5th Quest Public Judging

[SUCCESSOR]

Somehow I never manage to get anything done in December either... Not sure what's up with that. *drinks more egg nog*

It's the bourbon in the egg nog.

I was thinking of trying to do a "pledge list." Basically list each quest and get one person to promise to play one of the quests and list their name by it until there is someone for each quest.There would be a goal time(maybe a week or two) and when they are done they do a little review(nothing fancy). After the times up start a new list. There could be an AGN List and a PureZC List. Of course PureZCers should post what they think of the quest they played in the entry thread here so that we can keep track of these things.

If anyone is friends with someone who does LPs they should try to get them to LP a couple entries(preferably ones that haven't received much attention).

It's too much work to ask one person to play all the entries completely. We need a lot of people doing one or two at this point. Some people seem to be playing them but we aren't getting a whole lot of feedback.

[Nightmare]

When the polls were changed, it said that I couldn't complete BigJoe's quest, could someone change that? I did.

-James

[Nightmare]

http://youtu.be/8-RT7R_TWnE

Best Boss Battle and nomination for the final boss battle when we compile.

-James

[Nightmare]

Just some general trends:

1. LOTS of James Quest influence: I remember when breaking down quest difficulty back in the day that I removed the Boomerang from standard play and made it a Level 6 item. This trend seems to be in force in these quests, maybe somewhat too much. I have been seeing the Boomerang come out very late in most quests, a lot at 4 or later, somtimes 6. Considering the Boomerang was kinda standard equipment in Zelda, this is going to be kind of a shock to people coming in. This is going to make quests kinda really hard.

2. Extreme Difficulty: I was expecting some quests around the New Quest difficulty range (kinda expected for this), but man, some of these have been at the James Quest level or harder, which mean trouble for newer testers.. BigJoe, MischaPetya, CJC, QuestWizard88, and I'm pretty sure Gleeok too, all clocking in at and over James Quest difficulty. This is definitely going to send shockwaves throughout the Zelda Classic community. in other words, THESE ARE HARD!

3. "Fun, but probably not going to win.". Outside of some obvious DQ's in my book and two quests that were generally too easy, I have noticed a good amount of quests that are good to great but just don't meet the criteria to win and probably will be eliminated for some various reason or being too creative for the requirement specs. These include: Shoelace's, CJC's, Love For Fire's, and Imzogelmo's, possibly mine too in the final cuts. If you probably fall into this category, I'd suggest making a newer version in some newer tileset and expanding it for later use. I'd make for some great theater.

4. Creativity: There has been some good stuff coming out despite the limiations. From Imzogelmo's Mini Dodongos to CJC's Ganon Battle, there has been some fresh air. That's been a good thing generally.

5. I'm going to leave this up to the judges, but do you think some quests are getting a bit ROMhackish? I think so to some degree.

Ciao.

-James

[Nightmare]

Updated 1/13/2013

Apologize for the multiple posts, but I want these thoughts separate. Sue me for warning points. :)

Separate post, but I think it warrants it:

I want to post my thoughts in general on each of the quests I played (generally in order of how I feel they stack up), how they stack against each other:

BigJoe: Balances NES authenticity with enemies the best; however, your quest difficulty is a huge concern.
MischaPetya: Later levels not so great, but still, second best on the list.
Chris Miller: If you'd only be less stubborn and fix your enemy groups you'd be top tier. Enjoyable to the end.
Me: Well, played a lot, enjoyed, and least ROMhackish. Has to go for something.
HoF: Solid, maybe not my personal favorite, but technically sound.
LFF: Most balanced quest out of the bunch, though the Darknuts and others seem slightly ROMhackish. EEEEEE-VIL Magic Key secret.
Imzogelmo: Fun, a lot of fun, but broke too many rules.
Nethis: Good authenticity, nothing else.
CJC: Best boss fight, but your quest has too many rules that were broken to be considered.
DCSyxx: Maybe the most accurate quest, but way too easy to be considered even closely.
Travster. Nice quest, but way too easy too. Doesn't deserve consideration.
BTJCraft: Won't comment. Serious issues.
ZCFan: Didn't get far, but really hated the extra maze path and sword obtaining in the beginning. I'll let someone else take a pass.
QuestWizard: Your Lv. 2 is ridiculous. Tone it down, unless Gleeok can pass it.
Sylph: You got bugs, fix 'em.
Shoelace: DQ issues. I will try your quest out when you fix it in the RC and I get more time. Enjoyable for what I played.
Scootoloo: DQ issues due to tileset. Generally did not like it as well. Stopped playing like right away.
PeteAndWally: Why did you do that with your Overworld?

Now, for the seven I think should advance:
BigJoe: Awesome for the accuracy.
MischaPetya: All the credit to you, especially being like a first-time questmaker. To beat all the vets IMO is impressive.
Chris_Miller: Titan's Quest was awesome, enjoyed yours too, even if I had to yell at you to tone it up. :)
Me: Hits, less of a ROMhack, this contest needs some creativity. Definitely a consideration.
HoF: Technically sound. Not my favorite, but good for technical stuff.
LFF: Last spot is hard to fill as usual, but you break the least amount of rules. Depending on how everyone else thinks, I hope you advance. Your difficulty was the best out of everyone.
Imzogelmo: I know this is a stretch, but I'd like to see some creativity makes the cut, and this one does the best job. I loved your quest: Lots of fun.

Oh and by the way, fuck you Hero Mode in "Link Between Worlds", lol.

-James

[zcfan27330]

I must know, what did you think of that first cave though?

Didn't questwizard win the 4th contest? and I finished in your mind ahead of him? I'm very flattered with that

[Nightmare]

I must know, what did you think of that first cave though?

Didn't questwizard win the 4th contest? and I finished in your mind ahead of him? I'm very flattered with that

There were palette issues, but when you make your Lv. 2 virtually impassable then yes, you're going to finish ahead (for now).

Felt like BS-Zelda.

-James

[bigboylink]

I want to post my thoughts in general on each of the quests I played (generally in order of how I feel they stack up), how they stack against each other:

BigJoe: Balances NES authenticity with enemies the best; however, your quest difficulty is a huge concern.
MischaPetya: Later levels not so great, but still, second best on the list.
Chris Miller: If you'd only be less stubborn and fix your enemy groups you'd be top tier. Enjoyable to the end.
Me: Well, played a lot, enjoyed, and least ROMhackish. Has to go for something.
HoF: Solid, maybe not my personal favorite, but technically sound.
LFF: Most balanced quest out of the bunch, though the Darknuts and others seem slightly ROMhackish. EEEEEE-VIL Magic Key secret.

Just wanted to chime in and say that I pretty much agree with the order and identities of your top 6. I might be inclined to switch MischaPetya and Chris Miller, but that's a close call. I've played all 6 (plus about half of the others) and have posted reviews in each quest's thread.

[CJC]

Okay, we have passed Tax Day and it's time to start reeling these guys in and pick some finalists.

If you really liked a quest and want to give it an extra shout-out, post your thoughts in this thread. Otherwise we will systematically collect the reviews for the quests and based on player approval select three to enter the finals.

[Gleeok]

But I'm still playing them!

Besides Nightmare--who somehow managed to play most of them already--I don't know if there is even a sufficient info pool to be able to eliminate all but three yet. I can probably burn through a few more in a month... Aaaahhh!

[edit] How many people have beaten more than three 5th quests so far? (Not counting your own)