....game.
I actually plan on doing this for real, posting here in case anyone is interested in helping out with programming/Multimedia Fusion 2 or porting the game to the Wii, PSP and DS as homebrew once the PC version is done.
I'm just going to copypasta from my topic I made on LL, so here goes, it's a short description of the game, as short as i could make it lol...so yeah it's actually pretty long but there's a lot to be said.
<b>Is this actually going to become a real game?</b>
Hopefully, I'll do my part, make the sprites, artwork, basic story, and a demo in Multimedia Fusion. Then, if people like it I'm going to gather a team of people to actually work on the game so we can make it into something awesome.
<b>What is this? A Dolly Parton game!?</b>
It's a beautiful 2D Action/Adventure game with Odin Sphere/Legend of Mana like graphics inspired by some of Dolly's awesome songs, mainly the ones that actually tell stories. The game is supposed to be rated "E" and has a simple main story and many side quests with little stories each of their own. There are a few different playable characters.
The main story is going to take course over 4 seasons
Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Each season is going to have its own share of side quests, the characters will be warning different outfits depending on the season and of course since atmosphere, graphics and sound are exceptionally important in this game, each season will have its own, unique feel, music style and atmosphere.
<b>Playable Characters:</b>
- Dolly - main character - gameplay style: platforming/action and exploration - weapon: Slingshot
- Applejack - Side Quests - gameplay style: platforming/action - weapon: depends on the story he tells
- Dr. Robert F Thomas - Side Quests - Main Story Quests - gameplay style: Beat Em Up - Weapon: Fists (he fights and wrestles bears <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />)
- Jolene - Playable during a boss battle at the end of the 3rd Chapter and the Final Battle - Gameplay Style - Action/Air Combat/Magic - Weapon: ???
- Dolly's dog - only one level - main story - gameplaystyle: platforming - Weapon: none
<b>
Quest System:</b>
You play your main story as the girl, but interact with NPCs, now since she is a little girl she LOVES it when some of the older folk tell her stories, she is very close with Dr. Thomas and of course Appljack and these guys often tell her stories.
Dr. Thomoas tells her stories of the lives he saved and what he had to go through to get to the people in need while Applejack comes up with all sorts of stories from his "youth" but his stories are almost always completely made up.
For example he tells Dolly a story of how, once when he was young in his pirate days he would fight sea monsters or he tells her about his UFO or Big Foot encounters.
She doesn't really believe him but doesn't want to let him know that she knows his stories are all made up and she absolutely LOVE them.
The funny part is, unless Applejack describes what he looked like in the story Dolly imagines him as he is now, an old funny looking man, so you end up playing as this agile, fast, energetic old dude and fight all kinds of stuff.
Now the system itself.
You talk to the NPCs that Dolly is close with and you can ask if they have any stories to tell, you can ask for a story they already told you or for a new one.
Now as I mentioned before Dolly befriends a spirit fox or some kind of a spirit guide animal, I want a fox because of the nice red/orangish color it's going to be.
Well thanks to the spirite guide animal you can tell how much of the story the NPC's have recalled, actually that's just your percentage on how much stuff you've found in the level, secrets, items and all that.
You do NOT have to 100% levels to get a new story, but if you do the levels might have a nice closure where the character completely recalls the event and you get a nice cutscene at the end to wrap up the story, like an extra or extended ending to that story.
As for unlocking new stories, here's how that works.
Sometimes it's enough to just finish a story/level and a new one will be unlocked, but the best ones will be unlocked through triggering the characters' memories with items you find during your main quest and side quests while playing as Dolly.
For example you find a lost item in the mountains, ask around and see who it might belong to, so you take it to that character and if it was an item that belonged to a playable character it will trigger a memory and the level/story for that memory will be unlocked and playable
<b>The Premise:</b>
A little girl named Dolly who lives in the mountains with her family has the ability to talk to animals, she befriends a spirit fox who needs her help to "save the mountain and everyone living in it". Dolly has to reach and find certain areas of the mountain that the spirit fox can't get to and plant seeds given to her by the fox.
<b>What does the mountain need saving from?</b>
A powerful, huge colossus-sized, raging spirit called the Mountain Angel that some of the main characters encounter several times during the game, much like James does with Pyramid Head or how the Nemesis shows up in RE3.
The Mountain Angel is an insane spirit that grows more powerful with each passing moment, she has been around for over 100 years and the greater her insanity and sorrow grow, the more powerful she becomes. The Mountain Angel kills everything in her path, be that a person, an animal or a plant. Until now the Spirit Fox was able to keep the Mountain Angel from getting near the small mountain town and populated areas, however if the angel isn't dealt with eventually not even the spirit fox and all other mountain spirits together will have the power to contain and control her.
To learn the Mountain's Angel Backstory just listen to Dolly's Mountain Angel song, it's going to be the same, more or less
<b>The Spirit Fox/Jolene:
Update: </b>Jolene, "human" form is also playable during a boss battle at the end of the Fall Season(Chapter 3), the boss fight is against J. J. Sneed.
The spirit fox, or rather Jolene is the Mountain Angel's baby that died and was buried somewhere in the mountains. She was then reborn as a mountain spirit fox.
This is NEVER explained in the game and Jolene doesn't even know that she was once human or the daughter of the raging Mountain Angel, it's only implied during the final boss battle where the player controls a very powerful Jolene and fights the mountain Angel.
In the final battle as the two spirits fight flashbacks of their lives are played out, at one point the battle comes to a halt and both spirits become one with a flashback showing a woman holding a baby. After this brief moment of peace a flashback implying that the woman has lost her baby, she sits next to a small grave in the woods(the place where Dolly is first attacked by the mountain angel) plays and the battle continues and becomes even more violent and fierce.
Jolene despite being playable only during the final battle of the game is one of the main characters and actually a rather deep and serious character considering this IS for the most part a lighthearted fairytale like game.
Being a mountain spirit she has the ability to change her form, her human form is a stunningly beautiful woman, like the one described in the Jolene song, in order for Jolene to survive and be powerful enough she needs to seduce men, the more someone loves her and lusts after her, the more powerful she gets making it easier for her to stand up to the mountain angel and control her.
Jolene may not be the purest of characters, but she is no murderer, her seduction has no ill effect on the ones she seduces but it does often ruin their lives, Jolene often helps people attacked by the mountain angel, she tries to buy them enough time so they can escape or leads the angel astray hoping someone would find the injured people and save them, of course she does this without being seen by anyone.
She has one MAJOR regret though, years ago she seduced a man named J.J (J.J Sneed song for backstroy) so in a way she is responsible for his death, so because of this she considers herself a murderer.
When it's revealed that Jolene is also the Spirit Fox, for a while the bond between Dolly and Jolene will break, but since we need Jolene's ability to tell how complete a quest/memory is Dolly is going to befriend another Spirit guide/animal for the time being which will give her the same ability.
<b>Concept Art:</b> NOTE: I don't have a tablet, I only have a 19" Monitor and I'm kinda legally blind so I can't see well so my concept art is rather rough for now, it will be much better once i get a good, quality tablet and a good big monitor hopefully.
Dr. Thomas
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/DrThomastestsprite213123.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
This was drawn on the DS so it's not that good, I don't have a tablet so I sometimes draw on my DS but since I'm pretty darn blind I can't see well on it so yeah <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/DrThomas.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Applejack
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/234324wqert.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Jolene - Fox Form - this is going to need much more work, it's a very rought and poorly drawn version of her on the DS
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/Jolene.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Seeker (Sorrow/Despair/Sadness type)
<b>http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/Seeker-1.png</b>
Keeper
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/Keeper.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Keepers:
Huge, armored "evil" spirits that protect the small, pitiful Seekers, their one and only instinct is to protect and care for the seekers since they were created from the Mountain Angel's "Mothering Instinct"
Just as the Seekers are attracted to Keepers these are also attracted the several Seeker types.
When walking keepers make loud deep thumping noises because of their heavy front legs, they're often responsible for tremors and especially landslides.
At the end of the 2nd Chapter, Summer, the kids together with Dolly as a test of courage go to find the small grave that's rumored to be somewhere in the mountain and spend the night there.( MAJOR SPOILER: <spoiler>The grave where the mountain angel buried her baby who was later reborn as the spirit fox and now protector of the forest, who as is later revealed is also Jolene a spirit that seduces men in order to grow more powerful and be able to keep the crazed Mountain Angel at bay)
The kids are scared and their fear attracts a Keeper causing a landslide, only Dolly and one of her cousins who is also a character and collects info on all the spirits see the keeper, the rest of the kids believe it was a landslide.
The landslide traps the kids in the mountain so a bunch of townspeople among which are Joshua and Dr. Thomas go to resuce them.
This is also the first time Joshua encounters Jolene though that isn't revealed until the end of the 3rd Chapter, the Fall season.
<b>DOWNLOAD THE QUEST SYSTEM TEST!</b>
This is just a test for the quest system, I drew some simple graphics so I don't have to look at blocky good for nothing visuals, they're no good and far from what the graphics in the final game are supposed to be like
<a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W5AXNFM2" target="_blank">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W5AXNFM2</a>
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/213wq213e21312.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
EDIT: SORRY! I don't know how to do SPOILERS properly on here
<b>
Featured Songs: </b>Featured as in something is used from these songs, characters, inspiration, the actual song/music and so on
1. I Remember - title screen theme, maybe if I can get a good instrumental version of it
2. My Tennessee Mountain Home - Hub world - 4 different instrumental versions for each season
3. Old Black Kettle - Dolly's House/Random Moments during the game/When Dolly's Cousin's come over
4. Early Morning Breeze - Hub World/BGM
5. River of Happiness - not sure where this is going to be used yet, could be a character theme, hub world/village BGM of course 4 different versions for each season are needed.
6. Coat of Many Colors - event, theme, item, Dolly gets it mid-way through the fall season
7. Mountain Angel - Main Story! Monster/Character, Story, Events, Boss Battle, Final Boss Battle, Backstory
8. Jolene - Main Story, one of the main characters, Playable Character in the last battle only, backstory(mainly from Mountain Angel and made up by me), BGM/ Character Theme once it's revealed Jolene is the Fox Spirit.
9. AppleJack - Playable Character, BGM for Applejack's place, 4 different remakes needed for each season
10. Dr. Robert F Thomas - Playable Character, SideQuests, Main Story, BGM, Opening/Intro Music
11. Joshua - Characters, Quest-line, part of the main story, MAYBE Playable
12. J.J. Sneed - Boss Battle, J. J. Sneed is a Cowboy Outlaw spirit who can shapeshift into a demon spirit wold. Also one of Jolene's Flashbacks during the final battle, part of her regrets, it's the person whose death she was responsible for because she seduced him.
13. The Bargain Store - Character, theme, BGM for the store, quest-line, part of the main story (same as Joshua's, Bargain Store Girl and Joshua get together, Jolene later seduces Joshua so they're part oft he main story)
14. Little Sparrow - BGM, somewhere good, I already have a perfect instrumental version of this on one of Dolly's CDs.
15. The Seeker - Monsters/Enemies, Seekers and Keepers are similar to Big Daddies and Little Sisters in BioShock though both need to be eliminated here, Dolly can easily dispose of seekers with her Slingshot, but Keepers need to be lured into traps and such. As you can see this is COMPLETELY taken out of contest and has NOTHING to do with the song or its meaning
I actually plan on doing this for real, posting here in case anyone is interested in helping out with programming/Multimedia Fusion 2 or porting the game to the Wii, PSP and DS as homebrew once the PC version is done.
I'm just going to copypasta from my topic I made on LL, so here goes, it's a short description of the game, as short as i could make it lol...so yeah it's actually pretty long but there's a lot to be said.
<b>Is this actually going to become a real game?</b>
Hopefully, I'll do my part, make the sprites, artwork, basic story, and a demo in Multimedia Fusion. Then, if people like it I'm going to gather a team of people to actually work on the game so we can make it into something awesome.
<b>What is this? A Dolly Parton game!?</b>
It's a beautiful 2D Action/Adventure game with Odin Sphere/Legend of Mana like graphics inspired by some of Dolly's awesome songs, mainly the ones that actually tell stories. The game is supposed to be rated "E" and has a simple main story and many side quests with little stories each of their own. There are a few different playable characters.
The main story is going to take course over 4 seasons
Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Each season is going to have its own share of side quests, the characters will be warning different outfits depending on the season and of course since atmosphere, graphics and sound are exceptionally important in this game, each season will have its own, unique feel, music style and atmosphere.
<b>Playable Characters:</b>
- Dolly - main character - gameplay style: platforming/action and exploration - weapon: Slingshot
- Applejack - Side Quests - gameplay style: platforming/action - weapon: depends on the story he tells
- Dr. Robert F Thomas - Side Quests - Main Story Quests - gameplay style: Beat Em Up - Weapon: Fists (he fights and wrestles bears <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />)- Jolene - Playable during a boss battle at the end of the 3rd Chapter and the Final Battle - Gameplay Style - Action/Air Combat/Magic - Weapon: ???
- Dolly's dog - only one level - main story - gameplaystyle: platforming - Weapon: none
<b>
Quest System:</b>
You play your main story as the girl, but interact with NPCs, now since she is a little girl she LOVES it when some of the older folk tell her stories, she is very close with Dr. Thomas and of course Appljack and these guys often tell her stories.
Dr. Thomoas tells her stories of the lives he saved and what he had to go through to get to the people in need while Applejack comes up with all sorts of stories from his "youth" but his stories are almost always completely made up.
For example he tells Dolly a story of how, once when he was young in his pirate days he would fight sea monsters or he tells her about his UFO or Big Foot encounters.
She doesn't really believe him but doesn't want to let him know that she knows his stories are all made up and she absolutely LOVE them.
The funny part is, unless Applejack describes what he looked like in the story Dolly imagines him as he is now, an old funny looking man, so you end up playing as this agile, fast, energetic old dude and fight all kinds of stuff.
Now the system itself.
You talk to the NPCs that Dolly is close with and you can ask if they have any stories to tell, you can ask for a story they already told you or for a new one.
Now as I mentioned before Dolly befriends a spirit fox or some kind of a spirit guide animal, I want a fox because of the nice red/orangish color it's going to be.
Well thanks to the spirite guide animal you can tell how much of the story the NPC's have recalled, actually that's just your percentage on how much stuff you've found in the level, secrets, items and all that.
You do NOT have to 100% levels to get a new story, but if you do the levels might have a nice closure where the character completely recalls the event and you get a nice cutscene at the end to wrap up the story, like an extra or extended ending to that story.
As for unlocking new stories, here's how that works.
Sometimes it's enough to just finish a story/level and a new one will be unlocked, but the best ones will be unlocked through triggering the characters' memories with items you find during your main quest and side quests while playing as Dolly.
For example you find a lost item in the mountains, ask around and see who it might belong to, so you take it to that character and if it was an item that belonged to a playable character it will trigger a memory and the level/story for that memory will be unlocked and playable
<b>The Premise:</b>
A little girl named Dolly who lives in the mountains with her family has the ability to talk to animals, she befriends a spirit fox who needs her help to "save the mountain and everyone living in it". Dolly has to reach and find certain areas of the mountain that the spirit fox can't get to and plant seeds given to her by the fox.
<b>What does the mountain need saving from?</b>
A powerful, huge colossus-sized, raging spirit called the Mountain Angel that some of the main characters encounter several times during the game, much like James does with Pyramid Head or how the Nemesis shows up in RE3.
The Mountain Angel is an insane spirit that grows more powerful with each passing moment, she has been around for over 100 years and the greater her insanity and sorrow grow, the more powerful she becomes. The Mountain Angel kills everything in her path, be that a person, an animal or a plant. Until now the Spirit Fox was able to keep the Mountain Angel from getting near the small mountain town and populated areas, however if the angel isn't dealt with eventually not even the spirit fox and all other mountain spirits together will have the power to contain and control her.
To learn the Mountain's Angel Backstory just listen to Dolly's Mountain Angel song, it's going to be the same, more or less
<b>The Spirit Fox/Jolene:
Update: </b>Jolene, "human" form is also playable during a boss battle at the end of the Fall Season(Chapter 3), the boss fight is against J. J. Sneed.
The spirit fox, or rather Jolene is the Mountain Angel's baby that died and was buried somewhere in the mountains. She was then reborn as a mountain spirit fox.
This is NEVER explained in the game and Jolene doesn't even know that she was once human or the daughter of the raging Mountain Angel, it's only implied during the final boss battle where the player controls a very powerful Jolene and fights the mountain Angel.
In the final battle as the two spirits fight flashbacks of their lives are played out, at one point the battle comes to a halt and both spirits become one with a flashback showing a woman holding a baby. After this brief moment of peace a flashback implying that the woman has lost her baby, she sits next to a small grave in the woods(the place where Dolly is first attacked by the mountain angel) plays and the battle continues and becomes even more violent and fierce.
Jolene despite being playable only during the final battle of the game is one of the main characters and actually a rather deep and serious character considering this IS for the most part a lighthearted fairytale like game.
Being a mountain spirit she has the ability to change her form, her human form is a stunningly beautiful woman, like the one described in the Jolene song, in order for Jolene to survive and be powerful enough she needs to seduce men, the more someone loves her and lusts after her, the more powerful she gets making it easier for her to stand up to the mountain angel and control her.
Jolene may not be the purest of characters, but she is no murderer, her seduction has no ill effect on the ones she seduces but it does often ruin their lives, Jolene often helps people attacked by the mountain angel, she tries to buy them enough time so they can escape or leads the angel astray hoping someone would find the injured people and save them, of course she does this without being seen by anyone.
She has one MAJOR regret though, years ago she seduced a man named J.J (J.J Sneed song for backstroy) so in a way she is responsible for his death, so because of this she considers herself a murderer.
When it's revealed that Jolene is also the Spirit Fox, for a while the bond between Dolly and Jolene will break, but since we need Jolene's ability to tell how complete a quest/memory is Dolly is going to befriend another Spirit guide/animal for the time being which will give her the same ability.
<b>Concept Art:</b> NOTE: I don't have a tablet, I only have a 19" Monitor and I'm kinda legally blind so I can't see well so my concept art is rather rough for now, it will be much better once i get a good, quality tablet and a good big monitor hopefully.
Dr. Thomas
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/DrThomastestsprite213123.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
This was drawn on the DS so it's not that good, I don't have a tablet so I sometimes draw on my DS but since I'm pretty darn blind I can't see well on it so yeah <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /><img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/DrThomas.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Applejack
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/234324wqert.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Jolene - Fox Form - this is going to need much more work, it's a very rought and poorly drawn version of her on the DS
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/Jolene.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Seeker (Sorrow/Despair/Sadness type)
<b>http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/Seeker-1.png</b>
Keeper
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/Keeper.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Keepers:
Huge, armored "evil" spirits that protect the small, pitiful Seekers, their one and only instinct is to protect and care for the seekers since they were created from the Mountain Angel's "Mothering Instinct"
Just as the Seekers are attracted to Keepers these are also attracted the several Seeker types.
When walking keepers make loud deep thumping noises because of their heavy front legs, they're often responsible for tremors and especially landslides.
At the end of the 2nd Chapter, Summer, the kids together with Dolly as a test of courage go to find the small grave that's rumored to be somewhere in the mountain and spend the night there.( MAJOR SPOILER: <spoiler>The grave where the mountain angel buried her baby who was later reborn as the spirit fox and now protector of the forest, who as is later revealed is also Jolene a spirit that seduces men in order to grow more powerful and be able to keep the crazed Mountain Angel at bay)
The kids are scared and their fear attracts a Keeper causing a landslide, only Dolly and one of her cousins who is also a character and collects info on all the spirits see the keeper, the rest of the kids believe it was a landslide.
The landslide traps the kids in the mountain so a bunch of townspeople among which are Joshua and Dr. Thomas go to resuce them.
This is also the first time Joshua encounters Jolene though that isn't revealed until the end of the 3rd Chapter, the Fall season.
<b>DOWNLOAD THE QUEST SYSTEM TEST!</b>
This is just a test for the quest system, I drew some simple graphics so I don't have to look at blocky good for nothing visuals, they're no good and far from what the graphics in the final game are supposed to be like
<a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W5AXNFM2" target="_blank">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W5AXNFM2</a>
<img src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/Shinigami_Kiba/213wq213e21312.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
EDIT: SORRY! I don't know how to do SPOILERS properly on here
<b>
Featured Songs: </b>Featured as in something is used from these songs, characters, inspiration, the actual song/music and so on
1. I Remember - title screen theme, maybe if I can get a good instrumental version of it
2. My Tennessee Mountain Home - Hub world - 4 different instrumental versions for each season
3. Old Black Kettle - Dolly's House/Random Moments during the game/When Dolly's Cousin's come over
4. Early Morning Breeze - Hub World/BGM
5. River of Happiness - not sure where this is going to be used yet, could be a character theme, hub world/village BGM of course 4 different versions for each season are needed.
6. Coat of Many Colors - event, theme, item, Dolly gets it mid-way through the fall season
7. Mountain Angel - Main Story! Monster/Character, Story, Events, Boss Battle, Final Boss Battle, Backstory
8. Jolene - Main Story, one of the main characters, Playable Character in the last battle only, backstory(mainly from Mountain Angel and made up by me), BGM/ Character Theme once it's revealed Jolene is the Fox Spirit.
9. AppleJack - Playable Character, BGM for Applejack's place, 4 different remakes needed for each season
10. Dr. Robert F Thomas - Playable Character, SideQuests, Main Story, BGM, Opening/Intro Music
11. Joshua - Characters, Quest-line, part of the main story, MAYBE Playable
12. J.J. Sneed - Boss Battle, J. J. Sneed is a Cowboy Outlaw spirit who can shapeshift into a demon spirit wold. Also one of Jolene's Flashbacks during the final battle, part of her regrets, it's the person whose death she was responsible for because she seduced him.
13. The Bargain Store - Character, theme, BGM for the store, quest-line, part of the main story (same as Joshua's, Bargain Store Girl and Joshua get together, Jolene later seduces Joshua so they're part oft he main story)
14. Little Sparrow - BGM, somewhere good, I already have a perfect instrumental version of this on one of Dolly's CDs.
15. The Seeker - Monsters/Enemies, Seekers and Keepers are similar to Big Daddies and Little Sisters in BioShock though both need to be eliminated here, Dolly can easily dispose of seekers with her Slingshot, but Keepers need to be lured into traps and such. As you can see this is COMPLETELY taken out of contest and has NOTHING to do with the song or its meaning
