Jump to content

Photo

How to use FLAGS in ZC


  • Please log in to reply
14 replies to this topic

#1 Koopa

Koopa

    The child behind the turtle

  • Members
  • Location:Switzerland

Posted 21 January 2006 - 12:03 PM

I wrote this some time ago, hope it's useful. Thanks to those who helped, and who got me started on this in the first place. Without further ado, I present: the first part of my zc articles!

Using Flags and Secrets


Secrets are the way to make things happen in ZC. For example you could burn a bush and some stairs appear. This is a hands-on play-it-yourself step-by-step tutorial.

The flags screen is under Tools -> Flags, or press F8. To place flags Double-click on one to select it, then click where you want to place that flag on the screen. You can place any number of any type of flag on a screen, though they can't overlap. You can press Keypad * and / to move the flag selector to the right or left, respectively. Right-click to exit flag placement mode. Flag 0 is to erase flags. Pressing F turns flag display on/off in zquest. (Note that it only displays them. Your actions are also slightly limited while in Flag display mode. To turn it off, simply press F again.) The secret combe screen is under Data -> Secret Combos.

So, what's this good for?


There are many types of flag, two important ones are "action" flags where you have to do something to trigger secrets and "secret" flags which get triggered by actions.

Action Flags:
============

3 - Whistle
4 - Burn (Any candle)
5 - Arrow (Any)
6 - Bomb (Any)
11- Bomb (Super)
68, 69, 70 - Boomerang (Any, magic, fire)
71, 72 - Arrow (Silver, fire)
73 - Burn (Red candle)
74 - Burn (Wand fire)
76 - Wand
77 - Wand, when reflected from a mirror
78 - Fireball, when reflected from you mirror shield
79, 80, 81, 82 Sword (Any, white, magic, master)
83, 84, 85, 86 Sword beam ("Throwing your sword")
87 Hookshot
88 Wand (Touch)
89 Hammer
90 Strike (With anything)


Secret Flags
============

16 - 31

When you use the right item on a flagged tile:
- The combo itself changes into the secret combo for that flag.
- All secret flags change into their secret combo.

Secret combos are set under Data -> Secret Combos.

Here are some examples of using flags. I've done all this in a small demo quest that you can look at, it's not passworded.
Flag Demo Quest (For ZC 2.10 Or Above)





1) A bush that you have to burn to remove it.
place the bush and put a burn(any) flag [4] on it. Put floor (grass or similar) in the "blue candle" secret combo. That's it, burn the bush and you can walk through.
IPB ImageIPB Image
The bush and its flag.

2) Burn a bush to make a bush somewhere else disappear.
Place a bush and a burn flag on it. Put a bush again in the burn secret combo. Place a secret [16] flag on the bush you want to have removed. Place floor / grass in the secret 16 combo.
IPB Image
Setting the secret combo.

3) Make a dungeon entrance appear.
Place the entrance in the secret combos, the rest same as above.
IPB ImageIPB Image
The screen - and the secrets. (21 is a cave type combo)

4) Temporary and permanent secrets.
Once you're in the dungeon note that you can burn that block, but
- On an overworld dmap, secrets once triggered stay triggered. Go back and the bushed are still gone.
- On a dungeon dmap, secrets are not permanent - leave the room and re-enter and everything goes back to how it started.

5) Enemies and shutters. Enemy flags.
Shutter doors are closed doors that open when you kill all enemies. Shutters seem only to work in dungeon dmaps that have a level number greater than 0 set.
At this point let me introduce enemy flags. They are No's 37-46. Use only one of each per screen, if at all. Normally enemies are placed randomly. With these flags they appear exactly where you want them to.

6) Push Blocks part 1.
Flags 1,2, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 are for blocks that trigger a secret when you push them in the allowed direction(s). Where the block stood the screen's under combo (set under Data->Under Combo) appears. You can push anything that has a push flag, exept if it is the combo type "push heavy" or "push very heavy" in which case you need the bracelet level 1 or 2. Whatever the combo type if there is no push flag on it you can't push it.

You can set the screen data "Block -> Shutters" under Data -> Screen Data so that you have to push a block not kill all enemies to open the shutters.
Finally, blocks of combo type "Push wait" can only be pushed when all enemies are dead.

7) Push blocks part 2 - Block puzzles.
Flags 52-65 are "silent" blocks that do not trigger secrets. One use is for obstacles, another for block puzzles. For these you need flag 66 (Block trigger), when all block triggers on a screen are occupied by a block the secret triggers. (Or the shutter opens, if set). Flag 67 is to surround your puzzle so that you can not push blocks onto them. Note that once you push a block onto a trigger you can't move it off again.
IPB ImageIPB Image
A block puzzle .. and its flags. Note the pale "66"s on the trigger spots.

8) The Zelda flag. You stand here, you win.

Please let me know what you think of this. If you like it, there's more to come.

#2 nicklegends

nicklegends

    Trofessional Pransposer

  • Contributors
  • Real Name:Ed
  • Pronouns:He / Him

Posted 21 January 2006 - 01:55 PM

Wow, that guide goes further in-depth than most flag guides I've seen. You should seriously consider submitting this to the ZC Wiki. It would get more circulation there. icon_wink.gif

Edited by nicklegends, 12 April 2006 - 05:32 PM.


#3 Snarwin

Snarwin

    Still Lazy After All These Years

  • Members
  • Real Name:Paul
  • Location:New York

Posted 21 January 2006 - 02:12 PM

Very, very good. You explain flags in a clear, concise way, and use screeshots effectively in you explanation. Have you ever considered writing a ZC tutorial?

#4 Koopa

Koopa

    The child behind the turtle

  • Members
  • Location:Switzerland

Posted 22 January 2006 - 02:55 AM

Thank you for your comments, everyone.
Part 2 coming soon.

EDIT: It's here.

Edited by koopa2, 29 January 2006 - 07:00 AM.


#5 Koopa

Koopa

    The child behind the turtle

  • Members
  • Location:Switzerland

Posted 29 January 2006 - 06:58 AM

ok, here we go ... part 2


Flags, part 2 - Tiered Secrets


I've been saving the best tricks for last. Here we go:

Usually when you activate one secret all secrets trigger. Here I'm going to show you how to make several secrets on a screen that happen one after the other. "Tiered" is the ZC term for that.

1) Tiered push blocks.
Place a block and give it a push (once, down) [49] flag. That triggers the first secret. Place a secret 0 [16] flag and put another block in the secret 16 combo. That appears when you push the first. Now for some Zquest magic. In the secret combo page, hold CONTROL and click on the block combo you just placed. What's this? The flag window! You can put flags on secret combos! That's the trick. Let's put another 49 flag on it. So now you can push the second block when it appears. We only need to set up the boulders at the door to remove at the second secret. Place secret [17] flags on the boulders. Then put the boulder again in the 17 secret combo. Ctrl-click on it and give it flag 18. Finally put a floor tile in the 18 secret combo.
user posted imageuser posted image
The screen, and flags.
user posted image
The secret combo settings.You can press F here too to show flags.

That's it. What happens is when you push the first block all secrets trigger that are on the screen. So the block appears on the 16 flag and the boulders with 17 flag change into boulders with 18 flag. When you push the second block secrets trigger again and the boulders turn into the 18 secret combo.

2) A 4-tier room
This will have link running around the screen using items.
You first have to burn a bush, then use your wand on a prism, shoot an arrow at a statue, than hit a cactus with your sword. And all of these only appear when the last secret is triggered, and go away again when activated.

The bush we start off with on the screen. Put a burn [4] flag on it. Put a floor tile in the burn secret combo so it goes away again afterwards. Put a secret 0 [16] flag in another corner. Th 16 secret combo becomes the prism. Ctrl-click and put a wand flag [76] on the prism. A floor tile goes in the wand secret combos (there's wand, wand fire, and wand magic). The statue should appear when these two secrets are triggered. So we put an [17] flag on a floor tile and another floor tile in the 17 secret combo, with an [18] secret flag on the secret combo 17. Secret combo 18 is the statue, with an arrow [5] flag on it. Another floor tile goes in the arrow secret combo. In the fourth corner we want a cactus to appear after three secrets. Ok, [19] flag on the floor. 19 secret combo is again a floor tile with flag [20] on it. Secret 20 is again a floor tile with flag [21] on it. Secret 21 is the cactus with a sword tile [79] on it. You can probably guess the rest by now. Floor tile in she sword secret combo, and those boulders go after four secrets. So [22] on the boulders, secret combos 22-24 are all boulders each with the next higher flag on them, and 25 is finally the walkable floor.
user posted imageuser posted image
The screen ... and the flags
user posted imageuser posted image
How to set up the secret combos.

And this is how it looks in-game:
user posted image

3) Cycling secrets
This is how to make pillars that you can raise and lower by hitting a switch.
user posted imageuser posted image
raised ... and lowered
Place the switches, raised, and lowered pillars. [16] secret flags on the lowered, [17] on the raised pillars. Then under secret combos put a raised pillar in secret 16, a lowered in secret 17. Then ctrl-click and put a [17] on secret 16, and 16 on secret 17. Each time a secret triggers the pillars will switch and change between 16 and 17.
Put a [68] boomerang flag on the switches. Then put the switch again in boomerang secret, and finally put another 68 flag on the boomerang secret combo. Each time the boomerang hits secrets will trigger and she switch will change into itself again. The 68 flag on the secret combo means you can go on hitting it as many times as you like.

OK, that's all for now, folks. Except of course for the demo

Flags, part 2 (ZC 2.10)


Have fun with ZC!

#6 Teilyr

Teilyr

  • Members
  • Real Name:Adam
  • Location:Louisiana

Posted 04 February 2006 - 12:52 AM

Pinned. Thanks for contributing this useful info. icon_smile.gif

#7 Limzo

Limzo

    _

  • Members

Posted 13 March 2006 - 03:08 PM

I cannot download the flags demo 2.
Can you please make an alternative link to it?

Never mind, I downloaded it now.

Edited by Limzo, 13 March 2006 - 03:14 PM.


#8 CastChaos

CastChaos

    Deified

  • Members

Posted 09 April 2006 - 03:33 PM

This is the most helpful tutorial I ever read! I wil try to copy them in my quests. Will be a third part? I'm hoping for it.

#9 Me(Who Else?)

Me(Who Else?)

    Senior

  • Members
  • Real Name:Mike,alias Bob Smith,alias Stick-Bob,alias Ben
  • Location:Somewhere "Lost in Space"

Posted 21 May 2006 - 10:11 AM

THANK U , IT HELPT ALOT!!!
and really consider making a full tutorial

#10 Radien

Radien

    Courage

  • Members
  • Real Name:Steve
  • Location:Oregon

Posted 22 May 2006 - 09:40 AM

There you have it, straight from the source. Thanks, Koopa. icon_smile.gif We must continue to keep the basics known!

#11 rexlaninetales

rexlaninetales

    9 tailed kitsune

  • Members
  • Real Name:Amandabyakolatenkodekitsune rokonokyukon
  • Location:Jacksonville, Florida

Posted 27 June 2006 - 12:29 PM

Nice tutorial Koopa! That's a sweet animated screen shot you've got there! I'm definitely posting a link to this thread on my portal.
Now, only if there's a tutorial that fully explains every single flag. There are many flags I have no idea what they're used for or how to use them.

#12 Koopa

Koopa

    The child behind the turtle

  • Members
  • Location:Switzerland

Posted 27 June 2006 - 02:01 PM

Hey, nice to see you here, Rexlaninetales!

Me, Shadowtiger and others are currently working on the new zc manual - it should eventually replace zquest.txt and contain a list of what evey single flag, combo type, screen flag, enemy ... does. Basically, everything.
Until then, zquest.txt is your best bet (for thse who don't know, it comes with ZC and should e in your zc folder).

We're also making a lot more tutorials at ... well, that's enough advertising. link is in my signature, where it belongs. A copy of this tutorial is there too.



#13 Radien

Radien

    Courage

  • Members
  • Real Name:Steve
  • Location:Oregon

Posted 24 October 2006 - 06:52 AM

Hmmm. In the meantime, Rexla, are there any flags in particular you have questions about? icon_smile.gif Are you confused about flags added in some of the newer betas, or are there flags whose use you have never figured out from back in version 1.92?

I know what just about all the flags do, so I can answer questions one (or three, or five) at a time. Of course, I may need to be corrected on their correct usage, but hopefully that won't be the case... icon_razz.gif

#14 spaz44

spaz44

    Junior

  • Members
  • Real Name:Jake
  • Location:Lumbridge

Posted 05 November 2006 - 02:27 PM

Cool, Thank you very much

#15 Aegis Runestone

Aegis Runestone

    Cecil Harvey - Paladin

  • Members
  • Real Name:Andrew
  • Location:Baron Castle

Posted 25 April 2007 - 02:12 AM

Ah! Thank you! This helped me figure out an old trick I used to use for treasure chests.


1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users