PixlBit

Learn where the idea for using a train came into play, as well as the hardships of creating a working track system.

For the third and fourth segments, the group focuses on discussing of the train elements of the Spirit Tracks, and where the idea to use one came from.

When entering discussion about the train elements, Iwata initially jokes, "Was there a railroad fan on the development staff?" The development team replies that at first, no one was a fan of trains, however, after some time spent researching them, "some of the staff members got interested in them."

According to Aonuma, the idea for using a train rather than a boat came from a very unlikely source: a picture book entitled "The Tracks Go On", that he would read to his son each night before bed.

Aonuma decided to keep this a secret when proposing the idea to the staff. He also suggested that the player be able to "lay the tracks [themselves]."

Unfortunately, that idea quickly "turned into a bit of a nightmare," as the team realized that, "even if people can lay the tracks anywhere they like, they won't know where to lay them. Then, to make the story work, there are places where you absolutely mustn't go, and other places where you really can't be at certain points in time."

Playing around with different ways of manipulating the track took an entire year from the teams two year development period. Finally, the team decided that the idea was just not going to work, so they instead came up with a different idea. Aonuma explains, "In this world, the tracks were there to begin with, but for some reason they've been erased." Iwamoto expands on this by adding, "In other words, somebody's erased these tracks, and Link brings them back together, little by little."

After allowing people to try out the new system they received plenty of positive feedback, and as Aonuma states, not only was this system better than the original idea but they also "stumbled on a new way to play" in the process.

They implemented a system where at some points in the game, other trains will head straight at Link, forcing players to either stop, reverse, or switch to other tracks at a fork.

Like other Zelda titles, the team wanted to implement a musical element, which is where the idea for the "Train Whistle" came into play. Additionally, the team also wanted a fancier name for it, but in doing so, found it wasn't that simple. According to both Aonuma and Iwamoto, they went through several names, including "Train Whistle of the Soul", "Pan Flute of the (something)", and finally settled on "Train Whistle of the Wide World".

When Link is not on the train, he can also use a pan flute which in the Japanese version is referred to as simply the "Whistle of the Wide World." For Western release, the pan flute referred to as just the Spirit Flute.

The team recycled this naming convention for certain locales as well. In Spirit Track, the area by the ocean is called the "Wide World of the Ocean".

Getting into a discussion about the newest sound items prompted Iwata to ask, "Why is it that every The Legend of Zelda game has some sort of sound item in it?" Iwamoto is quick to correct Iwata stating that, "There isn't a sound item in every game."

Aonuma goes on to explain that, "when the sound team takes a firm line and tells us, 'We want to try doing this this time', we often do use that as our jumping-off point." Thus the pan flute and the DSi's mic were brought into the development process; capabilities that are "featured pretty prominently in this game," and that also "meshed together neatly."

According to Aonuma, there will be a variety of different whistles for players to use, all of which have their own unique sounds.