I can actually explain a few things here. Oh I'm not here to defend anyone or say whether someone is right or wrong or that this game is good or bad. I'm here to shed some light on the development of OoT and why some things were the way they were.
I've read tons of interviews from the makers as well as studying the way Nintendo goes about making games (not as one big idea, but as many small ones put together)
The reason Hyrule Field is so big and open is because it was designed based on horse-riding in mind. From very early in the game Miyamoto demanded Link ride a horse and use weapons while riding it. Believe it or not the developers had a hard time doing this. They didn't know how to make the player control a horse and use weapons at the same time. They finally settled on Epona moving automatically while using arrows, one problem, she crashes into everything. So they made the area big and open so there will be less crashing going on. You must remember this was developed earlier in the game, even if you only get to ride Epona later in the game.
Miyamoto has a strict policy on developed characters. He hates them. He hates the idea of a story and he hates the idea of characters. However director Yoshiaki Koizumi loves characters and loves stories. He is notoriously known for sneaking such thing into Miyamoto's games (something he is having a harder time doing now that Miyamoto has gone plum loco)
Anyway, Miyamoto wants NPCs to be nothing more than billboards giving players advice. The only way Koizumi was able to develop characters was only if it had a gameplay purpose. Think about it. Darunia's love of music is just a puzzle to solve. Mido being a bully is just so he can be an obstacle. Yoshiaki then sprinkled depth into these characters. That's why the NPCs don't have any character because there's no gameplay attached to them.
That's pretty much the only explanations I can answer based on what I know.
I've read tons of interviews from the makers as well as studying the way Nintendo goes about making games (not as one big idea, but as many small ones put together)
(05-19-2013, 09:53 AM)Koh Wrote: Problem #1: Hyrule Field - This is my major problem with the game. There's absolutely NOTHING out there. It's so barren and empty, and enemies only come out at night (save for Peahats, but even then, they're no threat). You've got the random bombable places on the field, and the Lon Lon Ranch smack dab in the middle, but everywhere else is just a bunch of unappealing, boring walking. This could have been their chance to make the world really stand out and add a bunch of scenery and sights to actually make exploring more worthwhile, but of course not.
The reason Hyrule Field is so big and open is because it was designed based on horse-riding in mind. From very early in the game Miyamoto demanded Link ride a horse and use weapons while riding it. Believe it or not the developers had a hard time doing this. They didn't know how to make the player control a horse and use weapons at the same time. They finally settled on Epona moving automatically while using arrows, one problem, she crashes into everything. So they made the area big and open so there will be less crashing going on. You must remember this was developed earlier in the game, even if you only get to ride Epona later in the game.
(05-19-2013, 09:53 AM)Koh Wrote: Problem #3: Bland Characters - The only characters really given much attention were the characters revolving around the plot (I'm tossing Malon into this group). All the other side characters were just THERE. Having NPCs to make places feel populated is one thing, but at least make it worthwhile to actually interact with them. It's sort of like Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest where the NPCs had nothing useful or interesting to say.
Miyamoto has a strict policy on developed characters. He hates them. He hates the idea of a story and he hates the idea of characters. However director Yoshiaki Koizumi loves characters and loves stories. He is notoriously known for sneaking such thing into Miyamoto's games (something he is having a harder time doing now that Miyamoto has gone plum loco)
Anyway, Miyamoto wants NPCs to be nothing more than billboards giving players advice. The only way Koizumi was able to develop characters was only if it had a gameplay purpose. Think about it. Darunia's love of music is just a puzzle to solve. Mido being a bully is just so he can be an obstacle. Yoshiaki then sprinkled depth into these characters. That's why the NPCs don't have any character because there's no gameplay attached to them.
That's pretty much the only explanations I can answer based on what I know.