Development:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Player

This is a sub-page of Development:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

To do: Incorporate the info in this image made by Celice.

Graphics

1989: Palettes

日本_Ver3/char/siro.COL, 日本_Ver3/char/soto.COL, and 日本_Ver3/char/mapcolor.COL all have meta-stamps of 89-11-15 and contain the same palette for Link. The names and colours present in these files suggest that they were used for the castle (siro), outdoors (soto), and a map, respectively. The middle row of the palette file (ninth from the top) is the row used for Link.

soto.COL

1990: Palettes

To do: Add palettes with metastamps or last-modified dates from this era. For extra credit, note other files which contain the palettes below.

Group 1

The source code contains a file called zel_chra.asm, which is an earlier version of zel_char.asm. The date in its header is 1990.03.06(TUE), which reflects when the file was created, rather than when it was last modified. Its CORGENE section, dated "H2.03.06 15:30" (1990.03.06 at 3:30 PM) contains the following palettes for Link.

zel_chra CORGENE

Group 2

The middle row (ninth from the top) of the palette file pictured is the row used for Link.

bomber.COL

Files which use this palette include those below.

• 1990-04-24
  • bomber.COL
  • thunder.COL
• 1990-06-11
  • doragon.COL
• 1990-12-26
  • ice.COL

Group 3

The middle (ninth from the top) and final row of the palette file pictured are the rows used for Link.

• 1990-04-24
  • earth.COL

earth.COL

Group 4

The middle (ninth from the top) and final row of the palette file pictured are the rows used for Link.

• 1990-06-11
  • reba.COL

reba.COL

Group 5

This palette is extremely fluorescent.

• 1990-06-11
  • flower.COL
  • rift.COL

rift.COL

1990: Sprites

player-c.CGX

NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\tomita\player-c.CGX has a meta-stamp of 90-04-04.

2.CGX.BAK

NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\zelda\2.CGX.BAK has a meta-stamp of 90-04-24.

This sheet includes sprites that may correspond to removed actions, such as the second row from the bottom, where Link can be seen to pray, kneeling while he makes the sign of the cross. Instead of being an action that the player can select, in the final game, this action used in the sequence where Link opens the Desert Palace.

4mizu.CGX.BAK

NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\zelda\4mizu.CGX.BAK is a similar tilemap to 2.CGX.BAK that's focused on water animations. It also has a meta-stamp of 90-04-24.

1.CGX

NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\zelda\obj\1.CGX is a similar tilemap to 2.CGX.BAK that's partially overwritten with early background assets. It also has a meta-stamp of 90-04-24.

mizu.CGX.BAK

NEWS_05\watanabe\WATANABE\mizu.CGX.BAK is also similar to 2.CGX.BAK, and shares the same meta-stamp of 90-04-24, but contains a slightly different Link design. Two other files called NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\tanabe\rift.CGX and NEWS_05\watanabe\ZELDA\rift\rift.CGX.BAK have meta-stamps of 90-06-11, but its bottom portion contains the same sprites for Link splashing around, as well as keeling over and dying.

earth.CGX

earth.CGX [10/28/1990 5:10PM PST]

A different design for Link is found in this file, which has a last-modified date of 1990-10-28. The other graphics may be intended to be assets for another magic attack, similar to the final game's medallions--various medallion and spell effects can also be found in the \watanabe\ZELDA\ folder with it.

chivilink.CGX

A chibi version of Link. It can be found in \other\NEWS\テープリストア\NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\zelda\chivilink.CGX and is paired with civilink.COL.BAK from the same folder. It may have been used as a player icon on an overworld map like this one.

Chibi

There's also a regular-sized version of Link, a deceased version of Link with paler colours, and a Linkaroo, which may have been an early incarnation of bunny Link.

Regular

2r2w-old.CGX

The bottom section of 2r2w-old.CGX has more complete graphics for the deceased version of Link mentioned above. It may have been part of a Game Over sequence in which the grim spectre of Death zapped Link back to life.

Angelic Link

flower.CGX.BAK

NEWS_05\watanabe\ZELDA\test\flower.CGX.BAK has a meta-stamp of 90-06-11 and a last-modified date of 1990-12-26. This sprite sheet can be combined with several .OBJ files to view early animations for Link and the strange creature(s) within.

Comparisons

To do: Compare and contrast these sheets and add observations.

Set 1

Unlike his final version, this Link has arms which aren't affixed to his body sprite.

player-c	mizu

Set 2

As above, Link has separate arms. The three CGX files, all found in Arimoto's NEWS files, appear to be the same sprite sheet, drawn over to various degrees by the developer with early background assets and water. (Indeed, "mizu" means water.) This sprite sheet can be combined with several .OBJ files to view early animations for Link and water effects.

Near the middle of the graphics is a section where Link's sprite doesn't match any known palette file, even the ones compatible with the other sprites on these sheets.

1	2	4mizu

There are slight differences between each sheet's sprites.

1991: Palettes

To do: Add Link palette(s) from these files.

1991: Sprites

mori.CGX

NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\tanabe\mori.CGX has a meta-stamp of 90-12-26, but the graphics within it suggest it dates from mid-1991.

nami.CGX

NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\tanabe\nami.CGX has a meta-stamp of 90-12-26, but the graphics within it suggest it dates from mid-1991. It has what looks to be an alternate design for Link's transformation that resembles one of the elephantine Dark World residents instead of a rabbit, albeit with an antenna.

ob.CGX

Like nami.CGX, NEWS_04\.\home\arimoto\tanabe\ob.CGX has a meta-stamp of 90-12-26, but the entities within it suggest it dates from mid-1991. It has what looks to be an alternate design for Link's transformation that resembles one of the elephantine Dark World residents instead of a rabbit. The same sprite can be seen in ma.CGX and u1.CGX, which are located in the same folder.

switch-rink.CGX.BAK

NEWS_05\watanabe\ZELDA\switch\switch-rink.CGX.BAK has a last-modified date of 1991-03-28.