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Sixth Extinction RTS Demo Team Recruitment

Started by SteelRain4eva Aug 6, 2006 at 4:13 PM 6 replies 3.3k views
Original Post
SteelRain4eva
SteelRain4eva
Team name: Mind Games Studios (not registered) Project name: Sixth Extinction Brief description: Multiplayer pre-production PC demo for a 3D modern military RTS game. The focus of this demo is game play. How the interface functionality, unit control and probability systems lead to never-seen-before modern military RTS game play. Please review the Home Page for the highlights of the game design. Also, we want to complete this demo in a timely fashion so as to prove the ability of the team to set goals and stick to them. Once we have enough talent, and everyone is familiar with the technology that they will be using, we will officially set a one-year completion date for the demo project. We have a loosely constructed project layout that we will do our best to stick to. The Torque Game Engine in action, some of you may recognize the RTS Starter Kit mission map underneath that Sixth Extinction user interface. Target aim: This demo will be used to gain a publishing deal to lead to a full production retail release. Compensation: Long-term team members will be welcome to join the final production team after a publisher picks up the game. Long-term team members that do not join the final production team will be compensated through a contractual agreement that will assure them a minimum dollar amount (nothing huge, a couple hundred usd to show my thanks), any additional amount will be determined during the full production contractual negotiations. This agreement, and other legal issues, will be addressed after some longevity of the project has been established. I am covering minimal support costs for programs and related materials/books. Team members that offer a limited amount of useable material will be listed by name in all levels of the game credits. (Credible Experience) Programming Technology: Torque Game Engine 1.4 Torque RTS Starter Kit (Converted for Torque 1.4) Torsion (Alpha) – Torque Script Development Environment Torque Show Tool Pro Torque Constructor – Map editor that is currently an in-house beta at Garage Games and is soon to be released Subversion with Tortoise Shell – Revision Control System – Non-server variant managed by the project leader Coders are welcome to use whatever C++ compiler they are comfortable with. There is support from the Garage Games community for the use of MS Visual C++ 2005 Express, which then requires the installation and configuration of Windows Server 2003 SP1 Platform SDK DTS export compatible 3D modeling programs: Studio Max 4.2+ Maya 4.5-7.0 Lightwave 7.5+ Blender 2.43 MilkShape 1.7.0 Studio Max 7+ is preferred as there is a greater amount of support for 3ds Max from Garage Games and the Garage Games community than there is for other modeling programs. Talent needed: Lead Programmer – Must be experienced with the Torque Game Engine, and can contribute 15+ hours a week. For the following positions please be able to contribute at least 10 hours per week on average. C++ Coders and Torque Scripters Modelers (low poly count) Animators 2D Texture Artists Team structure: Team began forming in May 2006. This is an online demo project and all members are part-time except for myself (Chad Freseman). If I’m awake, I’m working on this! Chad Freseman – Project Leader, Game Designer, Physicist/Mathematician, Musician and Webmaster (Amateur coder and modeler). Members listed in order of joining the team. Denis Chinkevitch – College Graduate C++ Coder Martin Kirkley – College Graduate C++ Coder (AI Coder), 2D and 3D Artist Chris Delong – 3D Modeler Russell Stern – C++ Coder Calin Negru – Industry Experienced Game Developer, Coder, 2D and 3D Artist Website: Public information can be found here: www.glhfgg.com Information about me can be found on the Contact Page. Two demo songs can be found at the bottom of the Contact Page. Additional Info: Please review the Features listed on the Home Page. Please review the Units Page: The “Tactical Orders” operate from a target set that prioritizes weapons and targets and also determines what finite-ammo-weapons will be used automatically. I have been working on this game design, off and on, for 8 years. I have a professional attitude and have experience working with teams in a technical atmosphere. I have generated a great deal of highly detailed documentation; this documentation is listed by title on the Home Page. Contact: If you would like to communicate with me please visit the Contact Page and/or send me an email. chad (at) glhfgg.com Feedback: If you feel this project has merit a “bump post” or equivalent would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Chad Freseman
SteelRain4eva
SteelRain4eva
i feel my project has merit, so... "bump"!

-Chad
aaroncox1234
aaroncox1234
Could you give more details on what you're looking for with C++ Coders? What kind of experience are you expecting and what sort of work do you expect them to do?

I'm very interested in the project but I don't have any experience with Torque. I have done a bunch of 2D game projects however, and I'm currently working on a 3D project using Ogre and OgreNewt. I also have a year of full-time professional programming experience at a GIS company where I worked with 30 other developers on a project with approx. 6-million lines of code, so learning new systems isn't a big issue for me.

If you think I can be of use to your project or if you'd like more information, send me an email at

ajc4 AT sfu.ca

I can easily put in 10-15 hours/week. I can cover my own costs as far as buying a license for Torque if need be, I've been planning on moving my project over to Torque in the next few months, so I was going to buy it anyways.

I was going to email this, but I figured I'd give your post a bump.
-------------------------------See my tutorial site: Click here
methulah
methulah
I just want to throw my endorsement at this project, so I'll throw in a recommendation that anyone with the right skillset checks it out. I've read a lot of SteelRain4eva's documentation, and it's very solid, as this demo could get any decent developer a long way. :D
[email=django@turmoil-online.com]Django Merope-Synge[/email] :: Project Manager/Lead Designer: Turmoil (www.turmoil-online.com)
SteelRain4eva
SteelRain4eva
aaroncox1234
Did you recieve my email?


Methula
thx man, always appreciated!

-chad
SteelRain4eva
SteelRain4eva
As a result of recent discussions with potential team members I have paraphrased the answers to some common questions.


…The coding required for this project is a combination of C++ and torque scripting language, which is similar to C++ in nature.

This link demonstrates a bit of what scripting is like in torque using Torsion
http://torque.smdlabs.com/media/freeTutorials/introTScript/page1.htm

It is by no means required that you have previous experience with Torque, as of right now we are all learning it. Later in the project we may decide that we will only accept people that are accustom to working in torque, but that is not currently the case.

The expectation from each member can vary, but a lack of communication is not going to be good for anyone. I have no intention of asking ppl to take on a role that is beyond their ability/time. We are serious ppl looking to get serious knowledge about game programming and in the end produce a quality demo. As the project evolves we will have some ppl drop out (which has already happened), and we will have ppl that really gain from this experience and can stay with the team through to the final production or find employment working with torque and on and on.

About the NDA and the use of code generated by a member:
I do not have precise answers on this. I will try to get a more clear understanding of the specifics and post this information on this thread in the near future.

I hope my lil speech there has given you some insight into my mindset towards this project…



-Chad
SteelRain4eva
SteelRain4eva
*bump*

[Edited by - SteelRain4eva on November 13, 2006 7:35:59 PM]
SteelRain4eva
SteelRain4eva
Really guys?

330+ "views" and two people have responded to the post other than myself to keep it alive?

Not enough controversy I suppose.

Seriously folks this game is really going to be awesome. As new members explore the design they eventually almost always announce something to the effect of:
"WOW I have never even thought of stuff like that"
or
"OMG this game is totally going to be the best RTS ever!"
and my favorite response
"This game is going to put cnc out of business huh?"

The conclusions of this lead me to believe something along the lines of...
The information I am disclosing is not powerful enough to get ya'll to give me a Hurrah! Or at least a good luck *bump* post.
So what can I say here to entice some of you… guess I'll straight forward brag about what I have accomplished with the design for a bit.

There is a completely new approach applied to player micro and macro and some revolutionary additions to the standard RTS interface that greatly streamline how a player interacts with the game.
As I said above I have been working on the design for 8 years. Prior to working on the game I was a physics major. This means I have the ability to understand complex systems, devote myself to overwhelming tasks, and perform research; the game design clearly reflects this. There have been 52 major version of the tech tree; there exist geopolitical themes throughout the Universal Cylindrical Tech Tree.

I have spent hundreds of hours studying the mechanics of what an RTS gamer does with their left hand, right hand, and eyes and then designing an interface for maximum efficiency. RTS is about strategy, yes, but it is also greatly about speed and overwhelming the brain of your enemy; in this game you will not have to fight with the interface to make the things happen.

The interface is designed to allow for:
Maximum speed: There is a naturally created pattern of right-hand, left-hand, right-hand for issuing orders and an intuitive use of right mouse clicking to accomplish more complicated orders.
Minimal "eyes off monitor" as there is minimal displacement of the left-hand from the home location
Minimal main window unit "hunting" with the mouse
The use of color-coded and geometric patterns as a method to convey information to the gamer at a glance
A gamer can do everything with the mouse if they choose; this will mostly apply to recreational gamers or when first starting out on the learning curve.

Tons of realism
The game is completely self consistent; this was a huge deal to me, I spent a great deal of time reading and looking for advice from knowledgeable people in all aspects of modern military warfare. The mathematics of modern warfare technology used are based on the real equations that a company like Raytheon would use in calculating missile-to-target success ratios in various jamming environments. These equations were then broken down and built back up using "addition" instead of "multiplication" for the least amount of CPU time per calculation. The same applies to probability equations for tank warfare and infantry combat.

Ok, that was kinda fun there.
The best I can hope for is that people will read my little thing here and help keep this thread alive or at the very least the moderators will not stop me from bumping my thread until we have a few more talented programmers.

We are making progress everyday; lately it has been in pathfinding and some minor graphical additions. I am working on this game every waking moment (give or take) churning out task documentation, answering questions or doing the tasks that will help another member focus on what they are best suited. I am as serious as a heart attack about getting this demo created and reaching the full production version. I do not push this intensity onto the team members; I am incredibly grateful for the help I have received already and I do my absolute best to make everyone on the team feel appreciated and connected to the project.


Lates,
Chad

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