HUD & Menus

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

HUD#

Early HUD#

At the end of zel_bg30.asm is a label called MTRDTEN whose data was commented out on 1991.01.10. Unfortunately, no extant graphical data matches this code, so it's difficult to properly restore.

Using graphics from zel0.lst:

Using graphics from the Super Donkey overdump:

The LIFE meter label, Rupee, bomb, and arrow icons seem like they're correct. "MAP" may have originally been the label for the magic meter, represented by the horizontal bar beside it. In the Super Donkey graphics, the middle tile of the bar is the bottom center border of the magic meter, while the left and right tiles of the bar became the bottom of the Bottled Fairy inventory icon. Going by the overdump's data, this bar and label would have shared a palette with the Bomb icon, making them blue, though it is unknown whether this data can be matched to the period of time in which MTRDTEN was functional.

Item Counts#

Comparing zel_bg30.asm and zel_bg3.asm (an earlier version of the former file), it's evident that Link's maximum item counts used to be different.

MTRDSP5     EQU $       ;YA
        LDA >UPAWCT
        BEQ MTRDSP6
        LDA >UPAWCT
        DEC A
        STA >UPAWCT
        LDA >ARWCNT
        CMP #255
        BEQ MTR055
        INC A
        STA >ARWCNT

MTRDSP5     EQU $       ;YA
        LDA >UPAWCT
        BEQ MTRDSP6
        LDA >UPAWCT
        DEC A
        STA >UPAWCT
        LDA >ITEMR50
        TAY
        LDA >ARWCNT
        CMP YAAAMAX,Y
        BEQ MTR055
        INC A
        STA >ARWCNT

MTRDSP4     EQU $       ;BOMB
        LDA >UPBMCT
        BEQ MTRDSP5
        LDA >UPBMCT
        DEC A
        STA >UPBMCT
        LDA >BMBCNT
        CMP #99
        BEQ MTR045
        INC A
        STA >BMBCNT

MTRDSP4     EQU $       ;BOMB
        LDA >UPBMCT
        BEQ MTRDSP5
        LDA >UPBMCT
        DEC A
        STA >UPBMCT
        LDA >ITEMR49
        TAY
        LDA >BMBCNT
        CMP BOMBMAX,Y
        BEQ MTR045
        INC A
        STA >BMBCNT

        LDA >LFNWCT     ;doko ni kakuka o X ni set
        AND #000FFH
        LSR A
        LSR A
        LSR A
        ASL A
        TAY
        CMP #0016
        BCC KAIHUKU2

        LDA >LFNWCT     ;doko ni kakuka o X ni set
        AND #000F8H
        DEC A
        LSR A
        LSR A
        LSR A
        ASL A
        TAY
        CMP #HARTMAX
        BCC KAIHUKU2
        SBC #HARTMAX

• Arrows:
  • Early: 255
  • Final: 70
• Bombs:
  • Early: 99
  • Final: 50
• Hearts:
  • Early: 16
  • Final: 20

The former maximum of 16 hearts can be see in prerelease screenshots unveiled at the Shoshinkai event in late April, 1991.

Charge Gage#

zel_bg30.asm contains an unused section of code associated with the label WTTMBM, which is short for WRITE TAME BEEM, meaning "Write Charge Beam". It may be associated with a removed ability in which Link was able to charge the Rod items.

Inventory#

Item Icons#

zel_bg30.asm and zel_bg3.asm (an earlier version of the former file) both contain this section of data, which equates to this section in the final game's code. The only difference is that bg30 has one additional label, "RUPY000". Despite its name, this oddity actually appears as a white Glove.

STGITRM     EQU $
        WORD    RITEM01,RITEM02,RITEM03,RITEM04,RITEM05
        WORD    RITEM06,RITEM07,RITEM08,RITEM09,RITEM10
        WORD    RITEM11,RITEM12,RITEM13,RITEM14,RITEM15
        WORD    RITEM16,RITEM17,RITEM18,RITEM19,RITEM20
        WORD    RITEM21,RITEM22,RITEM23,RITEM24,RITEM25
        WORD    RITEM26,RITEM27,RITEM28,RITEM29,RITEM30
        WORD    RITEM31,RITEM32,RUPY000
;       WORD    RITEM37,RITEM39,RITEM41

The commented-out row at the bottom represents the Compass, the Big Key, and the Map.

Item Cursor Placements#

zel_bg30.asm and zel_bg3.asm (an earlier version of the former file) both contain this section of data, which equates to this section in the final game's code.

STGITWM     EQU $
        WORD    WITEM01,WITEM02,WITEM03,WITEM04,WITEM05
        WORD    WITEM06,WITEM07,WITEM08,WITEM09,WITEM10
;
        WORD    WITEM11,WITEM12,WITEM13,WITEM14,WITEM15
        WORD    WITEM16,WITEM17,WITEM18,WITEM19,WITEM20
;
;       WORD    WITEM21,WITEM22,WITEM23,WITEM24,WITEM25
;       WORD    WITEM26,WITEM27,WITEM28,WITEM29,WITEM30

The commented-out rows at the bottom represent the following:

Glove, Book, Flippers, Pendant, Mirror
Sword, Shield, Mail, [Unknown], [Unknown]

File Select#

English Localization#

toroku.SCR [11/04/1991 8:56PM PST]	toroku1.CGX [11/04/1991 8:56PM PST]

This is a developer asset containing a mockup of the English-localized Player Select screen. Compared to the original version in the Japanese release, it is changed not just in its localized script, but also in its graphics. This shows the continued work that went into refining the game for the North American release, as the modified dates of the asset are after development of the Japanese version concluded in October 1991.¹

• BAKABO: A shortened version of "bakabon", which is slang for "idiot".
• DOTECH: A shortened version of "Dotechin" .
• KOIKES: A shotened versio of "Koike-San" .

References#