What do I want?
I am currently developing a visual novel and I need a programmer. In particular, I need someone to create some building blocks - scenes of a particular kind - which I can use repeatedly throughout the game.
What I mean by that is that I see the game as made up out of sections or phases, just like the Phoenix Wright games. In the case of Phoenix Wright, obviously, those games are made up of conversations (where you can present evidence and ask questions), investigation (where you move the cursor over the background to identify interesting things that may or may not go in your inventory), court banter and cross examinations (where you cycle through statements and press or present evidence).
This game will be a swashbuckling/childrens' fantasy story, and the sub-games / phases I need are as follows:
1) Investigation (much like Phoenix Wright, examining a backdrop, possibly with some animated elements, clicking on things, which then produces conversation, information or objects you can take)
2) Conversation (again, much like Phoenix Wright - talking to someone - a menu of questions or topics - and also the ability to present items from your inventory)
3) Deduction (much like Dual Destinies - at the climax of a trial, you zoom in on a character's face as they are engrossed in thought - the player chooses from a set of options at several stages to recreate the experience of a sequence of deductions)
4) Crisis (this is the most open-ended and different - I want something that will adapt the confrontational cross-examination phase of Phoenix Wright to the very different context of swashbuckling fantasy - i.e. scenes of physical chaos and mortal threat where you have to 'think fast')
5) An inventory system that could be accessed at any point and used in the previous phases (including people as well as objects)
The aim would be to create something flexible: these are modules that I want to use as the building blocks of a game. Therefore, I will need to be able to take your code and plug in my own artwork, so that I could have an investigation scene set in any location, or a "crisis" scene that contained however many elements and options I wanted.
Current status of the project
This project is currently in the planning stage. I am currently trying to figure out the cost and time investment it will require, hence the purpose of this post.
The aim is to create a fantasy children's story, about a journey, tonally similar to Harry Potter, the Hobbit, C S Lewis, William Hope Hodgson or Shadow of the Colossus (although not with the religious dimension shared by some of those writers). I will be largely responsible for the writing and will either create the art or more likely source it from a more talented third party.
What to do if you are interested?
At this point, I would normally simply give my email address and suggest that you contact me for further discussion, but that appears to be forbidden.
Therefore, if you are interested could you please begin by replying below and we can discuss further as required?
I am very new to making VNs and am happy to answer any questions you may have. I am open to suggestions and if I find someone I enjoy working with I am happy to come back with more work as required. I would add that I am not a programmer and am looking for someone who would also be willing to give general advice, in a way that could minimise the burden of dealing with programming issues on me as I try to get this project off the ground - although this is paid work, I aim to take an essentially collaborative approach.
