Looking for programmers for RPG/Strategy game

Business and Project Management Discussions Community & Volunteer Projects
#1

Team name:
Incursion

Project name:
UFO: Incursion

Brief description:
A Roleplaying/strategy game featuring Resource Management and tactical combat like the old Xcom style game. You will be able to control every aspect of the game and will have the final say in everything. Managment will be key in teh game since you will have to R&D technology and of course you will have to deal with politics :S.
The game will be based in a near future where “humans” are being attacked by a hostile force that wants to take Earth for themselves.

Compensation:
I have no money for compensation. but who knows what the future may hold

Technology:
Obvious I would like to use Java for its portability. I’m not a programmer I took some courses in C++, but I really don’t remember any of it and I can do some HTML and very little Java, although i was the one that got the website running :).
3D art will use
-OpenGL

Talent needed:
I need programmers to build the game engine, sound engine, etc…, there was some code started right now we are a bit stagnant and we might not be able to use the same code so we might have to start from the begening.
I also need artists to design overworld and battle sprites. As well as environment tiles and battle 3D backgrounds, base structures and all that sort of stuff.

Team structure:
Currently, the team consists of…me, myself and I, and story writter person and main programmer (sort of).
I have been designing the GUI layout of the main scape and the battlescape, humans and enemy units statistics, and writing the story line and maybe dialogue.

Website:
www.ufo-incursion.org

Contacts:
You can reach me at
xracer@ufo-incursion.org or jxracer007@yahoo.com

Previous Work by Team:
I have no successful previous experience as a designer or director or anything in the gaming field, I am just a gamer and in my real job worked as a game tester for software and hardware.

Additional Info:
I am trying to get a team together to make the world’s next great RPG/strategy :).

Feedback:
I’d like to hear ENCOURAGEMENT. I’m open to CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, and, of course, to JOINING.
About joining you will need to contact me in order to register in the forums, since i was already spammed :S so i locked and disabled registration.
Thank you for your support

Xracer

Incursion Development Team

#2

Basically what you’re saying above is that you’re trying to find people to create a game for you without compensation, and that the previous attempt at coding failed already.

If there’s no money involved, then exactly what is it that you’re offering? Why would anyone be interested?
I’m not trying to be negative here, and the effort you put in the website shows your dedication, but maybe you should rethink your pitch to create (lasting) interest for your project. The current status of your project is hardly encouraging, I’m afraid…

In any case, good luck.

#3

Always best to start small…

suggest you attempt your first game in 2D, single player, very limited in scope. When you’ve figured out how to produce a game, try doing another one, but better. After a few iterations, move to 3D and online play.

Cas :slight_smile:

#4

Well the game is not “for me” i am trying to get a team going so that we can create the game. The reason i can’t give compensation is because i do not have the money to pay for a crew. If I could i would pay for the crew, but then the game will not be freeware.

As of now i am trying to get the team together, if the team decides that we could create a retail quality in a fair short amount of time, then of course we will approach that in a different manner such as sharing probably profit. but my intention with the game is currently free ware.

I have thought out most of the playability of the game and many different aspect of course, but i am not a programmer hence my post here.

Thank you for your comments.

#5

Oh gosh, we get this at least once every two months at GBADev.

[quote]Q. I have this awesome game idea. Can somebody help me make it?

Short answer: probably not.
Long answer: unless you:

  1. have something detailed to show and offer (a detailed and compelling design doc, part of the game engine functional, another game you’ve done to show that you can complete a project, etc)
    OR
  2. can pay people to do it

Then nobody is going to jump on board with your project.
[/quote]
From the words of various professional developers (who I regularly talk to), RPG’s are typically the most difficult games to complete professionally. Not only do you have the engine to develop, but all of the game scripts. If this is your first project you are more than likely to not complete it, especially if it is lead by a person who is not a programmer.

Promises are easier to make than to keep, and there is about a 0.01% chance this will be completed!

#6

Sad, but true :frowning:

#7

If this offends you so much, you should try to stay from this type of topics :s after all this is the volunteer area. or did i post it in the wrong forum?

Well thank you for the good words. I will just keep on moving the way i had planned from the beginning, every aspect of the “game” that i will try to develop was not disclosed. But thanks.

I guess it was just a bad idea to request for some help. But hey who can blame for trying.

See you.

#8

You’re taking offence for no reason. It seems that everything is an argument on in chat rooms and forums as there is too much disinhibition amongst people communicating alternatively on the Internet.

I was not offended, what I am telling you is the truth. Like I said it is something you get often at the gbadev forums, and from the words of people who develop from EA (who regularly visit the board), “RPG’s rarely ever get finished for the main reason that it takes a team of full time paid professional programmers months to get anywhere”.

There are plenty of complete projects, and you may get part of an engine running - that doesn’t take long. I could probably guide any newbie programmer who comes along, but the truth of the matter is that larger projects are much less likely to get completed. Start with the general route of Pong, Arkanoid, Tetris, Space Invaders then a platform clone. RPG’s look a lot simpler than they actually are!!!

Try getting a Monopoly game, or any other board game completed first and consider that an RPG will be 1,000 times as much work - not including testing. Now multiply that by the fact that the project is not centred around a programmer, but in fact a (possible) artist/designer. And “it does not take a good game design to make a good game, it takes a great team to make a good game and an excellent team to make a great one” (another professional programmer). I’ll even go all in on my poker chips.

Best bet is to learn to program and get involved with it yourself. Look back on the Q&A I quoted, maybe I could have picked a more detailed quote but I’m not arguing, cursing, insulting or demeaning.

Ohh ohh ohh, look for the quote, “role-playing game – one of the most complicated genres to create games for” ( http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article2259.asp )

#9

I wasn’t taking it that offensive. One thing an argument by default is not something bad, is simply an exchange of ideas between 2 or more individuals.

Nobody is going to argue than an RPG or FPS or any type of game for that matter takes a large team of skilled individuals to get it finish. Also I must point out that a post like the previous is not an incentive to anyone. I have “being part of a team” no i was not a programmer i was simply a writer.

Now my programing skill leave a lot to desire the only language a learn well was Fortran :S so that goes to show. I am a computer Engineer and the only other languages I know assembly and VHDL. With such a poor background in programming my goal was simply to interest a few individuals to see maybe if we could come up with something. The description i gave in my original post was “a final product dream” to achieve that goal there are several intermediate steps that as i mention were not described.

Now getting back to the post, if your original reply would have said what the last one said. I would have said, thank you very much for your input, and reply accordingly.

Now i can sincerely say thank for your advise.

#10

lol, yeah my post was not very encouraging. But what tends to happen is that people who start in the deep end find it difficult and never return.

That RPG in a week article was a bit of a fluke find, but it’s a good development guide. I’ve actually added that link to a list of useful links I’ve recently began to maintain in another forum, and secretly I always believed I could pull something like that off myself … … … some day :smiley:

You have quite a fine background, I’m sure you’re either as modest as I am or am underestimating yourself. There is much to learn, but I doubt you’ll have much trouble. Plus you can get involved with the scripting part of the game, in fact one coder I know in a team started out as a project manager (or something of that sort) and slowly coded small parts of games. Now he’s a programmer for the team with a good salary.

#11

Currently i just need programmers, the engine is already in the work, that is the graphics engine we will of course have to do I/O and comm.

As i mentioned we are only starting the base engine started as a 2D engine but it is progressing to be a 3D, in any case just wanted to give you so background.

And i am trying to learn Java even got a book but for me it will take me a while to get to a point where i can provide some good code

#12

to start, just do a very very little RPG game , let’s say with only one/two differents units and the most simple GUI.

then you will be able to start a bigger one as you will have encounter much problems and wrong ways in your first game and you will have less problem and more chance to success the game project you have.

#13

Nothing wrong with asking for help in here :slight_smile:

The funny thing about volunteer projects like this is that:

  • Artists need programmers to make their games “go”
  • Programmers need artists to make their games pretty
  • Game designers need programmers and artists to make their games “go” and pretty

Simply put, people are too lazy and don’t care for other peoples projects, or spending their time on it. It’s a dilemma, we all need each other but we’re not willing to help each other.

Doing a 3D game is only going to make your project totally impossible to complete. Yes, we’re all negatives in here, since we do have some experience from volunteer projects :slight_smile: It’s hundreds of times more difficult to create a 3D game than a 2D game. Which means you need more professional people to help you, which means they will have tons of experience, which means they know to stay away from projects like this.

At most, you’ll be able to interest some beginners in both game programming and game art. Keeping them interested throughout the project (months, years?) is a absolute challenge, they’ll probably think “this is taking too much time” or “nothing is happening” and quit your project.

Just my five cents :wink:

#14

Well generally the best route for a programmer is to create a working game engine with dummy graphics and then artists and level designers are more likely to help. The problem most beginners have is that they often don’t know SE to start with, and I don’t know how easy it is to learn SE via the Internet although books should help get you there.

#15

I was about to ask “what is SE” ?
But then I figured you’re talking about software engineering … right ? :wink:

#16

lol, yes!

#17

it is very true what you guys are saying i have been in a couple of project myself as I mentioned before on as a helping hand but not behind the main development.

The engine that was started for this game is being worked on it is after all a 2D well started as a 2D but it is progressing or at least i hope the programmer doens’t get into too much trouble getting it done 3D :slight_smile:

I do have a modeller but of course we are waiting for the engine to be done :slight_smile: as someone mentione everyone needs everyone. And only after there is some work done other people will get involved but i hope the get there :slight_smile:

#18

I wish you good luck xracer, but keep in mind our comments, they will help you make the right decisions.

#19

http://www.banghowdy.com/launch.html

I cant imagine the works behind this game…

ps: tutorial mode is boring