Unused scene environment from the Ocarina of Time Master Quest debug ROM = scene setup from E3 1998?

A demo version of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was playable at E3 in May of 1998. In the OoT MQ debug ROM, there is a certain setup of Kokiri Village that most likely has not been changed since that event. If you press right on the D-Pad in the debug ROM during a cutscene, free movement will be enabled. While in free movement, pressing up on the D-Pad will cause Link to move back to his original spot and restart the cutscene (knowing this will avoid future frustration). Nintendo developers never bothered to change old scene setups, which is why beta questing exists. In cutscene setups, the old versions of the buildings and NPCs were never updated to the final/current version.

Go to "5: SPOT 04" in the debug ROM, and enable free movement to see the E3 '98 environment.

E3 '98 gameplay
0:19 - E3 '98 Kokiri Village gameplay, notice that stump in the background where the shop should be, and that there is no railing outside Link's home
0:47 - backwards sign near the Kokiri exit that leads to Hyrule Field, the exit itself actually leads to Hyrule Field (there is no bridge)

In the debug ROM the backwards sign reads "Forest Temple" and never appears anywhere in the final version of OoT.

Here is another image of that stump, from Nintendo Power Volume 113 (October 1998).

Since this is an image of the E3 demo of the game, it is likely that Nintendo Power received advanced copies of the game to write about. At least we know know that a physical copy of the game existed after E3.

In "5: SPOT 04," there is a Deku Shield on the shop entrance rim (where the girl swinging her feet usually talks to Link). This most likely on top of that stump in the demo version as an easier way to get the Deku Shield. The path where the Kokiri sword is usually obtained leads to nothing.

When you exit Kokiri Forest, Link immediately appears in Hyrule, just like the demo.

Entering Saria's house will crash in this scene setup (the game is trying to access nonexistent data). Either Saria's house went through a major change in a later phase of development, or a building that used to be where Saria's house is was scrapped after E3.

Some of the signs are changed, the one before the Hyrule Field exit reads, "Lost Woods," the sign near the Lost Woods reads, "Forest Training Center," the sign to the path to the Deku Tree reads, "Zora's Fountain," the sign to Link's house reads "Great Deku Tree's Meadow," and a few signs are missing. No music is playing there are no NPC's present.

E3 '98 trailer
0:28 - small glimpse of Kokiri, the backwards sign is there, and the Kokiri treasure chest house is in a different location


edit:deleted a bunch of unnecessary parts

 

Wow, thanks for that awesome E3 '98 video. Tons of material there I hadn't seen before! Although, I wonder if this was E3 with all the in game text being in Japanese? Usually they'll translate the portion that E3 goers would be playing...

 

I sure hope it was in English! I can not think of a reason for it not to be. Nintendo actually set most of the demos to permanently have 64 rupees too lol.

 

wow e3 was using the LTTP logo XD

 

Awesome stuff man.

 

i have this debug rom if anyone wants it

 

That version has already been found, it is on Prototopia.

 

could you get it to run on project 64

 

Yes. You just download project 64, open it, do ctrl+O, then click on whatever ROM you want to play. Here is a good video for the settings that work best for the Zelda OoT debug ROM.

 

i have a conkers bad fur day debug rom how do go about opening up the debug menu.

 

I have no idea.

You just select File 1, then the debug menu appears instead of the normal intro. There are tons of YouTube videos of people playing it if that is easier for you.