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[JordanN]

There was too much information for me to not share with gaf. A developer (?) breaks down all the tech details of Wind Waker.

http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104415

Some of my favourites:

 

[Red UFO]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

 

[StuBurns]

Not really on-topic, but having played SS, and gone back a little, WW is really not the cohesive aesthetic I thought it was at the time. That screen is a good example, the town texture work makes Link look really out of place.

 

[Mama Robotnik]

Really interesting!

It shows what a powerhouse of a game WW is, not to mention how powerful the humble Gamecube actually was!

 

[MuddyDonut]

I loved how seamless Wind Waker was. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Not really on-topic, but having played SS, and gone back a little, WW is really not the cohesive aesthetic I thought it was at the time. That screen is a good example, the town texture work makes Link look really out of place.

I think it totally works. It's like a cartoon where you can tell where something is a character or important object because it's relatively plain in coloration compared to the painted backgrounds.

 

[Medalion]

*bows* Wind Waker... game keeps giving after so long

 

[Levyne]

I think it totally works. It's like a cartoon where you can tell where something is a character or important object because it's relatively plain in coloration compared to the painted backgrounds.

This used to bug me all the time in old Scooby Doo episodes and the such.

"They're going to use that door! It looks different!"

 

[Trevelyan9999]

I like the graphics in Skyward Sword, but no Zelda game has ever looked as good as Wind Waker. Was the Gamecube using the Flicker Filter to minimize the jaggies? Why doesn't the Wii use the same thing for current games?

 

[Relix]

Oh this will be a great night read. Thanks.

 

[Htown]

Not really on-topic, but having played SS, and gone back a little, WW is really not the cohesive aesthetic I thought it was at the time. That screen is a good example, the town texture work makes Link look really out of place.

it's probably less of a deal on an SD screen

 

[Mistle]

Thanks for sharing! This sort of stuff is always interesting

 

[ED Cantu]

Very interesting, thanks for posting this.
Wind Waker keeps impressing me.

 

[ohlawd]

My favorite game continues to amaze me <3

 

[Rebel Leader]

WOW

 

[RoboPlato]

Wind Waker's water used tessellation? Holy shit. I didn't even know that existed back then.

 

[Loofy]

I wonder what this would look like with normal maps and tessellation using the same amount of polygons.

 

[Tenki]

Very interesting.

 

[Medalion]

Wind Waker's water used tessellation? Holy shit. I didn't even know that existed back then.

Gamecube > Wii-U?

 

[akidnamededdy]

I don't really understand any of this but them thar pictures shure is nice to look at.

 

[JordanN]

Wind Waker's water used tessellation? Holy shit. I didn't even know that existed back then.

Tessellation in games actually goes as far back as 2001, where the ATI R200 supported a primitive version called "Truform".

But consider Gamecube was worked on in 1999, where the tech for it may not have been implemented natively, so it was done through software?

 

[The Wizard]

Wow this stuff is fascinating, WW still has my favourite aesthetic out of all the Zelda games.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Wind Waker's water used tessellation? Holy shit. I didn't even know that existed back then.

 

[commanderpepper]

Incredible read, thanks for the link.

 

[Kokonoe]

No wonder this game looks so great.

 

[Graphics Horse]

The lack of culling is not surprising for Nintendo, I get the feeling they prefer to optimise for worst case scenarios rather than best case. Z culling probably prevents most of that actually being drawn anyway but they still need to attempt to draw them.

Wind Waker's water used tessellation? Holy shit. I didn't even know that existed back then.

Looking at the picture, I don't think they're meaning tessellation in a dynamic gpu LOD sense. The water is simply divided into lots of equally sized triangles. It's surprising how many triangles they're using on the horizon, really.

 

[Mr. F]

Seeing some of the textures laid out flat really makes me appreciate them a lot more. Beautiful work.

 

[RoboPlato]

Tessellation in games actually goes as far back as 2001, where the ATI R200 supported a primitive version called "Truform".

But consider Gamecube was worked on in 1999, where the tech for it may not have been implemented natively, so it was done through software?

I didn't know that. Interesting.

Looking at the picture, I don't think they're meaning tessellation in a dynamic gpu LOD sense. The water is simply divided into lots of equally sized triangles. It's surprising how many triangles they're using on the horizon, really.

That makes sense. Still, really impressive though.

 

[olimpia84]

The magic and genius of Nintendo EAD

 

[Graphics Horse]

I remember noticing this one when it came out, pretty nifty effect.

 

[flippedb]

Incredible, really.

 

[jaypah]

This is so damn cool. I was completely amazed when I first played though WW.

 

[Satchel]

Well the GameCube was a powerful console for its day.

The rest is Nintendo magic.

 

[DarknessTear]

Wind Waker is probably the most beautiful cel shaded game to this day for me.


Also: I felt like posting this here, because I haven't had anywhere else to post it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMHSiYiB55s Chrono Trigger (Zeal) in Wind Waker style.

 

[LCGeek]

Already loving this article.

Next to RE4 and some of the tricks in rouge leader this without a doubt proves at least two nuts at Beyond3d about through nintendo knew how to exploit the system. Some of the light or texturing insights are beyond what I expected for the game of it's type.

Nintendo really should be making this kind of creative use of their power more familiar to third parties.

 

[Reallink]

I wonder if Nintendo still has any of this software engineering talent left (as in the individuals), or if a lot of them jumped ship with Wii. I would have to imagine they've lost a few who wanted to continue pushing boundaries and remain on the (relative) cutting edge, which was obviously not what Wii was about.

 

[tedtropy]

Love learning these sort of technical details about older games I really enjoy. To this day I enjoy reading about all the tricks Carmack did to get the Doom engine screaming on the hardware of the time, etc.

 

[Kokonoe]

I believe it's time for a fan-made Wind Waker 2D side scroller.

 

[Silent_Ocarina]

This is an amazing read. Thank you. I'd like to see the same analysis on a game like Super Mario Galaxy. This actually reminds me a bit of Iwata Asks. I like reading about how Nintendo achieves certain things.

 

[Banjotanooki]

I wish I still had my copy...

 

[Mr. F]

This is an amazing read. Thank you. I'd like to see the same analysis on a game like Super Mario Galaxy. This actually reminds me a bit of Iwata Asks. I like reading about how Nintendo achieves certain things.

I really wish Nintendo and other devs in general would put these kinds of technical behind the scenes looks out there. So many games are begging for a coffee table book or something chronicling the development of the title from both an artistic and technical perspective (and I would buy them all). Absolutely fascinating when we get small glimpses into the process - Iwata Asks is definitely a much appreciated step in the right direction.

 

[dekline]

Very cool. And such a great game.

 

[Medalion]

Not saying the original game wasn't da shiz

but they are dissecting an emulated version of the game with enhanced effects and filters and shit

 

[DonMigs85]

I hope they release this as a download for Wii U, because my GameCube disc no longer seems to want to load on my Wii

 

[Currygan]

Link's dynamic feet blew my mind. Damn

it's also the only thing I understood from that atricle, but interesting nonethless!

 

[VOOK]

I hope they release this as a download for Wii U, because my GameCube disc no longer seems to want to load on my Wii

I'd say your disk is fine, it's the Wii that's the problem.

 

[Grinchy]

I remember liking WW a lot. I don't understand a lot of this technical stuff, but it's nice to see some WW love. I feel like most people didn't like it as much as I did.

 

[Silver_DNA]

This technical stuff is beyond me, but it sure is neat to look at.

 

[ivysaur12]

Please HD remake this with better sailing, 2 more dungeons, and more difficulty. Thank you.

 

[vazel]

What does he mean when he says Link's feet IK dynamically to the ground?