Up to this point, enemies we have placed on the screen have simply appeared in semi-random locations as they did by default in the original The Legend of Zelda. However, Zelda Classic is also capable of using the other common enemy pattern found in the original game: enemies entering from the sides of the screen.
You can edit the enemy spawning pattern by opening the screen enemies dialog and pressing Pattern.
Zelda Classic 2.50 introduces several new enemy patterns beyond the two that were available before. Let's briefly go over them.
Spawn (Classic)
This is the default spawning method. It uses semi-random locations on the screen in the same manner as the original The Legend of Zelda. People that have played a lot of Zelda Classic quests can semi-predict where enemies will spawn with this spawning method.
Enter from Sides (Consecutive)
This is the Enter from Sides behavior from The Legend of Zelda.
Enter from Sides (Random)
This is another spawning method for enemies entering from sides, but it is far more randomized than the one used in The Legend of Zelda.
Fall from Ceiling (Classic)
This will make enemies drop down from the top of the screen when spawning. With our current quest setup, this looks a bit odd even though it works. Beyond this, it follows the same semi-random rules as Spawn (Classic).
Fall from Ceiling (Random)
This will make enemies drop down from the top of the screen when spawning. With our current quest setup, this looks a bit odd even though it works. This follows a far more random spawning pattern than The Legend of Zelda.
Spawn (Random)
This is very similar to the default spawning method, but it is a far more random spawning pattern than The Legend of Zelda.
If you wish to use Enter from Sides, there are a few rules you must adhere to in order for things to work properly.
Only enemies that walk can use this, such as octoroks and moblins. If you try to use this with enemies that do not walk (peahats, tektites, leevers, and such), you will get bizarre behavior.
Due to the way NES Dungeons work, you cannot normally use this with them.
The enemies need space to walk into the screen or they will get stuck. Typically, this means having at least two walkable combos from the open edge of a screen.
Each corner of the screen must be solid.
Here is a screen with a proper Enter from Sides setup as far as screen layout is concerned (you don't have to draw this):
Note: For this screenshot, View→Show Grid (~) has been toggled on in order to show the combo placement grid.
Try changing the spawn patterns on a few of the screens we have created so far.