5 replies to this topic

[Taco Chopper]

THREE CRESTS, 2022 DEMO

Demo v 1.5 download page | Mirror

ZC 2.55 a107 (June 10 2022 build) or higher!

So the demo has been sitting on my computer in a near-finished state for a while now, and I thought I'd tidy it up and share it while I have the chance.

information:

• the zip contains the enhanced music files (.gbs) needed for the demo. sorry, no MIDI support!
• the gameplay runs up to just before Level 1. five mini-dungeons and about half of the overworld map are accessible, among other areas.
• some locations and NPCs have been moved around for this demo, while others have been removed for the time being. when the full quest is released, expect them to be elsewhere in the world of West Merrel.
• similarly, items like the switch hook or hammer are not in the demo, despite areas needing them to be accessed.
• whatever your map button may be in ZC (normally spacebar) will open up both the overworld and dungeon map screens! this only works in the overworld or dungeons for the time being, though.
• contains a lot of scripts from PoRC, so I think this quest is PoRC's weird half-sibling, right? thanks Aslion and Mitchfork!

credits:
development:
Taco Chopper

advisor:
Aslion

graphics:
Akkabus, Lightwulf, Ether, accela2me, Orithan, Taco Chopper

scripting + scripting advice:
Aslion, Mitchfork, Moosh, ywkls, Emily
just scripting:
Avaro, floundermaj, MoscowModder, Saffith
beta testing:
Aslion, aroten, jwex001

Let me know if there's anybody I've forgotten to credit!

This is the first new ZC content I've released in at least ten years, so I hope you enjoy the demo. This will probably be the only demo to include any overworld content as well; if a second demo is released before the full quest, I think it will be just one of the main dungeons.

Please let me know if there's any bugs I've missed, or if there's any feedback you'd like to give!

Edited by Taco Chopper, 30 June 2022 - 09:19 AM.

[Twilight Knight]

Ooh, this looks nice. I will try to play it this weekend!

[Moosh]

Played through it, it's a pretty solid demo. I liked seeing more gameboy features on display, especially the cliff jumping. There's a lot of untapped potential behind those mechanics I think. The mini dungeon structure is interesting. I'd probably enjoy a full quest of just this loop, but I'll be curious what the main dungeons have in store. 

[Taco Chopper]

I'm taking all of this on board, and I definitely want to implement more GB-style scripts into this as development continues. The cliff jumping was something that I only implemented a short while ago; so the overworld and most of those mini dungeons had already been designed without the script in mind. In saying that, I've already started working on a new mini dungeon, and I'm already approaching it from a... vertical point of view.

There'll be 13 mini dungeons in the final quest, plus the four main dungeons. The main dungeons will be designed as more "classic" Zelda dungeons, I think, but I intend to allow the player to reach them through other areas, similar to how the caves underneath the graveyard link up to the Bowmaster's Grave mini dungeon.

 

In saying that though, I'm approaching the mini dungeon concept with one question in mind: how does finding the dungeon item reward the player? This can be through passive items like the Blue Ring, or items that allow the player to reach new locations like the Feather or Hammer. This also feeds back into the exploration idea I've had since the start; such as if the player decides to return to a room in a mini dungeon that they couldn't traverse before, which lets the mini dungeon serve a secondary purpose after it's been cleared. I think this is the core loop of the quest, and I really want to expand on it more. Especially after playing 63 hours of Elden Ring since launch, and seeing how From Software had so many different ways to explore what appear to be very straightforward areas, like Stormveil Castle or the Raya Lucaria Academy.

 

All that aside, the point of this demo was about the core elements - the non-linearity, the mini-dungeons and the exploration. I'm happy it appears to have worked as a proof of concept for the rest of the quest, though.

[Taco Chopper]

Just a bump for a small update! I've done a bit of debugging and script tinkering; the big one is that maps can't be opened during dialogue anymore.

 

You can access it on the original post, or here - where the changelog includes the other updates.

 

Still ZC 2.55 a103/104 b61 (Feb. 17 2022 build) or higher to play this.

[Taco Chopper]

Hello me again, just bumping for version 1.2. This one's a bit of a QoL update as well as debugging. the shiniest new feature is that the area name will now be displayed when entering dungeons or overworld areas, like this:
 

 
As usual you can still access it on the original post, or just click here to access it and see the full changelog.
 
The 1.2 version requires the 2.55 April 25 build (a106/107) or newer to play.