Hobby Video Game Studio looking for Concept Artists, Designers, Writers

Do you want to help create the “next big thing” in video games? Are you an aspiring writer, artist, designer and/or programmer, looking to join a passionate team of game designers? Are you an educated and experienced member of the video game industry looking for freelance work, the opportunity to help a fellow member, or simply looking for some work to add to your demo?

If you answered yes to ANY of the above questions, read on to learn about a great opportunity. 


Team name:
Devilish Advocates

Project name: 
The GAME

Obviously, this is a tentative title being used to describe the project.

Brief description:
The Game will be a true “next-gen” title, promising a fully immersive world and an interactive and unique story-line. The main theme of The Game is to “go anywhere, master everything”. What that means is that the game will be modeled in such a way that the player is presented with a beautiful and well developed world, full of many unique and interesting cultures, and is then able to change and manipulate any facets of that world to their liking through game play. The Game is similar in the vein of open-world “sand-box” games like Grand-Theft Auto or Crackdown, in which the player is simply thrown in to a world and is able to do whatever they like, but will also feature the epic story-line of your typical RPG, like Oblivion or Final Fantasy, that will also change and adapt depending on how the player chooses to progress through the story. 

The setting for the game is the world of Fa'lyn, a world both very similar to our own and far different than anything that can be found here. It is a world in which magic is commonplace, but unlike the typical RPG, mankind has not been arbitrarily forced into a somewhat limiting medieval-like setting, like in Fable or Oblivion. Instead, the world is very diverse but modern, with cultures and locations that range from modern American-like cities to small European country villages, and also some more radical locations. The game-play of The Game is very open-ended, providing the player with a wealth of choices in how to play and what specific story line they will experience. The world of Fa'lyn has a host of jobs to try out or items to discover, and is filled with intelligent and interactive people that will help guide and entertain the player. Behind the more basic sandbox game play, there is also a very deep and compelling story being told, and the player’s actions and choices will have a major part in how the game plays out. Essentially, The Game will have a little bit of something for everyone to discover and enjoy, and each and every choice they make will in turn have an effect on the game and the way it plays.

Please, don’t be daunted by this description, we realize it may be a bit overwhelming to think about, but this is a serious venture and we have a lot of background thought and planning going into this title. Obviously, we can’t really expose a lot of that to the public domain, but keep reading on to learn how to find out more about the title.


Target aim:
Though this game has been “in production” for over a year and a half, it began as a simple dream game to get us through the down times during college. However, it has since blossomed into a fully fleshed out title that we hope to turn into a AAA title sometime in the future. 

That being said, our current (read: more realistic) aim is to continue to flesh out the game’s design, and our current end goal is a playable demo game showcasing all the important features of The GAME. We plan to release this demo at the very least to the XNA community, however we hope to use this demo to further realize our dreams of picking up a publisher and somehow bringing this game to market, whether as an indie or a AAA title.


Compensation:
Right now, you'd be working for free, as we do not currently have any financial backing. In the future, we hope to be able to compensate all members involved. At the least, all contributers would receive credit for their work. If we do make it to demo status or even commercial status, we will be more than willing to negotiate compensation for all contributers. If nothing else, this is a great opportunity to network and add to your demo work!

Technology:
Our target system is the Xbox 360, for no particular reason besides the fact that XNA is (IMHO) the easiest and best way to do an underground indie game with the possibility of turning it into a full AAA title. You have the benefit of being able to program on the PC while still being able to test and distribute the game on the Xbox 360.

Talent needed:

Art:

Concept Artists – At the moment, this is our greatest need. While we have some great design descriptions and a lot of direction for the art style, we are currently in dire need of someone(s) with the artistic talent to bring our ideas to life. There is room for various types of artists, whether you’re interested in character design, world/level design, fashion, User Interface / HUD design, or quite honestly anything else you can think of that involves artwork. We are attempting to bring a whole world to life (think Oblivion), so there are plenty of places to fill.

3D Modelers / Riggers / Animators – Right now, we consider ourselves still in the design phase, but similar to Concept artists there is plenty that will need to be done. If you have experience doing both concept art and modeling, we will absolutely love you, but even if you just have experience in one section, feel free to send us your information. Riggers and Animators should preferably have some experience using tools like Endorphin or Motion Builder, but this is a preference not a requirement.

Texture Artists – Once again, this is more for future use, but we welcome any and all information you can provide so that when we get into the full demo phase, we have plenty of enthusiastic and passionate workers. 

In general, if you have any interest please feel free to send us your information, right now we are really trying to build up a base of interested people. Don’t hesitate if you feel you may not have the correct talent or if you simply want to know more about the project before you commit to anything, there’s a lot we are leaving out due to legality. One hint, if you loved the concept of procedural artwork as seen in Spore but would like to see it applied to a more realistic and human setting along with a great narrative, please get in touch!

Gameplay:

Designers – We would love to hear from any aspiring designers! Currently, there is a lot of design work to be done in The Game, basically to flesh out some systems where the direction is in place but details are lacking. This is a HUGE project, so there is a lot of material to work with and help out on. We’re looking for people with an interest in RPG design, things like skill trees or leveling up systems, as well as some Platformer or FPS knowledge, as in combat systems similar to those seen in games like Oblivion, Halo, or Call of Duty 4, and/or Bioshock. 

We are also looking for those who may have a more traditional 2D mindset, like Diner Dash or Cake Mania or other typical flash games. And as if we haven’t said enough, we would love someone with an interest in casual games you would find on the Wii, like Cooking Mama or Harvest Moon.

Basically, any type of game play designer is welcome, Programming experience would be a huge bonus, but the only thing required is a healthy imagination combined with the ability to coherently discuss your ideas. This can be using the written word, (WRITERS WELCOME) or simply through a quick art sketch or even a powerpoint, as long as you can get your ideas across in a legible and cohesive manner.

Sound – Were looking for composers and sfx designers that are looking to design some great and original works. We want people of all influences, but with an ear for popular tracks. While we have some room for “classical” orchestral composers, we’re more looking for people who enjoy “beat” making and would prefer someone(s) with Hip-Hop, Pop Rock, or Techno/Club/DrumNBass influences. 

Story:

Writers – While we have already invested a lot of our time arranging the story line that takes place in The GAME, there is still a TON of work left to do. Were looking for people who can handle direction and criticism, as there are some limitations and boundaries you’ll have to work within, but also people who let their imaginations soar. The perfect applicant would be a great lover of Sci-fi/Fantasy literature that has worked on or dreamt about creating Fan Fiction. A love of anime or a science fiction film buff would be a definite plus, but generally we’re just looking for people with passion and a great imagination.


Team structure:
While we have a few people on standby that help out when they can, most of the people working on the project are friends and family members with other commitments to handle. As of right now, the only person you really need to know and love is me:

Winston Miller – Lead Designer and Programmer Extraordinaire

I am a recent graduate of Full Sail University, with a Bachelors degree in Game Development. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I have had an interest in game design and development since I could handle a controller, and after playing Final Fantasy 7 (like many others) I decided to dedicate my life and passion to the gaming industry. I’ve been a programmer since high school, and was able to further my knowledge of game programming, game design, and the gaming industry as a whole through my tenure at Full Sail. While obviously I don’t have a wealth of experience, I hope to use this project as a way to further my knowledge, and at the very least it helps me learn about team management while at the same time giving me the chance to continue expanding my programming and design experience.


Website:
Right now, with a minimum of funding (read: we are broke), we don’t have a major website, though that is a major focus for the future. If there are any web designers out there who have knowledge of PHP or Flash design and want to help us out and expand their demo work, feel free to get in touch. 

However, until we get our company and game site up and running, we can currently be found on google groups at: 

Devilish Advocates Google Group 

[link]

Contacts:

The GAME related emails should be sent to our google groups email at:

Devilish Advocates [email protected]

But we can also be reached at my personal email address

Winston’s Hotmail [email protected]

Or

Winston’s Gmail [email protected]


Previous Work by Team:
You can find out more about me and my experience at my website:
My Website [link]

Additional Info:
So if you’ve made it this far, awesome! I know we haven’t actually given a lot of detail about what you’re entering in to, but that should give you some indication that we’re actually serious about this idea, and think it’s so good we don’t want to give everything away. Now, just a little forewarning, if you do choose to express interest and want to know more about The GAME, you will be required to fill out a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), however, please don’t let that scare you away! Please, if you have any interest whatsoever, feel free to use one of the above contacts to hit us up, we’ll be able to give you a bit more information and get the ball rolling. 

To Summarize what were looking for: 

WE NEED ARTISTS!

This is our most important position right now. Concept artists please get in touch!

WE NEED DESIGNERS!

Right on the heels of the artwork is our need for designers, whether it be game play or narrative.


Also, if you’re just interested in what the heck were talking about, feel free to shoot us an email!


Feedback:
Any, though please refrain from simply spamming or flaming. We’re open to constructive criticism.