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Early Map Layouts

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

Reference Maps

Rooms on this page refer to "map square xx". You can look at the following grid maps with hex values displayed in the upper left corner of each map quadrant to determine which map square the variable is referring to:

(Source: GlitterBerri - Creation of the grid maps, research into the map and interior location data)

Dungeon Layouts

To do:
Someone should write some notes about how the early dungeons compare with their final versions.

These early dungeon layouts can be found in numeric form in under the "FLOOR DATA 1" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_bg3.asm, which contains minimap data for how the map squares of the underworld are laid out for each dungeon.

Of the three versions of the underworld map we have (Super Donkey, August '91, and final), the map ID numbers most closely correspond to the version found in the Super Donkey proto, which dates from early June, 1991. This suggests that the layout data may be earlier than the earliest graphical underworld data to which we have access.

You can compare them to the layouts in the final game here (this link only goes up to the Swamp Palace) and here.

(Source: Dark Linkaël - Super Donkey Proto Underworld Map, GlitterBerri - Layout Reconstructions, mdta - Logistical Support)

00: Sanctuary#

The Sanctuary dungeon in the early minimap data and the Super Donkey prototype comprises the rooms between the Throne room of Hyrule Castle and the Sanctuary church proper where the sage resides. These do not count the church itself as part of the dungeon data, but instead as a normal interior room, unlike the final game which considers it part of the dungeon.

SC: B1#

SC: 1F#

SC: 2F#

SC: 3F - 7F#

While there is placeholder data for floors 3F to 7F, there are no room numbers associated with them.

02: Hyrule Castle#

HC: B4#

HC: B3#

HC: B2#

HC: B1#

HC: 1F#

  • Usually, map squares that span two floors reuse the same map ID on each floor, but this isn't the case with the throne room. There's a duplicate throne room at map squares 41 and 51, and both are used in this version of Hyrule Castle.
  • There's a regular dungeon door behind the thrones instead of an ornamental monument to push to gain access to the route to the Sanctuary.

HC: 2F#

04: Eastern Palace#

While this dungeon has map square numbers nicely arranged, it doesn't play nicely with the graphical data from the underworld map in the Super Donkey proto. This suggests that the minimap data in zel_bg3.asm and the Super Donkey proto are from slightly different eras. (The proto does have graphical data for the Eastern Palace, which is documented here. However, the graphical data doesn't entirely match up with this minimap data.)

EP: B1#

EP: 1F#

EP: 2F#

06: Desert Palace#

DP: B1#

  • The basement somewhat resembles the first floor of the Spirit Temple in Ocarina of Time.

DP: 1F#

DP: 2F#

08: Agahnim's Tower#

AT: 1F#

The label for this floor describes it as "DUMMY 1F". Accordingly, it's empty.

AT: 2F#

AT: 3F#

AT: 4F#

AT: 5F#

AT: 6F#

AT: 7F#

AT: 8F#

0A: Swamp Palace#

SP: B3#

SP: B2#

SP: B1#

SP: 1F#

0C: Palace of Darkness#

PD: B1#

PD: 1F#

0E: Misery Mire#

MM: B3#

MM: B2#

MM: B1#

MM: 1F#

10: Skull Woods#

SW: B2#

SW: B1#

12: Ice Palace#

IP: B7#

IP: B6#

IP: B5#

IP: B4#

IP: B3#

IP: B2#

IP: B1#

IP: 1F#

Dungeons Without Layout Data

The following dungeons have map squares associated with them in the Super Donkey proto version of the underworld map, there no associated minimap data in zel_bg3.asm, meaning that they may post-date the minimap data.

Hyrule Castle Shortcut#

Perhaps because the method of entering Hyrule Castle was undergoing changes around this time (as evidenced by early script data dating from a similar era, the room of Hyrule Castle's sewer that Link drops into using the shortcut by the castle moat isn't included on the minimap data for Hyrule Castle, despite being present on the Super Donkey underworld map.

One caveat, however - according to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, it was located at Light World square 1B, rather than 1C, like it is in the final game.

Eastern Palace#

EP2: B1#

EP2: 1F#

EP2: 2F#

Tower of Hera#

TH: 2F#

TH: 3F#

TH: 4F#

TH: 5F#

Thieves' Town#

TT: B1#

Interiors

Houses and Buildings#

Sanctuary#

011

Mayor's Office#

F2

F3

In the early script file zel_msge.asm, the reverend at the Sanctuary instructs Link to visit the mayor to find out more information about the Master Sword.

Twins' House#

F4

F5

Spooky House#

100

Unknown 1#

101

Unknown 2#

102

Kakariko Inn#

103

104

Unknown 3#

105

Unknown 4#

106

Bomb Wall House#

The bottom-right room appears to possibly be the hut in Kakariko Town which you have to bomb your way into, but the left is a rather indistinct house room.

107

Cucco Lady's House#

This interior is quite possibly the Cucco Lady's House from Kakariko Town, as it has the same layout (if with less decoration) with the right wall able to be bombed leading to a room with a chest.

108

Witch's Hut#

109

111

Sahasrahla's Hideout#

Well, technically Sahasrahla's hideout isn't really a house, but let's put it here anyway.

11A

Caves#

Old Man's Cave#

03

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were both located at map square 03 of the Light World. (Though there's reason to believe that 03 refers to the general western Death Mountain region in its four-map-square entirety, rather than specifically this map square.)

Cave Exiting Death Mountain#

0A

03

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map squares 0A and 03 of the Light World.

E6

E7

Connecting Cave 3#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World. (Though there's reason to believe that 05 refers to the general eastern Death Mountain region in its four-map-square entirety, rather than specifically this map square.)

E8

E9

F8

Up & Down Connecting Cave#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World.

EC

FC

Falling Hole Connecting Cave#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World.

ED

FD

Spiral Cave#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World.

EE

FE

Lower-Right Cave#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World.

DF

EF

FF

Cave Entering Death Mountain#

0A

03

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map squares 0A and 03 of the Light World.

F0

F1

More Caves#

10C

110

120

114

114 appears to be the Waterfall of Wishing.

115

Old 116

116

11B

11C

Connecting Cave#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World.

F6

F7

Risky Cave#

05

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 05 of the Light World.

EB

FB

Spectacle Rock#

03

According to "DMPDNRM" in the "Initial RAM set [Ground]" section of 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_isub0.asm, these caves were located at map square 03 of the Light World.

EA

F9

FA

Aginah's Dwelling#

10A

Other Maps#

Hyrule Castle 1F Passage#

To do:
The north exit goes downstairs to map 72. Figure out where the left exit goes and why the right exit goes to map 50.

02

Great Swamp Sluice Gate#

10B

Swamp Palace B3#

36

The exit goes upstairs to map 26 of Swamp Palace B2.

46

Miscellaneous#

112

113

Test Maps#

117

118

118