9 replies to this topic

[Aevin]

Just recently, I've felt reinvigorated in this project and accomplished a whole lot of overworld work. The overworld has been mapped for some time, but the aesthetic details and actually building it are still in progress. I've spent the past few days polishing some old areas, as well as putting together what is probably the most difficult overworld area to assemble. The goods news? It's basically done now, except for a little polish. This means that about half of the overworld is finished, and the rest will probably go much faster. It's exciting seeing it come together and feel like a real place! I won't spoil much about the different areas in the overworld, but I'm making a strong effort to make each one of them feel unique.

Here's a few screenshots. The first shows the Tornado Rod, which operates similar to the one in A Link Between Worlds. I love this newest Zelda game, and it will definitely be represented in this quest.


In the second screenshot, I'd like to direct your attention to the magic meter in the upper right.

See how there's two different colors? There's a lot of magical items in this quest, and like in the first Hero's Memory, I want players to feel free to use their items a lot without worry of getting stuck somehow or running out of magic when they need it. So, just like in the first quest, MP will regenerate over time. However, certain spells, like the healing spell you see in the screenshot, would totally break the game through exploits like uncapping the frame rate, and players could abuse the system by stalling until their magic refills completely. The solution? Magic only regenerates to half. The green portion of the bar will refill automatically, but the blue portion can only be filled with magic jars, which will be quite rare. The powerful spells can only be cast using a full magic bar. This way, players can use their items (mostly) without consequence, but the most powerful items can only be used under special circumstances. As for which spells to use with your full magic bar, or whether it's strategically better to hit a boss's weakness with items or hold out until you need your LIfe spell ... all of that is up to the player, of course.

That's all for now! My interest level is high, and progress is being made at a very fast rate. Until next time, then!

[Demonlink]

You evil monster! How dare you limit my magic?! (Sarcasm, sorry )

Nice ideas man! I am excited for this quest!

[Eddy]

Really interesting ideas you have there, I like them a lot!

And it's a good thing you spotted the health spell abuse, but now I can't spam it >_< Oh well, I can still manage.

Anyway, great to see you working on this project again. I'm REALLY looking forward to this!

[strike]

Great job! I really like the solution for uncapping!

I don't know if I have commented on this quest yet, but it looks amazing. Keep up the good work.

-Strike

[Avaro]

Theres something I really like about your overworld screen design. It has that Japan vibe to it. There is also not too much and not too few details. Makes it pleasing to the eyes!

And just for clarification: does the heal spell need more than 50% of the magic bar? Because otherwise it would still be possible to cheat.

[Russ]

Ooh, liking the magic idea. I had a similar problem with refilling magic myself when I was working on The Darkness Within, but you've solved it in a completely different way than I did, and I really like it. About how rare are the magic jar drops?

[Aevin]

Thanks for the support, guys.

Avataro: Yes, the big spells will take a full magic bar. So you'll only be able to use them at max, and there will be a brief recovery time as your magic regenerates, so you can't immediately start using your other items like crazy. I'm interested to see how this plays out strategically.

Russ: I'm still thinking of how best to handle magic jars. They should be unlimited, but not easy to get. I'll probably offer them in shops, and I'd like to have some available before most boss battles, but I can't just put them in pots/drops in areas that can be easily farmed. It should be similar to the fairies in LttP/LBW, where you usually have to leave a level or otherwise go out of your way to fill your bar completely. But I also don't want to limit spells TOO much ... Maybe small jars should drop about as often as bombs in the original Zelda.

[Russ]

I like the idea of having smaller jars be enemy drops. That way, you could farm enemies to get access to the big powerful spells, but because of the step-by-step refilling, you wouldn't be able to use any magic items while you're farming. It makes you work for them, but at the same time, they're not something that will never be used because of the rarity of finding magic drops.

[Shane]

So I just saw this. I love how you use scripting as a resource to enhance gameplay rather than needing it as a tool to create gameplay. It feels true to a traditional Zelda Classic quest while standing out. Love it.

Also I really love pink trees. I really do want to visit Japan one day.

[Aevin]

So I just saw this. I love how you use scripting as a resource to enhance gameplay rather than needing it as a tool to create gameplay. It feels true to a traditional Zelda Classic quest while standing out. Love it.

Also I really love pink trees. I really do want to visit Japan one day.

I'm glad to hear you say that about the scripts. That's one of my major goals, here, to keep it simple while still providing some unique things I can only do with scripting. If I can make a scripted quest that doesn't FEEL like a scripted quest, then I'll be happy.