New Horror/Defend Mod Needs Staff

[Haze]

Hi,
I am hiring positions for level editors, texture artists and modelers (EDIT: Also hiring sound effects and music staff) for a new horror themed 'defend' modification of the Half-Life 2 engine.
The game is based on levels where the player will be able to interact with the scenery to hold a position on the map with other players against a horde of AI-controlled creatures.
New elements will be introduced including combat and movement systems, a new type of HUD and a new ranking system that makes the player more skilled for the more amount of time they play.
If you are interested please post a message here and I will get back to you and tell you more information.

 

[egoncalo]

Do I really even need to get started on this? Please lord no.... not again. Withdraw this post while you still can.

 

[63]

Quick Haze, ****ing RUN!!

 

[Ennui]

Is the horde of minions controlled by a sentient, malicious master? If not, then the only thing this mod has that's different from Zombie Master, at this point, is the LACK of good control of the creatures, which is not a plus.

Define your mod and why someone should join it rather than the plethora of horror mods already existing.

 

[Haze]

Did not know of Zombie Master, but now I have seen the site and information I will tell you the differences.

First of all it will be a lot more interactive that Zombie Master, the scenery will be completely interactive and will involve more than just building baracades (such as locking doors, closing shutters and nailing boards against windows)
Second, it will not be against zombies, it will be against a group of custom creatures in the 'undead' or 'mutant' theme.
We are also using mostly custom textures and models, and not the Half-Life 2 ones.

The main new features will include a custom rank system, which makes players better and stronger if they are good players and get lots of kills.
Custom movement skills such as kicking and rolling.

We are also a real company and intend on selling the game via Steam.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

So what are your rates of pay? What's the company called? Where are you based? Have you got a Source/Steam license? What is your previous experience?

 

[Haze]

Frozen Wolf Limited.
We are based in England, but hoping to move to the USA.
We will be getting a Steam license once we have enough to show for the game.
My previous experiance is about 5 years of FPS mapping, plus another few years of 2D game level design.
I have run my company for a good few years, but it was only registered early this year as an official company.
We have a MMORPG based on the 2D Zelda 3 engine coming out soon, which is a full C++ project.

Rates of pay for the MOD depend on the persons skill and what sort of payment they want.
Most of our staff on MODs get a cut of the sales amount, since a MOD is not a full game we have a smaller budget than of the MMORPG, some staff even work for free, but that is just those who are interested in helping out or are friends of me or my team.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

So you already have a deal in place with Valve?

 

[Haze]

We are in the middle of working it out, but at this time we need more to show for our work to prove that we can be a success.
Hence my request for development staff.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Call me Mr Cynical, but there's no guarantee at all that you'll actually be able to sell this mod via Steam, is there?

 

[Haze]

No of course not, nobody can make that guarantee until they have something to show for it.
But we have other commercial projects on the way so staff will be paid one way or another. And if the MOD does not get excepted then obviously I hired the wrong staff team.

EDIT: Oh and if it helps, I am a perfectionist, I would not release the mod until it reached a really really good standard anyway.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

if the MOD does not get excepted then obviously I hired the wrong staff team.

Nice. If it fails, it's their fault.

 

[Haze]

Its our fault, all of us, and of course it would be, who else is to blame? The players?

 

[63]

What maps have you made?

 

[Haze]

I have never released any maps publicaly, I will get some screenshots up of one of my levels that I have on my computer in a while.

 

[63]

Thanks. I like your postcount.

 

[Haze]

Sorry for the delay, my computer would not load this website for some reson.
Heres some screenshots of a level I made about a year ago, I still think its a really good level, it was for DM, but very small.

 

[Ennui]

I am not being an asshole, but there is nothing special about those screenshots.

 

[Yorick]

What an asshole.

But yeah, those shots are pretty generic.

 

[Haze]

Yeah they are generic, plus they are a year old, but once I get some more texture and model staff I can make some great ones for the MOD.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

...if they're generic and a year old, why did you show them? If you're a talented mapper, you should have been able to whip up a few concept maps for your mod and shown them.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

My previous experiance is about 5 years of FPS mapping, plus another few years of 2D game level design.

Surely you have more to show for it than that, then?

 

[Haze]

I showed them becouse I think they show a really nice, clean level.
I would rather wait for custom textures before starting on a concept map.

 

[sabre0001]

That's not a valid excuse...Surely YOU expect people to show what they can do in order to join the mod because you want the best people...

Talented people out there also want to work with the best people and would prefer not to waste time with projects (not a jab at your mod but in general...most mods fail - even promising ones...)

Yes they are shots of a clean level but they are nothing out of the ordinary...

 

[Haze]

How can I make something out of the ordinary without a new tileset?
All I am looking for is staff, I do not want a debate about how much work I should be showing when you, or any potential staff, have shown me nothing of yours.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

I think the point that people are getting at is that if you want people to work for you, you're going to have to give them a reason to do so. You're claiming to be an established developer, offering paid work, but you've only been able to show screenshots from a year-old map...

 

[Yorick]

I would rather wait for custom textures before starting on a concept map.

How can I make something out of the ordinary without a new tileset?

whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.

whoa.

whoa.

hang on there.

Last time I checked, every good level designer knows that you can do quite a bit with old textures. Half-Life 2 has quiet a variety of different kinds and plenty of maps have been made without using new ones.

It's a matter of level geometry, gameplay, lighting, and object placement. Yeah, texturing plays a role, but it's no *more* important than the other things.

If you're being held back from making a great map because you're lacking custom textures (which are easy enough to make on your own), then I really worry for your project.

 

[Haze]

There's not much that has not been done yet.
Heres a screenshot of a 2D game level I made, some of you will probably recognise the game its from.
Sorry for the size, my editor would not optimise it for some reason and it seems to have lost a bit of color and detail.

 

[sabre0001]

Go to interlopers.net and check out their design section - on the forum...They have a map battle once in a while - some STUNNING stuff...

Now, they are not trying to get paid for this, are not trying to be recruited and are not trying to recruit others...yet they pour effort into a project that only takes a matter of weeks and then move on to another...

You ARE trying to get the above, yet you don't want to bother with stuff until other people do...Hmm...One of the biggest pieces of advice handed out here is to do stuff yourself so that you can show iniative and determination and if recruiting isn't working, to learn the skill yourself...

 

[Haze]

There must be some staff on this site looking for work on a MOD.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

There probably are, but you're being too enigmatic for them to want to apply.

I am in a somewhat similar position to you with regards to your "deal" with Valve. However, you don't need a full team or a custom tileset to get things up and running. I apologise for the blatent self-promotion, but note that I am using almost entirely Valve textures at this stage of development.

Also, Zombie Master (which I did the maps for) uses pretty much the stock HL2 textures for now.

If you're recruiting a mod team, you don't have to wait for all the elements to be in place before you say "Right, let's start!". In fact, if you did use that approach, it's unlikely that you'd ever even get started at all.
With you being a mapper yourself, there's nothing to prevent you making a damn good start on things before you even think about recruiting anyone. Not only does it mean that you have a great starting point, but it also means that you have something to show when people ask...

 

[Haze]

Mmm, good point, I will see what I can do with some preview levels and concept art then post them here once I am done.

 

[Yorick]

Jesus Christ, Pi.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

???

 

[Yorick]

The engine is absolutely amazing.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

heh, thanks. Best keep this thread for Haze though - it's not really fair to derail it with my project

 

[Crispy]

Are you the Haze from the old NS forums?

 

[egoncalo]

You've been mapping for five years... yet have never released a map publically? What do you do with the maps... delete them?

 

[Haze]

Most I do not like and scrap, the others I just play with friends, I never really want to release a level unless its perfect and has no errors in it, but most of the time I start a new map without finishing.

 

[Ennui]

That does not bode well.