KEZARIM'S PROFILE

Since, sadly, no mapper could be found yet, i am still looking, and would be happy to hear from anyone else who's interested.

author=kory_toombs
You should say you want it, show examples, then demand an outrageous price, job benefits, and a lengthy work schedule. That's the best way to say no.

I laughed very hard at that one :D

author=bulmabriefs144
I've done parallax mapping using GIMP. But it's largely using photography. Also, I don't want the job.

I somewhat appreciate this post. You communicate a lot of interesting information. So you have done parallax mapping using gimp, reinforcing that my offer is not an unrealistic demand. You also state that you actually read all the information i gave, which makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. You generate some interest and activity in this thread, which might lure in mappers who actually do want the job. Also, you don't want the job.

I am STILL wondering why he posted at all, but i somewhat appreciate that he did.


@Everyone: Thanks all of you for your interest in this project. I've been shown some amazing artwork and examples from all of you, and i am somewhat angry at myself that i didn't post here earlier. Currently, i have selected a few artist among all the applications, and am doing a small trial project with them. I will post here once/if we find a match where artist and me are both happy with the conditions.

Hello Everyone,

i am looking for a parallax mapper to help me with my current indie game project. Now let's start with introducing the game:

How We Die

"How We Die" is a grim and dark urban fantasy RPG.

Story
The game takes place in the modern time. The main character is a standard, everyday wage slave, working in a big company. He goes to work everyday, follows orders and lives a pretty normal, boring, pointless life. And he is super unhappy about it, but cannot or doesnt want to change anything.

But one day, right after he falls asleep, a wolf-like creature asks him to join her in a wonderland-esque parallel world. Reluctant at first, he gradually dives into the new, different world, where life is ... better? Violent. Full of action. Where he can kill bad guys, get the girls and BE SOMEONE.

He starts to visit every night. During the day, he still goes to work. But gradually, he notices that things from the one world influence the other. And he starts doubting if what he dreams are only dreams. Or if he is sane at all.

Finally, he needs to decide what world he wants to live in, and what he wants for his life. To quote my own script for the game:

"It does not matter how we live. The only thing that really matters - is how we die."

Sensitive Topics

The game touches the topics of violence, murder, suicide, has mild sexual topics (but no pornography or such), and bad language. Lots of it. Even though all of these things have a meaning. They usually prompt the player to make decisions, that alter the game progress and finally the game ending. None of it is in the game "just because".

Technology

Now this is where it gets tricky. The game is not done in RPG Maker. I am a programmer, and i had 1.5 years of free time, so i wrote my own engine. I would dare to say it's significantly more powerful than what RPG maker offers in terms of graphic quality. It's using openGL, has a native resolution of 1920x1080, dynamic lighting and weather effects, a physics and particle engine, an AI that can do more than just throw rocks in your directions (takes cover, heals, resupplies, NPc flee or help each other), and since i wrote the whole engine myself, we have basically all the freedom in the world when it comes to scripts.

It does take up much more performance than the RPG maker stuff, though, and of course i do not have a fancy editor / editing tool like RPG maker has. Therefore, the only way i can read maps is through parallax mapping.

Misc
How We Die will be a commercial project, and sold on steam. I do not expect any significant revenues or great popularity, though. To be honest: i am doing this because i want to release my own game, not to make money.

Since pictures say more than words, here is an ingame screenshot:


And to showcase some basic scripting and lighting:





Job offer

Since i am only a programmer and a writer, and not a designer, i have run into the limits of my capabilities when it comes to mapping. This is where you could help out!

Your profile
-You have experience working with GIMP (or photoshop, and are willing to learn)
-You know your way around parallax mapping
-You can do a grim, dark map style
-Indoor(City, village) as well as outdoor(city / forest / village) maps will be required. Maybe 1-2 special dreamscapes, where you can go wild a bit if you want.
-I would very much prefer one single designer to do all the maps, so you need some "free" time for the project. I would like to get done sometime this year.

Job profile
-I need 15-20 parallax maps of different sizes (varying from very small to 2048x2048 pixels maximum size)
-The maps need to be provided as GIMP files.
-You will be provided detailed descriptions of each map beforehand.
-You do not need to do lighting or scripting, that i will do myself. I only need the GIMP file.
-I have licensed several tilesets to work with, and i have a freelance pixel artist and an animator at hand if we need artwork. You will be provided all of that artwork to work with, no need to collect or license anything yourself. You CAN do your own artwork if you want, and i am willing to pay extra if you do. Please remember that we cannot never ever use RPG Maker resources, as these are not licensed for use in other engines.
-If you require any tools, I will provide them
-This is a paid offer. I do not offer any revenue shares or anything, as i feel i'd be tricking you. Instead, i would like to pay you a certain amount of money for each map you make, depending on size and complexity. I am on a budget, though, so i cannot pay you more than 50$ per map. If your rates are higher, and we still agree to work together, because you are awesome, we need to stretch out our cooperation over a longer period of time, so i can still afford your work.

Interested?
Please answer here or via message. If you have some artwork to showcase, i would be happy to look at it. Also, if you have rates in your mind, please let me know, too.

I would be happy to hear from you.