There's been many announcements by execs and developers in Nintendo of items and concepts in Ocarina that never made it, such as the Deku Stick as a weapon (later turning into a concept for Star Fox Adventures) or the various masks from the Mask Dealer to have different effects when worn (obviously leading to Majora's Mask).
In the end, its just the logical progression of game development, which Ocarina of Time had one of the longest game developments for a game up to that point. And frankly, seeing what we got as a end result, all the trial and error was well worth it.
I do have to say however...all these 'discussions' and 'announcements' by Aonuma are starting to feel more like he's reflecting back on the past in regret. Really now...is he ashamed by Ocarina or something? Did the lack of critical acclaim for Twilight crush hi? Really, what's with all the dissection and back peddling on his past works? Some of which are considered some of the best games ever made.
Six upcoming games you should look into:
