Interview:Iwata Asks: Twilight Princess (Part 3): Difference between revisions

<b>Iwata:</b> Every time I helped with testing in Zelda: Twilight Princess, I find myself taken aback, thinking: "I can't believe you even included this!" And since you've put so much effort into refining the game to that point, in this final interview I think it's only fitting for us to introduce these touches to all the fans who've been patiently waiting for the game's release. Some examples include the changes throughout the four seasons and the weather at the fishing pond, when the water becomes muddy after it rains. Another one is when you drink from one of the jars, the surface of the liquid remains level even when you tilt it. Why has so much time and effort been invested in making these minor details? (laughs) I was really left shaking my head in disbelief when I saw the sheer number of these touches throughout the game. But even though I'm still wondering why would you go to all that trouble, I still really want people to know about these details. I want them to appreciate the lengths you have gone to in order to create such a foolishly detailed world! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> Well, on this subject, I've often said half-jokingly: "In this game, even the sides of the ladders have patterns on them!" (laughs) But whenever you climb a ladder, the camera moves so it's directly behind you meaning you can't actually see the sides of the ladder!<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> Miyamoto-san, are you implying that there was some bad management in the development team? (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> How much time did you spend on that part? (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> Well, let's forget that particular point for now! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> Agreed! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> It's a well-known fact that Zelda games always have signposts that can be sliced apart by the player. The village at the beginning of this game is no exception. However in this game, finally, the pieces you cut off can be picked up! <br><br>

<b>All:</b> (roaring laughter)<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> And of course, if you throw them into the river they float<br><br>

<b>All:</b> (laughter)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> They really do float. The reason we enabled the player to pick up the pieces and carry them was because there were no signposts right by the river.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> Exactly! (laughs) If you don't take them and throw them into the river, they're not going to float.<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> And because we've made it so the pieces float, it'd be a real waste if the player didn't get to see this. That's why we let them pick them up, carry them to the river and throw them in! Setting up this feature took us about the same time as it did to work on one of the horses! (laughs) <br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> A fine example of putting the cart before the horse! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> It really was! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> We often couldn't be sure which was the horse and which was the cart! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> There are plenty of these touches in this Zelda for the player to enjoy. And why did this happen, you might ask. Well, in the early stages of development neither the overall direction of the story, nor its finer details had been settled on. For that reason, the development team concentrated on creating things that could be used however the story turned out. The enemies were designed so that they could appear at any location throughout the game and the items were made so they could be used just about anywhere. Normally, when the framework for a game is decided you basically try to put all of the things you have made already into the game, making adjustments to them to ensure the minimum amount of waste. However, this time round with Zelda the trial-and-error process was so long that a large number of things made with great attention to detail remain in the game without having been through that adjustment process.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> The perfect example are the characters who duck when you swing your sword at them! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> Ah yes! (laughs) There are some children who duck out of the way when you swing your sword at them!<br><br>

<b>All:</b> (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> In previous Zelda adventures, the non-player characters show little or no reaction if you swing at them. We had this feature left over from something made as an experiment quite some time ago, and for some reason we made it so only the children dodge Link's sword.<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> Well, speaking to those children isn't particularly interesting, but when you swing that sword they all duck! People say things like: "That's the funniest part!" (laughs) Actually, one of them dodges the strike by bending backwards.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> The shortest one, right?<br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> Well, seeing as this rather silly part of the game doesn't ruin the storyline, it'd be nice if we could show a video clip if at all possible...<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> There are many of these kinds of moments in the early stages of the game. We were making them right from the initial development stages.<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b>  What else was there... Ah yes, we already talked a little about the goat-throwing section, but to continue from that, there are a pre-determined number of goats that appear in the game. When I found out the reason for this, I was quite speechless! (laughs) The way it works is, there's an event where Link has to round up a certain number of goats. The number of goats isn't determined by the event's difficulty, but instead by the number that can fit into the pens in the barn!<br><br>

<b>All:</b> (laughter)<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> The number of places in the barn was set and that dictated the total number of goats we could have...<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> I spoke to the director about why we couldn't have a larger number, but he told me that it wouldn't be possible because there were only twenty-four spaces in the barn! (laughs) Also, in early versions of the game, Link couldn't even enter the barn.<br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> So, you couldn't even see the number of pens?<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> Precisely! (laughs) What were you thinking, limiting the number of pens! But in the end, Link became able to enter the barn.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> And from time to time when the goats escape, you can now go into the barn and check to see how many of the pens are empty. That's the kind of detail the team spent their time implementing! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> Nobody's going to check anyway! (laughs) There were many points like this throughout the game.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> That's true. Before we knew it, all these details were already in the game!<br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> Really? (laughs) So many nice touches have been put in the game, I think the most fun thing will be laughing out loud as you find them one by one. Since you're paying for the game anyway, you may as well get the most out of the experience!<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> Of course! (laughs) <br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> For those who play the game, try moving the camera around from time to time and you'll find all kinds of wonderful things hidden away outside the main gameplay area if you take the time to look. (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> We couldn't claim this to be a major selling point for the game though! (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> There is a wealth of detail in the graphics so that when you pull the camera away it looks really impressive. This is in spite of the fact that you can't see these things when just playing through the game normally! (laughs) By changing the camera view occasionally, you'll suddenly catch a glimpse of some truly wonderful views.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> That's absolutely right. Taking the time to have a look around can really pay off. There really are points that will make you think: "This is a breathtaking world." But that doesn't necessarily make the game good... (laughs)<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> I think it's a good thing. Even the enemy characters are wearing great-looking armor and equipment decorated with finely detailed textures. Our developers made it this way without considering how much you'd be able to see it when playing the game! (laughs) But they did think that you'd be able to get a better look once the enemies had been knocked down.<br><br>

<b>Aonuma:</b> In this sense, we haven't made any compromises in bringing this world to life, and it's clear to see that the staff haven't cut any corners either.<br><br>

<b>Iwata:</b> It certainly gives that impression.<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> I once had a discussion with Hayao Miyazaki when he was making Porco Rosso and he asked me if I knew the way to make a landscape look authentic from a bird's-eye view. I wasn't sure and when I asked him what it was, he said: "Just keep drawing!" (laughs) It seems it's all about putting your nose to the grindstone and adding more and more detail. With this Zelda there were times when that was just what we did, and it was precisely because we put so much into the graphic detail that the game looks really good when the camera pulls away to take in the surrounding view.<br><br>

<b>Miyamoto:</b> Thank you very much.