ZC [2.future] Feature Requests

[ZoriaRPG]

Unsure what feature to request so I'll request something crazy:

The ability to freely move between Maze screens that are adjacent with each other (No looping when trying to move to an adjacent Maze screen) and to have the Maze solution somehow involve all of the adjacent Maze screens instead of just a single screen. I believe this is possible with scripting already and maaaybe tile warps, but a more simplified intuitive approach that doesn't involve manual scripting would be neat.

I don't outright reject this, but to be honest, I'm not sure that I comprehend what you want out of this request. You can already make mazes of any number of screens, that deposit the player into a boundary that is more then one screen in size, using basic side warps, so...how do you want this to work, exactly?

Have you ever used the Age of Kings scenario editor? In particular, the trigger editor? If Zquest could do anything remotely like that, that would streamline an enormous amount of design and script work.


This sounds FANTASTIC. Would love to hear more/update status.

For my own needs:
More utility in using secrets/flags.
Talking NPCs hardcoded.
FFC's movement behavior that can be manipulated by secrets.
In sum: the ability to make a basic cutscene without using scripts, with NPCs having a conversation, moving around, and performing actions.
I think these have been requested already, just adding them as my own wishlist:
Sideview ladders
Enemy type editor
Map sizes increased (16x16?)
View menu: Ability to set palette per map in addition to per screen.
Subscreen editor: ability to place/move elements with a mouse.
Pie-in-the-sky, prolly 3.0 feature instead: all layers compounded into a single map screen, with a toggle to work on different layers.

For the moment, we haven't been discussing adding any new hardcoded engine things, be they items, npcs, or the like. If we did add internal NPCs, they'd need to work differently, and we'd need to change them to some kind of class, or add to the npc class used for enemies. That might be the best solution, to add an 'enemy type' of 'speaking npc', that has some kind of hardcoded path style movement, that doesn;t damage Link, but will allow speaking with a button press. That press would need to be its own variable, as well, to allow people to modify it.


It may be possible to add turn combos, that cause an npc to change directions, that affect any npc object, including enemies to control movement.

I'm not sure how ffcs being modified by secrets would work, but I think it would require some heavy rewriting of the ffc object type. We want to add solidity variables to ffcs, and possibly some memory management so that they don't eat up RAM constantly, so I suppose we could look into that; however, I do not know what kind of control events you'd want, or how you would want to implement them.

Many of the changes that we plan, are toward shifting to using ZScript more readily, and possibly by default for some things. That doesn't mean that we will force people to use scripting, but it may mean that (at least initially), many of the things that we add will be script-mandatory, until we can figure out what kind of interface to use to manipulate them with the editor.

The non-enemy npc type seems to be something feasible though. Instead of attacks, it would have a movement value, and probably a string value. We might be able to do that in one of the next few releases.

[EJSnowden]

I think a better way to explain my intentions:
Say you set a Trigger(1):
Trigger(1) has any number of assigned Flags and Secret Combos. These can be general (e.g. all Script 98 flags present) or specific (e.g. assign Custom Secret Combo 1 to X/Y coordinate). If all Flags are activated, Trigger(1) activates and initiates all assigned Secret Combos. Trigger(2) can be set with its own unique set of Flags and Secret Combos, and 3, 4, etc.

This is basically how the AoK editor worked, and although I understand it might not even be technically feasible, I think if it were possible, it would enormously reduce reliance on scripting, or even allow more power for scripters, especially if the system were expanded in the future. Examples of more advanced functionality might be: Triggers that can initiate scripts, or be initiated by scripts. A set of global values that can be referenced and manipulated. Triggers that are designated inactive/active by default, and can be activated by another or run in a loop. Flags based on time intervals. Commands that manipulate FFC or NPC behavior- telling them to move to a specific place, cycle to the next combo, cycle to a different FFC, bringing up a text string, or spawning an enemy.

Pie-in-the-sky stuff, I know.

Something maybe more possible: the ability to assign scripts to a screen, in the same way FFC and items already do? Or is this too similar to using an invisible FFC to be useful?

[ZoriaRPG]

I think a better way to explain my intentions:
Say you set a Trigger(1):
Trigger(1) has any number of assigned Flags and Secret Combos. These can be general (e.g. all Script 98 flags present) or specific (e.g. assign Custom Secret Combo 1 to X/Y coordinate). If all Flags are activated, Trigger(1) activates and initiates all assigned Secret Combos. Trigger(2) can be set with its own unique set of Flags and Secret Combos, and 3, 4, etc.

This is basically how the AoK editor worked, and although I understand it might not even be technically feasible, I think if it were possible, it would enormously reduce reliance on scripting, or even allow more power for scripters, especially if the system were expanded in the future. Examples of more advanced functionality might be: Triggers that can initiate scripts, or be initiated by scripts.

I'm honestly unsure of how much work this would require, but it feels like something that will be possilble much later down the pipe. The ffc objects have a number of fundamental flaws, and adding this much t them will only compound the problems of correcting those; butwe'll eventually get around to ffc-related things, and see what we can do.

The main concern here, is that there would be a limited number of triggers, under a system that doesn't use scripts, and I feel as if people will want more out of it than that. It may be possible to make a default ffc script, that all ffcs run unless otherwise assigned, and add some GUI options to the editor to set its values.

A set of global values that can be referenced and manipulated. Triggers that are designated inactive/active by default, and can be activated by another or run in a loop. Flags based on time intervals. Commands that manipulate FFC or NPC behavior- telling them to move to a specific place, cycle to the next combo, cycle to a different FFC, bringing up a text string, or spawning an enemy.

Please clarify 'global values'. The remainder of this is already possible with scripts; so I presume that you mean that you want timing options without scripts? Note that other editors that allow this, typically use default scripts, or some similar mechanism, and then set values via a GUI; or by direct code.

The npc things that you want shouldn't be terribly difficult, but it'll require a new npc class.

Pie-in-the-sky stuff, I know.

Something maybe more possible: the ability to assign scripts to a screen, in the same way FFC and items already do? Or is this too similar to using an invisible FFC to be useful?

We have something similar to this on our agenda. At least, I know that I have it on mine, and I seem to recall that @Gleeok wanted to do something similar. Essentially, a new, globally accessible object that can run scripts like an ffc, but that isn;t tied to a screen, and that doesn't have editor ffc attributes. Essentially, a way to do what ffcs can do, without the burden of how the ffc class works. @Dimentio deemed the object a 'mini global', IIRC.

It would act as a global script of sorts, but it runs on demand. Generally, how ffcs are used with scripts, or run with ffcscript,zh, but internal, and with the ability to have independent timing from the global active script, as ffcs do now; but with the addition of using Waitdraw() to control their timing.

Note that this is merely a concept, and not anything real at present, so we have no idea how it'll work; if it becomes 'a thing'.

[EJSnowden]

Please clarify 'global values'.

I'm certain this is doable by scripting already- counters and flags that are stored upon completing objectives, to tell the game what to do next. I.E., the triforce pieces, but much expanded.

The remainder of this is already possible with scripts; so I presume that you mean that you want timing options without scripts? Note that other editors that allow this, typically use default scripts, or some similar mechanism, and then set values via a GUI; or by direct code.

Then I suppose what I'm wishing for is more functionality accessible by GUI. Especially of things related to cutscenes. New items, enemies, combo functions are fairly straight-forward, create one script, set your FFC, flags and such per screen, and you're good to go. In contrast, each individual cutscene requires its own script, a tedious process, and made even worse if it's supposed to be interactive.