If retro shmup is what you like...we NEED you!
Who are we?
We are a small team (developer, social media/hiring/promo person, Music Composer/Director, Sound Editor, Awesome Unity Programmer), in super desperate NEED of....hot pockets....and a pixel artist!
What are we doing?
We are creating an awesome blast-from-the-past retro 80's top-down shmup with a twist or five for Android and eventually other platforms. Our primary goal is to create a demo of the game to relaunch our kickstarter. We are new to crowdfunding, and didn't realize how super duper vital a demo of the game is for getting backers, but you can check out our kickstarter page for more information: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/191678347/neowing-exe to get an idea of the game concept. Attached is a video introducing E.X.E.
We currently have or are working on:
GDD
Theme song concept
Sprites (basics that could use improvements!
Website
Social Media promos
What are we paying?
Currently, we are all working for free! However, if you make the cut, help us create an awesome demo, and we get crowdfunded:
you will be paid for the work you did completing the game demo.
you will be offered a contract for completing the game with us and your fee will be negotiated (we are fair!).
you will be offered several in game perks, so you can enjoy the game that you helped create!
Your Qualifications:
8 bit/16 bit graphics- ultimate awesome top down space/volcano/forrest/WHATEVER is cool background creator!
Good communicator and ability to work well with others!
You already have some form of income, but are looking for something FUN with potential for a real nice comission (if our kickstarter gets funded, you will be compensated for your contributions, and offered a contract for finishing the game with us)!
Interested? Please send me a message and we can get the ball rolling. Our goal is to have every team member on our slack channel and looking at our GDD on google docs by Saturday 11/18. We like to get things done!!!
what is a shump game plz?
i did alot of reading and not my thing sorry, but wish you all the best, i wasnt sure either exactly what you asking for except artist and funding
best regards
Ninja Dog
shmup*
Ninja Dog
A have a couple of questions regarding this project, before I can consider contributing to it:
The video makes little sense, explains none of the gameplay or the goals you are trying to achieve? I know you don't have a demo yet, as you said yourself, this is pretty essential because that video is more confusing than anyhting.
What sort of sprites have you made already?
What are the twists in this game you mentioned, and what is the storyline?
What happens if the kickstarter fails again?
What does "Good communicator and ability to work well with others" actually mean in a practical context? Do you need english speaking skills, because if you do then I definitely won't cut it.
Same for "8 bit/16 bit graphics- ultimate awesome top down space/volcano/forrest/WHATEVER is cool background creator!", what does that actually mean in a practical context, like, do you have any examples of the style you're going for yet?
Hopefully you can enlighten me :) and provide me with some insight. I also have several other projects though, but I guess it won't hurt to at least get some more concrete and practical information about yours.
~Kir
@Ninja Dog, "shmup" is a scrolling shooter.
Ok, sorry about all my crap questions Neowing. I see the kickstarter page for the game explains it.
But the way you write things is incredibly strange. Very methaphorical and self-ironic, not very structured.
If I were to give you some advice Neowing, being too self-ironic and smirky will cause you to seem almost sarcastic, like you're not really taking your audience seriously. I think this is a concern if you want to attract kickstarter backers and make them give you their money.
Also, why does this game have a 10,000$ goal? It seems insanely high, you should be able to do it for 10% of that I would believe. Your lackluster (again, overly self-ironic) explanation of what the money is going to be used for doesn't help much to justify this.
You need to write in a more serious and professional style if you want this game to get funded, I would say. You don't need to be dry, but you also need to be informative.
Thank you for the advice Kir :D. A different team member wrote the Kickstarter page, but we do work as a team and have discussed a more direct approach with clear demonstrations. As far as what the money will go towards:
Advertising
paying the team (programmer, 2 sound guys, and a graphics designer/coordinator
liscences/platform fees
Creating/shipping the rewards to the kick starter pledges (t-shirts and whatever else)
I have talked to a unity programmer who owns his own company and has succesfully created 2 games using Unity. He pays programmers around $50 or more an hour.
I have done "some" research on graphic artists and getting the rights to their work. It seems to run a few hundred dollars per set of background tiles.
Advertising can be insanely expensive depending on how much exposure we want.
What happens if we don't reach the kickstarter goal:
We are planning our relaunch by doing the following:
Working on the website
Gathering a Twitter/FB following
Creating examples of the t-shirts and other pledge incentives
Creating the demo and other videos that will focus on game content and the business plan.
If you are interested, please message me with examples of your work. Thank you for your reply.
I wonder why you need programmers and artists that expensive for an ostensibly simple game like this. I think you might be getting scammed too, I don't think you need to spend between 50 and 100$ an hour to get the sort of game that your kickstarter page seems to suggest, in fact a game like this would probably be simple enough to make that you can learn the programming yourself (given that it's in unity), or at least find someone less expensive, because that is possible. It seems also like a wierd train of thought for me thast you want to pay the programmers lots of money up front while the artists you naturally just expect them to trust your promises?
Regarding my work I don't have any shmup stuff lying around, but I can make a few examples I suppose.
I hope your project is a success. I agree a demo is super important. It shows you aren't just screwing around looking for easy money. When people see a playable demo (even if it has not-so-hot graphics or incomplete features) they are reassured their investment isn't so risky.
In a similar manner, artists might feel this is a bit of a risky investment of their time because they don't see a playable demo yet. I know, I know: classic chicken vs egg; artwork is needed to make the demo, demo is needed to recruit artists.
But why not use the already-existing-and-free shmup graphics here on OGA as stand-in artwork so you can get something demonstrably playable? Not only are they free, they're available right now. That could save you some time (of which you have shockingly little before the kickstarter closes) not having to wait for artists to provide special-request graphics.
--Medicine StormMedicineStorm that is a good idea, I will look around for graphics we can use. We know our first kickstarter will not meet the goal, but we are using it as a learning experience. Thank you for your advice.
Kir, I never said we were paying our programmer first. I was explaining that I know how much a good programmer generally charges. I think I will take MedicineStorm's advice and get a demo together even if it is sub-par or borrowed graphics. Your response about my request for samples was less than enthusiastic, and we only want motivated and excited members on our team.
Thanks everyone for looking.
@Neowing You wrote in your post up front that you were going to pay your programmers 50$ a hour, but that the artists had to negotiate a price. And yes I have to admit that I do not have much faith in this project. Nonetheless, best of luck to ya.
i dream of $50 an hr:)
best regards:)
Ninja Dog