The Hero of Dreams still stands out today, it has something really important that the majority of quests lack: a balance of quality between overworlds and dungeons. Today, there are many quests with cool features, but very few can immerse you into a world like the Hero of Dreams. I think he captured the essence of a modern Zelda, but at the same time, he put his soul into the game and in the process he made it really unique, crazy... and weird... and that's part of the charm xD
Thanks! That truly means a lot.
Hero of Dreams isn't just a quest, it's an icon of Zelda Classic. Regardless of people's feelings towards the quest, it stands out as probably the single most noteworthy quest ever released when you think of ZC.
I'm greatly looking forward to Chapters.
It just reminds me that their are gamers of different thoughts. Today's newer gamers seem more spoiled, but that isn't a bad thing, they just were born in a time where the bar was set really high to begin with. Having got used to that at an early age, they critic a little bit more at small things instead of actually enjoying the game. Maybe that's just what the internet created. It is not a bad thing, but it just isn't the way I play games.
Ah yes, Hero of Dreams. My first quest ever, and my introduction to all things Zelda Classic, and what an introduction it was. Still one of my favorite fan games ever, and, in my opinion, on par with some official Zelda titles. I've gotta replay it some time...
Happy Birthday, Hero of Dreams~! Can't wait for your sequel/prequel/whatever the fuck ^ -^
Thank ya! I am glad I could get some awesome people to the world of Zelda Classic!
mmm, well, I guess it depends on how you see things. I don't really have any nostalgia for NES games since I never played them as a child, but I can still go back and enjoy many of them. There are of course products of their time, such as the limited audio and limited visuals. But the 2D sidescrolling platforming genre has not evolved that much since super mario brothers 3, and I can still enjoy it for what it is. I mean, compared to new super mario brothers on the original DS, there really isn't that much of a difference between the titles. Sure, they both have different physics and graphics, but most of the design principles are the same. But there are of course the other side of the coin, the original super mario brothers, which I find completely archaic. I can respect it for what it does, much like zelda 1 and metroid 1, but it's not a title I'd enjoy going back to and playing.
There are quite a few things that has happened within the zelda classic community over ten years, that's for sure. But in the grand scheme of things, very little has also happened. If a quest 10 years ago was well designed then it would stand the test of time, because frankly there haven't been any ground breaking changes in how you design a good game of this type.
Yes, a more modern quest today could have a lot of fancy scripts that improve the quest, but if the core design is crap then the quest is still crap. What I think has happened is not that old quests have gotten worse or aged somehow, rather, that the community as a whole has grown to get a better understanding of what is good. For example, if the best thing made with an engine is terrible then that sucks, but since it's the best thing made to date then that's the standard everything else is held too, regardless of if that standard is low or not.
This is why people are, in practice, much harsher with their quest ratings nowadays, (and why ratings in the database kinda don't work...), a lot of practices that were common in the past or acceptable oversights are considered major sins today.
I see quests like HoD and Lost isle as benchmarks for past standards, they have a lot of flaws, but they also pushed the ZC community forward; and if nothing else then that's something to celebrate.
I disagree with Super Mario Bros. 3 and 2-D platforming not evolving, but that's another story.
But I did want to comment that I actually disagree with the "Quest Ratings are much harsher nowadays". Yes, there I do think people are more "picky" nowadays, but I actually think Hero of Dreams would have did just fine with today's ratings. I have mentioned before that I have some issues with some of the design direction of my game. For example, I wasn't a fan of my Level 2, and I thought I could have built certain areas differently. I think you will hear this with any creator. People see the flaws in any game, just like people saw the flaws in Ocarina of Time. Known as the best game ever. But the boat that you are missing is the game in general.
The reason why my game did so well was because of the experience I created. It was well balanced, it was polished where it needed to be, the story is still very well standing up against any quest yet, and I stayed true to the game. If you play through a level, you know you are playing The Hero of Dreams. I went in every area and asked, "why? Why is this here." Nothing that I built didn't have meaning to my game. People will look past Level 2 or choppy boss work, because the experience is still really high. That is what I am proud of in my game. The feeling that I get when I play it, I remember the passion I had, creating it. It still holds true with games today: People will look past the scripts, they will look past the mistakes, they will look past bosses, or bad puzzles. Just as long as they got a huge experience and transferred themselves into their world, they will like the game. That is why, I tell people to ask "Why?", I tell people to polish, polish, polish. Because it will make the quest memorable, even if you mess up a Level 2. One of my latest examples is Isle of Rebirth. I think the game is too hard, and it was frustrating. However, I was in love with the world that it created. And it is one of my favorite quests! Same with Ocarina of Time... known as the best game ever, and this even with the Water Temple.
Take a look at the top quests on the site. If your theory was right, all of the older quests should still be dominating the Top Ten. But they are not! But now look at the list and think about the experience and world it had. Every one of those games in that page, play different. They feel different. They have a different and amazing experiences. No matter what the script, puzzle, characters, are... the more you get from game, the higher they are.
Congrats on securing 1st place for 10 years
Sucks that I never managed to beat the quest due to some compatibility crap in Level 5, but it definitely was an amazing mark in the community and one of these days I'll definitely go back and try to beat HoD. Looking forward to Chapters of Enova too!
Compatibility... I'm sorry. This is probably the only reason why I am like... maybe I should make it for 2.5 (for those that can't play it because of 2.10).