Tuttle's Legendary Travels
Development Blog
Event #04 Winners - Stand-out Citizens!
Posted by fAB on November 10th, 2012 - 01:45 pm EST

First off let me thank ALL our contributors for giving us such a wide range of characters to choose from. Due to the nature of this Event and the number of submissions allowed by each participant, it was no surprise that we ended up with a whopping 120 entries! It was a great success, and an equally daunting task looking through them all to decide on the best for our needs.

Naturally we want our Quint Island citizens to be fun and memorable just as the NPCs were in the original Legends games, so we mentioned that we would be looking for humorous and intriguing characters in this Event. We were rather surprised to realize that, rather than people going overboard with zany ideas, a good many entries felt too "ordinary". From the more interesting folks in the lot we began to narrow things down. We looked not only at the peoples' personalities and dialogue, but also how much potential each one had for us to expand on. A number of really great entries didn't make the cut because their personality quirks and accompanying dialogue just didn't seem to have room to grow beyond what they already were.

One thing to note here is that we realized we'd made a big mistake with the "Busy Lady" character type. The "busy" was meant to emphasize that she keeps busy and leads an active life, but a lot of the entries actually used it directly, having her overwhelmed with work and too busy to talk. Sorry to those who felt restricted by that. It was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and as a result we ended up pulling from the abundance of good Teen Girl entries to compensate. So, without further ado...

NPC Old Man

Mikey's Unnamed Old Man
Background/Personality: A man of many years who claims to have seen it all.
Location in Game: Anywhere in any town. (Day)
Line 1: Pigs have flown. I've seen it.
Line 2: Someone's traveled to the moon. I've seen it.
Line 3: The satellite device that will end the world. I've seen it.

Judging Comments: This was a simple but brilliant entry! All throughout the game, whenever you see the old guy he'll have new and interesting things to tell you. He's seen it.

Emeltee's Rocco
Background/Personality: An old man with a bad habit of sleepwalking. Seems to take it in stride.
Location in Game: First appears somewhere relatively nondescript, like a town square at night. Then appears in increasingly unusual locations, a la Climbs-On-Things-Girl. On buildings, up trees, in the wilderness, on other islands, etc.
Line 1: Oh my... I must have been sleepwalking again. But I swear I locked the door and everything...
Line 2: The last thing I remember doing was laying down for a nap. And now I'm... Where is this, exactly?
Line 3: Oh, hey, I'm wearing my shoes this time. That's nice. But how did I get them on, I wonder...

Judging Comments: A sleepwalker is a nice twist on a stereotypical old man with a hazy memory. He has amusing dialogue, and thinking about all the various places he may appear has endless potential. Sleepwalking to another island?!

Dragge's Charles
Background/Personality: High class citizen
Location in Game: Tronne Island (near fancy home)(day time)
Line 1: I haven't seen you around before, you live here?
Line 2: You look like you're able to own a house around these parts.
Line 3: Whatever you do though you better not eye up my house, I already live there!

Judging Comments: The third line really clinches this one. He's just a seemingly ordinary gent talking to you and then he hands out something like that, it feels SO Legendsy! Incidentally, we see this guy working into other already planned game features.

Dashe's Leroy
Background/Personality: A veteran explorer who's isn't letting his age get the better of him. He's been mapping out Chizz Island for years and wants to create a new settlement, but he's having trouble getting people interested in relocating to such a harsh climate. He aggressively solicits anybody who passes by to settle in his, er, town...
Location in Game: Chizz Island, near a very shoddily made shack that he's been living in.
Line 1: Why howdy! I'm the mayor of Leroyton, poplulation: 1! Welcome to my humble village!
Line 2: This is probably the safest neighborhood in the region, you know!
Line 3: ...Well, aside from the constant risk of heatstroke and dehydration. Still, the, uh, sand can't be beat!

Judging Comments: While wandering the desert you suddenly encounter a man in the middle of nowhere. Who would expect him to say something like this?! Will he be able to increase his town's population before the end of the game?
 



NPC Plump Woman

Nathan's Molly
Background/Personality: Normally a very nice person, but she's been a little irritable lately because of some local pranksters.
Location in Game: Running a bakery
Line 1: *sigh* Running a bakery has some interesting occupational hazards.
Line 2: One minute I'm minding my own business, the next I'm dodging cans from some nasty little boy!
Line 3: He said he was 'trying to make some money'. Can you believe that? Kids these days!

Judging Comments: This may not be the most expandable entry but running a bakery should provide enough material to get by. There's no way we could pass up such a hilarious, well-worded reference.

Loken's Becky
Background/Personality: A retired digger, writing a book
Location in Game: Around ruins
Line 1: Be careful down there deary, the ruins are a dangerous place, I should know, I used to be a digger!
Line 2: Don't mind me deary, I'm just studying these ruins for my book, "Ruins and Reavers of the Quint Islands"!
Line 3: Oh I feel so bad for what us diggers have to do to those poor little Reavers to get refractors, try not to hurt them if you go down there deary.

Judging Comments: This is a good "appearances can be deceiving" character. You'd never guess she was once a digger, and then she surprises you again with unexpected sentiments towards reaverbots!

Dashe's Betty
Background/Personality: The town gossip for either Tronne or Malt Island. Whichever's busier. She's always up in everyone's business. As a result of this, she sometimes inadvertently winds up giving Tuttle hints to progress in the game and tipping him off about sidequests...but other times, her gossip is, well, just gossip.
Location in Game: Out in the open in the busiest part of town, situated near other townspeople, chatting their ears off.
Line 1: Hey there, stranger! Long time no see! How've you been?
Line 2: Anyway, you'll never believe what Sandi saw this afternoon, not in a million years!
Line 3: The baker ate a cake for lunch! A whole cake!!! She really needs to watch her diet more closely.

Judging Comments: Of course, an old gossip is a great idea. You want to keep checking back with her in case she drops a useful tip, and in the meantime she gives you even more insight into all the other citizens around the town.
 



NPC Teen Guy

kerplop's Max
Background/Personality: A fan of the Bonnes. He's always listening for new tidbits about their antics.
Location in Game: Near a police station.
Line 1: They may be pirates, but I think the Bonnes rock!
Line 2: Teisel's so cunning, and Bon is so strong!
Line 3: And that Tron… Yeah, a little young, maybe, but… rrrraow!~

Judging Comments: It's actually really interesting to think that air pirates might have fans! Since the TLT timeline parallels MML1's, this guy can just hang out around the police station getting the latest word about what his favorite villains are doing on Kattelox.

Chiz's Aldous
Background/Personality: A paranoid 20-something who sees the game's shortcomings, and various gaming clichés, as a giant conspiracy.
Dialogue 1: Have you ever noticed, everyone keeps saying the same things...you think they're planning something?
Dialogue 2: Have you ever felt, you might just be a puppet to a being from another dimension...? Space reaverbots could be coming to harvest our souls!
Dialogue 3: Have you ever noticed, when something bad happens, everyone wakes up the next day as if nothing happened? It's like the universe itself erased it! This is way bigger than that shady bake sale last year...

Judging Comments: Someone who talks about all the amusing quirks that we Legends fans have been discussing about our series for the last decade? There's no end to this guy's potential!

Zaiy's Unnamed Teen Guy
Background/Personality: a nervous weird teenager.
Location in Game: On top of a roof.
Line 1: Woah!! I didnt see you there!
Line 2: What am I doing up here?
Line 3: ...I really dont know...

Judging Comments: So simple and yet, highly amusing. Why doesn't he know what he's doing on the roof? Will he figure it out by the next time you talk to him? Or maybe he'll have moved on to some other odd location...

Nathan's Jesse
Background/Personality: An avid gamer who's always up on the latest news.
Location in Game: In an arcade, electronics shop, or a fast-food joint.
Line 1: "Man, there's so many good games coming out! I don't know how I'll afford them all."
Line 2: "There's Resident Evil 34, Stellar Super Street Fighter 6 Alpha Turbo Mega Mix Collector's edition..."
Line 3: "But I'm MOST psyched for Mega Man Legends 2! That series rocks, man! Wonder how many they'll make..."

Judging Comments: Good references here, taking TLT's location on the timeline into account. And Stellar Super Street Fighter 6 Alpha Turbo Mega Mix Collector's Edition? Brilliant!
 



NPC Teen Girl

Dashe's Christine
Background/Personality: Wants desperately to become a digger. Her parents adamantly will not allow it, so she's willing to go to ridiculous lengths to make her dream come true on her own.
Location in Game: A junk shop
Line 1: Hey mister, you look like you've got some money on you...
Line 2: Would it be too much to ask for a loan? I need to buy some digging equipment and I'm a little short.
Line 3: I promise I'll pay you back once I've gone on some digs and made some zenny!

Judging Comments: A girl who defies her parents and asks diggers for money at the junk store is an interesting enough character, but there's also some serious side-quest potential here...

Kyle's Livy
Background/Personality: A sarcastic tomboy that loves to provide Tuttle with misleading information
Location in Game: It can vary from place-to-place, but usually near the exit of a town.
Line 1: Have you ever seen the legendary Platinum King Miroc? Apparently, it only appears at a full-moon and will drop a mega-rare top hat upon being defeated!
Line 2: That's a pretty lame cane you got there. I'm a nice gal, so I'll help you out! If you try throwing it into the Two Goddesses' Pond, a spirit will appear and grant you with a shiny new golden one! Just make sure you answer her question with a 'yes'.
Line 3: How do I know all of this stuff? Well, my dad works for Finneas A. Blanchard. You know, the CEO of the Kaybl Windows? You don't, huh? Dude, you need to stop living underneath that rock of yours.

Judging Comments: How gullible is Tuttle? Hopefully he'll realize her tips are pretty wild, but maybe he won't recognize her the next time/place they meet and she'll spin some more convincing yarns by then?

Hikari's Taina
Background/Personality: A shy girl trying to make friends. Her strict and overprotective mother did well at keeping her daughter safe from the "insanity" of the world. Now a teenager, the girl is having trouble communicating with people, not to mention, she's never seen the outskirts of the island she lives on. Although her vision of the world is that of her mother, she is trying to find her own way in life. Taina got used to being alone, but what she really wants is to go outside and find out as much as she can about the world.
Location in Game: Not too far from home, so that her mother could see her.
Line 1: H-hello.
Line 2: I usually don't talk to strangers, but you look like a perfectly sane person to me, so it's OK, I guess.
Line 3: I'm sorry, but my mom doesn't like it when I stay out for too long, and. . . I'll go.

Judging Comments: An interesting young lady with lots of potential for personal growth. It'd be great if Tuttle could help her build up the courage to get farther and farther from home. It could be a bit like the Megaman-Ira relationship, without draining your wallet.
 



NPC Worker

Dashe's Sully
Background/Personality: A klutzy miner who always seems to be on the brink of losing his job. Can become melodramatic when he gets worried.
Location in Game: Buscan mines, near a steep dropoff
Line 1: Oh, I am in so much trouble! Woe is me! This is surely the end!
Line 2: For my job, I mean. I accidentally knocked a cart full of refractors off of this cliff.
Line 3: It isn't the first time either. I really hope the foreman didn't notice...

Judging Comments: Poor guy, what a loser. So he has a history of messing up but he's managed to keep his job this long. It could be fun to revisit him from time to time and see what else's he's done wrong.

Loken's Johnathon
Background/Personality: a hungry handyman
Location in Game: urban areas
Dialogue Line 1: 'I eat therefore I'm ham", I think that's the line, it's like 'you are what you think' or something.
Dialogue Line 2: After a long day at work I could use a royale with cheese!
Dialogue Line 3: I don't know what a gyro is but I want to try one! Oh and some pizza! With a side of curry rice! And apricot pie for desert!

Judging Comments: This is a simple but fun character to have around, always talking about his latest food cravings. No matter where you meet him, you'd quickly realize it's the same guy in a new location.

Chiz's Weston
Background/Personality: A hard working construction crewman who, through happenstance, always ends up on the particularly painful assignments.
Location in Game: On a particularly small (half a square metre) named "island" (really a large rock or tree with a bit of sand around it) off the coast of a major island. There is an incredibly shallow & narrow (perhaps a metre across, 20cm deep) named "river" (really a puddle) between the main island and the "island" Weston is on that Tuttle refuses to cross, but is still close enough to talk normally.
Line 1: I'm suppose to be laying construction markers for a new build project... on this island... for a large resort.
Line 2: This island is a lot smaller than it was made out to be by the realtor.
Line 3: All the supplies have already been contracted for this! So much wasted zenny...

Judging Comments: We'll want to up the size of the "island" some so as not to be too absurd here, but Weston's scenario is pretty amusing. Having Tuttle able to talk to him but not able to cross the water is icing on the cake.
 



Busy Lady NPC

Chiz's Gertrude
Background/Personality: A woman obsessed with farming after playing a new hit farming video game.
Line 1: Have you seen my field lately? I made a picture with the vegetables!
Line 2: I planted some strawberries in my backyard 3 hours ago, and they aren't ready for harvest yet! Did I do something wrong...?
Line 3: I want to buy a cow for a pet...they're so cute!

Judging Comments: We're barely familiar enough with Farmville to assume this is a reference. Regardless, she's definitely an entertaining addition. Will she find she loves a life in the fields after all, or will she move on to another obsession?

Nathan's Kayla
Background/Personality: A skater girl, or at least she wants to be. Very excitable and friendly
Location in Game: Running in a parking lot or walking along the streets.
Line 1: "Hey, have you ever heard of Jet Skates? They're awesome!"
Line 2: "I was watching this show on K-TOX TV and this kid in blue had some. They were so rad!"
Line 3: "He was zooming all over town in those things! I wonder where I can get some..."

Judging Comments: This is a fun reference to Megaman's TV appearances, and such a highly excitable character has potential for some great lines, especially if Tuttle acquires jet skates himself...

Loken's Barbra
Background/Personality: A young girl who loves jogging/hiking
Location in Game: In remote places, preferably pretty ones
Line 1: Oh! I didn't expect to see anyone out here!
Line 2: Hi again! Isn't it just a beautiful to go jogging? I love the outdoors!
Line 3: Hey friend, did you come here to go hiking with me?

Judging Comments: It can be pretty fun to explore wide open spaces where no one else goes and find that someone already beat you to it. She's there for the exercise and scenery. Hopefully Tuttle isn't so busy digging that he doesn't stop to take in his surroundings.

Congratulations, winners!


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