So I'm making a platformer called Xenplat X, and it's going to be a megaman-ish game (Like X or Zero) and I need spriters/character designers (Can be one or the other, or both) on my team.

Any skill level can apply, but you must not be slow.

Here is a video of my game in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGtaPoW7MEQ

I've been programming for 8 years now, and have made a lot of games in my time, though the only one still available for download is "Fall"

Request

Yeah, this looks like more of a request than an actual dev topic. More info about the project so it doesn't look like you're just using the forums to look for free work?

More info? It's coded in C++ using SFML.

What info do you want?

Stuff about the game? Summaries, characters, backstory, maybe update the topic whenever you do something with the engine? At the moment, this topic sounds like nothing more than a request.

"Stuff about the game? Summaries, characters, backstory"

Summeries of what? It's a platformer.
Characters? It's a platformer.
Backstory? It's a platformer.

None of these things should be your make or break interest in a platformer. Gameplay is what matters, you make the story to fit around the gameplay. So I haven't done any story yet.

I haven't even developed a lead character yet, hence why I'm looking for character designers.

It's most likely going to be Sci-fi with tons of robots (Like I said, MegaMan-ish.). It well eather be short (3 levels) or episodic (released 3 levels at a time).

I don't know if you'll be able to do input commands to charge, or if Ill just do a megaman weapon charging system.

As for progress, I've added in shooting since my last post. With 2 kinda of bullets (normal and charged).

umm.
yeah, this is going nowhere

just making a character that jumps and walks isn't exactly gameplay - we need to know the design of the game, its direction, what you have to do to advance, what obstacles this is gonna have. Since you didn't think of any of this and just expect other people to do and to design shit for you, this is a request and should be locked.


Unless the game is just about a stick character that just jumps and walks with no enemies, no life meter, no lives, goal, or anything - then yes, you perfectly conveyed the idea of your game on that video.

Hey OP.

Games, like any form of media are all about entertainment and experience. Please don't be all pretentious-indie-special by going "I'm ALL about the gameplay! I'm SO about gameplay, I don't even NEED anything else!" Apply that sentiment to other media.

I'm ALL about the plot when it comes to novels. I don't even NEED to think about setting! (Oh wait...)
I'm ALL about the acting when it comes to films. I don't even NEED to think about dialogue (OH WAIT)
I'm ALL about the melody when it comes to music, I don't even NEED to think about percussion (WHOA HOLD ON THERE)

How about you think about the /premise/ for your game - the settings, the characters, the circumstances and conflict - and use that to craft your gameplay. Even if you end up with yet another pixel art-based platformer with a chiptune soundtrack; it'll at least feel coherent, and less bare-bones.

(04-08-2011, 05:12 PM)cyanprime Wrote: Summeries of what? It's a platformer.
Characters? It's a platformer.
Backstory? It's a platformer.

Jesus christ, dude. Even the most iconic platformers have these things.

Super Mario Bros
Backstory: Princess captured; go and save her!
Characters: Mario, Bowser, Peach, Toads
Summary: A platformer where you break blocks, jump on enemies' heads, and collect power ups.

Megaman
Backstory: Dr. Wily took Dr. Light's 8 robot masters and turned them over to the dark side; save the world from destruction, Megaman!
Characters: Megaman, Dr. Light, R. Coil, Dr. Wily, robot masters
Summary: Platformer where you shoot enemies with your buster and gain power-ups from bosses

Sonic the Hedgehog
Backstory: Dr. Robotnik has captured all of Mobius' animals; go save 'em!
Characters: Sonic, Dr. Robotnik, badniks, animals
Summary: Momentum-based platformer full of levels with multiple branching paths to encourage speed runs and replaying.

Just because your game's story is shit doesn't mean you can't at least say what it's about. Your game can be the simplest thing in the world, but if it IS a game, you should be able to fill in all of those things easily.

This is not how you make a game, this is how you make an engine.

To make a game you first need at least a brief outline of what the game is, the initial brief is almost never how it turns out in the end, but it's required as a sort of "vision" of the game, it just changes as you develop it and experiment. (engine limitations, time constraints, redundant elements, etc.)
This is basically where you put in the outline, things like the themes, characters, mechanics, and hopefully strory, although in some cases that can be almost completely non-existent. (For example an RPG might be almost entirely story-driven, but a puzzle game doesn't really need one at all)

THEN you need an engine, it doesn't have to be finalised, but it does need to be a working proof-of-concept, working with and/or adapting the brief as it goes.
After that you start putting in graphics, I tend to use very obvious placeholder graphics as I go so I can keep working even though I don't have all the finalised artwork.

Then of course, assuming nothing needs any major work, you have the majority of your brief covered and all the important graphics are done or at least not using placeholders anymore, you can get to work on polishing up the final product, adding visual effects, sounds, music, tightening up the graphics on level 3, that sort of thing.

And then you have a game.

(04-08-2011, 05:12 PM)cyanprime Wrote: "Stuff about the game? Summaries, characters, backstory"

Summeries of what? It's a platformer.
Characters? It's a platformer.
Backstory? It's a platformer.

None of these things should be your make or break interest in a platformer. Gameplay is what matters, you make the story to fit around the gameplay. So I haven't done any story yet.

Why is this the mindset of a majority of companies and game devs nowadays, I mean

honestly