13 replies to this topic

[masterlink3000]

Making a Simple Custom Boss

Setting the Boss Combos
1. First, go to Quest, Graphics, Tiles.
2. "Grab" or edit the tiles used for the custom boss combos.
3. After you are done making the boss tiles, click done.
4. Right click on an unused combo. Set the tile for this combo to one of the boss tiles. You can animate it as you desire.
5. Repeat step 4 with each part of the custom boss. Make each of these combos a "-" or "undefined" combo type.
6. Go to Data, Layers. Then set the coordinates & map # of layer 5 or 6 to an unused screen you intend to use for the current screen's 5th or 6th layer. Click ok when done setting the layer data.
7. Press page up or page down until you see the circles & squares for your onscreen layer data. Fill in the circle underneath layer 5 or 6. Then add the combos used for the boss. Make sure that all the other combos placed on layer 5 or 6 are completely transparent combos.
8. Finish making the rest of the room by clicking on the circle underneath 0 in the layer data box and then adding in the combos to the rooms.

Giving Life to Your Boss
1. Go to Data, Enemies.
2. Add enemies to your boss. This gives "life" as well as a possible "attack".
3. For now, set enemy 1 to gibdo.
4. Go to tools, flags. Select the flag called "Enemy 1" and click ok.
5. Place the flag wherever you want Link to have to attack the "boss". It should be placed underneath the boss combos that you had placed on layer 5 or 6.
6. Now, you must surround the enemy you placed (i.e. Gibdo) with either pit combos that look like the ground, or some sort of solid combos. If you surround it by pit combos, then you will need to go to Data, Tile Warp and set the warp type to none. This is so Link doesn't warp anywhere when he steps on the pit combos.
7. You should place damage combos where Link would come in contact with the boss.
8. Also, you might want to add certain obstacles such as statues, traps, damage combos, etc.
9. If you want the boss to appear to be shooting something towards Link, you can place statue combos beneath the combo (make sure the Enemy Flag 'Statues Shoot Fire' is on if you do use statues). If you want the boss to seem to shoot something else, simply replace the gibdo enemy with an enemy that shoots a projectile (like a stalfos 2 or something). Note that enemies that shoot something may not actually shoot something if completely surrounded; in other words, the enemy may need to walk a little bit before shooting something.
10. Note that certain enemies (like gliding enemies) will not suffice for this technique because they will gluide over the solid combos.

Making the Boss Seemed Defeated
1. Place secret flags 16 on layer 5 or 6 above where the boss combos are.
2. Set the Secret combo of flag 16 on layer 5 or 6 to a transparent combo.
3. Switch to layer 0. Then place flag 16 over any statue & damage flags and then set the secret combo of flag 16 on layer 0 to combos that look like the rest of the floor.
4. Check the "Enemies--Secrets" screen flag (Data, Screen Data)
5. If you want a "prize" for defeating the boss, then go to Data, Item. Choose the item of your choice. Click ok.
6. Check the "Enemies--Item" screen flag.

Alternate Way Using Flags
1. You can also use weapon flags instead of enemies so that Link has to hit a target part of the boss. Set the secret combo of that weapon flag.
2. Place flag 16 all around the ground (on layer 0) and around other flags. Set the secret combo to flag 16 to a combo that looks like the floor but is actually a pit combo.
3. Make an identical screen. Either make this a part of the same dmap as the first boss screen or on a different dmap.
4. Set the tile warp of the first screen to the second screen and then set the warp type to "Insta Warp".
5. Make the second screen somewhat different than the first. Make the boss look slightly hurt or worn down or something. If you want this to be the screen when the boss is "defeated" delete all flags (replace the current ones with flag 0 (none). Then make the adjacent screen and make Link able to go to the next screen somehow (via a Passage Door Combo).
6. If you want Link to have to hit him again, you could keep the secret flags & set the tile warp to a third identical screen.

More Custom Boss Tips
1. You can have rocks fall from the top of the screen if you want it to seem like the boss is knocking rocks off the wall (but keep in mind that unless you use insta-warps, rocks will fall continuously, regardless of whether or not the boss is defeated)
2. You can use a variety of combos, flags, & combo cycling to simulate a good boss.
3. Give the boss good graphics by having nice look tiles & animated combos.
4. Placing many statues throughout the screen provides for the need for Link to keep on the move. Also, you could place obstacles such as blocks, water, or things you have to slash or what not. Use some creativity with this.
5. If you know how to use "Secondary Flags" well enough, you could make Link have to hit the boss multiple times using weapon flags & linked secret combos, without using enemies or many identical boss screens.
6. To make the boss room have different music (and not from the rest of the dungeon, cave, or whatever, simply make the boss screen on a seperate dmap with different music. Then, from the dmap you want Link to come from, use a tile or side warp and set the warp screen to this boss screen you just made.
7. BE CREATIVE!!!
8. BE PATIENT!!!
9. BE PERSISTENT!!!

Edited by masterlink3000, 28 November 2004 - 06:32 AM.

[Radien]

Hmmm... very interesting. I can tell this is roughly the technique Petoe used on his first boss. For my first boss, I worked almost entirely without "real" enemies. Oh well; it seems to have worked. But using real enemies does have one advantage: weapon and armor upgrades actually affect the damage you deal/receive. A sword flag is always just one strike per flag, and damage floors ignore whatever ring you may be wearing.

I'll consider using this in a future custom boss.

P.S. - For flying enemies, all you need to do is make a "No Fly Zone" combo. I THINK it will still trap them even it's walkable to Link... The same goes for "No Jump Zone," which would probably be pretty useful for Pol's Voice, if you can manage using one.

Edited by Radien, 28 November 2004 - 07:00 AM.

[Peteo]

Yeah Radien, I used this method on my first boss... I tried to use real enemies whenever I could because of the "enemy hit sound". But now it really doesn't matter anymore do you hear any sounds or not since I added a life meter for all of my custom bosses.

[Mr. Z]

Aye, you copied that from Idontknow's tutorail, didn't you, masterlink?

Hmm, the no flying combos just gave me a new idea: Trap a Peahat between them so you'll have to either wait to kill the boss or use the fire boomerang on it. Changing the Peahat's sprites could work too.

[HappyPuppet]

Shouldn't you have given credit to IDK? You made it look like you wrote this.

[Breadguy]

Nice boss tutorial.. I haven't even tried my first boss yet.. Hopefully I can finish a level, to make a boss. When that time comes, maybe I'll use this idea.

[masterlink3000]

Yes. . . I'm sorry if it looks like I tried to claim it for myself.

IDK? has gave me more help on Zquest than anything else. . .

This Tutorial is from IDK?

[Shoelace]

Remember the more time you put into the custom bosses, the better the custom bosses are. They can take a lot of time. Well here is a tip from me:

As you all can tell, I am a fan of tiered secerts. (If you don't know what tiered secerts are, that is when you have a serect combo that also has a serect combo, and so on.) For example, take an example of my bug puzzle in the Hero of Dreams. You shoot the bug with an arrow (That has the arrow flag), which activates serect combo 16, which is another bug. Now you can shoot that one with the arrow since serect combo 16 is linked with the arrow combo. You can use this knowledge for your custom boss. If you need to light the candles before you hit your boss, or something like that, this is possible. Make sure to test it if you do it this way. Please test it over and over because bugs can mess up the whole process.

[Neppy]

It is a helpful tutorial. I'm still not sure I will ever make custom bosses, because I probably would do a crappy job at it.

[Radien]

Also... ML3K's tutorial helps you get the basics down, so you have a a way to create a single-screen custom boss that can be killed after taking a set amount of damage, but it doens't cover the techniques for making the fight interesting.

Presumably, all you have to do now is add "flak" flying everywhere... However, we've all dodged fireballs before. So it's nothing new or interesting.

That means two things are necessary for advanced custom bosses:

1. damage combos that combo-cycle. Match them with graphics of, for instance, a giant frog sticking its tongue out (), and you have a boss which can now move and attack you (though very limited).

2. ML3K's technique tells you to use pit combos to trap your "target" enemy. However, this makes it difficult to have a boss that goes through different stages (using more than one screen), because you've already used up your tile warp. The answer is to either find some other way to trap your "target" enemy, or use something like a "Sword" flag or an "Arrow" flag as your target (rather than an actual enemy).

Make sure the walkable area is completely covered with floor on layer 1 or 2. Then set the flag to trigger the appearance of unseen pit warps, which will warp you to the next boss screen in the chain. (I recommend using combo cycling to delay the appearance of the pit warps; this gives you a second for a boss "stun" animation and gives the player enough time to get ready for the next phase)


Another thing you can do is use timed warps. Is running out of time a good thing or a bad thing in your boss battle? That's up to you.

Edited by Radien, 29 November 2004 - 02:20 AM.

[ShadowTiger]

My input on the subject can be found in the form of a useful link, leading Here.

It'll show you how to manage your custom boss in an efficient manner. Enjoy.

[SwordOfSeals]

Oyea...Lots o' reading. The last 3 are most important. Well, good luck to any who makes them! I know I'll need all the luck!

[Radien]

My input on the subject can be found in the form of a useful link, leading Here.

Which leads to this passage....

* Make sure that you have the proper screen flags set up.  This is mostly useful for cutscenes though.  You probably won't need any real screen flags to be set, but hey, it couldn't hurt.   Keep everything here unchecked usually.  You don't need anything here checked.  (If you do, please voice your opinion now.

I found something.

First, you will very likely need to check "Enemies always return." If the player dies and comes back, you don't want the screen to quickly scroll the first 3 or 4 stages of the battle because the "secrets" are already triggered. Likewise, if you are using flags to trigger warps, you'll NEED to use a "Dungeon" type DMap, or else the same thing will happen as above.

Another screen flag you might need to check, if you have regular enemies on your screen, is "Full-screen warp." I used this in the Devil Toad boss battle so that "Pyroctos" (aka Zoras) and items gained through "Slash -> item" would carry over from screen to screen. The Devil Toad boss battle used up about 8 screens.

Some good stuff in that long post of yours. A lot of it is unnecessary, but will save time in the long run. It also shows me that there are MANY ways to handle boss warps, depending on what you want to do.

[Lemon]

I learned from reading Sabotage how to make mine, so I dont use enemys in mine. It is a little more complecated, but basically all it is is slash tiles instead of an enemy. Also, for attacks, I normally use custom tiles that are either above or behind the hero, and put danmage 1-4 combos on them. I like this better personaly because you can put the boss where-ever and make him do whatever you want, assuming you can make the graphics for it. Ive only got one boss to work right so far, the rest theres always a problem somewhere.