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[RECRUITMENT] THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE SOME BADASSES?
Posts
Max McGee
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CloseHello!
My name is Max McGee! And I am looking for a few good badasses.
So far, the community has been very good to me! Particularly this help and request forum which has helped me resolve every single stupid scripting issue I've managed to encounter, and fulfilled every obscure script request I have come up with. But now I must ask even more.
I have a long and rocky history with being a team leader. In 2005 and 2006 I had two disasters, one right after the other, with Backstage 2 and Iron Gaia Part II: Mana From Heaven, that put me off of team projects for...well, until right now. But I am seeing a LOT ofunlikely awesome people teaming up to make AWESOME-looking games. And I want to get in on the trend.
I have been a member of the community for just under ten years. In the past two years, I have released ten games on RMN alone, five of which are complete. (Although really only three are complete, and the other two are "complete" prototypes of games I have yet to finish.) That makes my track record pretty good. Even 3 for 24 finished is better than 0 for n, where n is whatever amount of games 90% of other developers have attempted. As of the time of this writing, none of my ten games has a review under three stars so I guess they don't suck that bad either, although there are certainly people who have disagreed in the past.
If that is not enough reason for you to consider working with me, I am pleased to offer the following incentives:
*Be involved in a project that may actually see completion (tm)!
*Make something at a level of quality that is the best that Max McGee can do PLUS the best that you can do, hence, mathematically awesome!
*FULL SHARE of CREDIT in the project. i.e. if we were a three-man adventuring party in D&D and the treasure was credit, we would each get a THIRD of the treasure. There is no 'Development Lead' here.
*You will be at least temporarily a member of my startup company, Ghostlight Games, established circa 2006. Right now we're in kind of a twilight state between being a 501(c) and actually turning a profit so we can't pay you cash money dollars because I don't make any cash money dollars. I'm being totally up-front about that. 99% of my effort nowadays is trying to push my hobbies in a number of areas into becoming a business. We do try however to have enough of a presence in various arenas that you can put us on your actual IRL resume in whatever capacity you want, and I'll give you all of my IRL contact info to use as a reference/previous employer and I'll say glowing things about you if contacted. I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of you were REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE with that for one reason or another, but it is the best I can do in terms of a real, tangible reward. It is there to take advantage of if you want, otherwise disregard.
*If you ever need any help from me in any of MY areas of expertise with one of your projects, you need only to ask.
Here is what will be required of you:
*I'll need you to check in at least once a week. And I'll need to be able to reach you, ideally by AIM. If you need a week or two off and tell me, obviously that's fine but previous projects I had fell apart because key people vanished for a month or more with no notice.
*On a good week, where we all decide to be very productive on the game, I would like you to try to match my commitment of twenty hours of work that week.
*On an average or off week, I'd like it if you could still put however much time you can (two or five or ten) hours into working on the game.
*Be an absolute badass, 24/7. Not interested in working with anyone without a James Bondian level of hypercompetence. However, don't worry; if you're worrying whether or not you're badass enough, you definitely are.
Here are some things to consider:
*RPG Making will never be my only interest. Even if we discount real life and pretend I don't have one, I'm still heavily involved in the OTHER kind of roleplaying game design, as well as writing. However, I will expect that being part of a team will keep me involved in the hobby.
*This project will never be my only project. Besides my legacy projects and miscellaneous things like Mage Duel and Wanderer I will be starting another, MUCH MORE INFORMAL AND/OR WEIRDER collaborative project shortly. However, I expect that your constant communication will keep me heavily invested in this project. As a result I don't expect this project to be YOUR only project, at any point but I do expect you to do everything listed above.
IF YOU ARE STILL READING, HERE ARE THE SPECIFICS OF THE PROJECT IN QUESTION
To Arms! is a tactical RPG where you recruit, equip, and control an entire band of mercenaries.
I intend to produce and distribute it in an episodic format where each 'episode' is a stand-alone adventure (linked by threads of continuity) 1-2 hours in length, consisting of a setup phase, a series of escalating battles, and a final, climactic conflict, then a denouement, all connected by cutscenes and dialogue. Like Final Fantasy Tactics, To Arms! will primarily consist of a series of battles, as opposed to a series of dungeons which contain a variable number of battles, like in most Final Fantasy games. Although each game will be stand-alone, the progress of assembling your team and leveling up will be continuous from one episode to another, and save game transfer from episode to episode is definitely a desired feature.
I have built a fully playable prototype of To Arms! which is available here. It shows off the characters, mechanics, and tone; I want the graphics, mapping, and interface to be much better, and that is where you come in. However it should answer the crap out of ALL your questions about the project. And of course, it is only the beginning. Where it lacks content, there will be content. Where it lacks polish, there will be polish. Where it lacks balance, there will be balance. Con su asistencia.
SPRITER
I do not want to make another project using the Mack VX tiles, however it has come to my attention that my VX mapping is pretty bad. And the Mack VX tiles are very, very pretty. However, there are not NEARLY as many Mack-style VX sprites available as this project needs. Therefore, the spriter's responsibilities will be:
*Create or edit into being graphics for all of the main characters, generic units, and important NPCs that To Arms! needs. These sprites must be in a style that does not clash with the Mack VX tiles.
*Give me a starter pack of the sprites I really, really need. Then ease up, but keep sending me sprites on a weekly basis so I can keep working on the project.
TILESET EDITOR
Unlike all of the other positions, this will be much more like a one-time, part-time job. You can get in, get out, and get done in a very finite period of time. THE PROJECT CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THIS NONESSENTIAL JOB. THIS IS A 'WANT', NOT A 'NEED'. Here is the task:
*Edit the Mack VX tiles to include the full range of snow tiles from the VX RTP. Shouldn't be too tough. Any other edits you want to make to make our graphics feel more unique are obviously welcome.
VX RTP MAP GUY
I am prepared for the possibility I can't get a spriter to create what could be like 20+ original sprites for this game. THIS POSITION IS ONLY NEEDED IF I CANNOT FIND A SPRITER. If I cannot find a spriter, I will be going with the VX RTP. And I will need a VX RTP mapper. Your duties:
*Figure out a method for me to communicate to you what maps I need. In the past I tried to write down in a .txt document descriptions of all the maps I needed and how they should connect. This did not work well. Maybe I can create really terrible "blank" or "dummy" maps and you can pretty them up. I don't know. Your input requested.
*Make pretty and functional maps using the RMVX RTP.
*Deliver me the maps I need on a consistent weekly basis so I can continue working on other aspects of the project.
RGSS2 INTERFACE/AESTHETICS EXPERT
No one is asking you to script a battle system. In fact, most of the raw mechanics are in place. Your job is very specific:
*Make my menus, windows, and other interfaces look good and function cleanly.
*Be on call to help me resolve scripting snags and snafus with your superior knowledge of RGSS2.
-END OF RECRUITMENT CALL-
If you are interested in filling one of these positions- or if you have miscellaneous suggestions that could make one or more of these positions TOTALLY SUPERFLUOUS- please respond here or here!
My name is Max McGee! And I am looking for a few good badasses.
So far, the community has been very good to me! Particularly this help and request forum which has helped me resolve every single stupid scripting issue I've managed to encounter, and fulfilled every obscure script request I have come up with. But now I must ask even more.
I have a long and rocky history with being a team leader. In 2005 and 2006 I had two disasters, one right after the other, with Backstage 2 and Iron Gaia Part II: Mana From Heaven, that put me off of team projects for...well, until right now. But I am seeing a LOT of
I have been a member of the community for just under ten years. In the past two years, I have released ten games on RMN alone, five of which are complete. (Although really only three are complete, and the other two are "complete" prototypes of games I have yet to finish.) That makes my track record pretty good. Even 3 for 24 finished is better than 0 for n, where n is whatever amount of games 90% of other developers have attempted. As of the time of this writing, none of my ten games has a review under three stars so I guess they don't suck that bad either, although there are certainly people who have disagreed in the past.
If that is not enough reason for you to consider working with me, I am pleased to offer the following incentives:
*Be involved in a project that may actually see completion (tm)!
*Make something at a level of quality that is the best that Max McGee can do PLUS the best that you can do, hence, mathematically awesome!
*FULL SHARE of CREDIT in the project. i.e. if we were a three-man adventuring party in D&D and the treasure was credit, we would each get a THIRD of the treasure. There is no 'Development Lead' here.
*You will be at least temporarily a member of my startup company, Ghostlight Games, established circa 2006. Right now we're in kind of a twilight state between being a 501(c) and actually turning a profit so we can't pay you cash money dollars because I don't make any cash money dollars. I'm being totally up-front about that. 99% of my effort nowadays is trying to push my hobbies in a number of areas into becoming a business. We do try however to have enough of a presence in various arenas that you can put us on your actual IRL resume in whatever capacity you want, and I'll give you all of my IRL contact info to use as a reference/previous employer and I'll say glowing things about you if contacted. I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of you were REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE with that for one reason or another, but it is the best I can do in terms of a real, tangible reward. It is there to take advantage of if you want, otherwise disregard.
*If you ever need any help from me in any of MY areas of expertise with one of your projects, you need only to ask.
Here is what will be required of you:
*I'll need you to check in at least once a week. And I'll need to be able to reach you, ideally by AIM. If you need a week or two off and tell me, obviously that's fine but previous projects I had fell apart because key people vanished for a month or more with no notice.
*On a good week, where we all decide to be very productive on the game, I would like you to try to match my commitment of twenty hours of work that week.
*On an average or off week, I'd like it if you could still put however much time you can (two or five or ten) hours into working on the game.
*Be an absolute badass, 24/7. Not interested in working with anyone without a James Bondian level of hypercompetence. However, don't worry; if you're worrying whether or not you're badass enough, you definitely are.
Here are some things to consider:
*RPG Making will never be my only interest. Even if we discount real life and pretend I don't have one, I'm still heavily involved in the OTHER kind of roleplaying game design, as well as writing. However, I will expect that being part of a team will keep me involved in the hobby.
*This project will never be my only project. Besides my legacy projects and miscellaneous things like Mage Duel and Wanderer I will be starting another, MUCH MORE INFORMAL AND/OR WEIRDER collaborative project shortly. However, I expect that your constant communication will keep me heavily invested in this project. As a result I don't expect this project to be YOUR only project, at any point but I do expect you to do everything listed above.
IF YOU ARE STILL READING, HERE ARE THE SPECIFICS OF THE PROJECT IN QUESTION
To Arms! is a tactical RPG where you recruit, equip, and control an entire band of mercenaries.
I intend to produce and distribute it in an episodic format where each 'episode' is a stand-alone adventure (linked by threads of continuity) 1-2 hours in length, consisting of a setup phase, a series of escalating battles, and a final, climactic conflict, then a denouement, all connected by cutscenes and dialogue. Like Final Fantasy Tactics, To Arms! will primarily consist of a series of battles, as opposed to a series of dungeons which contain a variable number of battles, like in most Final Fantasy games. Although each game will be stand-alone, the progress of assembling your team and leveling up will be continuous from one episode to another, and save game transfer from episode to episode is definitely a desired feature.
I have built a fully playable prototype of To Arms! which is available here. It shows off the characters, mechanics, and tone; I want the graphics, mapping, and interface to be much better, and that is where you come in. However it should answer the crap out of ALL your questions about the project. And of course, it is only the beginning. Where it lacks content, there will be content. Where it lacks polish, there will be polish. Where it lacks balance, there will be balance. Con su asistencia.
HELP WANTED: BADASSES INQUIRE WITHIN
Not all of these positions are necessarily needed. For example, I only need the mapper if I cannot get the Spriter.SPRITER
I do not want to make another project using the Mack VX tiles, however it has come to my attention that my VX mapping is pretty bad. And the Mack VX tiles are very, very pretty. However, there are not NEARLY as many Mack-style VX sprites available as this project needs. Therefore, the spriter's responsibilities will be:
*Create or edit into being graphics for all of the main characters, generic units, and important NPCs that To Arms! needs. These sprites must be in a style that does not clash with the Mack VX tiles.
*Give me a starter pack of the sprites I really, really need. Then ease up, but keep sending me sprites on a weekly basis so I can keep working on the project.
TILESET EDITOR
Unlike all of the other positions, this will be much more like a one-time, part-time job. You can get in, get out, and get done in a very finite period of time. THE PROJECT CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THIS NONESSENTIAL JOB. THIS IS A 'WANT', NOT A 'NEED'. Here is the task:
*Edit the Mack VX tiles to include the full range of snow tiles from the VX RTP. Shouldn't be too tough. Any other edits you want to make to make our graphics feel more unique are obviously welcome.
VX RTP MAP GUY
I am prepared for the possibility I can't get a spriter to create what could be like 20+ original sprites for this game. THIS POSITION IS ONLY NEEDED IF I CANNOT FIND A SPRITER. If I cannot find a spriter, I will be going with the VX RTP. And I will need a VX RTP mapper. Your duties:
*Figure out a method for me to communicate to you what maps I need. In the past I tried to write down in a .txt document descriptions of all the maps I needed and how they should connect. This did not work well. Maybe I can create really terrible "blank" or "dummy" maps and you can pretty them up. I don't know. Your input requested.
*Make pretty and functional maps using the RMVX RTP.
*Deliver me the maps I need on a consistent weekly basis so I can continue working on other aspects of the project.
RGSS2 INTERFACE/AESTHETICS EXPERT
No one is asking you to script a battle system. In fact, most of the raw mechanics are in place. Your job is very specific:
*Make my menus, windows, and other interfaces look good and function cleanly.
*Be on call to help me resolve scripting snags and snafus with your superior knowledge of RGSS2.
-END OF RECRUITMENT CALL-
If you are interested in filling one of these positions- or if you have miscellaneous suggestions that could make one or more of these positions TOTALLY SUPERFLUOUS- please respond here or here!
post=127810
But I am seeing a LOT of unlikely people teaming up to make AWESOME-looking games. And I want to get in on the trend.
Are you saying that Karsuman and I are completely unlike in every way possible except both being males and interested in vaguely RPG-like games?
...You are completely unlike in every way possible except both being males and interested in vaguely RPG-like games.
:|
:|
You are not the unlikely team I was referring to but...now that you mention it...anyway let me edit that line I did not mean to offend anyone!
post=127815
You are not the unlikely team I was referring to but...now that you mention it...anyway let me edit that line I did not mean to offend anyone!
But I am seeing a LOT of unlikeable people teaming up to make AWESOME-looking games. And I want to get in on the trend.
ZING! and DOUBLEZING!
also, I don't have time to work on a team project. I am too unreliable with my time commitment. /isnotbadass
So who exactly WERE you referring to? There aren't exactly a lot of collaborative projects on RMN. I can really only think of Ill Will off the top of my head.
Alright Tardis, I changed the one of those two things that did not fit with my vision of the project. I should have said "with me", not "for me".
Kentona:
Unsurprising. You are very busy.
Solitayre:
Is it really important? It wasn't any one project. Ill Will and The Colony and Avarice just for starters are projects featuring for me odd but awesome combinations of talents. I don't think it's really important though.
Calunio:
Um, thanks. Do you do any of the things I listed that I need here? Just out of curiosity.
Kentona:
Unsurprising. You are very busy.
Solitayre:
Is it really important? It wasn't any one project. Ill Will and The Colony and Avarice just for starters are projects featuring for me odd but awesome combinations of talents. I don't think it's really important though.
Calunio:
Um, thanks. Do you do any of the things I listed that I need here? Just out of curiosity.
I guess I just don't see what's "odd" about people with different talents working together. To me that seems "logical."
Anyhow, good luck with the project.
Anyhow, good luck with the project.
Mr.Nemo
1295
I've only just begun making some original tiles for VX and I do have a project I'm working on slowly... however, unlike last time, when I was about fifteen years old (Iron Gaia II, +rmxp was new and I couldn't sprite worth shit), I actually have something to offer; since I enjoyed quite a few of your endeavors. (also, if I remember correctly, I did edit some of those dungeon-crawler tiles for that defunct communtiy project, was it last year?).
Now, if I'm going to be in on this as mainly a tileset/spriting/graphics/mapping dude (whatever the need is), I have to adress one thing with To Arms! immediately - the battle interface. 4 characters viewed at a time out of 15? I was so confused :( (but I'm sure that's meaning to get fixed anyway).
EDIT: also, if my avatar doesn't tell you how fucking badass I am, i must break you
Now, if I'm going to be in on this as mainly a tileset/spriting/graphics/mapping dude (whatever the need is), I have to adress one thing with To Arms! immediately - the battle interface. 4 characters viewed at a time out of 15? I was so confused :( (but I'm sure that's meaning to get fixed anyway).
EDIT: also, if my avatar doesn't tell you how fucking badass I am, i must break you
@Mr. Nemo:
I am acceptably scared of your avatar. I suppose one very dedicated person could fill two out of three positions. You can have sprite dude and tileset editing dude if you like (and I will handle the mapping since I am at least DECENT with the Mack tiles and doing all three is way too much responsibility for one guy) -- I feel that you have more than proven your abilities to me over time and I do remember the quick work you did on Deeper. Are you quite certain you are up to making what would start as around twenty and what could eventually be fifty or more Mack-style VX sprites? That is the largest task here. If you are willing, you have the job.
Let me address your concern:
Spoiler:
I am hoping I can get someone to help me with this. I don't like it either (although I did find it was totally playable since I could just go to item, select a Healing Salve, and then use that to scroll around and see my party's status) and the shop screen bothered me even more.
I am acceptably scared of your avatar. I suppose one very dedicated person could fill two out of three positions. You can have sprite dude and tileset editing dude if you like (and I will handle the mapping since I am at least DECENT with the Mack tiles and doing all three is way too much responsibility for one guy) -- I feel that you have more than proven your abilities to me over time and I do remember the quick work you did on Deeper. Are you quite certain you are up to making what would start as around twenty and what could eventually be fifty or more Mack-style VX sprites? That is the largest task here. If you are willing, you have the job.
Let me address your concern:
I have to adress one thing with To Arms! immediately - the battle interface. 4 characters viewed at a time out of 15? I was so confused :( (but I'm sure that's meaning to get fixed anyway).
Spoiler:
RGSS2 INTERFACE/AESTHETICS EXPERTNo one is asking you to script a battle system. In fact, most of the raw mechanics are in place. Your job is very specific:
*Make my menus, windows, and other interfaces look good and function cleanly.
*Be on call to help me resolve scripting snags and snafus with your superior knowledge of RGSS2.
I am hoping I can get someone to help me with this. I don't like it either (although I did find it was totally playable since I could just go to item, select a Healing Salve, and then use that to scroll around and see my party's status) and the shop screen bothered me even more.
AznChipmunk
4613
There is no 'Development Lead' here.
This is one of my favorite concepts.
post=127856
Is it really important? It wasn't any one project. Ill Will and The Colony and Avarice just for starters are projects featuring for me odd but awesome combinations of talents. I don't think it's really important though.
lolcolony
AznChipmunk I don't mean to presume, I know you are busy but since you are posting in my topic...is there any way YOU can help with this?
AznChipmunk
4613
I am not much of a spriter/tileset editor, do not have VX, and am not familiar with RGSS2, so not really. =P
And yes, I am pretty busy.
And yes, I am pretty busy.
S. F. LaValle
1069
I know you don't refer specifically to any collaborative project, but I've been able to get a glimpse into how Karsuman and Craze go about doing what they do.
The only reason I bring it up was from reading the commitments requested from prospective applicants. It's true that lack of dedication would kill a collab. project, but I think requiring a certain level of dedication can also bring it down, or at least end the involvement of that contributor. Like you said, no one's getting paid cash money, so letting contributors work at their own pace, while you provide any incentive you can to keep them working, relieves the stress of expectation. I've seen far too many projects die for this exact scenario: the game's "lead developer" (more on that later) wants the contributors to keep pace, while contributors genuinely want to help, but can't make the time commitments to keep the lead happy. Most of the time, contributed work is scrapped and the project is worse off than before, it not canceled.
To help avoid this problem, one can establish templates of the work that will be contributed (for example, create a sprite sheet that shows each facing direction and expression so that the spriter knows what is needed, while the eventer is able to continue working using the sprite template sheet). The falling out of collaborators most often occurs when the game's lead cannot (or believes she or he cannot) continue working on the game without contributed resources.
From the sounds of things, the game's already planned out, and you're looking for resources. This is fine, and it's cool that you want to share even credit with all contributors, but make no mistake; you're still the game's lead. You're maintaining creative control of the story, setting, gameplay elements, and more. I'm sure you'll be open to ideas and all, just don't underestimate how much of your content you're going to want to keep the way you designed it.
There's nothing wrong with requesting for team members for resources and such, but I think that the synergy you're seeing with the collab. projects you're referring to comes from designing the game together, as a group. This way, the story and the core of the game can be built around everyone's strengths, and everyone can have their needs represented. People can choose their own challenges, and when everyone is satisfied with a compromise, they are driven and inspired to create the world they each helped to build. Sure, you might be able to find people who only want to make other people's ideas come to life, but I wanted to identify what I think is a large part of why these collab projects have been successful.
For example, I am contributing music for Karsuman and Craze's next game, but they've given me rein to offer input on much of the creative body of the game (to a degree, wherein I can provide the "player's" perspective on how the story and events of the game are consumed).
The only reason I bring it up was from reading the commitments requested from prospective applicants. It's true that lack of dedication would kill a collab. project, but I think requiring a certain level of dedication can also bring it down, or at least end the involvement of that contributor. Like you said, no one's getting paid cash money, so letting contributors work at their own pace, while you provide any incentive you can to keep them working, relieves the stress of expectation. I've seen far too many projects die for this exact scenario: the game's "lead developer" (more on that later) wants the contributors to keep pace, while contributors genuinely want to help, but can't make the time commitments to keep the lead happy. Most of the time, contributed work is scrapped and the project is worse off than before, it not canceled.
To help avoid this problem, one can establish templates of the work that will be contributed (for example, create a sprite sheet that shows each facing direction and expression so that the spriter knows what is needed, while the eventer is able to continue working using the sprite template sheet). The falling out of collaborators most often occurs when the game's lead cannot (or believes she or he cannot) continue working on the game without contributed resources.
From the sounds of things, the game's already planned out, and you're looking for resources. This is fine, and it's cool that you want to share even credit with all contributors, but make no mistake; you're still the game's lead. You're maintaining creative control of the story, setting, gameplay elements, and more. I'm sure you'll be open to ideas and all, just don't underestimate how much of your content you're going to want to keep the way you designed it.
There's nothing wrong with requesting for team members for resources and such, but I think that the synergy you're seeing with the collab. projects you're referring to comes from designing the game together, as a group. This way, the story and the core of the game can be built around everyone's strengths, and everyone can have their needs represented. People can choose their own challenges, and when everyone is satisfied with a compromise, they are driven and inspired to create the world they each helped to build. Sure, you might be able to find people who only want to make other people's ideas come to life, but I wanted to identify what I think is a large part of why these collab projects have been successful.
For example, I am contributing music for Karsuman and Craze's next game, but they've given me rein to offer input on much of the creative body of the game (to a degree, wherein I can provide the "player's" perspective on how the story and events of the game are consumed).
