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[moghopper]

Hello there, I am looking to start an Indie gaming company and find myself in need of some capable staff.

As it stands, I am in need of a coder, one who is proficient in their chosen coding languages.

Additionally, any experience is sound/music would be an asset.

The projects that the team will be working on will be 3D in nature, however, the nature (genre, style, etc...) will be discussed by the whole team before work begins, so all ideas are welcome.

Pm me if you are interested.

Post in the thread if you have any questions or feedback.


The Project Itself
Do any of you recall:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MissionForce:_CyberStorm

It was a great game, and I am hoping to create a spiritual successor to this great game. I hope to make a game that maintains the same feel as the original, but contains much more content, a more involved campaign, and more gameplay options.

Specifics are still a ways off, but rest assured that when work is finished, it will be a memorable product.

In essence, I want to supply the consumer with a memorable and high quality Mech strategy game, at an easily affordable price
-No one else is currently working on a similar project, leaving fans of Cyberstorm with no viable alternative
-The game will use new mechanics, to make up for the shortcomings of Cyberstorm's system, and deliver a more interesting and complete experience
-The game will also be easily accessible to veteran and rookie gamers alike
-Possible online features


Additional Details

Funding: 40 Thousand in Funds, Kickstarter Funds Possible, Additional Funding from Investors if needed (Estimated at 30 Thousand from friends, associates, and family)

Team Size: Small, All members have equal input in project design and will share in profits equally
-Ideal team size is 9 (Myself, 3 3D artists, 3 Coders, and 2 Sound/Music Staff)
-All staff would be part time, though any wishing to work full time are welcome

Project Duration: Ideally, the project would last no more than a year and a half. The project would be cancelled at roughly two years if significant progress has not been made.

In the event of project failure, all staff will be paid according to my own assessment of their contributions to the project.

The Time zone we shall be working on (Atlantic, Pacific, Etc..) will be determined before work begins, to ensure that everyone can work with it.

After completion, I intend to continue support of the game with:
-Bugfixes
-Expansions

Those working on these additional tasks will continue to share in profits, those who decide not to will not receive any funding from the project.

After project completion, new projects will be proposed and decided upon by ALL team members.

Lastly, I have the final say in all disputes between staff.

Business Plan: Focusing on 3D games to be sold online for low prices

Current Staff
Myself: Administration, Planning, Accounting
Deon: 2D/3D artwork, Sprites, etc...

My personal Credentials
-Certified 3D Artist
-2 Years Experience in 3D modeling Career
-Trained as project director and management
-Experience is writing contracts, project documents, etc...

[Siquo]

Another one. A tip, as there are too many of these well-meaning but ill-supported advertisements on the internet:

• please state your USP's, or what makes this project different than all the others,
• what are your credentials,
• what is the state of the current team
• what is your budget, business plan, and who are your investors

[moghopper]

Please note that I hope to get the project started by mid January

[freeformschooler]

Another one. A tip, as there are too many of these well-meaning but ill-supported advertisements on the internet:

• please state your USP's, or what makes this project different than all the others,
• what are your credentials,
• what is the state of the current team
• what is your budget, business plan, and who are your investors

Seconding this.

[Cobbler89]

Another one. A tip, as there are too many of these well-meaning but ill-supported advertisements on the internet:

• please state your [Unique Selling Proposition*]s, or what makes this project different than all the others,
• what are your credentials,
• what is the state of the current team
• what is your budget, business plan, and who are your investors

*I presume this is what USP is meant to stand for in this context.

+

• How long do you expect the project to last?
• How long would it last before being cancelled if it fails without bottoming out immediately?
• Are you looking for full-time employees/members, part-time...?
• How many members do you anticipate having? (Estimates are fine as long as they're numeric; minimum, maximum, that sort of thing; subdividing into how many of each sort of skillset needed would be preferable.)
• Do members get paid in the event of project failure?
• Pacific Time, Eastern Time or something in between? [No matter how much you may think this doesn't matter, it will be at least partially relevant for at least some things that you will need to keep a company/project going.]
• If this project is successful, what sort of further support will be required/expected (e.g. how are bugs dealt with), and how will it pay?
• If this project is successful, what sort of approach will you have to moving on to other projects? What happens if the next project doesn't interest some of the developers?

And perhaps most importantly,

• What happens when the two programmers decide to dogfight over coding standards, assuming niether can/should pull rank on the other?

[Deon]

Hello there, 2d art and 3d modelling is something I can seriously do. Also I know oo programming on a basic level and I can learn fast if it's needed.

[Anvilfolk]

Also, why C++ and SDL specifically? It the game going to be that complex that efficiency is a major issue? I know C++ is the "industry standard", but there's quite a bit to be said for other languages or engines that allow you to get to a finished product faster.

Heck, I haven't tried it, but some integrated solutions like Unity get you coding a GAME rather than an engine way faster. There's so much involved in making a decent game engine... lots of time will be spent doing that before you start making an actual game.

Anyway, just my 2c

[moghopper]

Also, why C++ and SDL specifically? It the game going to be that complex that efficiency is a major issue? I know C++ is the "industry standard", but there's quite a bit to be said for other languages or engines that allow you to get to a finished product faster.

Heck, I haven't tried it, but some integrated solutions like Unity get you coding a GAME rather than an engine way faster. There's so much involved in making a decent game engine... lots of time will be spent doing that before you start making an actual game.

Anyway, just my 2c

Unity is something I had not considered... I can't believe I forgot about it, as I have used it in the past.

Though how well would it handle a turn based game?

[Solifuge]

I contract out professionally for Game Design (Mechanics, UI Design, etc) and 2D Art, and would be happy to fire a portfolio your way. I may also be able to drag along one or two C++/Java/SDL/OpenGL savvy programmers as well, depending on the project, their schedule, and their interest level.

Also, I'd second Anvilfolk's suggestion to keep an open mind regarding language and libraries; something good for rapid prototyping, like Unity or LWJGL can be great for first-time projects, and have the added benefit of working cross-platform, and keeping the initial cost down. Speaking of which, I'm not sure the scale you have in mind here, but I don't think 10s of Thousands in funding is strictly necessary for the scale of the project... and avoiding loan-style investors would probably be ideal for your first venture. I might suggest getting a working Alpha and some eye-candy together, then going to Kickstarter for initial funding (participating in Kick It Forward can be a nice boost to publicity too). Once something playable and fun starts to come together, go to an Open Alpha / Preorder system. Also, if you have designs on mobile releases as well, try to keep the interface primarily mouse and touchscreen accessible, for easy porting.

Unity is something I had not considered... I can't believe I forgot about it, as I have used it in the past.

Though how well would it handle a turn based game?

See for yourself.

[moghopper]

I contract out professionally for Game Design (Mechanics, UI Design, etc) and 2D Art, and would be happy to fire a portfolio your way. I may also be able to drag along one or two C++/Java/SDL/OpenGL savvy programmers as well, depending on the project, their schedule, and their interest level.

Also, I'd second Anvilfolk's suggestion to keep an open mind regarding language and libraries; something good for rapid prototyping, like Unity or LWJGL can be great for first-time projects, and have the added benefit of working cross-platform, and keeping the initial cost down. Speaking of which, I'm not sure the scale you have in mind here, but I don't think 10s of Thousands in funding is strictly necessary for the scale of the project... and avoiding loan-style investors would probably be ideal for your first venture. I might suggest getting a working Alpha and some eye-candy together, then going to Kickstarter for initial funding (participating in Kick It Forward can be a nice boost to publicity too). Once something playable and fun starts to come together, go to an Open Alpha / Preorder system. Also, if you have designs on mobile releases as well, try to keep the interface primarily mouse and touchscreen accessible, for easy porting.

Unity is something I had not considered... I can't believe I forgot about it, as I have used it in the past.

Though how well would it handle a turn based game?

See for yourself.

I like the cut of your jibb.

Now, If I go for Unity, then I may change the focus from 2D to 3D , which helps as I can contribute models as well.

I would love to see some of your work. My email is Moghopper3d@gmail.com


EDIT: I've decided to move to 3D instead. We will be using Unity for ease of use and a quicker dev.

I Still need some more coders though, so please, don't be shy.

[Anvilfolk]

What I actually meant with my post wasn't that you should use a specific (but different technology), but rather adapt to whoever does volunteer for this. It can be pretty hard to convince someone else to join your project even if you give him complete technical freedom, let alone when you further restrict what he can use

[moghopper]

What I actually meant with my post wasn't that you should use a specific (but different technology), but rather adapt to whoever does volunteer for this. It can be pretty hard to convince someone else to join your project even if you give him complete technical freedom, let alone when you further restrict what he can use

Please forgive my ignorance on the coding subject. I have never been properly taught anything about any of the coding languages.

You are probably right too, I'll change the OP once more, and accept whatever people offer in this case.

[Anvilfolk]

No worries - I can't do any graphics stuff either

Just want to see this take off, and so I'm putting out suggestions! The OP is looking much better already. It's probably just really hard to get a team together like this. Nobody knows anyone else and it's hard to judge how serious people are.

I'm tempted, but I'm afraid I'd have to flake off at some point because of my flailing phd... I'd hate to leave a team hanging. This was my issue with Hemmingjay's proposal as well. Also, I'm totally not into low-level programming stuff

[moghopper]

No worries - I can't do any graphics stuff either

Just want to see this take off, and so I'm putting out suggestions! The OP is looking much better already. It's probably just really hard to get a team together like this. Nobody knows anyone else and it's hard to judge how serious people are.

I'm tempted, but I'm afraid I'd have to flake off at some point because of my flailing phd... I'd hate to leave a team hanging. This was my issue with Hemmingjay's proposal as well. Also, I'm totally not into low-level programming stuff

That's perfectly understandable, besides, your input has already helped greatly.

[Mephisto]

Lastly, I have the final say in all disputes between staff. Those not willing to accept my decisions will be dismissed and will not be paid.

Not interested in working for you, just dropping in to say you might want to get legal advice on whether or not you can actually do this without getting your ass handed to you. If I did significant work on a project and was then let go with no pay, I would be majorly peeved off.