5th: First Week (Miller, Nightmare, CJC)

Alrighty Quest Players Club, we have before us a tremendous task! While everybody else will be sampling this and that during the 5th quest contest, we will be playing EVERY quest that gets posted in the 5th Quest Contest forum between October 5th and November 5th, AND we'll be trying our best to get to the ends of these quests.


That being said, we'll begin our rounds with the first three quests to be submitted:
Chris Miller's 5th
5thNightmare
and CJC5th.


It's difficult to put a schedule on these things because they are SO difficult (also, we are in the exact middle of the Fall semester), so this thread will be an anchor ground to post experiences within these three quests until the judging has ended.

I DO (however) recommend playing all three simultaneously so that if you become frustrated in one, you can continue without becoming completely enraged. If possible, try to beat one dungeon per week.

They are 2.5 version, right?

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Originally Posted by Dashie

They are 2.5 version, right?

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Yes all submissions will be for version 2.5. A person COULD design their quest in a previous version BUT it will be tested in 2.5 and any bugs that may come up from incompatibilities will be counted against the overall quality of the entry. The winning quest is going to be packaged with 2.5 after all.

My vid list for my quest:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...FunPKBaUoN6JUO

-James

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SUCCESSOR

Yes all submissions will be for version 2.5. A person COULD design their quest in a previous version BUT it will be tested in 2.5 and any bugs that may come up from incompatibilities will be counted against the overall quality of the entry. The winning quest is going to be packaged with 2.5 after all.

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Oh ok just make sure.

Just a quick overview of the progress I've made so far.


Chris Miller's 5th

Started this about ten days (...maybe) when he mentioned it in the Quest Discussion forums. I've made it through the first four dungeons, but I'm not sure where to look for Dungeon 5 (there was no hint within Dungeon 4, at least as far as I could find). The quest is paced well and is enjoyable to play. It would work well as a follow-up to 4th quest.


5thNightmare

I let the ease of the first dungeon lull me into a sense of security in this quest, despite the walk-through walls. The truth is, this quest is crazy difficult. I've been playing it for about a month now (since Nightmare made it available in the Quest Discussion forums), and every dungeon is significantly harder than the previous. By Dungeon 4 it becomes a trial of patience and come Dungeon 5 the quest gets so difficult it is a test of sanity just to keep playing. Buy keys for this one, folks, and find the Wallet quickly (it's under an Armos in the Death Mountain region, FYI).
I'm currently in Dungeon 7, wandering around trying to accumulate money for the Magic Boomerang. The quest is definitely a spiritual successor to 3rd quest, further clawing at the skills of the player.

CJC5th

This quest is the best and clearly should be the winner. And that statement is not biased at all! Heh, just kidding!
My quest has a rough difficulty spike in the beginning, but eases up as the player progresses and attempts to stay relatively fair throughout. During the quest you must choose between extra Heart Containers and exceptional equipment (the first choice becomes available after Dungeon 4, with the option of a Heart Container or the Letter). To make these choices the player must brave a gauntlet associated with a previous dungeon... specifically the dungeon 3 maps back. It is beneficial to pay any informant for all three bits of advice, and purchasing a key or two wouldn't hurt (one must be acquired to finish Level 1, and you'll need at least 5 extra keys to get through Level 8).
Every dungeon has at least two entrances, by the way (except for Ganon's lair, which has only one).

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Originally Posted by CJC

Just a quick overview of the progress I've made so far.

5thNightmare

I let the ease of the first dungeon lull me into a sense of security in this quest, despite the walk-through walls. The truth is, this quest is crazy difficult. I've been playing it for about a month now (since Nightmare made it available in the Quest Discussion forums), and every dungeon is significantly harder than the previous. By Dungeon 4 it becomes a trial of patience and come Dungeon 5 the quest gets so difficult it is a test of sanity just to keep playing. Buy keys for this one, folks, and find the Wallet quickly (it's under an Armos in the Death Mountain region, FYI).
I'm currently in Dungeon 7, wandering around trying to accumulate money for the Magic Boomerang. The quest is definitely a spiritual successor to 3rd quest, further clawing at the skills of the player.

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Funny you say that, AlphaDawg and I played each others' work a lot.

-James

There's a clue in Level 4, CJC. You just have to look a bit more. :3

5thNightmare
Found a bug. Dungeon 7, Screen 41. You enter a room with perma-jinx item bubbles and the shutter closes behind you. Though you can push one of the blocks, it neither opens the door nor reveals a staircase. The player is left with no choice but to end the game through the escape menu.


EDIT: Screen 71 has the exact same bug. No walk-through walls, no staircase, no opening shutter.

I think it's very ironic of Nightmare to give the boomerang that early

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Originally Posted by zcfan27330

I think it's very ironic of Nightmare to give the boomerang that early

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It's a Zelda quest, not James Quest.

Edit: Bugs fixed. Updating link in the ZC Discussion, CJC please update.

-James

Copied the URL and pasted it in my post, but it is identical to the old URL. I'll check again tomorrow.


Also, finished dungeon 7 in Nightmare5th and started in on Dungeon 8. Found the red ring fairly quickly, then switched to your video walkthroughs because I have a tendency to miss boss keys.

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Originally Posted by Nightmare

It's a Zelda quest, not James Quest.

Edit: Bugs fixed. Updating link in the ZC Discussion, CJC please update.

-James

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I just thought I read a post by you saying you shouldn't give the boomerang so early considering how it's the most broken weapon in the game

Just to update, I'm through the first 4 levels on Chris Miller's 5th. Finished them in this order, 2 3 1 4 lol. Got 3 of the hidden hearts, found level 6 but not level 5

Beat Level 6 and 7. Found bug, when you whistle and land where Level 8 was in quest 1, it traps you in the upper left

Fixed. The little green entrance flag thingy got moved somehow. Thanks for catching that. :)

Just an update, I got to Ganon in the quest I'm doing now, but died. Found Silver Arrow but no Red Ring

Oh, it's very much there. :3

I beat it and found the red ring. Very enjoyable quest

5thNightmare:
Beat Dungeon 8. I actually enjoyed this dungeon quite a bit (ended up not following your video, was still able to navigate successfully). I have to say, though... what you did with the shutter in the boss room? Not okay, dude!


Heading to Dungeon 9. I already know where to look, just gotta prep my stuff.

EDIT: Found a glitch in screen 04 of Dungeon 9 (With the red Manhandla). There's a push block that triggers nothing.

Found another one. Screen 64, should be a passageway back to the other section of the dungeon but is actually an empty item room.

Beat Level 1 of Nightmare 5th, can't find a blue candle to light up the dark rooms in Level 1 to see if I missed anything. Now looking for Level 2. Have found Level 4

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zcfan27330

Beat Level 1 of Nightmare 5th, can't find a blue candle to light up the dark rooms in Level 1 to see if I missed anything. Now looking for Level 2. Have found Level 4

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Level 2 in Nightmare5th is in a familiar place, but requires an unusual means to uncover. You DO have the tool necessary to enter, though... since you've beaten Level 1. You will find the blue candle within. There's nothing of note in the darkness of Level 1, but you will want to return when you have the Whistle so you can deal with that Digdogger. Trust me on this one.


EDIT
5thNightmare
Finished 5thNightmare, 73 deaths (did better than I did on 3rd.qst, still not as good as I'd like).

First, the last bug that I've discovered: The backtrack from the 'road to Ganon' in Dungeon 9. If you run out of bombs against the Dodongos and try to go back to the other part of the dungeon, instead of a passageway you encounter an empty item room. This effectively traps you if you run out of bombs and forces you to reset the game.

Second, the HYPOCRISY! You yelled at me for having special bosses that take more than 8 hits to beat with the SECOND STRONGEST sword, and yet you have rooms with enemies that take 8 hits each from the STRONGEST sword. One such shutter room requires 64 stabs to clear, whereas my boss battle would have involved 12.

Other than being a little tedious with shutter doors (especially so when Gold Darknuts were involved), this quest is a solid competitor. It is VERY hard, and in some cases unfairly so (Dungeon 5 is a good example of this), but since this is the last 'official' quest and you need to beat 4th to play it, I suppose that is alright.

Bugs fixed.

Miller5th
Currently in Dungeon 6... have found all relevant materials (key, map, compass, candle) and I've purchased the Blue Ring, but I'm still not ready to head for the boss yet. Is the Letter in this game? And if so, is it hidden on the World map or contained in one of the dungeons? Finally, if the first question's answer is yes, may I have a hint as to its location?


EDIT: I suppose a better question is... can I get another secret heart at this point? I've found three so far.

By now, you can get all the secret hearts. :)
As for the letter, well, wasn't there a potion shop near the first Level 1?

Miller5th
Finished dungeons 6 and 7, found dungeons 8 and 9. Soon this quest will be under my power!

Still haven't found the last two hidden hearts, but it's not as big a problem now that I have access to potions.

(Sorry for Double Post, significant change in direction of discussion)

For those of you playing the meat-grinder known as CJC5th.qst, there has been an update! I've adjusted Level 2 slightly to make it less of a murder box (it is much more likely that you will chance across the bow and arrow now... pay attention to symmetry and bombable walls. Even if you miss it, if you can get past the Pols in Gohma's brow you will find the bow and arrow eventually... albeit painfully).

A couple (well, a lot of) hints if you are struggling:

• There is ONE free heart in the overworld... you can get it with the ladder after you find it in Level 3. The remaining four free hearts are in 'dungeon gauntlets' near a corresponding dungeon. You can complete a gauntlet once you have completed the dungeon 3 stages later than the gauntlet. Ama will warn you what you need. For example, Dungeon 4 has the boots, which are necessary to clear Gauntlet 1. You can identify the gauntlets by virtue of the fact their entrances have no visible doors (all other dungeon entrances will have at least one visible door). All dungeon gauntlets are within one screen of a dungeon entrance of the level they correspond to.
• Bribe people... bribe them for EVERY possible value. They will not take your money and laugh, I promise.
• You will have to make some tough decisions regarding Heart Containers and Equipment... choose wisely. In general, if you pick a Heart Container the quest will get HARDER, but you will be rewarded in the end "Prove your Courage".
• Early dungeons have one or two visible entrances and one or two secret entrances. Dungeon 5 is the branch-off, with two apparent yet distinct entrances (it is also the first dungeon NOT to have a Heart gauntlet). After Dungeon 5, remaining dungeons all have 2 to 4 completely secret entrances, except Dungeon 9 which has one blatant entrance. You'll get a very important tool in Dungeon 5... USE IT! Use it lots!
• It is best to enter a dungeon with full health. Try to have a good supply of bombs as well. In lieu of hidden Hearts, the overworld is peppered with bomb upgrades. If you are struggling with enemies, use bombs; you won't regret it.
• The rupee cap is 255. You cannot purchase the blue ring, so I recommend buying keys when your wallet gets too full. It will help with Dungeon 8.
• After Dungeon 1, try to enter each dungeon with the bait. You will usually find bait in a dungeon... but the quest has a sucker-punch in the middle and it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
• Passageways may not necessarily lead back to the place they started. Level 3 will teach you this.
• Mazes in dungeons are more familiar than they may seem. Look at the scenery. The last dungeon maze occurs in Level 7, and requires a tool from Level 5 to solve.
• Mazes on the World Map are not where they used to be, and their paths are different. Some can be solved based on riddles given from bribes... one in particular is told by monsters hiding in various places... and if you're absolutely stumped try that tool from Level 5.
• You do NOT have to kill every enemy in every dungeon. You will be rewarded if you do... though sometimes the rewards are worse than you'd like (Pay attention to monster types... if the room seems too easy, there's a reason. Traps spring up starting with Level 3).
• If you're REALLY lost, open the quest! It is unpassworded so feel free to poke around in ZQ and find your way.

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Originally Posted by CJC

Miller5th
Finished dungeons 6 and 7, found dungeons 8 and 9. Soon this quest will be under my power!

Still haven't found the last two hidden hearts, but it's not as big a problem now that I have access to potions.

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"SOUTH OF OLD LIFE SECRET."
Look south of an old heart container spot. And look a few screens east of that for another. :3