Every day, there are fans out there discovering new and interesting facts about video games. One such person was a Twitter user named HEYimHeroic, who figured out a curious detail about how The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild generates its NPCs. Apparently, the game uses a modified version of Nintendo's Mii format for its human characters, and through this and some "advanced" tweaking, you can inject your own custom Miis into Breath of the Wild. These files, called UMii's, use certain details from Mii characters, such as hair style, eye color, and facial hair, though not every detail gets transferred over. HEYimheroic reported that they'll be taking commissions to edit people's Miis into UMii files for use in modded versions of Breath of the Wild. with intent to share the method with the public once they understand more about the process.

So, do BotW NPCs use Miis? Both yes, and no.

Basically, they use an evolution of Miis, which the game's files call "UMii"s (which is what I'll be calling them from now on). UMiis have almost all the same parameters as Wii U/3DS Miis, with a few minor differences here and there, like moles no longer being supported.

However, BotW does not support every hairstyle Miis do. So, if you tried to load a hairstyle the game doesn't support, it instead calls a separate file, that essentially converts the unsupported hairstyle into a hair type that is supported and looks the most similar to the unsupported one, which is what happened with my personal Mii, Alice.

There's a lot more details I could go into, BUT I'd like to spread the word about this a bit more before other people start reposting my stuff, so I hope you don't mind. Thanks

Source

 

[EDMIRE]

I want to make EVERY npc a clone of myself. I'll rename the world Lostbhoyrule! It will be now be known as Bald of the Wild


There are few items I believe that are not available for the Wii u version such as the red Switch t shirt....the only thing I can remember at the moment!

it has every DLC item, including the switch shirt. its nearly identical to the switch version

 

[MikaDubbz]

Heh, I'd have never known, it works well for the game.

 

[LeifEricson]

https://github.com/EBLeifEricson/YewMiiTools/

Made this as a quick fix for my own use, just to make the conversion process a little simpler, but figured I'd release it. If something like this already exists, please let me know!

It doesn't yet do any checks to prevent invalid UMii values, so just keep that in mind.

EDIT: It's also extremely clunky but hopefully I'll fix that if people find this tool useful

 

[vaugerbird]

https://github.com/EBLeifEricson/YewMiiTools/

Made this as a quick fix for my own use, just to make the conversion process a little simpler, but figured I'd release it. If something like this already exists, please let me know!

It doesn't yet do any checks to prevent invalid UMii values, so just keep that in mind.

EDIT: It's also extremely clunky but hopefully I'll fix that if people find this tool useful

Wow, this is exactly what I was thinking of someone making! Nice work!

 

[LeifEricson]

Wow, this is exactly what I was thinking of someone making! Nice work!

Thanks! I also made a thread about it here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/yewmiitools-conversion-from-mii-to-botws-umii.580355/

 

[Deleted User]

That's cool, but um, the game remains the same.

I mean, I loved it although there wasn't much to do after a while.

 

[Anxiety_timmy]

someone add sans i need more cursed shit

 

[Deleted User]

This is cool. Can't wait to see the psychotic miis turned BotW NPC.

who cares about normal miis, this is what i really want to see

 

[jt_1258]

I'm just glad stuff like this can exist now...
https://twitter.com/HEYimHeroic/status/1346606098984423424?s=20

 

[Deleted member 42501]

For a moment lets imagine the game world is "real" or at least feels real to everyone inside it whilst you play. Do you think the NPCs realize they are there just to fill in space and don't have inner worlds that are as rich and vibrant as the playable character who is, in effect, your proxy ergo your mind is his...

Really think about it.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I mean to take it to another level, lets say the NPCs have a few basic loops of code we'd call a personality running around in their head. People expect other people to be like them so they'd automatically think that everyone lives like that.

Except our hero with his loftier intellectual perch would see through the sham of these limited scripted loops that pass for a persona as he experiences so much more depth, can reflect, introject and project with a flexibility that is far beyond the NPCs could ever imagine or even dream of.

In that respect we can expect one of three things from the NPCs inner world:

1) To not even realize they are NPCs and think that everyone is like them in all respects. The end.
2) To wonder why a select few seem to have so much more joie de vivre but lack the ability to take this reasoning any further. Enter: splinter of the mind.
3) To realize that they are props in a world designed purely to further the immersion of the only one who is actually real and in that sense all they know is a lie as its the result of their programming doing what it was intended to do. Cue insanity.

Ponder ponder...