Command line options
A beginner's tutorial by Koopa.
This tutorial is for the MS Windows version only.
ZC and ZQuest have several command line options that make it do different things when it starts - the most common use of these is to start in windowed or fullscreen mode, and to set the size/resolution. After "How do I load a custom quest?" this is probably the most common newbie question.
It's not quite as easy as just pressing a button - but it's not hard either.
First, I'll explain
How to make a shortcut to ZC
ZC is installed in its own folder on your computer. If you only know how to start it from a shortcut in your start menu, fear not, I'll tell you how to find your folder in a moment.
Open your ZC folder. The file called zelda-w.exe is ZC itself, zquest-w.exe is zquest, the quest editor. Right-click one of these and chose copy, then right-click some empty space and choose "Paste Shortcut". A new file will appear with a small arrow in one corner of its icon - this is your shortcut. Although the actual programs must stay in your ZC folder, you can move this shortcut pretty much anywhere - your desktop or start menu, for instance.
Setting options
Right-click your shortcut and choose "Properties". In the window that pops up click the "Shortcut" tab on the top.
![IPB Image](http://users.sephiroth.ws/ZCUTutorials/1basic/shortcut/shortcut.gif)
The target field is the interesting one. You can click in it, got to the very end and add options to it. The rules are
- Don't change the actual command (the text that's in there at the beginning), just add options on the END. For example:
"C:\games\zelda\1.83\zelda-w.exe" -windowed - Whereas the part in red is the area you shouldn't modify, and the area in blue (And everything to its right) is what you can modify and add to. - put a space before the first option, and between options
- all options start with a dash (-).
- You can add any number of options.
- -fullscreen Starts in full screen whenever you use this shortcut.
- -windowed Starts in windowed mose whenever you use this shortcut. Using only this uses/reverts to the small (scale 1) windowed mode.
- -res x y Use only after -windowed. Sets the window's resolution. X and Y are numbers.
- -res x y big Use only after -windowed. Sets the window's resolution and starts ZC in big (scale 2) mode. X and Y are numbers, big is spelt out. See the picture for an example.
- -s Silent. Turns all sound off.
- -fullscreen Starts in full screen whenever you use this shortcut.
- -windowed Starts in windowed mose whenever you use this shortcut.
- -scale n Requires -windowed. n can be 1, 2, or 3 - starts Zquest in this scale. Use -scale 1 to return to normal if Zquest starts in large scale automatically.
- -s Silent. Turns all sound off.
If you can't find your zc folder: Open the start menu and right-click the icon you use to start ZC. Then choose properties as above. What's in the target field at the beginning is the location of your ZC folder (of zelda-w.exe, to be precise, but the folder path is before that).
Note: Since this was first written, Sean made a program called ZCL that allows you to do all this by clicking a button. That's definitely the easier way.