+------------------------------+
| ZQuest v1.84 User Reference  |
| Phantom Menace               |
| 21 July 2000                 |
| www.armageddongames.com      |
+------------------------------+

(In case you couldn't tell, this reference is not yet complete.)


CONTENTS:

1. Intro

2. Basic Commands

3. Quest Menu
3.1 Header
3.2 Rules
3.3 Cheats
3.4 Maps and DMaps
3.5 Palettes
3.6 Tiles
3.7 Combos
3.8 Map Colors

4. Tools Menu
4.1 Templates
4.2 Doors
4.3 CSet Fix

5. Data Menu
5.1 Flags
5.2 Screen Flags
5.3 Enemy Flags
5.4 Warps
5.5 Under Combo



+------------------------------+
| 1. INTRO                     |
+------------------------------+

The first thing you should know is that Zelda Classic does have its limitations. It started out as a clone of Zelda 1, which is also very limited. Although it has grown and will continue to grow, it can't do everything you might have in mind.

That said, you'll find that there is a lot that can be done within ZC's limitations. It allows for multiple overworlds, huge dungeons, and caves and dungeons that aren't "levels". It also allows you to customize the graphics, colors, MIDIs, and more. Some features are still in development.

"To do" List:
- Customizable enemies
- An option so you can say which CSets to dry up,
  and which colors to change when the whistle is
  blown
- Other customizations



+------------------------------+
| 2. BASIC COMMANDS            |
+------------------------------+

ZQuest is loaded with "hot keys". Once you become familiar with them, you will be able to work faster. Many hotkeys are listed in the main menus. Here are some unlisted ones:

Main Editor View:

arrow keys:   change the current screen
pgup,pgdn:    dec/inc the info menu at the bottom
              of the screen
comma,period: dec/inc the current map
+,-:          inc/dec the current CSet
*,/:          inc/dec the current flag value
w:            toggle show walk flags for screen
f:            toggle show flags for screen
d:            toggles "dark room" screen flag
l:            turn out the lights
              (waits for keypress)
0-9:          set the screen color to this level
              color (this is only for convenience
              in editing; the game ignores this
              color)
shift + 0-4:  same as above but adds 10 to the
              level number
shift + up,down:   scroll combo panel one line
shift + pgup,pgdn: scroll combo panel one page


Other Editors and Dialogs may use:

F1:   this help file
c,v:  copy/cut, paste
del:  delete
u:    undo
h,v:  flip tiles horizontally, vertically



+------------------------------+
| 3.1 HEADER                   |
+------------------------------+

Quest Version: It's a string.

Minimum Version: If a player's saved game was from a version less than the minimum version (using a strcmp) they have to restart from the beginning. This is useful if you make major changes to your quest.

Quest Number: Custom Quests should use number 0. Other numbers are reserved for built-in quests.

Password: Use a password to protect your quest. If the quest has a password, it can't be loaded in ZQuest without entering the password. I (Phantom Menace) reserve the right to view all quest info, including your password. I won't abuse this power, but you should know that I have access to your quest even if you use a password.

Title and Author: You get about 60 characters for each.




+------------------------------+
| 3.2 RULES                    |
+------------------------------+

Leave all rules unchecked for normal NES-style game play.

Solid Blocks: When checked, blocks can't be pushed onto other solid blocks.

TmpNORet Disabled: This was my solution to a strange problem in the NES game. Lanmolas stay dead until you exit the dungeon. Also, if you beat everyone in a room that has traps, they stay dead until you exit. I called this "Temp No Return". So for true NES quests, this rule is left unchecked. If checked, lanmolas act as normal enemies, and enemies come back to rooms with traps just as if the traps weren't there.

Multi-Dir Traps: NES-style traps only move in certain directions. By checking this rule, the traps will move in all 4 directions. Once checked, traps can be further modified by the "floating traps" screen flag, which lets them go through blocks, as well as over water. Without the "floating traps" flag, they go across water, but not through blocks.

Big Triforce Pieces: They go 1 and 5, 2 and 6, 3 and 7, 4 and 8. So when you get the first triforce piece, it displays the 1st and 5th on the subscreen.

3 or 6 Triforce Pieces: Makes it so you only need to get 3 big pieces or 6 small pieces for the level 9 guy to let you pass.

(And more...)



+------------------------------+
| 3.3 CHEATS                   |
+------------------------------+

There are four levels of cheats, each with a separate code (a 40 charater string) that enables them. You can disable cheats altogether, or disable certain ones by leaving the code empty (be sure there are no spaces). It's helpful to use the cheats when designing a quest. You can also choose to give out the cheat codes. It's up to you.



+------------------------------+
| 3.4 MAPS AND DMAPS           |
+------------------------------+

Maps are just 16x8 (+4) collections of screens. The limit is 16 maps to a quest.

The last four screens in a map have specific uses: 
  Screen   Usage
  0x80     Default cave or item room
  0x81     Warp cave or passage way
  0x82     Reserved
  0x83     Screen template (see template section)

DMaps are a way of dividing up maps into "Dungeon Maps". DMaps tell the system how to use the screens in the maps. They inlude the following info:

- the number of the map to use
- the position of the DMap on the map
- the type of DMap:
  overworld: 16x8, gray map, no subscreen map
  BS overworld: 8x8, shows key destinations
  dungeon:   8x8,  mark map according to rooms
  cave:      8x8,  mark map as you go
- the level number:
  0 = overworld(s)
  1-9 = levels
  10-31 = extra dungeons and caves
- the compass position
- the 'continue' position
- the color of the screens for the whole DMap
- the MIDI to play
- the screens to show when you get the map, or the key destinations for the BS overworld map


The level number is important because it determines how certain things in the game behave: if you want overworld attributes, use level 0. Levels 1-31 can be caves or dungeons, as given by the DMap type. Numbered "levels" with triforce pieces have to use 1-8.

Each level has a map, compass, triforce, and boss flag. Once one of these flags is set for a certain level, it applies to all DMaps that use that level number. For example, say you want to stretch the limits on caves by making 8 different caves in 8 different DMaps, all with the same level number (say 12). If you put a map in one of these caves, then once the player gets the map, they will have the map for all 8 caves. If you don't want this to happen, don't give them a map, or use one level number for each cave. On the other hand, you can make large dungeons and caves that span multiple DMaps by using the same level number.



+------------------------------+
| 3.5 PALETTES                 |
+------------------------------+

The ZC palette is divided up into 15 blocks of 16 colors each. These blocks are called "CSets" (color sets). CSets 0-5 are bkg colors and 6-14 are sprite colors. Below is an explanation of each:

Background colors:
0,1:   used for subscreen colors and map colors
2-4:   loaded with different "level colors"
5:     extra bkg CSet, independent of level

Sprite colors:
6:     Link's colors
7-8:   constant sprite colors
9:     level-defined sprite colors
10-13: constant sprite colors
14:    used for boss colors, which are loaded as needed


Level Palettes: (to do...)

Sprite Palettes: (to do...)



+------------------------------+
| 3.7 TILES                    |
+------------------------------+

(to do...)



+------------------------------+
| 3.7 COMBOS                   |
+------------------------------+

Combos are the building blocks of maps. They are a relic from the old days when tiles were 8x8, so combos were a way of combining 4 tiles into a 16x16 block. Now they are just a tile with extra game info, such as a type that can be water, stairs, cave, etc. They also store the walk flags that can be set for each 8x8 corner. The tile can be flipped horizontally and/or vertically.

Combo Viewer:
Used to organize the combos. Hot keys are:
space: toggle horizontal and vertical views
+,-: change CSet
e: edit current combo
c: select a combo (cut)
o: overwrite dest with source (make a copy)
s: swap source and destination (move)
v: paste. This will shift the combos between the source and destination. (move)

Combo Editor:
Click on the tile to edit the tile and/or flip status. Within the tile selector, click on "Old" to cancel, "New" to use the new one. The red squares next to the tile show place you can't walk. Click to toggle gray/red.



+------------------------------+
| 3.8 MAP COLORS               |
+------------------------------+

Used to customize certain colors, mainly the colors for the subscreen.



+------------------------------+
| 5.1 FLAGS                    |
+------------------------------+

(To do...)



+------------------------------+
| 5.4 WARPS                    |
+------------------------------+

Warp triggers:

Tile Warp: Stepping on a tile (such as stairs) triggers it.

Side Warp: When Link walks off the side(s) of the screen that are triggered, he will warp to this location. IMPORTANT NOTE: When you get the triforce, it uses the side warp info to warp you out of the dungeon. OTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: Before version 1.82, side warps were automatically triggered at the edge of a DMap. Now they must be explicitly triggered in all cases (except getting the triforce).

Warp types:
 - cave/item room: Takes you downstairs. Uses screen 80h of the current map. The info for the downstairs room is set with the upstairs room/guy/str/item data.
 - passage way: An underground passage in a dungeon. Uses screen 81h.
 - entrance/exit: Entrance/exit from one DMap to another. Link's destination coordinates are set on the dest. screen using the green coordinates.
 - scrolling warp: Warps from current screen to any screen on any DMap by scrolling, as if the two screens were adjacent to each other.
 - insta-warps: These are general purpose warps that let you do more than the traditional cave/item room warps. There are different styles of insta-warps to choose from.
 - no warp: Like the name suggests, it disables the warp trigger.



+------------------------------+
| 5.5 UNDER COMBO              |
+------------------------------+

This is the combo that is placed under moved armos statues, moved blocks, etc. Under combo stores both the combo and the CSet.



+------------------------------+
| THE END                      |
+------------------------------+

Yes, that's all for now. Check the forums at Armageddon Games for help from other quest designers. Also check the ZC site for updates to this file.