks

[Petoe]

Of course, this is just design philosophy. You can see what I'm talking about in that old Sabotage Dragoon demo. I tried really hard to make sure wherever you wandered, there was something quirky/interesting/humorous/new to reward you for your wanderings.
And you did it so well too! I found the SD demo to be very hard and frustrating at times, but what kept me going was the brilliant and funny dialogue and the events that took place all over your overworlds. Just had to see what the next NPC has to say in the quest... ;)


Windstrike, it is good you brought the goryness of the Catacombs up. It is a very disturbing and nasty place, but on the other hand this is just a 2D game... But I don't know how a younger player would react to that kind of level. Should we have warned players that there might be some content in the game that is not suitable for the very young... Wolfie didn't seem to mind, she told me "Go wild with the catacombs, make it as sick as you can!".
Oh well, hopefully no one sues our asses. :P
And to get to Level 4, you need to move that huge 2x2 block. And to move it you need the Giant's Gauntlet.


annot, the 1st level is at the swamp. You need the Bow & Arrows to get in to the level. If those big pig headed statues are blocking your way, shoot the grey poles into the mouth with an arrow to proceed.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Windstike, they are called Deathbos. The undefined enemy later in the caves are Blood Leevers.
And the boss was called Death Eater. But yeah, the catacombs were quite the interesting level. Glad you were able to deduce the clues to each maze. (either that you did a VERY long trial-and-error session.)

[SpykStorm]

Ooops! I didnt mean to post this. Please deleate it.
This is what you get for playing whith the text editor. Sorry!

[C-Dawg]

You need the Bow & Arrows to get in to the level. If those big pig headed statues are blocking your way, shoot the grey poles into the mouth with an arrow to proceed.

You have no earthly idea how long it took me to figure that out.

[The_Amaster]

Arggghhhhhhhhhhh!
So that's what you do?
*pant* *pant* *pant*

(Brightly) So, where do you get the bow?



was called Death Eater
Ohhh, do we get to face down Lord Voldemort too?
*gets shot*

[DarkFlameWolf]

You know, I would not mind...when C-dawg finishes his run-through, to write a in-depth review of the quest. I'd be very interested in his personal, professional opinion of the quest. (I'd probably print it and frame it too! ;)) But seriously, not rushing him in any way, I know at his speed of play, it'll be a few months before he finishes and has time to write up one. But despite our differences in the past, I still respect him as a questmaker and his opinions. So I'd like to invite him to take his time, soak the entire quest in and try (try) to get everything it has to offer before completing it and letting us know his thoughts. I've always wondered how C-dawg would take to this quest, so now we'll find out whenever he gets done. No pressure though C-dawg! ;)

[Nicholas Steel]

heh, i thought that hungry guy was blocking the entrance to level 1, hence my question about finding some food :P

there is nothing saying that the windmill is NOT dungeon 1.

[TheBestGamer]

I beat level 1 a few hours ago, and so far this quest is looking great. I have only one complaint. You don't seem to give enough information to figure out where to go between dungeons. There wasn't so much as a hint as to level 2's location, and two hours of wandering didn't get me anywhere.. Care to help me out?

[WindStrike]

As said in the readme, look in the town and talk to the three stalfos dudes. Seems you can always get three more items after beating a level. Also, you saw where the blue bushes withered, right? Head there... tis the eastern side of Chovian Fields. Once you get your three items, start exploring with them. Maybe you'll find an entrance... also, use your map button a lot.


@franpa: Oh, but there IS something saying the windmill is not level 1. The readme. Even without said document, there are people saying the windmill is not level 1.

[TheBestGamer]

That would explain it. I didn't know I could get more items. I had looked in that area for the dungeon before, but I didn't have the items needed to get anywhere. Thanks.

[Nicholas Steel]

what is the readme? the TXT file or the PDF file? i read through all of the PDF but glanced at the readme due to the readme sstarting off similar to the PDF.

[DarkFlameWolf]

the 23 page PDF is what we are referring to.

[Nicholas Steel]

hmmm, ill look it over again, it was very late when i was reading it.

[TheBestGamer]

This is getting very frustrating.

One of the Stalfos says there's a boomerang on top of the volcano, but i can't get there without the Ocarina.

One says there's a Power Gauntlet in the lava area to the east, but I don't see it. There's an area that requires the Ocarina, so it's probably in there.

And the last Stalfos tells me that there's an Ocarina, but he doesn't mention where it is.

I'm missing something really obvious, aren't I?

[Petoe]

After you did beat Lv1 the cutscene showed where the blue flowers went donw, remember that? Go there and enter the Lava Flows area. Just walk around a bit and enter a cave on the southern part of the Lava Flows to get into a cave with the Power Gauntlet.

After you have that, you can go north of the Lava Flows to the Tahou Woods where the Ocarina is hidden. And with the Ocarina you can move those big grey Sheikah-blocks away and enter Level 2 finally.

[Nicholas Steel]

hey ! i just found the first dungeon, was confusing getting there tho.

[zcAmazing]

I had explored much. But now I need to find Level 1. How do I find it?

And I had looked at the document in FAQ/Tips section of what I need first before entrant of Level 1. Where I can find them?

[Nicholas Steel]

all items needed for the first dungeon can be found in the village if you look hard enough ;) well, i assume you only need 3 items apart from your sword...

[Nicholas Steel]

hmmm, im stuck in the first dungeon, i've explored the whole first floor and have found a room with blocks that need moving, but i cant move them :P i beleive i need whatever it is from there to proceed? heh ive unlocked all the shortcuts on the floor... i just need to lower the water or something.

[Petoe]

Find this room:
http://www.sephiroth.ws/ZC/LI/zelda182.gif

Bomb the face-pillar on the left to find the Water Control room. ;)

[Nicholas Steel]

... so damn hidden :P ok thanks ill get there tomorrow very easily.

[Petoe]

Tomorrow? Oh well, okay.... :P

...so damn hidden! ;)

[Nicholas Steel]

heh, i got it, im after the boss key now :) um, is there mas for the dungeons? my subscreen aint recording what rooms ive been into.

means my situation is harder then necessary if there is maps...

-----
EDIT: first dungeon complete :)

[DarkFlameWolf]

The map was on B2 once all water was drained. It 'can' be easily missed if you head north in the fully drained basin on b2.

[Nicholas Steel]

heh, im in level 2 now :)

[_L_]

Say, Lost Isle makers! Would it be too much to ask for a version of the Lost Isle quest file saved in a build > 403? Because on the Mac, most of the sound effects are static-y for quests saved in builds prior to that.

Also, I'm wondering: if nearly everybody in the village died in the invasion or whatnot, who or how many were left to bury them all in individual graves? And also to carve the hundreds of grave markers?

[Nicholas Steel]

i would, but password needed ;)

[Petoe]

Say, Lost Isle makers! Would it be too much to ask for a version of the Lost Isle quest file saved in a build > 403? Because on the Mac, most of the sound effects are static-y for quests saved in builds prior to that.

Also, I'm wondering: if nearly everybody in the village died in the invasion or whatnot, who or how many were left to bury them all in individual graves? And also to carve the hundreds of grave markers?
Who buried them etc... you have to let DWF answer that, she's the brains behind the story of LI. ;)

And are you only interested in testing how the LI sound effects sound like, or do you want to know how well LI would run on a build > 403? All the custom enemies will be screwed up if I do that, but if you're only looking for certain thingfs, then I see no reason why not to send you a copy of LI that hs been saved with one of the newer builds.

[Nicholas Steel]

the sounds are screwed if the quest from a windows build prior to "build 403 windows" is played on the macintosh build, they both handled sound files different from each other, so if you updated the quest file, then sounds should play alright for the mac build.

[Nicholas Steel]

hey, im up to the second maze on the first triforce dungeon (maze path) how do i find the route? ... i may have just thought of the answer xD

edit: help required, i know E and N, but nothing else.
edit: c'mon ! the thread @ pureZC is 25 pages long and growing :P this is only 3 (im aware the # of threads setting in my profile might differ between accounts) why is no one posting here???

[Petoe]

Second maze? Just look at the blocks and where they are pointing (read from left to right). ;)

And yeah, AGN is unfortunately pretty dead, and it's a damn shame, but I am checking this thread out regularly so just be patient and you will get answers.

[Nicholas Steel]

haha thanks petoe, i mostly worked it out myself ;) i wasnt counting the candle as part of the er pattern :)

[DarkFlameWolf]

Well, we know FFCs and our custom enemies would be totally screwed if we updated LI to any of the latest alphas because the base coding behind these faetures has changed since 254. So we'd have to go through extensive re-ZQuesting and about a month or so testing to make sure it was all working again in the latest betas. So we don't really want to do that just yet.

[jovo]

Im not seeking any help but I just wanted to say this quest blows my mind. The readme is great to. Thank you for making us this big huge quest.

[DarkDeath]

My laptop runs this at like 20fps then I turned off throtle and it now runs at 40-60 I noticed that the Link you control in this one walks incredably slow and my start menu (items) runs at over 500fps and death runs at over 1200fps lol I'm not sure whats wrong lol but I guess my laptop runs this quest too fast except for normal traveling (overworld).

[DarkDragon]

Fun quest. I just completed level 2.

I am in the dream area you reach by entering the windmill, and seem to have encountered a bug. I've played through until I reach the wallmaster, who says something about a dead end, and then teleports me to the screen in the attached image. I take it this is not intentional?

EDIT: Nevermind, looked in ZQuest and all seems in order. One hell of a fucked-up area ;)

[Petoe]

Yes, that was very intentional. Since the quest is otherwise so dark and gloomy, I think it was a good idea to add one fucked up place there to get some lauhghs from people. ;)

[DarkFlameWolf]

I am one sad pa...er..wolfie. Will you stay with me for a moment?

[DarkDeath]

Sure, just ignore my post lol
what do you think is wrong with it?

[Petoe]

Sure, just ignore my post lol
what do you think is wrong with it?

Well what can I say? I'm just a quest designer, not a ZC developer. :(
Do you only have problems running this Lost isle build of ZC or do you have problems running other versions of Zc as well?

[DarkDeath]

just LI build

[Pineconn]

Just completed Level 2 [after a short hiatus]. Time is 8:49:47.

Level 2 was excellent, too. I can see that a ton of planning went into that one. I felt a sense of accomplishment as I opened up all those short cuts! And whoever made the boss, you're incredibly evil. I thought it was going to be only one Digdogger, heh.

However, the dungeon felt kind of buggy. You probably know what I mean: pots reappearing, enemies reappearing, walking through that one switch that triggers the red and blue obstacles... ;) Nothing major at all. Nevertheless, Sky Garden was a top-notch dungeon!

Off to... the next place! :tongue:

[LostInHyru1e]

Wow, I had no idea that there were forum trolls on this site, but that reviewer guy is one. I doubt that review was serious, or more than just trolling.

As soon as I'm cleared by my parents to download this game, I will. It looks like Nintendo made it, seriously. It looks that good. I seriously can't wait.

[Nicholas Steel]

DarkDeath, try running it in windowed mode, are you competent at adding parameters to shortcuts?

[Petoe]

Yeah DarkDeath, running ZC in windowed might help! i mean the LI Build works for me ONLy in Windowed mode. :(


Thanks LostInHyru1e, be sure to give your opinion of the quest when you finally get to play it. ;)


Pineconn, well with Lv2 I guess I tried to do a bit too much and forgot about the restrictions of ZC so that's why there was some weird behaviour like enemies/pots reappearing, but none of that stuff affected gameplay on the level so I just shrugged it off thinknig that "the players will understand it, that's just how ZC sometimes works". ;)

[DarkDragon]

How soon can one get the mirror shield? I had my shield eaten in the Catacombs (for something like the fourth time in the game) and am out of shield caves I remember.

[Petoe]

How soon can one get the mirror shield? I had my shield eaten in the Catacombs (for something like the fourth time in the game) and am out of shield caves I remember.

You can get the mirror shield from a cave under the Bhalstok Castle. You can get there only if you have the Lv4 item.
But if you had your shield eaten the 4th time, there still should be 2 shields left. And if there aren't any shields left, then there is a secret shop at the souteast part of the Akavir Swamp which sells them at a high price.

Here's the item map for LI by the way to see where all the shields and other items are:
http://koti.welho.com/pranta18/map.htm

[Gleeok]

OK, I just looked over your spoiler map. hehe...thanks. ..but missed LV 2 apparently. So do I need the candle, gloves, or any other items to proceed? Are these relatively straight forward to get? thanks.

[Petoe]

To get to Lv2 you don't need Candle. You only need to have the Power Gauntlets from a cave in the Lava Flows and the Ocarina from the deep forest of Tahou Woods.

[LostInHyru1e]

Thanks LostInHyru1e, be sure to give your opinion of the quest when you finally get to play it. ;)



Okay, I definitely will. I can't wait!

[LostInHyru1e]

I just downloaded the quest and started playing, and it's awesome! I have 45 minutes on the game and I haven't got anything done, because I've been exploring the overworld. The game is confusing right now, and I don't know how to beat the Unicorn-things in the Village's caves that block my way, and I don' know what's down there, but I expect it's good.

I'm going to get back to playing. This game is really cool so far!

[Petoe]

Just dodge the fireballs the Unicorn thingies shoot at you and try to get as close to them as possible and slash their heads with your sword. ;)

[LostInHyru1e]

Hmm.... I tried that, but they didn't blink, so I didn't think they were taking damage... or maybe they weren't, and I wasn't hitting the right spot.

Well, as soon as the other computer(the one that the quest is downloaded on) starts working again(it's going through a virus check-up thing) I'll go back there and try it again. :D

So, Peteo, do you have any idea what your next quest will be?

[LostInHyru1e]

HELP!!

I downloaded the Lost-Isle-Build earlier, and when it was finished downloading, I pressed "Open" and it did and I played the game.

But now, after shutting down the computer, I can't find it!!! What is the EXACT name it would be saved under? I can't find it in my computer's search function!

AH! ::Runs in circles:: HELP!!

[Gleeok]

Whoa there! Calm down...
Try searching for Lost-Isle-Build, allegro42, or ZC Read me, or the like. Also if it was today, don't type any name in the search, instead use only date modified-today's date. Try that.

[Nicholas Steel]

um, dont click "open" when downloading it, instead hit the "save" button then once its on your hard drive, just extract "all" the files into a new empty folder. now play the game from that folder.

[DarkDragon]

Just beat LI. I'm pretty sure I missed some bomb upgrades, but the only place I was really hurting for bombs was the Doom Cave.

Without further ado, a brief review:

The Good:
Level 2, and Triforce Dungeons 1 and 5. Very well designed, and very fun. I also enjoyed the mood of the Oderra Catacombs.
Custom enemies! The deathbos had me sweating whenever they appeared in great numbers. Varying the enemy tiles by location was also a good use of this new feature.
The choice between a puzzle path and a fighting path, such as in levels 1, 3, and possibly elsewhere, was much appreciated.
A plot, and one not involving Ganon.
I strongly approve of this quest's use of clearly marked combo flags - I've never much liked "guess the bombable wall" or "guess the burnable tree."
Minimizing the use of keys resulted in quite interesting dungeon design. Good call.

The Bad:
I consider LI to be a "generation 2.5" quest in that it uses a lot of old tricks which could be made more polished with scripting - messages and cutscenes requiring the user to press the down key, reappearing pots in many places, Link being able to fire his weapons during cutscenes, etc. Custom bosses, especially the robot in the level 4 annex, showed a lot of seams.
Classic (eg non-Z3) movement + sensitive ledge puzzles. In classic movement, Link "snaps" a bit in the direction perpendicular to his new direction of movement when turning, which on several occasions put me right into a pit. Arrgh.

The Ugly:
Using a non-standard beta! And not just because I kept having to compile it for you ;). Several now-fixed bugs emerged, such as Link being paralyzed while charging, and walking funny on conveyor belts. Not to mention the poor Mac users who will have garbled sounds.
Continue with 3 hearts. WTF guys. I know this quest option is a time-honored way of increasing quest difficulty by adding frustration, but on several occasions - especially the level 4 boss - I was asking myself, "do I want to waste the next five minutes harvesting hearts before, in all likelihood, dying yet again, or do I want to quit and do something else for a while?" This is not the kind of question you want your players to be asking.

Overall, a very solid quest; 8/10. The kind of experience that makes me excited for what 2.50 will bring.

[Petoe]

I appreciate the feedback, DD.

But to my defense I gotta say you cannot expect LI to take full advantage of some of the newest 2.5 features simply because they're either not 100% stable or then they haven't been explained well enough (like scripting, I'm still waiting for that "scripiting guide to monkeys"). ;)


But anyhoo, glad you liked it. I would expect it is a great feeling for you hard working develoeprs to see full finished and bugfree quests made with the program you are so hard working on. Or what do I know... :P

[SpacemanDan]

I'm stuck...again. :sweat:
I'm in level 3, and I've found the first key, opened the door, and am having trouble getting through that 2x2 maze. (I'm probably missing something extremely obvious, aren't I?)

[Petoe]

Blaman, hmmm.... Maybe you haven't realized yet that you need to hit that one crystal with a Boomerang?

[SpacemanDan]

I'm supposed to have the boomerang!?
Arrrrrghh! That's what I'm missing! I figured I would get it AFTER level 3.
Stupid me... :sweat:

[Petoe]

Blaman, don't tell me you're missing the Candle as well? :P But yeah, Candle and Boomerang are needed at Bhalstok Castle.

[DarkDragon]

I appreciate the feedback, DD.

But to my defense I gotta say you cannot expect LI to take full advantage of some of the newest 2.5 features simply because they're either not 100% stable or then they haven't been explained well enough (like scripting, I'm still waiting for that "scripiting guide to monkeys"). ;)

Absolutely; that's more my fault than yours ;)
I felt I'd point out what avenues have opened up for further improvement in your next project.

While playing I never did open the chest at the top of the level 4 annex; I only ever found one key in level 4 and used it to open the Boss Key chest. Is there anything in that rooftop chest?

[Petoe]

A...are you talking about the big chest on the rooftop of the lab, or the small chest on the roof of the Fortress? Well there's a key in the small chest and the level 4 main item is of course in the big one... but how on earth did you finish Lv4 with only one key? How did you open the Big Chest of Lv4 without a key? Or did you find that one extra key from Lv3? That is the only way.... O_O

[LostInHyru1e]

Whoa there! Calm down...
Try searching for Lost-Isle-Build, allegro42, or ZC Read me, or the like. Also if it was today, don't type any name in the search, instead use only date modified-today's date. Try that.

Thank you for the advice, but I had already tried all of that...

... as it turns out, my Mom turned off the computer by holding down the power switch 5 seconds, which cuts the power and therefore the file never actually saved to the computer, but when I re-booted it I didn't know it had been shut-off in that way.

Therefore, I'm going to need to download it again.

Thank you for the advice, I'm sorry for bothering you. :)

[Petoe]

Oh you're not bothering anyone, LostInHyru1e.

It's always better to ask than stay mute, no matter what the question/problem is. ;)

[DarkDragon]

Yeah, I only found one key, and used it to open the Boss Key chest. I didn't
have any extra keys from level 3.

I did wander behind the big chest on the roof; maybe I picked up the Flame Chip without realizing it, and without opening the chest?

[DarkFlameWolf]

He can open the boss key chest first, that's not an issue, since you can get both keys before getting the dungeon item at the lab. What troubles me is that he opened gate 4 to get to the boss without the need of the wand chip which sets off those unlit devices next to the armos.

[Petoe]

I did wander behind the big chest on the roof; maybe I picked up the Flame Chip without realizing it, and without opening the chest?

Hmm... behind the chest....? Oh crap, I guess that's how you got the Wand Chip. More sequence breaking, yay! :p
I have to give some thought should I fix it or not. I persionally love Metroid games because you can sequence break, but I don't know what Wolfie thinks....

[DarkFlameWolf]

this one, unlike level 3 'isn't' okay, because if leaves you with an extra key via level 4. That's not necessarily a good thing.

[Petoe]

this one, unlike level 3 'isn't' okay, because if leaves you with an extra key via level 4. That's not necessarily a good thing.

Nah, you're forgetting that we used level specific keys in Lost Isle. People cannot use the keys outside of the levels... excluding the well hidden extra key. ;)
So there isn't a problem really, though I guess I have to eventually fix this one when we have enough of these minor bug reports.

[pvd]

This quest is really great. I have been waiting to play it for months.

I must say it was worth the wait.

[LostInHyru1e]

Oh you're not bothering anyone, LostInHyru1e.

It's always better to ask than stay mute, no matter what the question/problem is. ;)

Okay, thanks. I downloaded it again, now I'm waiting for my slow computer to extract it and I'll be playing again. :)

[DarkDragon]

If you're collecting minor bugs, I also noticed that the arrow subgame is slightly broken: I can keep shooting at the same target, which will rise up and down repeatedly.

[Russ]

I must say this quest seems to have turned out wonderfully. Plus the lost isle build is the only one that works perfectlly with windows vista. I have to questions. First, how did you make the ladder combos? Second, where is level 1? I know it is a dumb questions, but I have searched half the overworld and can't find it.:shrug:

[Petoe]

Ok, thanks for the bugreport DD. We have been getting a few minor bugreports here and there. I guess soon it is time to fix those so LI can really be a 100% bugfree quest. ;)


russdawan, I don't understand your question about the ladder combos.
But to help you, Lv1 is at the swamp (the swamp is at the western side of the island). To get to Lv1 you need the Bow and Arrow from the village.

[Nicholas Steel]

Nah, you're forgetting that we used level specific keys in Lost Isle. People cannot use the keys outside of the levels... excluding the well hidden extra key. ;)
So there isn't a problem really, though I guess I have to eventually fix this one when we have enough of these minor bug reports.

so you dont mind people running around in a hard dungeon looking for a non existent mega powerful weapon of some sort in a theoretical super secret hidey hole?

[DarkFlameWolf]

Nope. :P

[C-Dawg]

First, how did you make the ladder combos?

"Ladders" are actually water combos.

Link's swimming tiles are drawn as climbing tiles.

Link starts with the flippers.

[Petoe]

Indeed, C, and diving is diasbled from the quest to avoid any funny behaviour when climbing ladders.

[C-Dawg]

In Sabotage Dragoon, the flippers were replaced with climbing gear to mimic the behavior of the claws from Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. Why did you guys go with allowing the player to climb from the get-go in Lost Isle?

[jman2050]

In Sabotage Dragoon, the flippers were replaced with climbing gear to mimic the behavior of the claws from Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. Why did you guys go with allowing the player to climb from the get-go in Lost Isle?

I'm assuming the whole thing was just for cosmetic effect more than anything else, rather than for utility like what was planned in SD.

[Petoe]

jman, you got it right. Wolfie was the director of the game and since she said "no swimming in the quest!!", I suggested that we still could find some use for the flippers and came up with the climbing animation idea. We both agreed it was a good idea. So yeah, it is just a cosmetic thing.

I never got the climbing gear in SD, but I kind of realized that it was really the flipper item and that those unclimbable... things were really water combos. So I guess the idea kind of came from SD and my experiences with the quest long time ago. I still regret how I was supposed to help C with the quest and never got any of those portals done for him....... :(

[jman2050]

jman, you got it right. Wolfie was the director of the game and since she said "no swimming in the quest!!", I suggested that we still could find some use for the flippers and came up with the climbing animation idea. We both agreed it was a good idea. So yeah, it is just a cosmetic thing.

I never got the climbing gear in SD, but I kind of realized that it was really the flipper item and that those unclimbable... things were really water combos. So I guess the idea kind of came from SD and my experiences with the quest long time ago. I still regret how I was supposed to help C with the quest and never got any of those portals done for him....... :(

that's because, as far as I know, the climbing gear does not yet exist in the quest. I may have missed it though.

Speaking of which, C-Dawg, AIM please?

[_L_]

And are you only interested in testing how the LI sound effects sound like, or do you want to know how well LI would run on a build > 403? All the custom enemies will be screwed up if I do that, but if you're only looking for certain thingfs, then I see no reason why not to send you a copy of LI that hs been saved with one of the newer builds.
Well, actually I just want to play it with sound effects that aren't screechy. But your reason is probably better.

[noobboy]

:mad:I cant find the first temple or nor do I know what to do

[Nicholas Steel]

go to the town and search for the bow and also the arrow, then head east into the swamplands to find the first level.

[Thenior]

Ok, so I found the Bow and Arrow.

I found two pig statues. The one further south, in the actual swamp, I shot the statue next to it and it made the "discovery ding" and the pig thing disappeared, giving me access to a heart piece. But thats all it did.

There is another pig thing with a grey statue up north, but everytime I shoot the statue the arrows go right through it. Someone earlier said to just shoot the statues.

Am I missing something??

[Gleeok]

Shoot the pole thingy next to the statue to open the path in the swamp to get to lv.1. ;)

[Petoe]

Yeah Thenior, shoot the totem poles into the mouth to make those pig head rocks disappear. If you see a purple totem pole however, then you need to upgrade your arrows to be able to activate those.


And _L_, since you're a developer, wouldn't it be the easiest if you took your LI copy, deleted the password (with your developer powers) and then saved it on some of the new builds yourself and test whateevr you want with the quest? ;)
I can do that too of course but just thought that since you have the ability to do it yourself...

[Thenior]

Yes, I know to shoot the totem poles. The problem is, it does not work.
See attached image. Am I just doing something wrong? The one south of this image worked, but this one doesn't.

http://www.cgcrafter.com/zelda.JPG

[C-Dawg]

I think the blue ones only react to level 2 arrows.

[C-Dawg]

that's because, as far as I know, the climbing gear does not yet exist in the quest. I may have missed it though.

Speaking of which, C-Dawg, AIM please?


What? I'm not usually there nowadays. Too much to do at the office. Send me a PM if you have specific questions.

Still lovin' LI. I'm looking forward to how the item search will work with so relatively few items on the subscreen.

[Thenior]

ahh ok... I wasn't actually in the swamp...

ok so now I have made it into the dungeon, but I can't do much. I have explored pretty much all I can, now I am stuck. And I find these two rooms that I have feeling have some sort of significance. I found the compass too, though it doesn't seem to help much because I have no idea where I am anyway.
http://www.cgcrafter.com/rooms.jpg

[Petoe]

The first screen you posted is just a refill room, and the second room is just a warp destination room. Both have NO real significance. From the first screen, just exit to south and keep going to east and then north. When you come to the long bridge, go over it and when you come to a closed door and a brown block, move that block onto the grey switch and proceed...

[oceansoul22]

Hehehe Without spoiling it period!

[DarkFlameWolf]

Without spoiling it completely, go back to the throne room, which is about 4 screens up from the entrance to level 3, and look at the pillars in the room. What does the inscription say? That is your hint.

[oceansoul22]

Sweetness!!! Thanks DFW

[Thenior]

hmm I am stuck on the boss of level one... the guy that is a statue with one eye that opens and shoots fireballs. Tried bombs and and arrows when his eye was open, but no luck.

[Petoe]

Thenior, shoot arrows into the eye, but DO NOT LET THE EYE CLOSE or you have to start all over. You see, if you leave the area where he keeps his eye open, the damage resets.

[Thenior]

ok thanks... I just got the raft, kind of made the whole dungeon totally different. Of course I managed to die and had to go and reset all the switches again -_-

Are all this dungeons this huge? This is like one of the best zeldas ever so far.

[Petoe]

Thenior, the dungeons just get bigger from that. :) The optional side dungeons are not that big, but since there are only 5 main dungeons, I made them big. Glad to see you're enjoying the quest.

[SpacemanDan]

While playing I never did open the chest at the top of the level 4 annex; I only ever found one key in level 4 and used it to open the Boss Key chest.
I had the same problem. I was able to open the boss chest BEFORE opening the dungeon item chest. I didn't quite trust the idea of getting the boss key before the item. (Good thing, 'cause I later found out you can get stuck if you do that... You may want to look into that.)

Anywho, I finished it. Really REALLY great work! (However, I had major issues witht the ending... I don't mind that -=SPOILER=-

Here's my in-depth reveiw:

STORY: 9/10
It starts off like any ship-wreck scene does. "What happened?" "Where am I?", you know the deal. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean the story is bad at all. The story doesn't reveal its self too much until later in the game. And when you do find out, it's good. A little cliche, but still really good. But, I did have 1 HUGE complaint about the ending. I didn't mind that *THAT* happened, but did you have to end it so darkly and gloomy(ly?)?
Never the less, it is still really good, and hits the dark theme really well.

GRAPHICS: 9/10
I found the graphics to be amazing. Though the overworld stuff is mostly pure with some new stuff and modified tiles, it still looks really good. It all fits the dark and gloomy theme they had set up. A minor thing I didn't like about the overworld was how all the trees were bunched together, and were often the same, with a few colour switches here and there, rather than a mixture of trees. (More in the beginning than the end...) The dungeons, however, I was blown away! Those dungeon tiles are simply to die for. Screen design is well-done. Over on the items and sprites side, they all look really good too. Things animate smoothly, and nicely, and are appealing.
Oh yes, before I forget... You think you made the catacombs and the doom cave bloody enough!? j/k

MUSIC: 9/10
When I first started the game, I wasn't too fond of the music, but later, I adjusted, and actually really liked it. Almost all the midis fit their setting, and actually are pretty good once you listen to them. There were a few that felt out of place, but not huge deal. Despite the odd few, I found, yet again, that they nailed it perfectly in terms of fitting their theme. (Is there any chance you're willing to give me a few of them? Pleeaasse...) Lol, j/k

GAMEPLAY: 18/20
Ahh, the most important part. Gameplay. At first glance, you may think that a 5 dungeon quest would be relatively short, right? WRONG!! It takes quite alot of time (and patience) to beat this one. What's really impressive is that such massive dungeons were done with only 2 keys. Each dungeon has a well-built conept, and works well. (Even so, my favourite was level 3, because it was a good ol' classic key hunt.) Clearly, each dungeon was planned carefully and tested through many times. It is challenging, and there were times were I wanted to rip my hair out due to frusteration. Alot (and I do mean ALOT) of puzzles are really well-thought and challenging. However, some *cough*block puzzles*cough* :P, were not as tough as I had thought. (lol) I now officially adore the quest rule "Continue with full health" and appreciate it for all it's glory, because after playing this, I WISHED you two had checked it!
Now, as I said before, this 5-level quest isn't short what-so-ever. It took me 26 hours to beat. (And I'm still missing quite a bit.) Why?Because of all the extra goodies that are hidden. There are extra items, the triforce dungeons, among other things, to go out and seek. Speaking of which, those Triforce dungeons are well thought out, and interesting. You two use 2.5's newer features pretty damn well. (At least, to my knowledge, I don't use them much myself.) And to top it all off, we have a MASSIVE overworld to do everything in! It's huge! In the beginning, you don't feel very restricted because of how much you can explore, because a helluvalot of the overworld is open already!

OVERALL: 45/50 = 4.5/5 (If I were to rate it on the database.)
A solid, well-done quest that you may find yourself going back to to find everything. There is alot to do, and is filled with eye-candy. It has some good tunes, and an intruguing story. It was certainly worth the wait. Thank you two for finishing this despite any arguements you may have had. (This actually gave me the idea of teaming up with someone when I get better at quest-making to work on a quest, but with all the warnings you two have left us, I don't think I'll be doing that...)

PROS:
-Fun, solid gameplay
-Interesting plot later on
-Challenging
-Good use of new features
-Plenty of extras
-Fitting Soundtrack
-Massvie Overworld

CONS:
-A little cliche
-Can get irritating at times
-Some things felt a little out of place
-Some graphics felt a little over-used

BTW: I did have the candle at that time in Bhalstok Castle. :P

[Petoe]

Thanks!
I love reading reviews, no matter what the overal score is. :)

But are you one of those guys who always wants to see a happy ending? :p
I know I know, people would have liked an ending more where Zelda comes to rescue Link and they kiss passionately etc, but Wolfie suggested that the quest should end the way it started and I thought it was a great idea. But the ending is not entirely sad either, now is it? Remember the souls?

Anyhoo, I aprreciate you for writing such a lenghty review. I just would like to know what were the things that felt out of place for you? Lv4? Some of the music? What? If it is spoiler-ish material, then can you PM me? Thanks.

[DarkFlameWolf]

And PM me too. I'd also like to hear. :)

[Nicholas Steel]

open zelda classic and on the etc. menu you can listen to the midi music AND save them as well ;)

to listen, load the quest up then quit to the character select screen and now you can listen/save the midi in the last played quest.

[Petoe]

franpa, who you are responding to? o_O
Anyhoo, the question is, how can you listen to the saved MIDIs? I once tried to save a few MIDi files from a ZC quest but they didn't save as mid files... *shrugs*

[Luigi]

Anyhoo, the question is, how can you listen to the saved MIDIs? I once tried to save a few MIDi files from a ZC quest but they didn't save as mid files... *shrugs*

You need to manually add the .mid extension during saving, otherwise it'll just be named 'midiname' (and not 'midiname.mid').

[Petoe]

You need to manually add the .mid extension during saving, otherwise it'll just be named 'midiname' (and not 'midiname.mid').

Ah... of course. Stupid me. >_<

Anyhoo, let's get back on topic. :)

[I_H8__GTA]

As for me, I won't get very far at all without anyone else's help. Here's my equipment:

L1 Quiver
3 Heart Pieces
3 Heart Containers
Bombs with 1 Expansion
Two Potions
L1 Shield
L1 Sword
Green Armor

It seems that everywhere I go, I need something I don't have. Like with these obstacles:

Holes in the ground
Small brown trees
Giant skull rocks
Eye-of-Truth Statues
Small stones

Any help would be appreciated.

[Petoe]

I_H8_GTA:

Holes in the ground: You need the Ladder to cross these holes.
Small dried tree stumps: You need a candle to burn these.
Giant pig-skull rocks: Shoot the totem poles next to them into the mouth with Arrows to make the skulls disappear..
Eye-of-Truth Blocks: Play Ocarina in front of them to make them disappear.
Small Stones: Get the Gauntlets to move them.

[I_H8__GTA]

Thanks, but I don't have any of that stuff. Where am I supposed to go next, based on what I do have?

[Gleeok]

At the risk of angering the LI gods by not letting Petoe answer this, (I know he loves to ;p) Go to the town and get the bow or arrow (whichever you don't have) by bombing open buildings, then go W to the swamp and shoot the totem pole to get to lv1.

I haven't made too much more progress myself in the game. I have yet to beat lv2. ;(

[Petoe]

I haven't made too much more progress myself in the game. I have yet to beat lv2. ;(

Then what are you doing here, helping people? :P It's my bloody job! Go and finish Lv2! Hehee.... ;)

[I_H8__GTA]

I tried bombing all of the buildings in Oderra village but only one of them opened.
I looked behind the bookshelf and found a cave. I made my way through, fought the Aquamentus and found the power generator, the Wooden Arrow. I have no Bow. I've looked everywhere and won't get much farther without your help....

[Russ]

To get the bow, you have to bomb down one of the doors. The screen is colored differently in the minimap. The door is still, instead of moving up and down like the other ones in town.

[Petoe]

What russadwan said + there are some minor cracks in the door you need to bomb.

[I_H8__GTA]

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

[Franky]

duh, what a great quest!
I walk around to explore the possible areas, find bow, arrow, shield, and level one. Find the crazy pillar to bomb. Cant' translate the sentence: "Beware the floor...". Please give a hint, to solve the problem in this room. I've read the thread, found something about this room, but don't understand. The reason is my one worry braincell and my bad english language.
I've read that i can get a bombupgrade before entering level 1. Please where is it.
By this way, is there anyone who can tell me, how i can get the threat search option. it's verry hard for me without this option.

OK, "Beware the floor..." is solved.

[Petoe]

The first bomb upgrade can be bought from a cave that is at the northeast part of Oderra Graveyard. ;)

But I don't quite get what you mean by "threat search option". Hmm?

[Franky]

Thanks for reply.
I have no linkk to search in any forums, only FAQ's. I don't know where i can submit my question.

[Russ]

I am stuck in the "Beware the floor" room in level 1 and was just wondering how on earth do you get through there?

[Franky]

Look at the floor, some tiles are looking different. Remember which tile you entered when you're died ;)

[C-Dawg]

I'm impressed enough with this quest that, if you like, I'll script up whatever you need to make your next quest do whatever you want. That is, design it on paper, tell me what new features you need, and I'll script em for ya.

The only catch is that I have to also deem a variation of the script useful for Zodiac. However, I think it generally will be, as that quest has side-scrolling and shoot-em-up levels. So, if DarkFlame or Petoe or both want to start work on something else, give me a buzz.

[Petoe]

Awesome, C! I appreciate the offer! Wolfie and I will not be doing any more quests together, we've had enough of each others :D and she's had enough of questmaking, but I'm not giving up on my ZC career just yet so I'll keep your post in mind whenver I start working on something new. Though if there ever will be any kind of scripting tutorials, maybe I can even learn to make my own scripts, who knows.


russadwan, this is how you get thru the beware floor part: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SKgx5iSu5Hk

[I_H8__GTA]

Next roadblock: I found the big treasure box in the Sky Garden, but I don't have the key to open it. Despite a long and tiring search, that key was nowhere to be found.

[Nicholas Steel]

Awesome, C! I appreciate the offer! Wolfie and I will not be doing any more quests together, we've had enough of each others :D and she's had enough of questmaking, but I'm not giving up on my ZC career just yet so I'll keep your post in mind whenver I start working on something new. Though if there ever will be any kind of scripting tutorials, maybe I can even learn to make my own scripts, who knows.


russadwan, this is how you get thru the beware floor part: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SKgx5iSu5Hk

dont give up on making a 100% bug free updated version of megaman:dwr dc

[Gleeok]

Hey Petoe, what'd you use to record that clip. Is there anything you'd recomend for slower computers(under 1ghz):sad: without any video card?
Level 2 is looking good btw. One of these days i'll get to three! lol.


dont give up on making a 100% bug free updated version of megaman:dwr dc

Oh yeah! that reminds me. Do you still have the original MMDWR? That's the harder one. ;) I can't find a copy of it anywhere.

[Petoe]

I_H8_GTA, the 1st key of Lv2 is in the northern part of the LIGHT Side. You have to visit the DARK side to make the blue blocks go down on the LIGHT Side so that from the entrance screen you can start heading east..... if you still cannot find it after trying the eastern route, I could probably make another one of those videos.


Gleeok, I use Camstudio to record my ZC clips. I'm pretty sure it works on not so good computers, I mean my computer is crap too.


And what comes to making that bugfree and improved version of MMDWR DC, I'd love to do it but I wonder if it would be worth the time and trouble. I mean some people love it very much but it feels like the majority of ZC community isn't interested in games that are non-Zelda, which is a shame. :(
I could probably ask around if people would be willing to try an even more improved version of MMDWR. Maybe if C-Dawg would help with some scripts, it could be a whole new experiece....

[Franky]

Sorry, i'm not a "hardcoregamer". Died in Level 1 >20 times. I want to have a little bit fun and not only frustration about permanent dieing. It's really a great quest with wonderfull graphics, but if you don't close down the enimies for a lower level, i don't like to play it. I'm only an averageplayer.

[Petoe]

Franky, I'm only an average player too and I died a lot when playing this quest myself. I like dying and I like to learn from my mistakes, but not everyone has the patience to get killed multiple times, I understand that. ;)
But remember to activate all the shortcuts in the game and you can avoid a lot of frustration. Lost Isle is challenging, but hard? Nah...

[DarkFlameWolf]

Level 1 is very easy for me, I've never had a hard time at all, and if you feel its hard now, then you will not even be remotely prepared for what comes after.

[I_H8__GTA]

East of the Sky Garden entrance, I followed a long path, found a bunch of Keese, and a huge red plant monster that draws me toward it. I know there's a treasure box on the other side of some grey blocks that I haven't been able to lower. If I could get past those blocks, I could get the treasure box. If that's not the Key, I have no idea where it is.

[Petoe]

Yeah, kill the plant to lower the grey blocks and you can get to the chest that contains a key.

[Gleeok]

I_H8_GTA, the 1st key of Lv2 is in the northern part of the LIGHT Side. You have to visit the DARK side to make the blue blocks go down on the LIGHT Side so that from the entrance screen you can start heading east..... if you still cannot find it after trying the eastern route, I could probably make another one of those videos.


Gleeok, I use Camstudio to record my ZC clips. I'm pretty sure it works on not so good computers, I mean my computer is crap too.


And what comes to making that bugfree and improved version of MMDWR DC, I'd love to do it but I wonder if it would be worth the time and trouble. I mean some people love it very much but it feels like the majority of ZC community isn't interested in games that are non-Zelda, which is a shame. :(
I could probably ask around if people would be willing to try an even more improved version of MMDWR. Maybe if C-Dawg would help with some scripts, it could be a whole new experiece....



Cool thanks, and is that freeware by any chance?

Ah, I thought there was an original version before the DC? ..Maybe i'm just crazy.:scared: And since when does the Zelda community know what they want? ;) I mean MMDWR, Zodiac, Metroid to name a few. What about a Final Fantasy type game? Shit there's all kinds of possibilities. Especially now that we've got scripting. The quest I am focusing on finishing is non-zelda. If it's good, people will play it. I'm sure C-Dawg will have tons of scripts for you to use when he's finishing up his quest, plus once 2.5 comes out the script showcase will fill up for sure. "If you build it, they will come".

[I_H8__GTA]

I've reached Bhalstok Castle, but I'm not sure where to go first. There's a room jam-packed with blocks, but I don't think I'll be able to solve that puzzle without lighting a torch first. Where should I go first?

[Petoe]

Hmm... If you just reached the Castle, then west of the entrance is a block puzzle room that you need to solve to get to the 1st key of the level. Those big torches (1x2) are too high for Link to be lit so ignore those. only those small stone torches (1x1) are littable with a Candle.

[WindStrike]

Alright, I'm officially stumped:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g35/Wind_Strike/zelda005.gif
I can't figure out how that block puzzle works even after trying about 15 different combinations.

... also, if you're why I haven't beaten this yet, I haven't had much time in the last two weeks to play it much.

[DarkFlameWolf]

look at the two monitors at the back of the screen on the far wall, that is the configuration you have to match. The duller colored green pixels on the monitors equal the blocks you CAN'T MOVE, so move the other blocks around those two to match the image you see on those monitors.

[Petoe]

.....


edit - nevermind

[WindStrike]

Still don't have all the heart pieces, but I can get them later.

Anyways, looked south of Bhalstock Castle in the woods for yon supposed arena, but... ... seriously, WHERE IS IT?!?! I don't have the slightest clue what to bomb, magic blast, boomerang, arrow, etc., so I've been doing that to pretty much everything out of place that I see or everything that I consider slightly suspicious... and I still haven't gotten anywhere on it. ;_;

... I'd just like to know the exact location so that I know for future reference where it is.

[Petoe]

What arena are you looking for? The Master Dome or the Cultist cave?

[WindStrike]

Cultist cave? That was WAY too easy - I didn't use bombs on the manhandlas due to my shortage. Same with Oderra Hideout - deathbo's aren't that hard... only carelessness and impatience gets in the way and kills people.


Yeah, I'm looking for the Master Dome.

[Petoe]

The Master Dome is in the Glathriel Canyon area. There is a dead end at the western edge of the canyon.... You have to use your Wand on the mountain wall to make an entrance appear. Yeah, I know that's ridiculously well hidden but it was Wolfie's idea to make it impossible to find so...... :tongue:

[WindStrike]

Glathriel?! That stalfos said "deep in the woods," not in a canyon with less trees!!!
... blargh... darn misleading info.

Oh, and one more thing: What in the world does that golden necklace in the Wasteland do?

[Petoe]

Oh, and one more thing: What in the world does that golden necklace in the Wasteland do?

You got the Amulet? Great! ;)
The Amulet is kind of needed to beat the Master Dome. It is a secret item, and a Master Dome specific item. Now all you need to do is to get yourself in the Master Dome and somehow beat it...

[Anarchy_Balsac]

Now that my quest is finished, let me give this one a try.

[Petoe]

Please do so, and be sure to ask help if you get stuck. ;)
Sometimes I just don't get people who play the quest, get stuck, but instead of asking help they just say "the quest is too tough, I quit". :p Oh well.

[Anarchy_Balsac]

Hahaha, demoex was harder, and I didn't think it was too tough. Insofar I can say I like it, it isn't the pinnacle of challenge(not yet anyway), but it's still quite fun.

[Ziky]

Do you help me! I am in Lv1, where is first Triforce Pieces, I presume is in the room after Big Boss. I am win big boss and recevie one heart and presume one trifore pieces, I not secure because when I am save the game and return in the game I have not it.

[erm2003]

There are six hidden dungeons with the triforce pieces. The main dungeons don't have one.

[Ziky]

I ask because I must have one triforce pieces for enter in the second level (dangeon). Thanks on the quick answer, I must have find it around.

[Petoe]

Ziky, you don't need any Triforce Pieces at all in Lost Isle.
There are 6 Triforce Pieces in the game, but they are all optional to get, they're just bonus prizes you know. ;) But if you find all the hidden Triforce Dungeons and the Triforce Pieces, you can get entry to a nice bonus level.

[jovo]

can you tell me where to find the darkflamewolf master dome? I have been looking for ages for it.

[Petoe]

The MD can be found from the western edge of the Glathriel Canyon. When you come to a dead end, use your wand....... ;)

[Russ]

Okay, I just beat level 1 and I must say this one of the best quests ever. But here is my delima. I exit the dungeon, go tho where the plant withered in the cutscene, and enter the lava flows. But it is blocked off on all sides my large blocks. So where are the gauntlets required to move them?

[DarkFlameWolf]

Did you enter the lava flows through an entrnace that required you to use the raft? If not, you entered the lava flows the wrong way for the gauntlet.

[DarkFlameWolf]

FINALLY: For Mac users:
http://www.sephiroth.ws/ZC/Lost-Isle-Build-Mac.zip
There is your LI Build to play on.

[Russ]

Yet another question from me. Where is the ocarina? And just so I don't have to ask another question, to get to level 2, do I have to remove the shieka stone in the graveyard, or the one in the lava flows? And so far, I give the game a 9.5 star rating. The only thing I think needs to be improved is the music in some areas, especially the destroyed village area.

[Anarchy_Balsac]

Yet another question from me. Where is the ocarina? And just so I don't have to ask another question, to get to level 2, do I have to remove the shieka stone in the graveyard, or the one in the lava flows? And so far, I give the game a 9.5 star rating. The only thing I think needs to be improved is the music in some areas, especially the destroyed village area.

Ocarina is in tahou woods, and requires the power gauntlet. If the "sheika stone" is that big block with an eye symbol on it, then yes, you need to remove the on in the lava flows. Don't remember if there was one in the graveyard(besides the one in front of catacombs), but if there is, removing it certainly doesn't hurt things.

[Russ]

The woods? I looked there and all I found was a heart container piece behind a hard shoot the statues minigame. Well, thanks!

[ZeldaFan001]

Just a reply on how well I'm doing.

On level 2 with a bottle of full potion, ocarina, raft, bow and arrows, gauntlet, magic shield (one that I still have), two magic upgrades, and 7 hearts with no HPC. Found one triforce piece too, must say very fun.

I'm gonna see how far I get in this quest with absolutely no help.

[Petoe]

russadwan: yeah, the Ocarina is in Tahou Woods. Just slightly northwest from the arrow minigame.
And I'm glad to hear your only complaint is the music. :) But it is difficult to find music that everyone loves. So even though you may not like some tunes, I hope you still find them fitting to their environments.


ZeldaFan001: Keep us updated! By the way, you were one of the few who managed to beat MMDWR, am I right? Lost Isle should give you no trouble compared to that game. ;)

[Russ]

Yay, for the most part, the music fits well. Its really just the village music that seems not to fit. Another concern I have is this: why do you alwys start with only 3 hearts, rather than full health? I started laughing when I got the ocarina and remembered that big discussion everyone had about wether or not "You got ocarina" was gramticly correct. And the sky garden looks very nice. The only thing is that on the dark side, you can se clouds go by, giving the impression tha the palace is zooming through the sky. But if you look on the light side, you can see it stays in one place over the lava flows. But the level is so well made. Combining the light, dark side AND the Link to the Past blue/red switch system just makes it amazing. And the tall grass kees the player suplied with arrows and just enough health to keep him alive but one hit away from death. Two thumbs up.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Phazite]

Just a reply on how well I'm doing.

On level 2 with a bottle of full potion, ocarina, raft, bow and arrows, gauntlet, magic shield (one that I still have), two magic upgrades, and 7 hearts with no HPC. Found one triforce piece too, must say very fun.

I'm gonna see how far I get in this quest with absolutely no help.

I almost succeeded in completing the game with no help. I had to look in this topic to find the location of the Master Dome, and I felt so stupid when I found out where/how to get to it. :(

Btw: I love how you guys used Doom and Duke Nukem (but mostly Doom) music in this game and how it works!

[Anarchy_Balsac]

I almost succeeded in completing the game with no help. I had to look in this topic to find the location of the Master Dome, and I felt so stupid when I found out where/how to get to it. :(

Btw: I love how you guys used Doom and Duke Nukem (but mostly Doom) music in this game and how it works!

Doom as in doom 3 or doom as in the old doom and doom 2? Cus I'm past level 2 and if it's the latter I haven't noticed it yet.