21 replies to this topic

[LTTP]

ITS ME AGAIN!

So, I think I am ready to start designing my quest, but really, I have no idea where to start or how I should go on this.

So questions:

How do you do it?

Do you start with the starting zone and build on wards?
​Do you plan what item will be in every dungeon way before hand and how the item in it will be used to get you further?

I'll start with that for now!

thanks!
 

[SpikeReynolds]

The same way I do everything else. Fly by the seat of my pants.

[LTTP]

Teach me more wise one!

[Hoff123]

I started by a simple screen with an old man giving link a piece of useless shit(literally haha). And from that I added more and more and more, and added a story and a lot of stuff .

 

This will be my first quest, but on my next one I'm gonna plan before I start, because I now know more what is possible and how ZQuest works .

[UZF]

This is my first quest, but I started on my title screen and intro first. But I really should have worked on my story first, because when I finished my intro this is exactly what it said for for word. This is Link, and this is Zelda. They have been friends for a very long time. Every night before go to sleep, they climb up the cliff in the village and gaze at the stars. I don't know why they do that yet because I just came up with this at the top of my head 15 minutes ago. So ummmm.... Here's Zelda... [Cue Zelda] Help me Link! I'm in danger for some reason! Go collect a certain number of things to be named later and defeat the guy or girl who has done this unknown bad thing to me!

 

My point is, first you should start on your story, then make your title screen and intro. And then start designing your screens. It's a lot easier that way, and much more organized. I obviously should have worked on my story a lot more as you can see. Make sure you have everything planned out before you start designing your quests. Then get the title screen and intro story out of the way first, as they are the most annoying. Then start designing your screens.

[LTTP]

Thanks UZF!
Thats helped alot

More tips still good!

[Jamian]

Here is one way to do it among others:

 

- Decide on a rough story/setting idea (this can be refined later on)

- Will your quest have unique features? If so, you'd better work on them early on, to make sure you can make them work to your liking

- Decide how long you want your quest to be (how many dungeons and subdungeons, etc.)

- Decide which items will be handed out, and when

- Also, decide how open ended the quest will be (is it possible to get item X or Y early, or is it more linear? if it's open ended, be careful about how it might be possible to break the quest's flow by obtaining something early)

- Create your dungeons according to the item plan

- Create the overworld

- Things like introductions / endings / cut scenes can be done near the end

[Mr. Z]

For a first quest it's a good idea not to plan too much. You'll end up demanding too much from yourself.

When I made my first quest, I didn't plan anything and just started building whatever I liked. Not very good, but I finished it.

Later I didn't plan much either, for Link's Birthday all I planned were the items you get in the dungeons, the rest came as I built the quest.

For my later quests I planned too much, that's why I gave up on them.

For my current quest I planned practically everything, you should only do that if you know you won't just quit working on a quest and start another.

[Jamian]

Ah, yes, and I agree, if this is a first quest then don't get too ambitious about it. Just finishing your first work will be a great learning experience.

[Hoff123]

Yeah, actually before I started on this quest, I made a really short "quest" using Pure, but because I was really new ZQuest and making quests, I had no idea what I could make and I got overwhelmed... so I scrapped it . I still have the file, but it's almost nothing.

[LTTP]

ty for tips
will work towards it!!

[Shoelace]

Notebook.  I always design my game in my notebook first.  I think logically how everything comes together, howe it looks, the path you will go in, the characters, and goals I want.  Give myself deadlines and then I make it in Zquest.

[LTTP]

Sounds neat :3
I am typing everything in notepad, same shit!

I still need a female link tho D:

[Lightwulf]

I could tell you a thing or two. I'm actually close to completion of my first quest - I'm currently on level 9!

 

I honestly can't remember at what point I came up with a story for my quest; I think I started working on it late 2010 and announced it in May of 2011, at which time I posted the story in my announcement thread.

Anyway, I first started with a main idea: using water as the main obstacle on the overworld (whereas all Zelda games that I'd played had mountains as the main obstacle that kept you in the bounds of Hyrule {and no, I haven't played Wind Waker yet}). From this idea, I picked a screen to start Link off on the first island, and went from there. I didn't really do much planning until after I'd completed level 7. By that time, I had enough experience and I knew exactly what I wanted to do, so I needed to plan.

(You should see it. Level 8 is quite complex!) The completion percentage of the quest was thrown off a bit because I added quite a bit more than I originally thought I would (though I don't think that's a big problem).

[Anthus]

The truth is, you can make it however you want. A lot of people have different ways of making quests. Some people draw out maps, and plan each item, and area down to the T, and others just open up ZC, and start drawing; with or without a vision and see what happens. I personally draw maps of areas. I do this cause I can bang out an entire area in virtually minutes and get it down, and make notes. I can change it later on, or add to it, but I'll always have a reference. I have never finished a quest project either way, so maybe I shouldn't give advice x.x