Why do Zelda Console games take 5 years to develop.... ?

[tolu619]

TheLastStarFighter said:

tolu619 said:

"Heavily built on previous gens" and "been using the same engine since the N64 days" are not the same thing. You don't seem to know what an engine is in software architecture. You're acting like this is an argument between you and I in which one person has to win. It isn't. I simply corrected your wrong statement and you simply refuse to hear the truth. You clearly don't have much to say in response to what I've explained, seeing as you specifically picked out one example, the example I cited about converting to Unity, and then failed to explain why my example or explanation was wrong. You can chose not to learn, but I'll bet some others who have read my posts would learn a few things. That's supposed to be one of the advantages of forums. I've learnt a lot from people here, and it shouldn't be hard to research the validity of my statements. You have search engines at your disposal. And you can also ask your friend who works/worked at Microsoft whether your statement about using the same engine is even possible.

 

@Rolstoppable, your point about the treatment of the Zelda team sounds very likely now that you explain it.

There's is nothing to learn from you, other than how to be obnoxious.  The Zelda team (and the GTA team) (and the Windows team!) have used the same basic framework for eons.  They build on it each generation.  A software "engine" is a framework used in game development that may include things like rendering engine, physics engine, sound, ai, etc.  Very little has changed in the core physics and gameplay of Zelda or GTA since the N64.  Elements have been added and improved gen on gen, but the foundation lies in those early 3D games.

The main point is, however, that people defend Zelda's long dev time by saying it is build from scratch with each title, which is silly.  The visuals are either new or improved, but the game mechanics have hardly changed at all. 

I clearly stated other ways you could confirm/debunk what I said. I didn't say I was an epitome of knowledge that you should learn from. You keep missing the point, and are showing a much more obnoxious outlook than I am. From your own definition of a software engine, you should be able to tell that every few years, advancements are made such that engines are overhauled. WW and TP were built on the same engine. For all we know, SS might have been built on the same engine. However, if that engine was overhauled, implemeting the exact same things that one has implemeted before will require a different approach. This different approach might even be easier, but the fact that it is different, means that it takes some time to get used to.

The U.I system (for creating the 2D U.I elements of your game) was changed in Unity 4.6, so that it is way easier and more convenient to use than the U.I system that shipped with Unity 4, but it still took devs a while to understand the changes and upgrades. That may account for just 1 week of learning, but you get my point. So even though the core game mechanics of games like Zelda and GTA have remained largely the same, the process of implementing them changes, EVENN WITHIN THE SAME GAME ENGINE.

As for Microsoft and OS development, think about how many things Microsoft has to consider when making a new OS. W3C may have upgraded HTML and other technologies, new security threats may have emerged, new file types, etc. It isn't just a matter of piling on updates. When developing software, adding a new piece, or editting an existing piece may cause a bug in another piece, or outright brick the entire software. That's one of the main reasons developing anything takes so long. After adding new stuff, we always have to test the whole thing again and hope we didn't break something. And that's just one software. Now imagine trying to do an entire operating system