brainygamer
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Registered: 07/13/08
Posts: 524
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Posted 06/17/11
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#1
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I thought it might be useful to open a thread with links to external resources devoted to Zelda: OoT. We could compile dozens of such links, but I'll try to focus on the cream of the crop.
Found a terrific one today. The latest in Nintendo's "Iwata Asks" series re-assembles the original design team for OoT, and their discussion about working on the game is fascinating. No significant spoilers or other info that might diminish a newcomer's experience with the game, aside from some remarks about how certain weapons came to be. I really dig these behind-the-scenes pieces, and this one is better than most.
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Michael Abbott
Brainy Gamer blog and podcast
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geno55
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 22
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Posted 06/17/11
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#2
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I stumbled upon this high-level analysis of Ocarina of Time's puzzles today (link - warning: very heavy spoilers). I found it to be a pretty interesting read, especially the item and dungeon graphs, which are fascinating in their complexity. I've found a few other analyses of specific temples, but I'll probably post those in their respective threads once the playthrough gets around to it. Can't wait!
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MoriartyL
Registered: 01/20/09
Posts: 295
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Posted 06/18/11
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#3
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The interview Michael linked to is fascinating, and I think many people here will probably be surprised by how messy the hierarchy behind this game was. People often think about game designers as these people with singular visions that the programmers follow, but there's no one person who came up with Ocarina of Time. I also highly recommend the first part of that Iwata Asks section which talks about the music.
Here's one that's much older:
http://www.zeldalegends.net/index.php?n=interviews&id=1997-11-26-famimaga-miya-oot&m=html This is an interview with Miyamoto from early in the development process -there was still a manual jump button at this stage! ("If you want to jump, press the action button.", he says.)
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mcwizardry
Registered: 01/06/10
Posts: 10
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Posted 06/19/11
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#4
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Another thumbs up for the Iwata Asks interviews. I smiled when I read the origin story of the fishing pond, one of the designer was bored and started implementing the mini-game for fun even though he was supposed to be working on other elements.
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Jacob
Registered: 06/19/11
Posts: 43
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Posted 06/19/11
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#5
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That Iwata Asks interview was pure gold (as they always are). I'm always surprised at how the majority of Nintendo's games that we now revere as innovative classics had many of their key elements formed as a result out of necessity and/or luck.
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brainygamer
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Registered: 07/13/08
Posts: 524
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Posted 06/19/11
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#6
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Quote: Originally Posted by Jacob
I'm always surprised at how the majority of Nintendo's games that we now revere as innovative classics had many of their key elements formed as a result out of necessity and/or luck.
I think the closer we investigate the creative process, across media, the more we find serendipity and plain old luck play pivotal roles. I'm not sure I'd rather be lucky than good, but sometimes we strike gold by accident...and then claim we meant to do that. 
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Michael Abbott
Brainy Gamer blog and podcast
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brainygamer
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Registered: 07/13/08
Posts: 524
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Posted 06/19/11
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#7
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Quote: Originally Posted by geno55I stumbled upon this high-level analysis of Ocarina of Time's puzzles today ( link - warning: very heavy spoilers).
Wow, this is fantastic. It isn't often we see such an erudite examination of puzzle design. Thanks for the link, geno55!
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Michael Abbott
Brainy Gamer blog and podcast
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Jacob
Registered: 06/19/11
Posts: 43
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Posted 06/23/11
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#8
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Found an expectedly fantastic article from Dan Merrill, who has written some of the best articles about Zelda...well, ever. It's a piece called "Immortal Childhood," and although he analyzes quite a few of the Zeldas within one central theme, its inclusion of Ocarina of Time is significant. He writes that "there is a common theme that runs through Link’s Awakening and Ocarina of Time. It is expressed more fully in Majora’s Mask, and summarized at the end of The Wind Waker. These four stories express what it means to live bound to the flow of time. They are stories about the beauty of mortality, the journey from childhood to adulthood and from life to death. They are about growing up and leaving behind the immortal playground of childhood, letting go of the familiar to venture out into the world that lies beyond."
Pretty cool stuff. Read the whole thing here.
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gglick
Registered: 06/21/11
Posts: 7
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Posted 06/24/11
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#9
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Jacob, I'm still reading through that link, but I can already tell it's utterly brilliant. I don't think I'd ever consciously realized these themes before, yet now that I'm reading this article they seem so obvious I wonder how I missed them. It makes me wonder why I hadn't heard discussion of them before, how much of them were consciously put in by their creators, and how much unconsciously. Thanks again for the link: it's truly wonderful stuff.
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Jacob
Registered: 06/19/11
Posts: 43
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Posted 06/24/11
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#10
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Yeah Merrill is a brilliant guy. He's got pieces on Wind Waker and Majora's Mask that are fantastic as well. I'll post a link to the Wind Waker one when I'm not on my iPod, because some of the themes he talks about with that game seem relevant with Ocarina's.
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AndyC
Registered: 06/30/10
Posts: 51
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Posted 06/26/11
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#11
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I'm avoiding reading too much till after my playthrough, so I thought I'd add some fun things instead.
Zelda Papercraft - http://www.nintendopapercraft.com/labels/Zelda64.html
Zelda meets Minecraft - http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/06/minecraft-zelda-adventure/
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Whistler
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 55
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Posted 06/26/11
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#12
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cool!
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AndyC
Registered: 06/30/10
Posts: 51
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Posted 07/10/11
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#13
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Something to tickle your funny bone  ;
HEY LISTEN! -
(Sorry Michael, not really cream of the crop resource, but I couldn't resist)
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thisyearsmodel
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 187
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Posted 07/11/11
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#14
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That (funny) video reminds me of an Escapist article I read ages ago arguing for the virtues of Navi: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_268/8026-Hey-Listen-I-Like-Navi
Personally, I'm neither a Navi-hater nor a Navi-defender, but it is kind of interesting to read justifications for such a unanimously loathed character/mechanic. I also liked something Aonuma Eiji said about Navi: "I think that how you feel when you have to say goodbye to a partner who you sometimes thought was 'annoying' is an important element of the experience of Ocarina of Time." ( link) It had never crossed my mind that Navi was intentionally a pest...now it just seems like characterization to me (even when she tells me to take a break every hour in the 3DS version). Kind of echoes the "Navi has feelings too" message of that video, haha. |
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AndyC
Registered: 06/30/10
Posts: 51
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Posted 07/11/11
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#15
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Quote: Originally Posted by thisyearsmodelThat (funny) video reminds me of an Escapist article I read ages ago arguing for the virtues of Navi: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_268/8026-Hey-Listen-I-Like-Navi
Personally, I'm neither a Navi-hater nor a Navi-defender, but it is kind of interesting to read justifications for such a unanimously loathed character/mechanic. I also liked something Aonuma Eiji said about Navi: "I think that how you feel when you have to say goodbye to a partner who you sometimes thought was 'annoying' is an important element of the experience of Ocarina of Time." ( link) It had never crossed my mind that Navi was intentionally a pest...now it just seems like characterization to me (even when she tells me to take a break every hour in the 3DS version). Kind of echoes the "Navi has feelings too" message of that video, haha.
Say goodbye? oh no. I've got to stop reading your posts finding out too many future clues.
I will read your link once I finish the game, I don't find Navi 'too' bad.
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thisyearsmodel
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 187
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Posted 07/12/11
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#16
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Haha, dammit! Actually it's not really a clue, they just mean that the game ends! That's why it didn't register as a spoiler.
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thisyearsmodel
Registered: 06/16/11
Posts: 187
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Posted 07/15/11
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#17
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Gamasutra just posted a pretty interesting article by Leigh Alexander:
I think she does a pretty good job of discussing the lasting appeal of Link as a character. Along similar lines to some of our VGC discussion, she seems to place him somewhere between a traditional "character" and a more generic avatar:
Quote: Link's continual cluelessness is understated, even when used to comedic effect. And it's not that naivete is necessarily a trait of his. In fact, he has few discernible qualities except the persistence and bravery he gains from being controlled by a player who persists. An unfazed and wide-eyed openness is simply the character's default expression.
That fundamental neutrality is central to the character's appeal; he's intended to be a blank slate on which the player can project him or herself, one which doesn't suggest anything other than "brave young boy."
It's a quick read, and worth a look (though not recommended if you haven't reached the Forest Temple yet and are particularly spoiler-averse).
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