How might I go about making an adapted Zelda II game?

[Dogzilla]

My aim is essentially to make Zelda II but redesigned - as Mario Maker allows you to redesign the original Mario game - but also to add new enemies and building features. In other words, same mechanics, changed layout, added enemies and some new functions to the environment.

As I understand it, this can be done, and would require first extracting algorithms from the original but also to know a programming language inside out.

I know nothing about programming, which is why I've considered approaching and possibly paying university students studying computer science who may know how to grapple such a task.

Ideas?

P.s. In case you do have tips on this, I'm wondering about things like difficulty, timescale, types of program, even the types of programmer (?).

 

[Alita the Pun]

This guys really into Z2!

 

[Dogzilla]

This guys really into Z2!

Haha, I do love it. The first 4 console Zeldas I love dearly, and ZII isn't even my favourite. But I think it's the one with more potential than many fans recognise, and also more potential than it reached.

 

[AncientPoe]

Haha, I do love it. The first 4 console Zeldas I love dearly, and ZII isn't even my favourite. But I think it's the one with more potential than many fans recognise, and also more potential than it reached.

Have you ever watched the Game Grumps playthrough of it? Danny makes a really good point about how it actually aged really well and fits better in the era of walkthroughs because of its occasionally obtuse leaps of logic.

 

[Dogzilla]

Have you ever watched the Game Grumps playthrough of it? Danny makes a really good point about how it actually aged really well and fits better in the era of walkthroughs because of its occasionally obtuse leaps of logic.

I have, yeh. Those guys are great. Obtuse leaps of logic? Example?

 

[Kylo Ken]

Hearts to replenish health. They need to be everywhere

 

[AncientPoe]

I have, yeh. Those guys are great. Obtuse leaps of logic? Example?

Like the key hidden behind a fake wall when the game never mentions fake walls, nothing indicates fake walls, multiple hallways in multiple temples have terminated in dead ends before without it indicating anything, and the fake wall has one brick of real wall at the base so you have to actually jump through it in order to get through.

 

[Dogzilla]

Like the key hidden behind a fake wall when the game never mentions fake walls, nothing indicates fake walls, multiple hallways in multiple temples have terminated in dead ends before without it indicating anything, and the fake wall has one brick of real wall at the base so you have to actually jump through it in order to get through.

Haha I know exactly the one. That fake wall is a real bastard because finishing that level depends on figuring it out! Also the hidden town beneath the world map forest is another that requires a leap of logic

 

[the8thark]

Haha, I do love it. The first 4 console Zeldas I love dearly, and ZII isn't even my favourite. But I think it's the one with more potential than many fans recognise, and also more potential than it reached.

I think Zelda 1 would be easier to remake into a Zelda Maker game. All to need is a titel set, then sprites for walls and things as well as enemies.

Like the key hidden behind a fake wall when the game never mentions fake walls, nothing indicates fake walls, multiple hallways in multiple temples have terminated in dead ends before without it indicating anything, and the fake wall has one brick of real wall at the base so you have to actually jump through it in order to get through.

Welcome to the second Quest of Zelda 2. Also many of the fake walls are one way. As on you can walk through them but not back through them the other way.
I always seemed to know about the ones in Zelda 2 though. In palace 5, 6 and 7. Walk through walls and floors.

 

[Dogzilla]

I think Zelda 1 would be easier to remake into a Zelda Maker game. All to need is a titel set, then sprites for walls and things as well as enemies.

I'm sure that Z1 would be easier to remake. I have no interest in remaking ZI. I'm interested in remaking, with tweaks and additions, ZII.

 

[the8thark]

I'm sure that Z1 would be easier to remake. I have no interest in remaking ZI. I'm interested in remaking, with tweaks and additions, ZII.

That would be easy to do. Just do it like Super Mario Maker except you choose the size of the different rooms. It would be palace only of cause.

The only catch is you could not assume they start with the glove. You'd have to provide it within the dungeon so they can break the blocks. You'd also have to put the old men who give the spells and the two sword masters. Sure in a hack you could easily do that. You need the fairy or jump spell or whatever? Have to find the right spell man first or the right swordsmaster to progress. Also you'd start the dungeon at 1/1/1 so you'd have to pace out the enemies as well as the heart containers and magic bottles.

You could do it all in one large dungeon. Sper Mario Maker style.

 

[Dogzilla]

That would be easy to do. Just do it like Super Mario Maker except you choose the size of the different rooms. It would be palace only of cause.

The only catch is you could not assume they start with the glove. You'd have to provide it within the dungeon so they can break the blocks. You'd also have to put the old men who give the spells and the two sword masters. Sure in a hack you could easily do that. You need the fairy or jump spell or whatever? Have to find the right spell man first or the right swordsmaster to progress. Also you'd start the dungeon at 1/1/1 so you'd have to pace out the enemies as well as the heart containers and magic bottles.

You could do it all in one large dungeon. Sper Mario Maker style.

This gives me hope! But is it actually easy to do and what's involved in a hack? Can you elaborate on these? I am of course referring to a ZII game that is identical in mechanics, not just similar or very similar. Changes to layout would be secondary. Additions, third.

 

[the8thark]

This gives me hope! But is it actually easy to do and what's involved in a hack? Can you elaborate on these? I am of course referring to a ZII game that is identical in mechanics, not just similar or very similar. Changes to layout would be secondary. Additions, third.

It sounds like you want to make a second quest to Zelda 2. Much in the same way of the Zelda 1 second quest but for Zelda 2 of cause.

In my above post I was talking more about the design concept. There is two ways to do this. First would be to do a 2nd quest of Zelda 2.
The other would be to make single stand alone palaces with everything in them. No overworld, no towns, just standalone palace levels. Kind of like how Super Mario Maker is stand alone levels. It's this idea I was talking about.

The one issue with a Zelda 2 second quest is (because you want it feature and looks identical to the original) is the cease and desist of Nintendo. Just of recent we've had the Pokemon Uranium and the AMR2 (Metroid 2 remake) both receiving cease and desist letter from Nintendo basically saying, get them off the public internet or face Nintendo lawyers sueing you. Your idea as a home project is fine. It would be fun and your friends would play it. Start hosting it online for the world to play it, and if it's a good 2nd quest to Zelda 2, the Nintendo fansites will hype it up and Nintendo will come knocking. You could make it in the style of Zelda 2 with similar mechanics and possibly be ok.

I'm not a programmer or code developer at all but the best way would be to extract all the sprites and code from the actual rom of Zelda 2 and reuse that. And edit it slightly for the above reasons. I couldn't tell you how though as that's not what I know much about.

 

[Dogzilla]

It sounds like you want to make a second quest to Zelda 2. Much in the same way of the Zelda 1 second quest but for Zelda 2 of cause.

In my above post I was talking more about the design concept. There is two ways to do this. First would be to do a 2nd quest of Zelda 2.
The other would be to make single stand alone palaces with everything in them. No overworld, no towns, just standalone palace levels. Kind of like how Super Mario Maker is stand alone levels. It's this idea I was talking about.

The one issue with a Zelda 2 second quest is (because you want it feature and looks identical to the original) is the cease and desist of Nintendo. Just of recent we've had the Pokemon Uranium and the AMR2 (Metroid 2 remake) both receiving cease and desist letter from Nintendo basically saying, get them off the public internet or face Nintendo lawyers sueing you. Your idea as a home project is fine. It would be fun and your friends would play it. Start hosting it online for the world to play it, and if it's a good 2nd quest to Zelda 2, the Nintendo fansites will hype it up and Nintendo will come knocking. You could make it in the style of Zelda 2 with similar mechanics and possibly be ok.

I'm not a programmer or code developer at all but the best way would be to extract all the sprites and code from the actual rom of Zelda 2 and reuse that. And edit it slightly for the above reasons. I couldn't tell you how though as that's not what I know much about.

Yeah, really I'm looking for coding advice, as I have all the design ideas sorted. This would be as a private experiment, so I'm not worried about cease and desist letters. Thanks anyways