   [MMO] Aragon Online - Seeking Team Members
  [MMO] Aragon Online - Seeking Team MembersTeam name: HEXWAR games, LLC (a registered corporation in Oregon)Project name: Aragon OnlineBrief description: AO is an internet browser map-based, multi-player role-playing wargame with significant economic, diplomatic and role-playing components, set in a fantasy milieu.  The war-game battle system has standard battle elements and fantasy-style spells.  The system emphasizes combined-arms battles, and will appeal to serious fantasy (war) gamers.The player character takes the role of the ruler of a small village in a vast world.  There are 6 player races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Goblin, Ogre) and 5 classes (Warrior, Knight, Ranger, Priest and Mage) that the player can choose to be.  He starts out with a follower character (henchman) and a small army of 50 soldiers from 5 unit types (Infantry, Mtd. Infantry, Cavalry, Bowmen, Mtd. Bowmen).  Each of the cities vies with the others to attempt to increase their power and influence in the world through Diplomacy, Intrigue and Battle.The role-playing aspects of the game are implemented with a script system that presents messages to the player, and sometimes presents him with choices that will lead to other messages and consequences good or bad, depending on many possible factors.AO was conceived in 2003, and has been in active (part-time) development for the past 6 years.  It is now open for a public beta-test.  There are a few pages and systems that need to be finished, and many scripts and quests yet to be written, but the game is 90% or more complete now.Target aim: Free browser-based game -- ads and micro-transactions will produce revenue.  We have a couple ideas for micro-transactions for revenue streams that will be implemented later.  A wild and crazy idea is to allow the players of the game to customize their unit graphics, and perhaps contribute to the "scripts" that provide challenges and quests for the players of the game, possibly for a royalty on income from that contribution.Compensation: Negotiable.Budget: Limited, but not zero.Technology: Browser-based, HTML and Ajaxey &#106avascript on the client side, PHP and MySQL server side.  Tested with IE versions 6 and 7, Firefox versions 2 and 3, and Google Chrome Beta.Talent needed: Artist, Marketer, Play Testers, Programmer, Web DesignerArtist: The artist will have two main projects.  First, the unit graphics (sprite sheets) really need improvement and redesign.  And some of the newer races of creatures have place-holder graphics, that need to be redrawn, or none.  Second, there are about 20 NPC portraits that need to be done.Marketer: The marketer should have knowledge of the browser-based game market, game industry news and forum sites, and so forth.  Responsibilities will include working with other staff to create press releases, to send PRs out to appropriate sites and people, and other means of promoting the game.Play Testers: Do I need to say more?  A game under constant development really needs people to play and report problems.  Tenacious play-testers will be considered for promotion to game-masters in the future.Programmer: Skilled with C# and XNA Game Studio, the programmer will work on porting code from PHP to build a client program for the game.  Must be done in C# and XNA, as this project is the first step in a plan to build something for the XBox 360.Web designer: We are looking for a web designer to help with a redesign of the site.  Most of the graphics are quick "programmer art", so the visual appeal is lacking.  The game is based on vBulletin, so it would be ideal if the designer could produce a new vB "skin".For all positions, even if uncompensated, listing in the credits will be given for any contributions that are used in the game.Why Aragon Online?1. Track record and Commitment: In addition to having created a published game, we have been working on this game since 2003.  That's seven years, and thousands of dollars invested.  We're not going to abandon this project. Look at our team, and their tenure in this project. Many of us have invested years of our weekends and nights in this.2. Game play: Once this is advertised and promoted as it deserves, we will get hundreds or thousands of players who will appreciate the depth of game-play that we have built. Players who get into this appreciate what we've done. There are subtleties and complexities that go way beyond "grinding" for levels.3. Unique: We're not trying to make the next WoW killer, or to clone some old, hackneyed game. We have a unique spin on the online game genre that many players will appreciate.  Watch as we bring the last bits of this game into fruition, and make something that will be talked about for years to come.Team structure:    * Programmer and Designer: Russell Shilling (Merlin)    * Designer and Wargaming Expert: Kurt Myers (Moriority)    * Lore Master, Designer: Ian Thompson    * Lore and Historian: Ibrahim Amin    * Map Art: David Baumgart (Marolesh)    * Unit Art: Chris Crawford (Wiz)    * Icons: Some icons adapted from Angband graphics by David E. Gervais, Creative Commons License.    * Sounds and Music: James Stant (MusoMan), Free Sound Project    * Lead Playtester: Fred Runyon (Eudrick)    * Playtesting: Dustin Shilling, Morgan Shilling, Nathan Myers, Seth Myers, and too many players of the game to mention.Website: http://aragon-online.netContacts: merlin (at) aragon-online (dot) netAdditional Info: Moriority and I wrote Sword of Aragon, published by SSI, Inc in 1989. Sword was awarded several awards, including Byte Magazine's User Choice Game of the Year (Jerry Pournelle). A return to our roots is the inspiration for this project, though the multi-player aspect takes this to a whole new level of game play.  Our goal is to produce an online game unlike anything ever seen before, and perhaps make enough income to more than cover the costs of servers.Links to Sword:WikipediaMoby GamesHome of the UnderdogsFeedback: ANY.  Except don't bother saying we shouldn't build an MMO, because it's already 90% done!  (Still missing that last 10%, which is almost as hard as the first 90%)Screenshot: [Edited by - ID Merlin on April 12, 2010 10:10:32 PM]
  Anyone looking for a very solid project to be part of should certainly consider Aragon Online.As noted in his post, Russ has a proven track record. I'm sure those of you who grew up playing the early D&D videogames are familiar with SSI, who published Sword of Aragon.Plus the game is almost finished, and can be played online right now. Hence you can be assured that the project will reach completion, and that any efforts you contribute won't be wasted (as might sometimes be the case with projects bearing the 'MMO' tag).   ;  Also looking for a Marketer:Marketer: The marketer should have knowledge of the browser-based game market, game industry news and forum sites, and so forth.  Responsibilities will include working with other staff to create press releases, to send PRs out to appropriate sites and people, and other means of promoting the game.   