A long, long time ago, in a city far away, the Zelda3C project was conceived. It began less than a decade ago as research after the success of ZeldaC ~ Outlands, well before the advent of the editor, Hyrule Magic. ZeldaC took an entire year, and I knew Zelda3C would take at least three times that.
But times have changed. Life is much more demanding of my time now, as many of you know, with the increasing needs of family and career. I can no longer sit down at any time of my choosing and work for hours on end toward something great. There is always someone, or something, more important.
This would be a great opening to a "canceled project" announcement! Those who have stopped breathing, exhale -- I'm still too stubborn to give up my dream. The project has been inactive for another 5 months, with few exceptions, but I'm taking steps to jump-start it once more.
Why now? Is it because this thread has petitioned for a month? Because Erock the Mad Puzzler has showered me with 20 sketches of dungeon room designs? Because the planets are at last in alignment? LOL, all this and more.
I'm sitting in an almost quiet house, which is quite rare. Most of my extended family who live with (or near) us are on vacation or house-sitting for them. They will be back before I know it, except for the older of my two brothers, who has at least a month before his return. Further, my lunch breaks are returning to me with the departure of a good friend who is moving away.
Though I'm surrounded by boxes and clutter with little room to work, there's no music blasting and I can actually concentrate. The situation will resume before I know it, so now is the time to build some momentum! I need to remember how much I love this game, how much I've done, and what needs to be accomplished.
Various replies:
Eggz - Thanks for starting this thread. You've been a great, avid supporter. I need more funny motivational artwork! Okay, I don't *need* it, but I always enjoy it.
abcd888 - Mysterious name. I'm guessing, Quick, create a profile so a reply can be made.

I'm glad to know another fan, but it amazes me that *everyone* checks this site so frequently. Maybe someday I can have regular content to post.
abcd888 (later post) - I agree with you that dungeons should almost never be a series of hallways (*cough*FFXIII*cough) nor simply a maze, like Erock was saying. Zelda 3's dungeons are like large houses where the players says, "Wow, okay, which rooms should I explore first?" The best layouts are those that can be investigated in an order of the player's choosing. Some rooms are treasure, some are more critical, and most are worth visiting. I could write a dissertation on this; moving on.
The5thHerring - You're right -- I've known for a while now that the project has become so ambitious that I could spend forever and longer on it, or become too overwhelmed by the work involved. Only when I focus on one (1) aspect of the game at a time do I feel like I'm getting anything done. Even within development itself, distraction is possible.
DoubleThink - I can't resist saying this -- you should rethink your negligence of Zelda games, lol... There's gotta be about 14 different games by now, but you should play a few of the greats, like Zelda 1, Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time. (I will resist mentioning several others...)
darkprince909 - It will be great to have your artwork skills when the time comes. I can't wait to actually need them. When I start the next outdoor structure, I'll keep you in mind. Congrats on playing through OoT -- better late than never!
xanth - In the impossible event that I do throw in the towel, I would choose a benefactor or two to take over for me. Quest for Calatia must exist, one way or another.
mickey_brown - Thanks for appreciating my approach on things! Yeah, the game will have new graphics, new story, new overworld, new dungeons, and probably more! I like the idea of unanimous feedback, though I wonder if it would be a spam magnet...
Hexlon - Thanks for spreading the word!
sorlok_reaves - I appreciate your continued interest, even though Parallel Worlds is out there. I know I sounded defeatist in my last update -- this is because I knew I was grounded with no relief in sight. Sometimes you've just gotta vent some frustration! ...Truce Dam? I almost forgot that I finished it!

I like posting new pictures... hint taken.
Everyone else - thanks for chiming in! I know via the site counter that thousands frequent this site, hoping for new updates. And for those of you that 'lurk' -- I don't mind at all. I'm sure I'll hear from you someday when you play the game and become awestruck and/or stuck. ZeldaC kept my Inbox flooded for a long time, lol...
And then there's Erockbrox.

This message is soooo long, I actually haven't read it yet. [Edit - I've discovered that my own post is twice as long, lol!] Recently Erock sent me a whole sketchbook (scans thereof) that I need to process. But as always, I'm more concerned with the difficult challenge of getting my overworld finished. I always feel that if I don't create the world above, I can't design what's under it...
::Reading Erock's post...::
First of all, the things Erock taught me that I didn't already know are ways in which dungeon objects and/or Link's items interact in ways Nintendo didn't realize and/or implement. I have an organized workbook documenting his findings so that I can quickly reference them when I start designing with these objects and items in mind.
As far as granting tasks to anyone without hacking knowledge, I'm not sure how to approach this. Collaboration doesn't come naturally without constant sharing, which is something I haven't had time for. There's no import feature in HM, which means that even if someone submits puzzles in separate ROMs, I'll still have to duplicate them piece by piece. (This is still far more desirable than sketches unless they're done with clear labels, intended goals, and colors when peg switches are used.)
It's even more impossible to submit outdoor areas, as my building blocks are far different from the collection Nintendo set up. Block 179 (of over 8000) may be a small Lost Woods tree to you, but it's part of a range of pine trees to me. Even if multiple parties had the same set of blocks, that set changes as new blocks are constantly created.
And then there's the editor I've designed which is not friendly to anyone without a complete understanding of how the game works. Although talented people have appeared to help me with the project, I find I'm not ready for them yet. Yes, I'm glad to have a few composers, artists, and programmers backing me. But how can I focus on the things they offer at this stage? All I have time for is painstakingly focusing on new buildings and other pieces, going to great lengths to make them work properly.
I need an overworld that connects everything people will submit, a realm where I can test these things and set them in motion. So many answers will surface, like "What sprites graphics do you need?", "Which areas are great enough to have their own songs?", "In what definite order will items be discovered?", etc. (That last one is almost answered, but based on assumptions.)
Where areas are not complete, I've placed grass and mountains to mark off where entrances will generally lie. But there are still so many unknowns I work through every time I start a new area. "Will there be two or three entrances to this dungeon? I don't know -- it depends on whether this event will function properly." Every aspect of the game is dependent on the outcome of the overworld in some form or fashion.
What I really need to speed up overworld design is an improved editor. No one could create a "fresh" world that doesn't recycle pieces of Hyrule without this. HM gives you the ability to make changes, but it doesn't provide the control you need to avoid creating duplicates (resources are scarce), nor the ability to quickly find pieces you've already created for reuse, nor the visualization to see how Link will interact with current settings.
I have created a better overworld program that piggybacks off of HM, as many of you know. I've improved it over the years, but it has continued to fall short in terms of creating things quickly. Taking this program to another level was my last focus before I drifted away. Its next phase is almost complete, which will make auto-filling existing blocks faster than ever. (Grass, cliffs, trees, water, etc.) (Hey, I'm not reinventing nature, only what exists in nature!)
I believe that once this comes together, I can start laying down miles of Calatia's turf. I shouldn't have to spend hours on a conglomeration of joined trees or a series of layered cliffs. "Wow, I've developed this part of the area! Wait, this isn't even big enough to fill a screen!"
I've done my best to express the trials and mindset of this project. I'm amazed that I almost never get messages that are angry or impatient from any of you. Lots of feedback, lots of encouragement, nothing less. You guys are a great fan base and I appreciate your following along, all this time. I also love the enthusiasm of people like Erock who go ahead and work on what they can, even with shortages of feedback and guidance. I'm lucky to have this kind of help; now if only I can take the best possible advantage of it!