Summary: This section will tell you how to create a basic cave, with a guy that says a simple thing inside. It details and emphasizes a simple four-step process to doing it, teaching the meaning of strings along the way.
Key points
- Four steps to making a basic cave
- The definition of a string
Up until now, all we've been doing with ZQuest is working with the very basics of just drawing on the screen. But it has much greater power than that. It can create functional caves without much work, easily do enemies, and more. This first section on detailing this stuff will tell you how to make a simple cave.
It might scare you that I devote an entire section on just creating one cave. Well, fear not. The process will eventually become second nature. In fact, once you are extremely good at ZQuest and understand it well, every step of any process will only be one more thing to tinker with in finding new tricks and ways to exploit the program to its fullest.
But I digress; let's begin. This section will revolve a simple four-step process to create a basic cave. The four steps are...
1. Place a cave combo.
2. Put a person in the cave.
3. Make the person say something.
4. Define where Link appears when he exits the cave.
Step 1: Place a cave combo.
First, remember this image from the last part? It had that brown cliff and such... ah, here it is!
You need this screen to start the section. If you don't, follow the directions at the end of the previous section.
Now, the first step is pretty easy; you just have to place the cave combo! The problem is... that the cave combo is an all black combo, and you'll quickly notice how many of these there are! Luckily, there ARE ways to figure out which combo is the right one.
First, I'll start by showing an image with the mouse showing you the correct combo.
See it down there on the bottom right? Good! Now, let me show you a way that helps you to know if you have the correct one selected. Particularly, let's focus in on the toolkit.
One part of it should stand out to you: Combo Type: Cave. Essentially, this combo has a special property of Cave. When Link steps on it, he warps somewhere else (in this case it will be a cave). Warping in general is complex so I'll end that topic there.
Combo... how many of you remember that word? I'm guessing that not too many do, so I'll review it again. A combo is what is placed on the screen. It contains a few pieces of data, like graphic, whether it's a wall or not, its combo type or special property, and a bit more. That's all you need to know for now.
In any case, let's go on and finish the step. Place your cave combo somewhere on the cliff. Step 1 complete!
Step 2: Put a person in the cave.
This is an easy step, to be honest, because ZQuest is really smart! Now what you do is go to Data -> Guy (go to the Data Menu and select Guy) to bring up a list of Guys that you can have in your cave.
We've got several 'Guys' to choose from, don't we? It's not necessary you know each and everyone of them; just that Abei is an old man and he's the one we're using. Select him from the list and click OK. Step 2 complete!
Step 3: Make the person say something.
A bit harder than Step 2, but not hard! Let me tell you what we have to do to accomplish this step. First, know that a quest made by ZQuest has a small database of strings. A string is the programming term for a sequenced group of letters, numbers or symbols. For example, 'eat' is a string, 'dopeydumper007' is a string, and even 'ak6:oopsie.9300' is a string. ZQuest strings are what your people in your quest say.
What you have to do to accomplish this step is first create the string, and then assign it to the guy to say. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? It's really easy!
First, start by going to Quest -> Strings, as shown below. This is where you create the strings in the quests.
Hmmm, <new string>... Yes, I believe that is what we want! Double click on it to be brought to a new dialog.
So, this is where we type in our string. So now we have to decide what we want our guy to say. Type in what you like. Here's what I put.
Hmm, I don't know about you, but when I create quests, I like to center the words in my strings. Just makes them look prettier. Well, inserting stuff (like spaces) into your strings is quite easy! Click on where you want to insert stuff, and then just start typing! Note that you'll have to manually space stuff; no tab or indent or centering.
Well, I'm satisfied with mine. When you are, click OK a few times to finish the first part of Step 3. Now we have to assign the string to the Guy. This in fact is MUCH easier. First, go to Data -> Message String to see a list of strings that are in the quest. The only one there will be the one you made, as shown below.
Now, to assign the string to the guy, simply double click on it or select it and press OK. Step 3 complete!
Step 4: Define where Link appears when he exits the cave.
Not too hard of a step, like the others. What you need to do is bring up page 2 of the Toolkit at the bottom. You're on page 1 right now, so you need to go one page forward. To do this, press PageDown.
Hmm, 5 new icons and a buncha numbers. Intimidating! As always, it's really not! Those numbers won't mean much to you for quite awhile; just ignore them. Each icon however represents a certain thing to be placed on your screen somewhere. One of them represents where to place the exit point of your cave. Which one is it? This one:
So, click on that icon at the bottom of the toolkit, and place to just below your cave, like this.
You want that blue square right below the cave, like I have it. Not on the cave, not halfway below, right there. This is one time where ZQuest will be picky. You COULD place it in those places, but there's a cool special effect you'll miss out on if you do. Anyways, place the square. Step 4 complete!
And with Step 4, the cave! Next section, we'll make enemies and another cave, in which we'll put an item.