Patent by Shigeru Miyamoto: Hint system in next Zelda? (unconfirmed)

EDIT What we know so far?
There seems to be three modes in the game
1. Game - Just the game. There is a optional hint system that you can use if you are stuck on puzzles, it shows a video to help you. You can record and share replay videos?
2. Digest - The game plays itself, you go through the major parts of gameplay/story but you don't have to control your character. You can take over if you want at any time. Don't have to have completed main Game to get, it's automatically there. Can't save?
3. Scene - Scene select?

Note: May not be implimented in any game, if it is then it might not be a Zelda.



Link

[0158]As described above, in the present embodiment, when a player cannot find how to solve the "puzzle" which is set in the game, the player is allowed to view, in the scene, moving images for indicating how to solve the puzzle when the player desires to.

Therefore, a player that cannot find how to solve the "puzzle" may not become stuck with the game, and reduction, due to the puzzle being unsolved, in motivation for clearing the game may be prevented.

Thus, a player unaccustomed to a game or a player that does not have a lot of time for game play is allowed to play and clear the game to the end. Further, how to solve the "puzzle" is indicated as "moving images" by using an actual example in which the puzzle is actually solved, and therefore a player knows, for certain, how to actually move (operate) the player character.

Therefore, for example, a player that cannot know, from a hint represented by only character information, how to solve the puzzle may not become stuck with the game, and may be allowed to play the game to the end.

Come cool pictures:

So I take it that if a game gets too hard, players are supposed to watch solutions?

....Wow, I was hoping for something more tricker so that you actually had to think, not sit down and whine about being unable to solve a puzzle. >_>

Originally Posted by The Goron Moron

So I take it that if a game gets too hard, players are supposed to watch solutions?

....Wow, I was hoping for something more tricker so that you actually had to think, not sit down and whine about being unable to solve a puzzle. >_>

This could allow them to make the games more difficult without alienating people that aren't that good at Zelda games actually, it all depends how they do it.

Hell, it might not even mean what we think it does (if it is legit).

Edit:

[0103]FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a title menu of this game. As the title menu shown in FIG. 8, three options, "game", "digest", and "scene menu" are displayed. The "game" is an option for playing the game in a normal manner. The "digest" is an option for presenting a digest of a main content (storyline, flow of scenario) of the game from the beginning through the end. Further, this game is divided, in advance, into "scenes" based on the flow of the scenario. The "scene menu" is an option for allowing selection of a predetermined "scene" so as to start the game play from the selected scene. A player is allowed to select a desired one from the three options

Scene Selection? Digest? o :

Where did you find it?

Originally Posted by Sign of Madness

Where did you find it?

Very first word of the first post, dude. =/

Oh crap I didn't notice that was a link.

Originally Posted by Sign of Madness

Oh crap I didn't notice that was a link.

And lulz were had.

This system seems... interesting?

[0109]Next, an outline of a process performed when the "digest" is selected from the title menu shown in FIG. 8 will be described. When the "digest" is selected, a digest movie, which has been previously set, is reproduced. FIG. 13 shows an exemplary game screen displayed when the "digest" is selected. In FIG. 13, a digest movie is displayed in a movie area 110, and a scene name 111 representing a current scene is displayed below the movie area 110. The digest movie includes, for example, a "played moving image" representing a recorded image of a game screen obtained by a game developer having actually played the game, an "event movie" which is inserted in the game as necessary, and the like. For example, the game is played in accordance with a scenario having a storyline representing the order of "forest".fwdarw."cave".fwdarw."tower".fwdarw."temp le". In this case, the content of the digest movie is reproduced as a digest such that the game starts with a scene of "forest" and advances to "cave".fwdarw."tower".fwdarw."temple". A player is allowed to know a main game story and scenario, and a game plot by viewing the digest movie.

[0110]Further, in a case where a player presses a predetermined button, for example, the operation button 72d while the digest movie is being reproduced, the player is allowed to play the game from the scene being reproduced at this time. For example, it is assumed that, when fifteen minutes has passed from the start of the reproduction of the digest movie, a played moving image for "temple" corresponding to one of stages of the game is being reproduced. At this time, when a player presses the operation button 72d, an inquiry message 112 for inquiring whether or not the game is to be played from this scene is displayed as shown in FIG. 14. When a player responds positively to the message, the saved data (hereinafter, referred to as digest saved-data) for digest, which has been previously set, is read. As described below, the digest saved-data are saved data which is previously set so as to correspond to the scenes, respectively, in the game. In a case shown in FIG. 14, based on the assumption that the game has been played up to the moment immediately before the temple, the saved data having been previously set is read. Therefore, a level and various statuses (parameter such as HP) of the player character are advanced to some degree as compared to those provided when the game is started. Further, items which may belong to the player character when the game has been normally played and advanced to the temple are set as items belonging to the player character. Specifically, saved data to be used when attacking against the temple is ready is read. It is possible to start the game from the scene of "temple" by reading the digest saved-data described above. However, in this game, data of the game which is started in this manner is not saved. That is, only the data of the game obtained by a user performing attacking by him/herself are stored, so that a user who performs attacking by him/herself may not reduce his/her interest in the game. Hereinafter, a game play in which the game is started, while the digest movie is being reproduced, in a state where no data of the game is saved, is referred to as a game played in a "digest mode". However, data may be saved in the digest mode when it is unnecessary to consider that the interest in the game is maintained.

[0111]A difference between the user saved-data and the digest saved-data will be described. The user saved-data can be "loaded" when the "game" is selected from the title menu, and the user saved-data is generated and stored when a player issues an instruction for the saving while playing the game. On the other hand, the digest saved-data is different from the user saved-data in that the digest saved-data is previously set based on the game storyline as described above, and is stored as a part of the game program in the game disc 4. As described above, the saving is not allowed in the digest mode, whereas the user saved-data to be stored is obtained only when a user plays the game from the beginning, and performs attacking by him/herself

This actually seems like a very good idea. So that those casual players who suck can have fun. And we can have our difficult game.

Wait...I'm confused...I understand what it does, but what do the pictures mean?

i'm scared. this may mean that the new zelda will be easier than even TP

Wait...I'm confused...I understand what it does, but what do the pictures mean?

Basically there seems to be a hint system, scene selection system and you can see all the cutscenes without playing the game.

Wait without playing the game? That would suck. I thought it meant you could play the cutscenes after already seeing them.

I'm not really sure but it seems like the game plays itself but you can take control at any time you want, I dunno.

Nintendo is basically trying to open the game up to everyone, it's like difficulty levels taken to an extreme.

This is interesting.

And it doesn't nessisarily mean that it will be easier than Twilight Princess. It just means you have the option, when they make hard puzzle, to have help finding the correct solution.

It's really no different (as far as I'm aware) than looking at a manual. -shrugs-

I think you'll have complete option to use it or not

This means they can make puzzles WAY harder.

Edit : ... I'm not sure I'm right anymore. I keep getting REALLY confuzed. XD Oh well. If I'm right, that's good. If I'm wrong. Oh well. :]

[0007]However, the game control method disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-200351 described above has the following problem. Specifically, a user that has sufficient time for playing, to the end, a large volume of game requiring a lot of time for clearing the game is allowed to enjoy the large volume of game. However, there is a problem that a user that does not have sufficient time for the game play may not enjoy the large volume of game to the end and give up the game halfway even when the difficulty level of game is lowered by presenting a hint or the like in the middle of the game.

So does that mean this setting can be turned off?

And small lulz at Legend of OO.

I assume you'd be able to choose to ignore lots of this stuff, for example the hints don't come automatically, you have to press the button I think.

Originally Posted by Sign of Madness

Wait without playing the game? That would suck. I thought it meant you could play the cutscenes after already seeing them.

Just remember it's apparently optional.

Originally Posted by Princess Glitter Fairy

I'm not really sure but it seems like the game plays itself but you can take control at any time you want, I dunno.

It seems to me that the only "cut scenes" available are where there are puzzles to solve, and you can only watch them if you're at the puzzle and need help.

Nintendo is basically trying to open the game up to everyone, it's like difficulty levels taken to an extreme.

I can see it now. Hard, Medium, Easy, So-easy-a caveman-could-do-it.

Originally Posted by Azumizai

nessisarily

necessarily
^Sorry it bugged me.

Originally Posted by Mini-Link

necessarily
^Sorry it bugged me.

Thank you. I appreciate it. I SUCK at spelling. And this computer doesn't have a easy way to spell-check things. >_>

Well... I also have to say, on the topic of this patent, it is just that. A patent. For all we know, the idea was patented, but not brought much farther. I'm sure there are many ideas like this that are stored away, so we can't be for sure that this is GOING to be in any future Zelda games.

I'll be curious what this spawns though.

Originally Posted by Mini-Link

So-easy-a caveman-could-do-it.

And a Geico commercial just played on the television. CAVEMEN HAVE FEELINGS, TOO, YOU KNOW

So I'm reading [0014] over again. You can start the game from the middle of the game? I'm hoping I missed something that said you had to get to that point in the actual saved game first.