Early Text Routine

This is a sub-page of Development:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

This page documents the behavior of early text-handling routines in the source. Ultimately, the game's final strategy is to have each actor handle its own messages.

Note: The contents and descriptions of messages are taken from the English language files in the leak used for localization. Since these functions were more-or-less abandoned early on in development, while the language files represent the final game's text, certain messages they referenced by ID were moved around (if not deleted outright), with new messages taking those IDs. This will explain why certain messages don't seem to make sense relative to what conversation that part of code seems to be handling. Event flag descriptions are taken from comments in the source code, and likewise do not always reflect the final game's event flag configuration (they may possibly not line up with what this code expected them to do either!).

npc_mes_set#

This section details the workings of an early message-choosing function, npc_mes_set. This monolithic function appears to have been quickly abandoned in favor of having each actor's overlay handle dialogue instead. Only Deku Tree Sprout still uses this function in the final game!

If at no point a more specific message is chosen, then message 0x0001 is chosen by default, which is:

You borrowed a Pocket Egg!
A Pocket Cucco will hatch from
it overnight. Be sure to give it
back when you are done with it.

The text shown in these tables is almost certainly newer than much of the code here, and thus may not always reflect what this function originally wanted to display.

KOKIRI_SARIA — Saria#

It appears this function only ever dealt with Saria's in-person (i.e. not via Saria's Song) dialogue when Link is a child.

KOKIRI_MIDO — Mido#

KOKIRI_A#

KOKIRI_B#

KOKIRI_C#

KOKIRI_D#

KOKIRI_E#

KOKIRI_F#

KOKIRI_G#

KOKIRI_H#

KOKIRI_I#

KOKIRI_J#

KOKIRI_K#

KOKIRI_L#

DEKU_JR — Deku Tree Sprout#

HEI_A — Castle Gate Soldier#

Note that dawn in the final version of Ocarina of Time is at 6:30, and dusk at 18:00, meaning the time-based condition displays this message for a bit longer than the usual day period. (In Majora's Mask, however, dawn is at 06:00, while dusk is at 18:00)

HEI_B — Collapsed Back Alley Soldier#

This actor can potentially default to the default message.

HEI_C — Patrolling Soldier#

This is the soldier that patrols the field directly outside Hyrule Castle. He only ever says message 0x702D:

Hey you! Stop!
You, kid, over there!

MONBAN_A — Triumphal Arch Gate Guard#

MONBAN_B & MONBAN_C — Kakariko and Zora's River Gate Guards#

MONBAN_B is the Gate Guard in Kakariko at the foot of Death Mountain, while MONBAN_C is an ultimately unused Gate Guard at the bottom of Zora's River (perhaps around where the somewhat out-of-place brick wall is). They share the exact same message-choosing logic, as you can see here.

HYLIA_A#

HYLIA_B#

HYLIA_C#

HYLIA_D#

HYLIA_E#

HYLIA_F#

HYLIA_G#

HYLIA_H#

HYLIA_I#

HYLIA_J#

LAKE_JIJI — "Old Lake Guy"#

DANPEI — Dampé#

DANPEI_DIALY — Dampé's Diary#

Dampé's diary only has message 0x5002 (which would lead into the contents of the diary if you select "Yes", of course):

The gravekeeper's diary is here.
Do you want to read it?
Yes
No

GORON_A#

GORON_B#

GORON_C#

GORON_D#

GORON_E#

GORON_F#

DARUNIA#

ZORA_A#

ZORA_B#

ZORA_C#

ZORA_D#

ZORA_E#

ZORA_F#

KING_ZORA#

This actor can potentially default to the default message.

KAKARICO_A#

This actor, who appears to be one of the Composer Brothers, only says message 0x500F:

GYAAAAH!
YOU KILLED ME...Unbelievable!
Oh, what?
You're not one of Ganondorf's
men, are you?
Because of my role as a ghost, I
had to act like that. I apologize.
Now then, let me introduce myself.
Ahem...

KAKARICO_B#

This Composer Brother only ever says message 0x5010:

I am one of the ghostly composer
brothers of Kakariko Village.
All the people in this village are
born to serve the Royal Family of
Hyrule.
We brothers also served the Royal
Family, and were assigned to
study the hereditary mystic
powers of the family.
Though we never could figure out
the power of the Triforce,
we had almost completed our
study of controlling time with the
tones of ocarinas.
Uh, I mean...
Actually, we did complete that
study!
We would have been famous, if
that hateful Ganondorf had not
tried to steal our results.
We could never let him reap the
fruits of our research!
That's why we gave our lives to
protect the secret.

KAKARICO_C#

This Composer Brother only ever says message 0x5012:

GYAAAAH!
I'M DEAD AGAIN!
What? You again?
Somehow, you remind me of...
Princess Zelda...
Hmm... Since you may have some
connection with the Royal Family, I
will tell you a little more of our
tale.
Back then, people called us great
composers because of the many
musical masterpieces we wrote.
But we brothers were not just
composers.
We had a mission to analyze the
mysterious powers of Hyrule's
Royal Family.
Our names would be a part of
Hyrule's history if we could
complete our research!
We kept our study extremely
secret until we completed it.

KAKARICO_D#

KAKARICO_E#

This Composer Brother only ever says message 0x5012:

GYAAAAH!
I'M DEAD AGAIN!
What? You again?
Somehow, you remind me of...
Princess Zelda...
Hmm... Since you may have some
connection with the Royal Family, I
will tell you a little more of our
tale.
Back then, people called us great
composers because of the many
musical masterpieces we wrote.
But we brothers were not just
composers.
We had a mission to analyze the
mysterious powers of Hyrule's
Royal Family.
Our names would be a part of
Hyrule's history if we could
complete our research!
We kept our study extremely
secret until we completed it.

KAKARICO_F#

MARON — Malon#

INGO#

To do: Fix the table up so it doesn't overflow out of the page.

This actor can potentially default to the default message. Rows in light red are commented out in the source code, meaning they don't show up in the game when compiled. These checks happen to make use of variables and functions that do not exist in the source code.

select_mes#

This function at one time handled selections in messages which asked the player a question. It's currently unknown if and when this function is used in the final game.

0x1035 — Kokiri H (Child Link): Two-Choice#

The message the player is making a choice on:

I can teach you about the icons
at the top of the screen.
• About the yellow icons
• About the blue icon

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x1038 — Kokiri I (Child Link): Three-Choice#

The message the player is making a choice on:

If you want to learn about the
map and items, just ask me.
But don't ask unless you want
to hear a long explanation.
What do you want to know about?
• About the map 
• About items
• Don't ask

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x103E — Kokiri L (Child Link): Two-Choice#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Do you want to know how to use
the [C Up] Button?
• Yes
• No

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x1041 — Unknown Kokiri#

The message the player is making a choice on:

That's not quite Saria's Song...

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x1062 — Deku Tree Sprout (Adult Link)#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Hi there! I'm the Deku Tree 
sprout!
Because you and Saria broke the
curse on the Forest Temple, I 
can grow and flourish!
Thanks a lot!

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x2030 & 0x2031 — Ingo After Takeover#

This sequence of events is taken by two different messages. Always sets NAZO_09A (2nd Time) after the first time showing either of these messages.

Message 0x2030:

There are some people in Kakariko
spreading rumors that I cheated
Talon out of the ranch, but...
       Don't be ridiculous!
That guy Talon was weak!
I, the hard-working Ingo, poured 
so much energy into this place!
I don't want any strangers like
you saying anything bad about me!
Listen. The great Ganondorf
recognized my obvious talents and
gave the ranch to me!
I will raise a fine horse and
win recognition from the great 
Ganondorf!
Say, young man, do you want
to ride one of my fine horses?

Message 0x2031:

Pay me 10 Rupees and you can 
ride.
• Ride
• Don't ride

Choice handling table:

0x2037 — Spoke w/ Ingo While Mounted#

Commented-out INGORaceSetFlags(INGO_COND1) is all that occurs before fallthrough to message 0x2036:

The message:

When you want to dismount, stop 
and press Ⓐ.
Hey young man!
Do I know you? I just felt as 
though I've seen you
somewhere before...

0x2036 — Spoke w/ Ingo While Dismounted#

The message the player is making a choice on:

If you use Z⃞ Targeting, you can 
talk to me from horseback.
Are you ready to go home so 
soon?
• No, I want to ride.
• Yes, I'm done.

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x2038 — Ingo Horseback Praise#

The action performed in choice 0 is commented-out, so this choice actually does nothing.

The message the player is making a choice on:

You're getting better!
How about a little race with me?
One lap around the corral with
that horse.
Let's make a little wager, say
50 Rupees?
• Do it
• Don't do it

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x2034 — Ingo Two-Choice: Ride#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Do you want to hear how to ride?

• Listen
• Don't listen

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x2035 — Ingo, Horseback Explanation#

Commented-out code unconditionally set INGORaceSetScene(SCENE_2) and the message "window counter" to zero. Ultimately does nothing as-is.

The message:

Approach the horse quietly and 
stand by its side. Press Ⓐ to 
mount up.
Use the [analog stick] to make it run. 
Once it starts running, press
Ⓐ to tap it with the whip. 
It will speed up!
When you want to jump over a
fence, accelerate and hit it
head on!
If you try to jump over a fence 
at an angle, the horse won't like
it, and it won't jump.
After the horse comes to a 
complete stop, press Ⓐ to 
dismount. Now, have fun!

0x2043 — Malon, Search Request#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Are you going to the castle,
fairy boy?
Would you mind finding my dad?
He must have fallen asleep 
somewhere around the castle. 
What a thing for an adult to do!
Tee hee!
Oh yeah, if you'll look for him, I'll 
give this to you.
I've been incubating this
egg very carefully...
Tee hee!

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x205A — Ingo Two-Choice: Don't Ride (For Switch)#

Commented-out code unconditionally set INGORaceSetScene(SCENE_1) and the message "window counter" to zero. Ultimately does nothing as-is.

The message:

All right then! Scram,
ya little punk!

0x300A — Goron C, Two-Choice#

The message the player is making a choice on:

I'm standing here to shade the
Bomb Flowers from the sun.
Do you have a question for me?

• Ask about Bomb Flowers
• Ask about Dodongo's Cavern

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x301B — Darunia 2nd Time#

The message the player is making a choice on:

This is a Goron problem!
We don't need any help from
strangers!

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x301E — Darunia, Cavern Clear Followup#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Hey, Brother, play that tune
again sometime soon!

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x400C — Zora D Two-Choice#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Have you seen Lord Jabu-Jabu?

• Yes
• No

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x7007 — Fallen Soldier#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Unnngh...are you the boy from 
the forest...?
I-I-I've finally met you...
I-I-I have something to t-t-tell
you...
Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of
Thieves, betrayed our King...
Zelda's nanny, Impa, sensed danger
and escaped from the castle with
our Princess...
I tried to stop Ganondorf's men
from chasing them...but...
The Princess was...waiting for a
boy from the forest...that's you...
She wanted to give something to
the boy...
If you received it from the 
Princess, hurry...to the Temple of
Time....

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x703E — Group of Women 1#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Hey, have you heard that
Princess Zelda sees prophetic 
visions in her dreams?

And what happens after a choice is made:

0x703F — Group of Women 2#

The message the player is making a choice on:

Huh? What? Shoo, kid! Shoo!

And what happens after a choice is made: