Ever-flowing time without a 3-day cycle.

It would be really, really awesome if a lot of people in the next Zelda game are killed, families are torn apart, cities are ruined, races are almost extinguished, due to different events taking place during the game. This could happen all through-out the game. This would give the game a massive sence of dread. But MM had heaps of dread... the moon was falling, everything was forsaken - but it was still awesome to help everyone, wasn't it? So having a massive sense of dread in the game doesn't mean everything has to be dark, there can also be a lot of comic relief and happiness in the game.

What if in the next Zelda, there were many different people that Link has to help, but not all the people have to be helped, it's optional . For example, a bridge is torn apart (much like in TP), then we have to save money and fund it to fix the bridge, this could help trade happen once again.

Now you might think you need a big hard-drive to have lots of side-quests and such, but you really don't. Think back to MM, it was barely bigger than OoT in size, yet it had hours of side-questing. The key is not having a massive world with people spread all around for them to give you quests, the key is to be thrown into a small world (slightly bigger than TP's??). A small world with people going about their daily business each day. There should be a 24-hour clock. Each hour should be about 3 minutes. However, each day is the same and everyone does the same thing each day.

The great thing about this though is that their daily business DOES change, but only when triggered. An event that takes place could trigger changes. Like when you defeat Boss 3, it helps save Town A, but a problem occurs in Town B because of it. Then there are 4 new people to help. If you go off to finish off Boss 4, two people are beyond help any longer and can't be helped again for the rest of the game due to different things that take place. This works a lot like the complicated side-quests in MM, except there is no 3-day cycle. That's why the NEW game must be progressed to make it SEEM like time is ever-flowing.

So to progress the storyline, Link might have to complete dungeons (just an example), with each dungeon completed, more side-quests open up, and some side-quests can only be continued further by advancing more storyline. However, this should only apply to the complicated and most unique side-quests. There should also be side-quests that have to be progressed to progress the main quest and vice-versa.

There should also be dozens of minor side-quests (like in MM). Things like making little chicks grow into big chickens and you know, that sort of stuff. These side-quests though, have no affect on the main quest and only affect the world around Link in some way or another and are only for the player's satisfaction.

This would open up a much more character-driven main quest, rather than a puzzle-solving dungeon only main quest to advance the plot. I'm not saying that dungeons shouldn't be there, but the character driven plot would help the game vastly, along with other things like orchestrated music, voice-acting, advanced AI, better Wii controls etc.

Also, while completing side-quests, Link should not speak and the characters should not talk. Only in the main-quest should the characters be voice-acted. The problem with having Link speak during side-quests is that it could take away from the very something that the side-quests have. If Link was speaking at all, even without voice-acting, he'd probably be made to suggest something. Maybe this could work, maybe it couldn't, but I would leave that up to Nintendo. So personally, I'd rather just see Link not speak when hes solving people's quests.

Wow. I really like your idea...sounds like it would have potential.

That's my wish for a new Zelda game.

In TP, the twon was basically dead, there were few people to talk and do things.

And I don't care if it ends up being a 3 dungeon game, as long as it's deep.

Yes! Yes! lots of side quests! Lots! thats why MM one of the best! (Its also the darkest zelda). Your idea is the best i have ever heard for a zelda game.

I like some of this idea, but you'll never find a Zelda game which has missable side-quests intentionally thrown in. It's just not going to happen.

Not bad, and im glad that I am seeing a constructive thread that builds on ideas rather than one that assaults the many percieved lackings in recent Zeldas.

This idea is good, although I would be more content if Nintendo took a completely new approach - this idea smells too much like Majora's Mask.

but you'll never find a Zelda game which has missable side-quests intentionally thrown in. It's just not going to happen.

Sarcasm?

Not sarcasm; the (near) complete truth.

There was only one Zelda game to have something missable, and that was the figurines in WW. But they gave you an extra game to get it done to make up for this.

Originally Posted by Sabbo

Not sarcasm; the (near) complete truth.

There was only one Zelda game to have something missable, and that was the figurines in WW. But they gave you an extra game to get it done to make up for this.

heart pieces, tWW figurines, bomb bags in TP, Masks in MM, The zoomy owl thing for your bow in TP, The three stones in OoT, the armor in TP, Biggorn's knife in OoT, extra lives in Zelda 2, etc...

And there were a good amount of missable cutscenes im Majora's Mask.

Maybe we have a different definition of missable? Because I'm not meaning things you can skip if you want to; I'm meaning things where if you go past a certain point in the game, you won't be able to do it anymore.

Maybe we have a different definition of missable? Because I'm not meaning things you can skip if you want to; I'm meaning things where if you go past a certain point in the game, you won't be able to do it anymore.

Oh. If thats how you mean it, i suppose you are right, there isnt much that can only be gathered at certain points and not afterwards in the course of a Zelda. And that is partly what Ganon The King is advocating... Good point.

No. What I'm saying is that there should be some side-quests that you just decide to skip on your first play-through. But once you finish the game, you'll want to go back to play it a second time because the side-quests are so rewarding and interesting to complete.

Originally Posted by Ganon the King

No. What I'm saying is that there should be some side-quests that you just decide to skip on your first play-through. But once you finish the game, you'll want to go back to play it a second time because the side-quests are so rewarding and interesting to complete.

But I wouldn't want to skip anything. I like to get EVERYTHING on my first playthrough.

If I can't go back at the end of the game to get everything I've missed, then my opinion says the game isn't as good as it could've been.

Originally Posted by Sabbo

But I wouldn't want to skip anything. I like to get EVERYTHING on my first playthrough.

If I can't go back at the end of the game to get everything I've missed, then my opinion says the game isn't as good as it could've been.

When I mean ever-flowing time I literally mean ever-flowing time. Places and people in those places are forever changing as you are advancing the main quest. Exceptions could be made I suppose.

What have we wanted so much that the Zelda series has increasingly lost with each consecutive game since LoZ? Freedom. If Nintendo put careful time and effort, they could create a Zelda game in which the decisions you make affect the world around you. It's actually very hard for me to explain this to you in detail, though it is in my head.

It should be a game where the whole world is interactive. It's a busy, bustling world and soon after starting the game (a couple of hours in) you can explore all the main regions of the game. However, there should be restrictions. You can go to almost all the towns, just about the whole overworld and explore almost all the things. You can also get stuck into heaps of non main-quest material straight away. However, after advancing the main-quest and delving into some deep side-quests, you'll notice that the world starts changing. Towns start expanding, trade routes are cut off, some towns go under siege and events take place that change the way people act, some people even dissapear, some reappear in other places - but everyone has their own story. The characters have to be original. Remember in MM - there was a mayor, a happy mask salesman, a guard, an inn keeper, a goron etc.

The main quest should be split up into parts. The storyline is still linear, but each "part" might have about 3 dungeons and other content that can be completed in any way the player wants and the storyline will remain the same.


Lucky Seven, you say this idea seems like MM. Everyone loved the side-questing aspect of MM, so why not give that side of Zelda back to the Wii Zelda? Wouldn't that make a better and far more superior experience than that of a game that has seldom side-quests.

You say that Zelda needs a near idea. What new idea? Where will a new idea come from? Miyamoto and Anuema have been run dry. I don't have the experience to innovate in game design, but I am observant enough to note what can be improved.

From what I gather of what you've said, you want an MMO, except being single player and offline (or maybe you do want exactly an MMO; it matters little).

I wouldn't mind the next game to be like Majora's Mask, except that the 3-day system actually worked. With all the side-quests the game had, the 3 day thing meant that everything could be done within a moving world, and if you missed something, you didn't need to do too much to go back and get it.

I say the most important gameplay mechanic in a Zelda game is getting everything, and I bet I'd be happy with any Zelda game which has that (plot ignored - this is about gameplay here).


If you think your idea can remain basically the same, but with nothing missable, then I'd like your idea. I like your current idea in every way except for this one point I've been saying.

Your idea is awesome, but I think that if time travel was incorporated with it it would be even better. (sorry if someone already said that).

Originally Posted by Sabbo

From what I gather of what you've said, you want an MMO, except being single player and offline (or maybe you do want exactly an MMO; it matters little).

I wouldn't mind the next game to be like Majora's Mask, except that the 3-day system actually worked. With all the side-quests the game had, the 3 day thing meant that everything could be done within a moving world, and if you missed something, you didn't need to do too much to go back and get it.

I say the most important gameplay mechanic in a Zelda game is getting everything, and I bet I'd be happy with any Zelda game which has that (plot ignored - this is about gameplay here).


If you think your idea can remain basically the same, but with nothing missable, then I'd like your idea. I like your current idea in every way except for this one point I've been saying.

Um... no, I don't want a MMORPG...

Originally Posted by Ganon the King

Um... no, I don't want a MMORPG...

I think what he was talking about was something close to a MMORPG. A large overworld, a ton of sidequests you can do like in an MMPORPG.

So kind of like Oblivion? Like random evil people come in the town and start killing people? If that's what you mean I definantly want this. Maybe even as part of the main quest, theres going to be a huge invasion in some distant town far from Hyrule Town. You and the town guard have to defend the city. If you let the monsters pass, the town gets destroyed and it's not a game over, just you can never go to that city again or repair it. If you defeat the monsters, you are the hero of that city and you get a statue made honoring you.

Originally Posted by Skeletonband

I think what he was talking about was something close to a MMORPG. A large overworld, a ton of sidequests you can do like in an MMPORPG.

Yeah, but the overworld shouldn't be too large. And it can't anyway because there is no harddrive.

Originally Posted by Froto79

So kind of like Oblivion? Like random evil people come in the town and start killing people? If that's what you mean I definantly want this. Maybe even as part of the main quest, theres going to be a huge invasion in some distant town far from Hyrule Town. You and the town guard have to defend the city. If you let the monsters pass, the town gets destroyed and it's not a game over, just you can never go to that city again or repair it. If you defeat the monsters, you are the hero of that city and you get a statue made honoring you.

Sort of. Not quite.

What I mean is, there are a lot of side-quests and interaction. Except, the world if always changing as you advance the plot. So new building get built, towns are destroyed, people are killed, people move away to other towns etc.