Our first game is a TMNT Dating Sim, and we have one section we are looking to fill. First though, let me tell you about our group, what members we already have, and what we have finished.
Our little group was conceived and created earlier this year in response from the TMNT fandom’s call for a Dating Sim game. I got together with my sister and several of my friends to create this group in order to build this Sim, and potentially, create more games in the future. There are currently thirty(30) group members in all areas of game production, and if you’re interested you can be a part of it as well!
Areas of Game Production:
Writers(4)
Editors(4)
Background Artists(2)
GUI Artists (3)
Sprite Artists (6)
Composers(4)
Coders(5)
That’s the composition of the team so far, and as you can see, we are stretched a little thin on the artist side of things.
First things first though, I should tell you all what we have finished.
The game is divided into four acts along with an Intro and seven(7) general ending branches, with fifty-six(56)+ specific endings, and there are seven(7) dateables planned. There will be no voices, but there is original music.
As for what we have finished, there are four investigative paths in the first arc. One of them has been written and coded. There are two original theme songs in progress, and the group logo is in progress. The other three investigative paths have been planned out, as well as all of the game systems, and the general plot line for the whole game. One of the original systems has been coded as well.
We don’t want to spoil the relevant plot details and game dynamics completely, but there is some information we can provide about the game itself.
Plot Synopsis:
You are a teenager living in New York City. Your parents own a grocery store, which your house is directly above, and you go to an average high school. Your life is otherwise ordinary, until one night a local gang comes and shakes down your parents after closing. The Purple Dragons wreck the place, and you try and fail to stop them. Before completely losing consciousness from a blow to the head, you see four shapes fight the Purple Dragons out of your parent’s store. When you come to, the police have already arrived and you try to give them your statement. The police completely blow all of your complaints off despite being the third store attacked on your block this week. Determined to get justice for your neighborhood, you set out to find incontestable proof of their illegal behavior and get revenge on the Purple Dragons. You’ll stop at nothing to free your block from their Mafioso Tyranny, but will the flames of vengeance twist you beyond recognition? And who were those four men who protected your shop?
Unique Features:
The Main Character- They are a composite image chosen by the players. The writing is completely gender neutral (preferred pronouns chosen at the start of the game) and there will be a variety of body types, facial features, and skin tones available for choosing.
Morality Meter- What it says in the tin. Hidden from the player, but it determines what path the entire fourth act takes.
Inherent Attributes- There are six (6) attributes the player choices to place points in at the beginning of the game. They are Strength, Speed, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma, and Intelligence. They can all be trained after the start of the game, but the original points are used to start min/maxing to impress the potential dates.
Derived Abilities-These are based on the six(6) attributes. There are twelve(12) of them, two(2) for each attribute. Part of the score is based on the amount of the base attribute, but “training” for each ability is also available.
Personality- The personality of the player character is based on their inherent attributes. The each attribute has a personality “type” attached to it, and it affects how the character interacts, responds, and sees the world around them. The personality is chosen based on which attribute is the biggest. If two attributes are within 10% of each other, then a hybrid personality is created. The six personality types are Aggro(strength), Impulse(speed), Fluid(dexterity), Stubborn(constitution), Charmer(Charisma), and Analytical(intelligence).
Clock and Calendar- The entire story takes place over a school year and doing tasks adds time to the clock and subtracts energy from your health meter. There are specific events on specific days of the year as well.
School-Because the character is in school, you need to go to school every day (or maybe you can get away with less.
). The more you go to school, the more information you learn and the smarter you become. Some dateables love studious bookworms, and others would prefer you play hooky. Inventory and Items- The player character can buy new clothes, gifts for their dates, or even weapons and armor. It all depends on how much money they earn at their jobs, or perhaps through other less savory means.
Fight System: There’s a turn based fight system that uses weapons, armor, and takes into account the amount of training in a specific type of weapon along with four of the player character’s inherent attributes to determine how good a fighter you are. The player character can fight Purple Dragon mooks, train with the dates, and even fight ninja.
Knowledge Tree- Knowledge is power they say, and that’s especially true in this game. Reading and studying specific types of knowledge doesn’t just help the character pass their classes (if they are into that sort of thing), but potentially solves problems all throughout the game. Do you know the Lady Ranger’s motto? What about how to make illegal drugs? Maybe you have inane knowledge about snails, or know something about Japanese history? The player has their chose of study in five main basic categories, and all of them could potentially solve their problems down the road.
Dateables- There are seven(7) in total, Casey Jones, April O’Neil, Karai Oroku, Leonardo Hamato, Raphael Hamato, Donatello Hamato, and Michaelangelo Hamato. Only the turtles and April are unlocked the first play through. Not all dates like all personalities, so the player has to keep that in mind when working through the game.
There is more we have worked out in nearly all of those categories, but we’d rather the details for their implementation and structure stay hidden. What’s the fun of discovery if you tell all the good stuff before the player even plays!
What we need from-Writers:
We no longer need any writers at this time, thanks everyone for applying! You would be responsible for ¼ of all of the writing needed for the game. This means you would take one of the four investigative paths in the first act, and the full date paths for two(2) of the dateables, plus any other writing that comes up during meetings for the last three acts.
A good estimation of the amount of writing necessary in total is 200k words, so with four team members you would be responsible for 50k words. That’s a significant amount of writing, but there will be clear deadlines and time table provided. We are also flexible in the final release date, especially considering our own college schedules and the fact none of us are getting paid to do this. As a result, the final release will be subject to the availability of the team members involved.
Because of the scope of the project, we do require regular weekly meetings, at a time convenient to the schedules of all of the writing (and editing) team members involved. This meeting is online in a chat room with logs provided to any team member who can’t make a particular meeting one week.
Summation:
Writer Positions Available-Filled!
If you would like to apply to be a writer for the Dating Sim you can either post here with a sample of your work, anything from a short story to a chapter of fanfiction will work, or if you are shy about posting that sort of thing in public, you can PM me.
What we need from-Editors:
You all are responsible for double, triple, and maybe even quadruple checking the work of our writers. There is a lot of writing to go through, as stated above, so you’ll need to not only check for spelling and grammar errors, you’ll need to check for game play issues written in the script.(for example, the writer has an action/reaction/dialogue attached to a personality in script that doesn’t match the behavior)
We no longer need any more editors. One(1) for each writer basically. This is to ensure you are intimately familiar with not only their writing style and the mistakes they often make, but the area of the game itself the writer has been assigned.
You will also attend the same weekly meetings that the writers do, so the writing/editing team is one of the largest groups.
Summation:
Editors Positions Available-Filled!
Attention to detail is a must as is willingness to tell other people that their writing isn’t so hot. If you would like to apply to be an editor you can post a link to something you have edited(beta work for fanfic is fine), or a writing sample. It can also be PM’d if camera shy.
What we need from-Background Artists:
Right now there are three(3) artists in total in the entire group and they are assigned to do everything. This is incredibly inefficient, and is the first order of business to be handled. I would prefer if there were three(3) dedicated background artists. I know for sure that one(1) of our current artists prefers to work on backgrounds, and so there are two(2) slots open for more background artists.
The game takes place in New York over a variety of seasons and times, and so the background artists in question need to be familiar with urban environments, variable lighting/light sources, and potentially relatively complex perspectives.
We expect the backgrounds to have a grittier muted tone, especially at night, and for there to be at least 9 specific locations, plus date areas, and some navigation/transitional areas. We recognize that this is a lot of art. Like seriously, that’s a lot of drawing, and like the writers, we will provide a flexible and reasonable time table for everything involved. We also recognize you aren’t being paid, so we don’t expect this to take priority for you.
Background Artists-Junior artists: In recognition of the scale of the project involved, there will be two(2) Junior Artists chosen to work with the Background Artists. What will their job entail? If they tell you tell to flat something , you do it. If they tell you to clean up the line work, you do it. You are not responsible for the majority of the picture construction, for concept art, for choosing the resolution, for arguing with the programmers or the other major artists about art style. Basically, you are their assistants. They are not allowed to ask you to create a background from scratch, but they can request that you do a specific task to aid them in completing a picture. If at any point you feel something is outside of your skill set or outside of your job description, you can bring it up with the Creative Director(Me).
There will be weekly meetings at a time convenient for the Artists team (separate from the writers and editors), and chat logs will be provided for all those who can’t make a meeting.
Summation:
Major Background Artists Positions Available-Two(2)
Junior Background Artists Positions Available-One(1)
If you would like to be a background artist for the team, you can either post example art below, or link me to your DA/gallery, or PM any of those things to me if you’d rather they stay private.
What we need from-Sprite Artists:
Like I mentioned before, there are three artists in total for the whole group. There is one artist already working on character sprites for the Main Character. Because of the incredible amount of customization for the main character, the number of datables, and the number of characters involved over all I believe we will need four(4) Sprite Artists. We no longer need Sprite Artists at this time. Thanks everyone for applying!
The main character, and all of the dateables, will be a Ren’Py Livecomposite of several images in order to get the smoothest, most emotive, and prettiest sprites possible (and allow customization of the main character). The other NPCs will work with conditionswitchs to account for the time of day(when applicable) and some minor facial expressions. We recognize that this is a large amount of drawing. Once again, because you are not getting paid, and because of the variability of our own schedules (and likely yours), you will be given specific and clear deadlines and timetables along with as much flexibility as possible to your specific situation and skills.
Sprite Artists need to be familiar with the characters in question (for the non-original), different lighting from different times of day and seasons, and be comfortable drawing clothing on/for a variety of body shapes and sizes for the Main Character. They will also attend weekly meetings with the rest of the artists to make sure everyone stays on the same track.
Spite Artists-Junior Artists: Because of the size and scope of the project, we will be using two(2) Junior Artists for the Sprite Artists. Like the junior background artists above, you will not be responsible for concept art, character design, stylistic choices, ect. Your job involves being assigned specific tasks on specific pieces of work. If you feel something is outside of your skill set or outside of your job description, you can once again talk to the Creative Director to intervene. There are no positions open.
Summation:
Major Sprite Artist Positions Available-Filled!
Junior Sprite Artist Positions Available-Filled!
If you would like to join the team to make Sprites, please post here with an example of your artwork, post a link to your DA/gallery, or PM me if you don’t want to post your artwork here.
What we need from-GUI Artists:
There is one artist currently assigned to GUI design. This is the smallest area of the game in terms of art, but there is still a relatively large amount of work to be done. We no longer need GUI Artists, thanks everyone who applied!
They would be responsible for designing several default screens from scratch (including the textbox), along with creating specific assets (like buttons and bars) to be used throughout the game on a single theme. They would also need to create any Imagemaps (for navigation in game) or screens for specific systems (like the Inventory) After the design process, they would create these pieces for the coders to use as they see fit, and so will work much more closely with the coders than the average artists. It may help to be familiar with some of Ren’Py’s screen language, but it is most certainly not required.
GUI Artists-Junior Artists: There are no Junior GUI Artist positions available. Once again, they would ask you to help with specific tasks in creating the GUI, not with the design process. If you have any concerns, questions, or feel their requests are outside of the scope of your skill set or job description, you can talk to the Creative Director.
Summation:
Major GUI Artists Positions Available: Filled!
Junior GUI Artist Positions Available: Filled!
If you would like to join the GUI Artists, post an example of your art here, post a link to your DA/gallery, or PM me the info if you’d are a little shy.
What we need from-Composers:
We no longer need Composers. Thanks to everyone who applied!
They style of music ranges from hip-hop and dubstep, to Trap (with a strong preference for Trap). Outside of the specific themes for the dateables, which should match their personalities, the rest of the music should adhere to the styles above.
We recognize the scale and scope of this project, and understand if this is not a priority for you compared to school or work. We are quite flexible with our scheduling.
You would have weekly meetings with the other composers and you share a Soundcloud where all of the music, in progress or not, can be shown to the rest of the team members in between meetings for commentary or inspiration.
Summation:
Composer Positions Available-Filled!
If you would like to join the music team please post with a link to your Soundcloud, 4shared, or other portfolio of music, or PM me if you’d like to keep it private.
What we need from-Coders:
Right now, all the coding positions have been filled. Thanks everyone who applied!
Because of the nature of a large number of our systems, the coders in questions need to be familiar with Python itself (at least a little) along with Ren’Py. The majority of the unique systems, from attributes, to the clock and calendar system, to the inventory and item classes will have to be made in Python, so the more familiar you are the better.
Coders will meet once a week, once again at a time not necessarily related to any other team, and owing to the scale of the project, and the potential learning curve of everyone involved, we are not expecting this to be a tiny time table. You will be given clear instructions on everything you are supposed to code on the script end. If the clock is supposed to go forward two hours, it’ll say so. If the character is supposed to change expressions, it’ll say so. Your job isn’t to interpret what an appropriate reaction is, or how much an item costs, and any of that. That’s on the writers and editors to do. If it isn’t clear, ask them. If the script has too many holes send it back. You will not be responsible for lack of clarity on another team’s part. The job is long and difficult enough without you trying to figure out if this action is supposed to end an info path completely, temporarily, or just start a loop.
Coders- Junior Coders: Because of the scale and scope of this project, we would like one(1), but preferably two(2) junior coders. They would not be responsible for the creation of anything in Python. They will not have to make the fight system from scratch, the Classes for Attributes or Items, or deal with anything in pure Python. Their job is to type in basic interactions. They would work with dialogue, menus, simple variables, and depending on the complexity of the art when implemented, the backgrounds and sprites. Anything more complicated than making a menu/dialogue/ect. option only appear if they have enough “strength” or character dialogue is the responsibility of the major coders. Even so, there is more than enough work to keep you busy, so don’t worry about that. If anything is ever confusing, unclear, or too complicated, don’t hesitate to ask one of the major coders, the Head Coder(me), or the Creative Director(…also me).
Summation:
Major Coder Positions Available-Filled!
Junior Coder Positions Available-Filled!
Additional Information:
There will also be monthly meetings, at the time most convenient to the largest number of people, with everyone from every team in order to keep everyone appraised of the progress of the group as a whole, to discuss changes to the entire game in tone or systems, or move people from one area to another if necessary.
TL;DR-Jesus Vixi how much more can you talk?:
There is a total of three(3!) positions available, all of which are artists. If you are interested in joining a large group creating a very big project and have time to set aside each week to work, we want you! Feel free to comment below if you need more information about anything, and PM me with your many awesome examples of your creative work as needed.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this/pay attention to my never ending post, and I look forward to talking and working with you all in the future!
Positions Filled:
-Writer(4)
-Editor(3; 1 moved from Writer)
-Senior Sprite Artist(3)
-Junior Sprite Artist(2)
-Junior Background Artist(1 moved from Junior Sprite Artist)
-Senior GUI Artist(1)
-Junior GUI Artist(1)
-Composer(2)
-Senior Coder(2)
-Junior Coder(2)
