24 replies to this topic

[Mero]

I've decided to start a Discussion with a poll on what our greatest strengths are and what we areas we still feel we need to work on.

 

For myself. I consider myself a master of Design and Programming and I've been working on Art right now. Music is something I suck at and need to spend some time working on. That and actually testing stuff more throughly.

 

I am Error, me crash ZC!

 

[Eddy]

Strengths

- Design - I think I can fairly design screens pretty well, and nowadays I believe I've improved a lot more than before.

- Other:

• Enemy balance - I think my recent quests have more of an enemy balance than they did before, meaning my newer quests are now actually possible to beat deathless.
• Quest flow - Not sure what to say about this one, but I always felt that my newer quests had a good flow.
• Beta testing (to some extent) - I tend to find a lot of bugs when playing over my quests... that's about it really lol.

Weaknesses

- Art - Yeeeeeeeeeah let's not. My spriting skills are the worst, and you guys seriously don't want to see my sprite work. No seriously, you don't want to. I might improve on this in the future (?)

 

As for music and ZScript. As for music, I never attempted to compose a song so I don't think that should go anywhere in the list I made above. As for ZScript, it's pretty appalling, but I'm honestly not interested in scripts at all, not only because I can't create scripts or anything, but it's because I never really want to go into scripting to make something "huge and massive" out of them. I prefer to use old-school methods of ZC with minimal scripts to create something I really can say was a success.

[CastChaos]

Strengths:

 

-Design: thinking of a good main layout is doable for me, as well as making a screen have new or pretty design if I want an invidual screen to excel. Most time all falls in place nicely.

-Art: the will and ability is here to recognize where should new graphics go, I can find the right ripped sprites, or draw myself, either in ZQ or in PhotoShop first.

-Story: it's never a problem for me to map a story on a small/normal quest and the real fun starts at big story type quests. I would never run out of ideas that could spawn quest series and I always could attach prequels and sequels to already existing ones. Also, these stories/plots are bound to be unique, too. Preferably, with unexpected plot twists.

-Themes/theming: fancy something new? Or you want an already known theme work in a new area? Knock three times at midnight.

-Bosses: who is afraid of the big bad boss, who is afraid of the big bad boss? Graphics, behaviour, all in the bag. And it's all gewd.

-Character personalities: kinda like story/plot, but deserves a separate mentioning. If I want, a character of mine Lives. Preferably, not like the Creature of Frankenstein.

 

 

Waaaait... if there are so many positives, then why my quests aren't on Freedom level? That's exactly because:

 

Weaknesses:

 

-Sense of reality: I sometimes mistake an usual feature to be new or a new feature to be usual. I also often don't know how far I can go with a feature/detail or how long should a story be stretched. This slows down development, lessens integrity and sometimes makes me lose potential.

-Time management: I just don't know how long will something last. This can cause that I start a too lengthy thing that either takes away too much time or I need to cut it prematurely. Or I just rush things because I falsely think that otherwise it would take 10 years to make a specific quest. I also don't have all day and it's difficult to find the good ZC time spots. I'm also not some teenagers, I was 20 when I first started ZC seriously and I soon pass my 20's now. So, I don't have much time in any sense of the word.

[KingPridenia]

Strengths:

 

-Good usage of Enemy Editor to make neat "gimmick" enemies.

-Reasonable pacing and difficulty curve.

-Rebalacing enemies for earlier or later use.

-I feel I'm good at making Z1-style dungeons.

-I'm good at keeping my projects bug and error free.

 

Weaknesses:

 

-Limiting myself to Z1 dungeon design for the most part.

-My overworlds are bland, boring and flat. Arguably my biggest weakness, though with my current project, I'm attempting to overcome that one.

-Too much reliance on players using the Z1 thought process of bombing random dungeon walls, checking every block, passing through every wall, etc. Link's Blade Crusade highlighted just how bad I was for that.

-Refusal to use scripts, even simple ones or convenience scripts.

-Taking criticism too seriously and giving up on projects just because of one negative comment.

-Sometimes using too many enemies or having fake difficulty advertised as "fair challenge".

-I tend to make quests too linear without too much in the way of in between level stuff or optional stuff.

[Binx]

Strengths:

 

Story/Concept: I come up with engaging  and interesting stories behind my quests

Themes: I'm good at coming up with ideas that break the typical "Zelda game" mold, even while restricting myself to the same genre

Script ideas:I'm listing this separately from scripting, because while I have a basic understanding of ZScript, and can even write some simple scripts on my own, I'm nowhere near a master at it, but I get interesting ideas for scripts, often, and those scripts are often integral to the theme or story of my games.

Music: I'm cheating a bit on this one, I'm not a master MIDI composer, but I can make decent arrangements of my own music, and I strive to use as much original work in my games as possible

 

Weaknesses:

 

Art: I'm a TERRIBLE spriter. Enough said.

Design: I have some real problems with linearity and blandness in both my overworlds (which are often far too empty and flat) and dungeons (which often seem to consist of a bunch of enemy filled rooms with block puzzles)

ZScript:  Again, I have a basic understanding,and honesty, I'd even call it a talent, considering how little work I put into it, but I am definitely NOT a programmer,and often times, I don't have the first clue on where to start (I tried Saffith's tutorials, but I got lost. Text-based tutorials don't seem to work for me.)

Burnout: I tend to get way too into it for a long period, and eventually reach a point where I don't even want to LOOK at ZC for a while.

EDIT: CUTSCENES!!!! I can't believe I forgot cutscenes. I have literally NO idea how to make a cutscene that involves anything but  completely stationary characters and basic strings.

Edited by Binx, 09 February 2015 - 02:08 PM.

[Avaro]

-Limiting myself to Z1 dungeon design for the most part.

 

-Too much reliance on players using the Z1 thought process of bombing random dungeon walls, checking every block, passing through every wall, etc. Link's Blade Crusade highlighted just how bad I was for that.

Well hey, these aren't even weaknesses, just design styles. NES styled quests can be extremely fun too, and I think you're one of those who manage to make awesome Z1 dungeons.

 

As for me..

Strenghts: Dungeon design, zscript, gimmicks, concepts.

Weaknesses: Spriting, music, stories, overworld and motivation to finish things that I start.

Edited by Avataro, 09 February 2015 - 02:18 PM.

[KingPridenia]

True Avataro, but being too limiting is bad and I think in a way, it does hold me back somewhat. It wouldn't hurt me to try making a fully freeform dungeon or making a few interesting block puzzles now and then. Also, I have to take into consideration that NES style quest design has problems. I mean randomly bombing walls and praying for the wall to crumble can be bad, especially in more guide dang it style dungeons. Not everyone enjoys grinding for bombs or leaving the dungeon in search of more. To be honest though, I DO have a problem with putting too much faith in the player. Just because I try to push every block and walk through every single wall doesn't mean you might, for instance. I do have to be sensitive to those not used to that, which I'm not.

[SkyLizardGirl]

Mero :   

I actually honestly think i might be the exact 'mirror opposite' 

of all your abilities / skills, ….  but that is yet to be truly tested.

it's just a theory anyways.

 

( 'Where you Excel i decline - Where i Excel you decline ats, it would probs be. )

 

Anyways

I don't know if i can completely explain everything heres.

i am very good with music actually.

 

….

I know what i can do,  i know i haves 'not' .. been showing my true power yetz here,

'everything is experimental'  in ways, i hold back alots.

 

I am not going to say anything about Zelda classic because i am one of those just 'fighting to break out of the mold of the normal Z classic game maker.'  (Agains this is just a part of my training.)   To see what i can do in very limited spaces that is.

 

I actually just 'use Zelda classic as a Vice' to hold back my true full powers/potential/usual skills and everything is pretty much bottled ups within me.  -If i takes off this heavy weight called 'Zelda Classic.'

 

Watch outs~   am a torpedo dragoness.*

  

  

 

(Who really knows, what i am truly capable ofs?)

 

**

- Everything i am in person : 

 

i extremely athletic at my gymnastics backwards/forwards mid-air flips, cheerleader acrobatic type stuffs and i have been stalked by guys over it at some times. 

I am pretty-much considered an Amazon, i likes to make jewelry and am oks at sewing things/repairing also i guess.  

 

But i excel at making props and inventing things. Even high-tech weaponry at that, even though if just for pretend, with the right materials i could actually make some deadly futuristic equipment you could fold ups and put on your pocket or belt side actuallys.

 

**

Downsides:

 

I am just not the kind of girl people are used to assuming i guess.*

 

Howevers I can be extremely Naive at times, to the point ..

it being used to lure me close like a trap.

 

i will tend to absolutely 'trust people sincerely'  until they let me down or show me 'they were just using me in the end.'  I am too overnice - so people will use it against me or even try to make me look foolish for being this way, or like i said ..   just to obtain + capture me.'

 

I am also the 'over emotional type' and may react in the oddest of ways, //

Including 'pure absolute sadness and in a destructive or self destructive manner.'

Even though i tend to keep a cool look on things as an everyday light-hearted shell.

 In a way it could be considered a double-personality trait or i might have another twin-soul inside me that uses my body as a vessel.

 

'But anyways my -to be future hubby just wants to bottle me ups behind a glass case and capture me and basically be under his control.  !0~^!

 

I am very old-fashioned so yes,  i enjoy its.'

 

*I'm his pretty L'il skirted object he plants electric butterfly nets all over his house and mansion and if i try to escape, punishes me by tying me to a bed or throwing me atops a coffee table to keep me in my place.* // <3 <3 

Edited by SkyLizardGirl, 10 February 2015 - 02:04 AM.

[Shane]

Strengths:

• Design (I get compliments for making atmospheric and scenic screens.)
• Art (I am still sort of new to the scene, but capable of making sprites in EZGBZ and Firebird at a satisfactory level.)
• Music (I am good at choosing music that nails what I'm going for. Still new - and kind of horrible - at composing.)
• Other
  • Storylines (I am good at making storylines that fit the Zelda canon like a glove in a matter of seconds.)
  • Puzzles (I have recently been getting the hang of making good puzzles.)

Weaknesses:

• ZScript (Still need to learn how it works. Adding them can be either easy or difficult depending on the script.)

Edited by Shane, 09 February 2015 - 04:00 PM.

[David]

Here are what I think are my strengths and weaknesses:

 

Strengths

• Design- A lot of people praise what is in my opinion my excellent use of the Classic tileset. When I use the Classic tileset to make screens I like using layers a lot to make some really neat effects.
• ZScript- I believe that I am very good at scripting just about anything. My strength specifically in ZScript is enemy creation, though I still have to work a lot on doing visual effect types of things with ZScript (such as screen scrolling and using circle/rectangle/etc. functions).
• Puzzles- I feel like I make very decent puzzles, albeit perhaps not always the most groundbreaking since I like to keep them simple. People have praised my puzzles before, which is why I believe it is one of my strengths.
• Enemies/Bosses- I believe that I am pretty good at making some interesting and possibly challenging enemies and bosses. Sometimes I accomplish this using the enemy editor and sometimes I accomplish it by using ZScript.
• Enemy Balance and Game Flow- I spend a lot of time making sure that the enemies are as balanced as possible. I usually do a great job with balancing and flow, but of course my beta testers might think that the enemies are too hard or too easy, and if that happens, I do some simple adjustments.
• Beta Testing- When I beta test a quest, I always try to find as many bugs as possible and then give out tons of suggestions, comments, and critiques about very specific things. Being a great beta tester is always a good quality to have.

Weaknesses

• Art- I'm very bad at spriting. That's as simple as it gets. I can make some very, very simple tiles, but if I tried to do anything more than that, I would just fail completely, I believe. However, as a juxtaposition to this, I think I do a good job making tiles from various tilesets look good together. I really hope that one day I will be able to at least sprite some other things (perhaps not sprite well enough to make a whole tileset but enough to make tiles and edit existing ones).
• Music- Not only can I not compose any music, but I also seem really bad at selecting good music to fit various atmosphere. I don't know if the problem is because I haven't played many old type quests with midi-like music, or if I'm just not looking hard enough. However, it is bizarre that I am bad at selecting music because in my real life, I'm very involved with music as I play both the piano and the cello and play in a high school orchestra that is nationally recognized. But nonetheless, I hope to improve my music selection skills sooner or later.
• Story- I'm placing this one in more of the middle section, actually, but I still believe I'm not the best at creating a story off the top of my head that is both interesting and amazing. Heck, I needed Russ's help to get a lot of the ideas in my head synthesized into a story (and I thank him a lot for the help). Hopefully one day I'll be able to make some really good stories without requiring the assistance of so many people even though I appreciate the assistance.

 

And there we have it. I don't know if I have listed everything yet, but that's all the I can think of at the moment.

[Binx]

I had a thought? Exactly WHY are we doing this? I mean, we're identifying our strengths and weaknesses, sure, but what are we, as  a community, planning to do with this information?

[coolgamer012345]

Strengths:

 

Design: I can make some decent screens, though it usually takes awhile to make them look nice and I try to get help when I make screens that I don't how to make better.

 

Art: It seems this means making sprites (Items, NPC's, enemies, etc)? If so, I think I am decent at making Item sprites.

 

Weaknesses:

ZSscript: While I can make very simple scripts, and out of luck something kinda cool, I have problems making a script and making it work often. (I am getting better though, maybe one day this will be a strength!)

 

Music: I am terrible at making or finding music to fit areas.

[TheLegend_njf]

I thought we already had a topic like this. But I guess with this one, we can go more in depth. 

 

*** Note: Everything below is based on my own opinion. Other people who has played my projects may not agree***

 

 

Strengths:

• Overworld Design: I have a knack for making rich looking overworlds that have a level of depth that people has been giving me credit for since Souls of Wisdom 2. My style is strongly inspired by DarkFlameWolf who is also very skilled at creating a sense of depth into her overworlds, even better than I am. Though I am not quite up to DarkFlameWolf's skill, I do however add my own unique style to everything I make, which will be noticeable in my projects. 
• A Good Sense of Gaming: Not so much in Souls of Wisdom. I have since developed a good sense of gaming. I mainly developed this sense when I recently played a lot of great games I grew up on and a lot of great quests, and I pretty much gained an understanding what all these great games and quests have in common. I know what things to avoid and how I want to execute things. I am quick to spot things I don't feel will be very fun. I am also quick to take note on things that do feel fun. However, I am practicing to execute this knowledge into my own quests, but knowing is different than executing. So I hope I am able to execute a good design using my general gaming sense.
• Good at making Challenge Dungeons: I just know how to make evil things. I can make a fun challenge dungeon that will make you pull your hair out, but I can also make really mean troll dungeons that have a habit of becoming a legacy. *cough* Temple of Cole *cough*. I play a lot of mean games. Games that are very punishing. I've also learned a lot from those very mean games. It makes me want to share a lot of mean things to the rest of the world. lol
• Art: Though I'm not an expert spriter. I'm capable enough to get what I need done. This sense of art helps me a lot in my quests. 
• Enemy Editor: I believe I have a good sense of creating unique enemies using the enemy editor. 
• Side-Scrolling: I believe I have a knack for making really good side scrolling screens. I'll also get better as I continue to master ZC's features.

Weaknesses:

• Dungeon Design: I simply feel that I have a lot I need to improve on. I feel like I got an understanding of good dungeon design. But I feel like my mind draws total blanks when it comes to proper execution. I feel like at most my dungeons are quite average at best. 
• Perfectionist: I have become very picky. So picky that I may end up getting stuck in permanent polishing phase. It also makes me a bit nit picky when judging other people's quests. Not only that, it makes me a bit nit picky when working with others. I find when working with other people, I kinda got to try and not be too nit picky. But I've even made edits to Avataro's dungeon in TRIFORCE because of this. He never complained about it though. Though he probably been thinking how much of a douchbag I was being. lol
• Nearly Retired: Part of me just wants to move on from Zelda Classic altogether. It's true. But I feel there is still a lot I want to express before I close the book on it. But it slightly makes me not want to care about certain aspects. Like sometimes I just want to throw a cave together and not give a damn. But my perfectionist attitude won't let me do that. lol Either way, I just feel like I'm getting too old for it, and I think that certainly counts as a quest designing weakness. 
• Gets too Excited about Progress: Sometimes when I make any bit of progress. I feel like just telling the world. But I try to refrain myself from it most of the time. But there are a handful of people who know every little detail about my quests, I'm surprised they aren't tired of hearing about it. lol Also, that excitement wears off, and I feel partly drained afterwords. I am also left wondering if I've drained others as well, especially the ones I've talked to most about my quests. 

[TheRock]

Strengths:

 

Puzzles: I am very good at making headscratching puzzles, Everybody's Troll Day will show you that.

 

Dungeon design: I really like making dungeons. And I love to play my dungeons a lot, I find them a lot of fun with cool puzzles that I have not seen before.

 

Weaknesses:

 

Overworld design: I don't think that I am that bad at making overworlds, its more of me just not liking to make them, and I really don't like making overworlds at all. The quest without a name shows you that, I mean it only has five overworld screens.

Edited by bmc10011, 09 February 2015 - 10:35 PM.

[Shane]

I had a thought? Exactly WHY are we doing this? I mean, we're identifying our strengths and weaknesses, sure, but what are we, as  a community, planning to do with this information?

Because sometimes discussions don't need benefits. We do them for fun. And if you think about it, we get to know each other more, as a community. But otherwise not every thread will be beneficial.

 

But hey, who knows? Maybe some people haven't properly reflected on their weaknesses, and this reminded them to work on them? Maybe there will be two people who can pair up based on opposite results? You never know.

Edited by Shane, 10 February 2015 - 06:00 AM.