Topic: The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Hours (April Fools' 2008 Project) - Brainstorming Topic

[JonLeung]

EDIT: As of Dec. 17, 2007, I've decided to do all of this myself.  .

EDIT: The project is continuing, but will not be released until April 2008.

EDIT: The project is The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Hours, our imagining of what the third Oracle GBC game would be had it been completed and released.  If you are new here, you may want to skip down to here.

I think it's already time to start brainstorming ideas for the April Fools' Maps Of The Month for 2007.



Like I've said, I'm happy with how this year's Mega Man Solid X: Guns Of The Mavericks turned out in the end.  We managed to get it done on time and bustin98 provided awesome artwork.  It got a decent amount of exposure.



However, I could tell that the mappers weren't enthused as much as they could've been, and I recall that a couple mappers hadn't played a Mega Man X game and a couple hadn't played a Metal Gear Solid game so there was a bit of a curve in even learning what my vision for the project was.  I think we only ended up with less than two months of actual working time.  (I could be wrong about that figure but I'm sure we didn't start it until 2006 had started and that I felt the pressure of time.)



So seeing as how that still worked out in the end, imagine how much greater a project would be if it wasn't rushed, more thought out, and with more enthusiasm and understanding from the participants.



But I don't currently have any ideas.  Nothing that good, anyway.  Like I said in the "mascot" topic, I would want to introduce him in a fake game, but next year is probably not the time for a mascot yet.  Maybe not ever.  Anyway, if someone has some ideas, we could toss them around here.  When things get serious I'll move this topic into hiding.

[RT 55J]

Metroidvania



Dracula has done it again. This time he has enlisted the help of the Space Pirates to further his evil plans. Join Samus Aran and Simon Belmont XLII as they battle metroids and zombies to save the universe.



The only problem here is that I've never played a Castlevania game for more than 5 minutes. >.>

---

Dot? Dot. Dot!

[JonLeung]

Yeah, plus considering the detail involved in Metroid and Castlevania games, I think it'll be easy for it to not look right.  Though a Castlevania 20XX thing did cross my mind earlier, though I'm not sure why.  I think we had enough of Mega Man, and we certainly don't want to do two Mega Man crossovers in a row.  I'm hesitant about another crossover too, but then again it depends on the properties and how easily they'd mix.



We've done one remake and one crossover.  The only other option is an original game.  Though it'd have to be based on something or interesting enough on its own for there to be a real joke to it.

[RT 55J]

Hide & Seek



Now you can play your favorite childhood game without ever leaving the comfort of your DS! Explore the mansions based on the game creators' houses (read: us) to find your hiding buddies. With online play, a built-in level editor, and multiple gameplay modes, how can you lose?

---

Dot? Dot. Dot!

[Revned]

Personally, I don't like the idea of making and original game. The attraction of the previous two has been the familiarity of the games, while making a new game altogether wouldn't be very cool. I would just see it and think it was another of the dozens of games on this site I've never heard of.

[JonLeung]

True.  Like I said, it'd have to be based on something.  I probably meant something like adding a new game to an existing franchise.  Like a Mario game, for, say, the Game Boy Color, similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 with all new suits and obstacles, and we'd call it Super Mario Bros. 4 or something.



Hmmm, maybe not a bad idea.  Except that might take a lot of work, I mean, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World both have dozens of stages each...  :/

[RT 55J]

Rockman 4 SNES



JonLeung managed to stumble across this game at an unidentifiable pawn shop while on a business trip to Japan. It offers a glimpse as to what the series could have been if Capcom wasn't so lazy back in '91. Despite it's name, he found that it differs wildly from the Mega Man 4 we know and love: different bosses; different weapons; different stages; a final boss that is not Dr. Wily; liberal use of Mode 7; et cetera. He decided to dump it and have his loyal legion of sla... er,  mappers show it to the world.



I'm just throwing around random ideas. >.>

---

Dot? Dot. Dot!

[JonLeung]

A Mega Man game might be neat...everyone recognizes Mega Man gameplay (except the South Park creators, who apparently didn't know who Mega Man is and has a character with the same name on the show) and each mapper could design their own Robot Master.



Not a bad idea, however, I'm hesitant to do a Mega Man game as a joke two years in a row.  Maybe we could do it for April 2008?



Getting warmer, though, keep tossing out those ideas.  Anyone else have ideas?

[RT 55J]

I just found the perfect game.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Mystical_Seed_of_Courage



It was going to be the 3rd Oracle game, but it was canceled probably due to problems with game-linking features. It seems like the puzzle-gimmik would have been the time of day.

---

Dot? Dot. Dot!

[Revned]

Very interesting. I had almost forgotten about that one. I'd be willing to do a dungeon or two.

[JonLeung]

Hmm, specific time of day?  I think if we were to try this, it would have to be called...I dunno...  "Oracle Of Day & Night"?  I dunno.  "Oracle Of Time" sounds too much like Ocarina Of Time or thematically like Oracle Of Ages.  Clumsy as "Oracle Of Day & Night" might be, it's better than the Mystical Seed Of Courage title, which I think would have fit better if Ages and Seasons had the original names of their Seeds Of Wisdom and Power like the Triforce pieces are named.



Could be a lot of work.  Then again, we do have the time.  And since Revned and TerraEsperZ did the Oracle games that did survive until completion, not to mention Revned's Awakening DX, we probably have more than enough resources.  It would be interesting for the person(s) involved in constructing a new overworld.



Thanks for the idea, RT 55J.  I'm not going to say "that's the one", but I do kind of like the idea.  We (or rather I and osrevad...kinda) did a Zelda game for April Fool's 2004 but this idea seems prime for an April Fool's joke.  But I have little time for mapping at all so it'd be much more important for a few more people to be interested enough.

[TerraEsperZ]

Reminds me of that crazy dream project of mine to remake Zelda II: Adventures Of Link using the Game Boy Color sprites and style. Imagine constructing one giant overworld that integrated all those hidden side-scrolling sections, or approximations thereof. Man that would be sweet, but hardly possible even by several mappers.



If ever do an original game, we'll have to make it reasonable in size so that it can be finished in time.



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[marioman]

About the name of the third Oracle game, I would suggest something like:



- Oracle of Time

- Oracle of Days

- Oracle of Hours

- Oracle of Risings

- Oracle of Dawning



Personally, I think that Nintendo would've went with time or days, but that is for you guys to decide.  



Also, keep in mind that Farore is called the Oracle of Secrets in the other Oracle games.  Also, as stated by the development name of the game, she is associated with the Triforce of Courage.  This information may help you came up with something better.



I kind of wish that this game would have been released.  I think that the overworld map would have been neat.  I liked the way that the games went from traveling across large time periods, as in Ages, to traveling across smaller time periods, as in Seasons.  The thing that would have made the series PERFECT would have been a day/night game.

[JonLeung]

In response to Terra, this might be possible.  It should be able to draw more interest than the last project, which had like five people and ten stages to create.  bustin98 did the artwork, I did four stages, and the other three did two stages each.



This Zelda game might not be as difficult because:

a) we'll likely start this, or whatever we choose as the April Fool's project, earlier than we did this year

b) a Zelda game in particular should be able to get us more interest and hence, more mappers

c) we already have most of the resources we need, including everything from existing Zelda Game Boy Color games



Even if we only had five mappers, let's say everyone does two dungeons except maybe one person works on the overworld.  That would be enough.  The dungeons themselves can't be too hard to make, even though they're original ones...slap a bunch of rooms together, then edit the doors and room layouts.  We could figure out new obstacles and puzzles that work on the day/night dynamic and new items of our own design, but so much could be done with what we all know about Zelda puzzles (defeat all the enemies, use certain items in certain places, make it to the treasure chests with small keys inside, etc.).



The overworld might not be so bad either.  It could have places that are by default day or night, like the map for the overworld in Seasons.  And making two maps (one for day and one for night) could be as simple as taking the day map, darkening the palette, and editing some things to be more nocturnal, but the overall layout of things wouldn't ever change drastically.  The overworld should have areas thematically linked to what dungeons we brainstorm but it is feasible.  I would imagine building it in something like RPG Maker, if only because it'd be easy to use the grid and slap down tiles and spend more time and energy imagining the layout than measuring the placement.  We'd just have to be aware of what fits on a "screen" to have realistic layouts but that isn't really a problem for us here, I'd imagine.



"Oracle Of Hours" is better than "Oracle Of Day & Night", marioman.  Good suggestion!



I'm warming up to the idea, as you can tell.  Plus, unless someone comes up with a better idea within the next few weeks, we may have to go with this one, but I'm sure we'll enjoy this once we get into it.  It's not too difficult and it also allows for some creativity!



I also think it's likely to fool at least some people.  Even if not, it should still look really good.

[JonLeung]

I did some brainstorming of possible dungeons.  The time element adds a lot more than I thought.



Hourglass Palace

-a desert dungeon; the floors are each laid out somewhat circular-like, with the top and bottom floors being larger than those nearer to the center floor, just like an hourglass

-the floors will switch from day to night: top-to-bottom will become bottom-to-top (stairs will change accordingly) and provide new puzzle elements (pits lead to different areas, shifting sand floors will reverse direction, etc.)



Clockwork Temple

-a mechanical dungeon; the dungeon is laid out like the face of a giant clock, and/or with smaller clocks within

-the minute hand serves as a walkable platform, which moves to face a different cardinal direction every fifteen minutes, providing access to different areas depending on the real-time clock (perhaps you'd drop down onto the center of the clock from a hole in the room above)

-a Spinner item, like that found in Twilight Princess (if you didn't know, it serves as a hover-top, a high-speed wall-wheel thing, and also as a gear for operating mechanical devices) would likely be the item here, which would give full control to the dungeon's clockwork and be used for mechanical puzzles in future dungeons



Vampire's Crypt

-a "dark" dungeon; the time of day affects the amount of light, but mostly night-themed

-nocturnal enemies (werewolves, bats, vampires), including the boss, who will fight differently depending on if it's day or night



Temple of Light

-a "light" dungeon; the time of day affects the amount of light, but mostly day-themed

-sunlight-based puzzles, perhaps the Mirror Shield could be here

-probably whatever puzzle elements are in the Boktai games



Beach Cave

-a water dungeon; the time of day affects the tide

-night time = high tide / day time = low tide (I know that's not how it works in real life but just go with it)

-water level puzzles like those found in various Zelda games



Flower Gardens

-a forest-like dungeon; the time of day affects the plants

-day time = giant flowers are open / night time = giant flowers are closed

-plant enemies like Deku Babas and Deku Shrubs?/Scrubs? act differently depending on day/night



That's already six possible dungeons!  What do you think?  And it's not like everything has to be time-related, the Ages and Seasons dungeons didn't require changes of them while in a dungeon...usually just to get in.  If memory serves, anyway.  So dungeons could even be simpler if you wanted.



So should we do LoZ:OoH?  Or should I quit thinking while I'm ahead?