Summary: There's quite a lot of flags in ZQuest. Here, you'll learn the use of all 90 flags. Flags help you make your quest unique and dynamic. This will cover the flags from Beta 182.
Key points
- What the flags do
First of all, please read this list of phrases and abbreviations I will be using. They are detailed in the list too, but they will be here for your convenience.
- enabling secrets: The Secret Flags 16-31 change into the respective combo.
- enabling secrets soundly: Secrets are enabled and the Zelda secret theme plays.
- special item: This references to an item. You set this item by making the room type Special Item, and then setting the corresponding item that you want.
- flag morph: The flag will change into a corresponding secret combo.
1 push up/down - This combo is a push combo. A few things happen when you push it. First, the block moves... obviously. But it is definitely worth noting that you need to set the under combo to tell ZC what to put under the block. Second, the Secret Flags 16-31 change into the respective combo (hereafter known as enabling secrets). Third, the Stairs secret combo appears at the point that you designate on a screen, using the second option in the toolkit from left to right. Is this a lot to remember? Well, yes, but you won't be dealing with some of them most of the time. In fact, the third one is virtually obsoleted by Secret Flags. Remember these three things, as almost all push flags do the same thing. The uniqueness of this one is that it can be pushed UP or DOWN, and only ONCE.
2 push 4-way - Same as above, but you can push it in any direction, only ONCE.
3 whistle - When you play the whistle on this combo, a couple things happen. For one thing, the Zelda Secret Theme will play. Next, secrets will be enabled (reference to flag 1, won't say that again). Also, once you play the whistle on this flag, you can't play it again. This is a key thing to know when you are working with multi-tiered secrets, which I won't be doing now. That's actually quite complex.
4 burn - When the candle's fire burns this, secrets are enabled and the Zelda secret sound will play (hereafter known as enabling secrets soundly. Corny, but it will work.) In addition, this flag itself changes into a different combo, which can be set in the Secret Combo dialog box (hereafter known as the flag morphing). Now, it's also interesting to note that the fire the wand makes when you have the magic book, and the new item Din's Fire, can also trigger this flag.
5 arrow - When any of the three types of arrows hits this, secrets are enabled soundly (reference to flag 4, won't say that again), and the flag morphs (reference to flag 4, won't say that again). Look, I know these phrases and abbreviations are going to get on your nerves, but there's 90 of these, and I can cut the time it will take to complete this section by about half or two-thirds by doing this.
6 bomb - When any of the two types of bombs explode on this, secrets are enabled soundly, and the flag morphs.
7 fairy - When you step on this flag, your hearts will be restored and a ring of hearts will appear around the center of the screen. EVEN if there is no fairy on the screen or you put the flag in the corner, those two thingswill happen. I use this at the beginning of tough dungeons and before bosses sometimes.
8 raft - If you have the raft and you step on this flag, you will begin rafting. The rafting takes you wherever these flags lead you. So as the questmaker, you have to make a path of flags that your player's raft can follow to their destination.
9 armos -> secret - This doesn't just apply to armos; it applies to anything that has an under combo like slash. When the under combo appears on this flag (how does not matter), it will change into the Stairs secret combo and play the Zelda secret theme. Useful for making warps under bushes or Armos.
10 armos -> item - As with flag 9, it applies to anything with an under combo. When the under combo appears, an item, set by making the room type special item and setting the corresponding item, (this item will hereafter be known as the special item) appears with it as well. A few very creative ZQuesters used this flag and slash combos to make chests with items in them.
11 super bomb - See flag 6; only the super bomb can trigger this flag though.
12 raft branch - While rafting, if you come upon one of these flags, you can hold down an arrow key to change the rafting direction. Note that the player CAN'T see this flag or the rafting flags. You can make a maze of these and make it so that someone in the quest has to tell the player how to get through it. Remember to think creatively with these things!
13 dive for item - You need to put this on a water flag. When the player dives on this flag, they get the special item of the screen (reference to flag 10, won't say this again).
14 lens marker flag - A yellow square will appear here when you use the lens. Useful for mazes.
15 Zelda - You step on this flag, and you win the game.
16-31 secret tile # - Have you ever wondered what in the world that grid of flags with the numbers 16-31 meant? You will now. I've been saying a lot that flags trigger the Secret combos (or enabling secrets). What I mean is that ANY combo with flag 16 will change into the corresponding secret combo (which will be the top left on the grid in the Secret Combos dialog). ANY flag with flag 27 will change into the corresponding secret combo (which will be the last one on the third row). And so on. Just keep in mind that you have to enable secrets first. And here's how the grid in the Secret Combos dialog works. The top left is flag 16. The first row is flags 16-19, from left to right. Next row is flags 20-23 from left to right. Then 24-27, then ending with 28-31. Understand? I hope so, because this is a very useful option that you will be working with a lot during the process of making your quest.
32 trap horizontal - A trap (one of the spiky things that take away a heart) will appear on this square. If you walk directly left of it or directly right of it (any distance), it will "see" you and attack. It can't go through walls though, and it has a limited distance. These two things change if you set certain quest rules or screen flags, which I may go over in another section.
33 trap vertical - Same as flag 32, but up or down instead of left or right.
34 trap 4-way - Same as flag 32, but all ways instead of 2.
35 trap left/right - I love this flag! When you set it, a trap that moves constantly left and right at a very quick speed will appear. Can someone say trap obstacle courses?
36 trap up/down - Same as flag 35, but up and down instead of left and right.
37-46 enemy # - In the Enemies dialog, you have a list of 10. The top one is enemy 1, and the bottom is enemy 10. Using these flags, you can set where enemy 1 or any other enemy appears. This is useful for caged enemies of sorts. Remember to be creative with these flags!
47-65 push ?? - I think I'll make a little reference list instead of trying to do all of these. Remember, EVERY ONE OF THESE FLAGS NEEDS AN UNDER COMBO. ALL OF THEM. Now, let's begin...
- u/d means that this flag can only be pushed up or down.
- l/r means that this flag can only be pushed left or right.
- 4-way means that this flag can be pushed in any direction.
- a direction like "left" or "up" means that this flag can only be pushed in that direction.
- (ns) means that this block WILL not enable secrets.
- -inf. means that this block can be pushed MORE than once. They ALWAYS have an (ns) with them.
And with those 6 things I have summarized all 19 of these flags.
66 block trigger - When ALL of these (not just one) has a block on top of them, secrets are enabled soundly. This is sort of useless unless you put (ns) blocks on the screen. Also, when you push a block on top of this flag, the block can no longer be pushed.
67 no push - You can't push a block onto this flag. It's that simple.
68 boomerang - Secrets are enabled soundly if any boomerang hits this flag.
69 magic boomerang - Secrets are enabled soundly if any boomerang except the wooden hits this flag.
70 fire boomerang - Secrets are enabled soundly if the fire boomerang hits this flag.
71 silver arrow - Secrets are enabled soundly if any arrow except the wooden hits this flag.
72 golden arrow - Secrets are enabled soundly if the golden arrow hits this flag.
73 red candle - Secrets are enabled soundly if this flag is burnt by any means except the blue candle.
74 wand fire - Secrets are enabled soundly if this flag is burnt by any means except candles.
75 Din's Fire - Secrets are enabled soundly if a flame from Din's Fire hits this flag.
76 wand magic - Secrets are enabled soundly if magic from the wand hits this flag.
77 reflected magic - Secrets are enabled soundly if magic reflected in any way (mirror combo, mirror shield) hits this flag.
78 reflected fireball - Secrets are enabled soundly if a fireball reflected by the mirror shield hits this flag.
79 sword - Secrets are enabled soundly if any sword hits this flag.
80 white sword - Secrets are enabled soundly if any sword except the wooden hits this flag.
81 magic sword - Secrets are enabled soundly if the magic or master sword hits this flag.
82 master sword - Secrets are enabled soundly if the master sword hits this flag.
83 sword beam - Secrets are enabled soundly if a sword beam from any sword hits this flag.
84 white sword beam - Secrets are enabled soundly if a sword beam from any sword except wooden hits this flag.
85 magic sword beam - Secrets are enabled soundly if a sword beam from the magic or master sword hits this flag.
86 master sword beam - Secrets are enabled soundly if a sword beam from the master sword hits this flag.
87 hookshot - Secrets are enabled soundly if the hookshot hits this flag.
88 wand - Secrets are enabled soundly if the wand hits this flag. Note that it must be actual rod part of the wand. It can't be the magic or fire.
89 hammer - Secrets are enabled soundly if the hammer hits this flag.
90 strike - Secrets are enabled soundly if any weapon hits this flag. Actually, not anything, but close to anything.