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[OrbitalBeard]

Nothing says adventure like repeatedly wandering into identical packs of enemies surrounding identical campfires.

You expect the opening tutorial zone to represent the entire game? That's weird.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Zoro is infamous for getting lost in any situation, even where it seems impossible to do so.

Don't see how getting lost in 3D Zelda games is that difficult, considering your partner is almost universally unhelpful (except Fi, she was alright) in telling you where to go and what to do to get to where you need to go and their dungeon designs.

Like yesterday, I played Twilight Princess for a few hours (I wanted to use my Wolf Link amiibo in case I get to use it when I play Breath of the Wild and then I just kept playing for funsies). I just collected all of the bugs and saved the lake people. It took me 2 hours from getting there to get into the next dungeon and I was lost frequently and it was very frustrating.

Quest markers may be an inelegant solution, but I'd much prefer them than walking in circles having no idea where to go next. I have WAY more fun in Skyrim's moment to moment gameplay than Twilight Princess, that's for sure.

 

[Pandy]

yeah, no.. It's only evidence that the Nx version forced them to not use the gamepad meaningfully.

+1 for this.

The two Zelda HD remakes already proved how simple gamepad integration can massively improve the experience of playing a Zelda game if done appropriately. The only reason we have the on-screen semi-clunky menu system in ZeldaU is because moving it to the gamepad screen wasn't an option for ZeldaNX.

 

[Wandering Robot]

Most of what he's said just inspires a lot of confidence. They've already done so much good with the game (if the stream is anything to go by, anyway), and the wait will be long because of it. Still, I look forward to spending the first 10-20 hours of the game running around topless like an idiot.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

Don't see how getting lost in 3D Zelda games is that difficult, considering your partner is almost universally unhelpful (except Fi, she was alright) in telling you where to go and what to do to get to where you need to go and their dungeon designs.

Like yesterday, I played Twilight Princess for a few hours (I wanted to use my Wolf Link amiibo in case I get to use it when I play Breath of the Wild and then I just kept playing for funsies). I just collected all of the bugs and saved the lake people. It took me 2 hours from getting there to get into the next dungeon and I was lost frequently and it was very frustrating.

Quest markers may be an inelegant solution, but I'd much prefer them than walking in circles having no idea where to go next. I have WAY more fun in Skyrim's moment to moment gameplay than Twilight Princess, that's for sure.

I dunno, I certainly don't mind quest markers but they become an annoyance at times too, particularly in Skyrim where they can become a bit obtuse in caves etc. That said, I'd agree that losing your way in the games is fairly possible. It's easy to skim a vital detail in the text for instance. That's not even mentioning Wind Waker which is practically a masterclass in getting lost at a certain point.

 

[Haunted]

give it to meeee

 

[True Fire]

I love wide open worlds (that are done well). It makes the game feel alive, even if you will never explore 100% of it. It also greatly increases replayability.

I wonder if BotW will have story DLC? That would be an interesting turn for Nintendo.

 

[Feel the Swift]

The game contains more than enough substantial content to satisfy me, the only issue I have is the sheer size of the world.

I just hope there is some kind of system that keeps track of your progress, like how in OoT 3D a skulltula icon appears on the map when you find all skulltulas in an area so you don't continue exploring in vein. They could split the world into smaller regions, similar to Xenoblade X's hexagons. That and giving us effective methods of fast travel would help mitigate the fact that the world is massive.

Eh, I think it would be cool if they avoided fast travel. Game mechanics such as the glider sound cool to make me try and use instead of the easy way out. But I could see how I may want to use it on further playthroughs.

 

[Guess Who]

Eh, I think it would be cool if they avoided fast travel. Game mechanics such as the glider sound cool to make me try and use instead of the easy way out. But I could see how I may want to use it on further playthroughs.

There's already confirmed to be fast travel, the Shrines act as fast travel points once you get to one.

 

[Feel the Swift]

There's already confirmed to be fast travel, the Shrines act as fast travel points once you get to one.

Oops ¯_(&#12484_/¯ nevermind then.

 

[FunkyDealer]

It all sounds fantastic. I'm still a bit annoyed that Link is right-handed though... I wish it was an option.

 

[Lunar15]

Sounds like Aonuma had a lot of discussions with NOA members. We've never really heard anything like that before.

 

[keero16]

Man, I'm the kind of guy that doesn't think getting lost is fun, but I'm going to try and go into this game with an open mind. I did like what I saw in the trailer.

The problem with getting lost for me is that there needs to be good rewards for looking around and exploring. Zelda usually does this fairly well with heart pieces which are nice to collect, so maybe this game will have a lot of shrines, heart pieces, good armor and good weapons to find by searching every nook and cranny. If that's the case I will probably enjoy it despite not being a fan of "getting lost" in games.

This was my problem with Xenoblade X. Exploring wasn't rewarding (to me) in that game because I'd always end up in a place surrounded by enemies 20-30 levels higher than me and it was a waste of time.

Oh and I'm calling it, the green tunic will be like one of the best, if not the best armor in the game. Probably a bonus thing you have to go on a mini quest to find, or is just really well hidden.

 

[Gsnap]

Considering the number of traversal options this game has, and the fact that you can manipulate a large amount of the environment, there really isn't an "emptiness" in terms of gameplay. There will always be something for you to engage with. Whether it's shield-surfing down an empty mountain, or creating ice blocks to hop across an empty river, there appears to always be something to play with even if the immediate area isn't filled with traditional "content".

 

[Sianos]

While developing Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Aonuma said he noticed something that never occurred to him before: Getting lost is fun. “In previous 3D titles, I thought that getting lost is a bad thing,” Aonuma admitted. Due to hardware restrictions, most 3D Zelda games stitched together a bunch of smaller made worlds with an entrance and exit. “Getting lost in those small worlds, it's not a loss of what to do but it's more of a directional loss,” he said. “I see the exit, you're going to end up at the same exit, but I can't figure out how to get there.”

“It's actually fun. It's a sense of discovery and as we're developing this, I thought to myself, "Maybe this is what it means to create a big world, to find out that getting lost is OK.”

I really like this thoughtful differentiation between "getting lost" in the sense of having a clear objective but not understanding how to reach it as you don't realize one of the limited options and "getting lost" in the sense that you haven't yet discovered where you want to go. The latter is quite a magical experience when traversal mechanics are engaging.

 

[NimbusD]

Reading some posts, some people seem to want every square inch of the ground to be covered with things and enemies.

I really don't understand that. Not even elder scrolls games are like that really. People just want to bitch about zelda.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

It sounds stupid, but I find that The Witcher 3's map has too much going on. Bandit camps, guarded treasures, monster nests, etc. I think the map should have been smaller and have way less of those locations. The emptiness is welcomed sometimes. It's my favorite thing about Wind Waker.

I like The Witcher III a lot but it is definitely a bit too dense. A large portion of its content is recycled filler.

 

[Rodin]

I really don't understand that. Not even elder scrolls games are like that really. People just want to bitch about zelda.

Assassin's Creed games are like that and people hate them anyway.

 

[Riposte]

Comparisons to The Witcher 3 are funny, because people rarely recognize the fact that TW3's open-world is about as static as (and designed similarly to) a MMORPG. Zelda and MGSV are much more towards the Far Cry part of the spectrum, where the world itself is something you play with. There's a lot more physics going on, more level design even if it's scattered in places.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Comparisons to The Witcher 3 are funny, because people rarely recognize the fact that TW3's open-world is about as static as (and designed similarly to) a MMORPG. Zelda and MGSV are much more towards the Far Cry part of the spectrum, where the world itself is something you play with. There's a lot more physics going on, more level design even if it's scattered in places.

This is so true.

 

[Mr Touchdown]

Since you dont find rupees or heaets in the grass I wonder if they are going to tie it with the story and solething happened to the Minish (if I remember correctly they were the ones putting items on grass, boxes, rocks, etc...).

Correct, the Minish were the ones leaving all the junk around, so it's interesting to see all that stuff is gone. Perhaps this truly is after the great flood and they were mostly wiped out or moved to New Hyrule.

 

[Caelus]

I thought I'd be worried about this, but then I saw more gameplay videos and one cool thing was seeing distant enemies, landscapes, and mysterious floating things in the distance, and I know that during the game I'll end up spending so much time traversing the land just to see those things.

 

[NHarmonic.]

It all sounds fantastic. I'm still a bit annoyed that Link is right-handed though... I wish it was an option.

Oh no options, it could upset the balance of the triforce

Hope this game is set to the same standards as skyrim regarding the "density" of the world and the "disolated areas", and doesn't get a pass on that kind of criticism for being zelda/nintendo. We'll see.

 

[RedSwirl]

I think the density of open-world games is completely a matter of preference. Some people seem to enjoy the feeling of simply traversing vast terrain towards points of interest. Other people just want to get there.

Part of it is also that many are probably tired of AAA games that boast how big their worlds are or how much content they have when a lot of that content is repetitive or the size of the world belies how little unique content is in it. I still think the main issue though is whether or not each player enjoys the simple atmosphere and traversal of a game world.

This same argument came up when games like Wind Waker and Shadow of the Colossus came out. I never used fast travel in Wind Waker because I enjoyed the sailing. It makes the world feel big. The world of Colossus is the way it is to impart a feeling of desolation and solitude. The game didn't intend to be intense and fun 100 percent of the time. That's another thing -- that kind of traversal creates downtime and contrast in a game's pacing.

I may enjoy open-world traversal more than most people though. I spend a lot of my tine in ArmA just loading up a vehicle in the editor and driving or flying all over an empty map just due to how scenic it is. I'm also one of the people who really liked the planet surfaces in the first Mass Effect because other games don't let you do the whole Mars rover thing underneath magnificent alien skyboxes.

 

[SuperBlank]

I'm ok with pockets of emptiness if the landscape aesthetic and music continue to impress.

 

[skypunch]

Kind of off topic but I love that the game has British VA. I wonder if the voice work is being done by Nintendo of Europe?

 

[Incitemaybe]

I don't see why "pockets of emptiness" can't just be peaceful places where you can observe the flora and fauna, chill out and listen to the wind, check out scenery and landmarks and generally take in the environment.

I want much much more of that in open world games.

 

[Not]

Yeah I thought I read this already. It's just the IGN impressions. Can't wait for more tidbits to creep out as more Aonuma interviews come to light.

And it looks like with the Sheikah Slate you can fast travel from the get go. Probably won't be a problem for those who don't want to explore.

Kind of off topic but I love that the game has British VA. I wonder if the voice work is being done by Nintendo of Europe?

Me too. Didn't even realize that American accents would probably have been jarring.

 

[hpkomic]

I for one thing the balance between the emptiness of the starting zone and the features of interest is just fine. You have little "islands" of interest surrounded by the regular landscape. That's pretty darn cool.

 

[doofy102]

Well, shit, look at Red Dead Redemption.

Also, this is weird coming from the man who made Wind Waker, where you have to talk to a fish every square mile to even get a map.

 

[brad-t]

Don't see how getting lost in 3D Zelda games is that difficult, considering your partner is almost universally unhelpful (except Fi, she was alright) in telling you where to go and what to do to get to where you need to go and their dungeon designs.

Like yesterday, I played Twilight Princess for a few hours (I wanted to use my Wolf Link amiibo in case I get to use it when I play Breath of the Wild and then I just kept playing for funsies). I just collected all of the bugs and saved the lake people. It took me 2 hours from getting there to get into the next dungeon and I was lost frequently and it was very frustrating.

Quest markers may be an inelegant solution, but I'd much prefer them than walking in circles having no idea where to go next. I have WAY more fun in Skyrim's moment to moment gameplay than Twilight Princess, that's for sure.

This puts a lot of your previous posts about all games needing a frictionless user experience into perspective.

 

[Calm Mind]

3rd quote of the OP is essentially Zelda II (my personal favorite). I am loving what Aonuma is saying about this new Zelda day by day.

 

[Calm Mind]

How can hearts survive when you burn everything to the ground?

Poetry.

 

[okita]

As long as there is a diversity in the things you find around the world , i don't mind a bit of emptiness. It's a matter that the things you do are interesting. Many games fail on doing this and after sometime they feel repetitive to me (Bethesda open worlds as example , usually when it happens it's the sign to finish the game ASAP or i will drop it )