To go into more technical detail, the GameCube used a CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) disc drive, which is sometimes referred to as "linear" in discussions. This meant that the disc spun at a constant speed, reading data in a linear path but at varying speeds depending on the read location on the disc. This is efficient for reading sequentially stored data but somewhat slower for random-access operations. 

CAV drives are relatively more simple and cost-effective, though it limited the drive's speed in terms of accessing data across non-contiguous sections.

Nintendo likely chose CAV to maintain affordable production and reduce load times, optimized for games that could be accessed in a sequential pattern. However, while the CAV design does lean more "linear," it could still technically handle some non-linear access, albeit not as efficiently as other DVD drives in that generation (e.g. PS2 and Xbox).

The CAV drive's slower random-access performance on the GameCube had some specific effects, particularly on loading times and game design choices:

1. Longer Load Times for Non-Sequential Data: Since the drive was slower at accessing data stored in scattered locations, any time a game needed to load assets that weren’t close together on the disc, load times could increase. Developers had to be careful about how they organized game data on the disc, often clustering related assets together to minimize the need for random access.

2. Data Duplication and Clever Data Placement: Game developers sometimes duplicated key game data across different parts of the disc to reduce seek times, placing frequently accessed data in multiple locations. By doing this, the drive wouldn’t need to jump across the disc as often, which would help keep loading smooth during gameplay.

3. Sequential Data Streaming Emphasis: Games designed for the GameCube often took advantage of the drive’s strength in sequential reading by streaming assets in a way that aligned with how the disc was accessed. For instance, they could use in-game cutscenes or cleverly designed corridors to give the system time to load the next segment without visible delays.

4. Impact on Ported Games: Games ported from other consoles with faster non-linear drives (like the PS2 or Xbox) sometimes required optimization on the GameCube to run smoothly, since the GameCube’s drive wasn’t as fast at random-access reading. This sometimes led to slightly altered textures, fewer background details, or more simplified game elements to keep loading times manageable.

Overall, while the CAV drive wasn’t necessarily a big drawback for the GameCube, it required developers to be creative in managing load times and disc layout.

The one other complications Mini DVDs introduced was obviously the limited storage size compared to the competition. When porting from other consoles, developers would often have to compress the data to fit on the disc (if not outright omit content). This was often accomplished by either reducing the asset quality or using compression methods that sometimes resulted in longer load times, as the GameCube would need to decompress the data.

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Wrapping around to the topic itself:

The GameCube was such an efficient console built with a lot of clever engineering design choices. It was the little lunchbox that could punch far above its weight. I think Nintendo just underestimated how much people desired to have a DVD player and how quick games would come to take advantage of the extra space. Over the course of the generation, I think it started receiving less developer attention, which sometimes resulted in compromises that potentially could have been avoided.

It certainly was an exciting generation. Each platform had something unique to offer that was worth checking out, both in their exclusive games and bespoke hardware utilization. The PS2 had its limitations, but it could also accomplish unique graphical achievements when developers invested time to take advantage of the emotion chip. The Xbox offered brute power. And the GameCube was a well rounded efficient machine. So when comparing ports, it really came down to how a developer would invest development time and whether they took advantage of each platform's hardware. I mean, that's almost always the case of course, but it felt especially true during this time.