   Neoshock the Game seeks Lead Programmer- FILLED
Team name: SpaceTimeSixTMProject name: Neoshock Online not an MMORPG!Brief description:The Neoshock project has been running since September of 2003. Originally intended as a modification for Valve's Half-Life 2, Neoshock is now being developed as a multi-player only standalone game. The game's design is a very unique concept, and is best described as a strategy game played through a first person perspective, and taking place in an extremely detailed environment.A brief overview of the game can be found here: http://www.neoshockmod.net/overview.phpTarget aim:The development of a prototype with the intention of using said prototype to find a publisher or preferably independant funding and to turn the project into a full-scale development with the aim of online distribution. I can give applicants more information as we get to know each other!Compensation:Immediate compensation is a definite no. Obviously, there is a large possibility for full-time employment should the project receive funding. A cut out of the royalties made from the final game is a definite yes.Technology:Neoshock will be developed using a full license of Artificial Studio's Reality Engine. The engine sports many features, providing scripting in C# as well as an ability to program in C++ or VB.net. More details on RE can be found at: http://www.artificialstudios.com/features.php. Our CG team has already begun to create visual assets fully normal mapped, and we intend to the final game showing off the latest in visual technology. The game should hopefully run smoothly on a current-gen Geforce 6600 or equivalent. Phys-X chip support is a possibility.Talent needed: Programmers Requirements- Solid programming experience- Prociency with C#, C++, and/or VB.net- Familiarity with the Visual Studio .NET IDE- Good written and spoken communication skills- A strong desire to learn, and a passion for gamesPluses- Experience with Reality Engine- Experience with Artificial Intelligence- Experience with network layer programming- Experience with visual technologies including shaders, particles, physics, etc.- Game Industry experienceTeam structure:Project Directors:- Pin Wang (me!) - Virginia USA, amateur game developer and student. I founded the project, and take care of production, management, marketing and design. - Paul Wilkinson - Sydney Australia, professional 3D graphics artist, Prophecy Games. Joined the project in December of 2003, and oversees all artistic direction and visual technology management.Random Members!- Jason Boesch - California USA, talented artist. Does concept art and 2D paintings, worked as a rigger on Call of Duty 2.- Stephen Branch - Colorado USA, writer and student, loves to dance and plays a major role in developing the IP of the Neoshock Universe- Chris Coker - Tenessee USA, artist and student. Is a concept artist, and also takes on the role of Neoshock TV show director. - David John - Ontario, Canada, musician and composer. Creates gripping orchestrals and crucial guitar compsitions! Contracts with Bioware.Collaborators- Prophecy Games - Melbourne, Australia. Assuming the prototype we create is very hot, these are the guys who will take care of the business side.Links:Website: http://www.neoshockmod.net (A little out of date!)Interview with some game information: http://www.hlfallout.net/articles.php/14/1/Contact:Send resumes, questions, and comments to: pin@neoshockmod.netAdditional Info:I've been a member of the GD.net forums for quite some time now, and like in the past I hope I'll be able to find what I'm looking for. Thank you to the community for all of your encouragement up to now!As always, I am more than happy to answer any and all questions you may have about the project, the team, or me.Also, this is a project with financial gain as an intended result, and involves the use of licensed software. Therefore we do take things seriously. Any participation in the development of this project will require the signing of an NDA, and other such legal annoyances must be addressed if you are to take part in development. Look forward to hearing from you guys,-PinFeedback:Questions only please[Edited by - PinFX on December 12, 2005 5:54:36 PM]
  The graphics for this game are top-notch. However, I'd like to ask why you are only looking for one programmer for a 3d game? Are you looking for someone who's really really good with C++ and the RE engine? Also, have you done any concept work of how the game plays? Like the GUI interface, or a basic storyline that covers more than what you would see on the back of a game box?   ;Quote:Original post by EmperiorRuneThe graphics for this game are top-notch. However, I'd like to ask why you are only looking for one programmer for a 3d game? Are you looking for someone who's really really good with C++ and the RE engine? Also, have you done any concept work of how the game plays? Like the GUI interface, or a basic storyline that covers more than what you would see on the back of a game box?Hi EmperiorRune, thanks for asking these questions. We are actually looking for a 'lead programmer and programmers'. Since we are using the RE engine, the actual amount of coding is dramatically less, and we are only making a prototype at this time, not a full game. Familiarity with the RE engine is not required (and see the provided link above for info about RE and programming languages), but yes, we are looking for someone 'really good'.As for design, a lot of thought has been put into it, especially considering the defining features of the game. And considering our goals, we are of course approaching this side of game development with tested and proven methodology. Finally, Neoshock is not just a game but an original IP, which means we have put a large amount of time in to filling out the details of our world and making sure it is a believable one (as mentioned above, we do have a writer working full-time on this). We understand that the unique characteristics of our concept can excel only in the context of good foundations, and we apply this foundations approach in both game design and story.   ;  Bump back to page 1!Some sample content we've created so far:Story: (note Neoshock is an alternate reality of sorts, using the history of the world up to the present, and then expanding it into a fictional future about 60 years later)Quote:The TemplarThe Knights Templar was a Christian religous group that rose to power during the crusades. By imposing a policy that had members give their posessions to the organization, the Knights Templar amassed great wealth. As a military force, the Knights Templar used the best technology and tactics of the time, and because they were not under the command of any one king or prince, their leaders effectively took on power beyond that of any one monarch in Europe. During the crusades, it is said that the Knights Templar discovered a great treasure in the sacred land, which became a secret that has been lost in history.But this secret is not immune to speculation. Historians and conspiracy buffs alike have investigated thoroughly, and the results can only be described at the least as puzzling, at the most, highly intriguing. Their meticulous research has revealed what we have all heard of in fiction and legend: a secret society, one that in all probability exists today, or if not, certainly a power that has influenced many events in our past. The mystery is deep, and not only does it implicate some of the most powerful families in the history of Europe (including the Hamburgs, the Merovigians, and even the King Arthur of legends), but it stretches back in time to the very founding of Christianity.This is the mystery that will manifest itself once more in the Neoshock era, but the Templar are no longer the same as before. The ReturnFollowing World War 3, the Italian government collapsed and the country as a whole fell into utter chaos. Unruly mobs of refugees fleeing radiation, and madly seeking survival resources descend on mostly untouched Rome by the hundreds of thousands, no portion of the metropolis, including Vatican City, is spared by the raging mobs. Fearing the worst, high ranking officials in the Catholic Church enact a centuries old contingency prepared for just such an occasion. Every piece of liquid capital, along with documents and artifacts detailing the deepest darkest secrets of the Catholic Church are entrusted to the Vatican Guard. Amassing a heavily armed and protected Caravan, the group of expertly trained soldiers escapes the city using a network of underground tunnel built as an escape route for the Pope if he were faced with a large scale assassination attempt.As the caravan disappears into the murky depths of the subterranean network of tunnels, they are never seen again for decades.The Catholic Church itself goes into hiding as well, and the Vatican City ceases being the capital of the Catholics as thousands of refugees take up residence in the hallowed halls of its most famous structures.Years past, and while many churches still practice Catholicism, Catholics find themselves a horribly oppressed minority in much of the world, in addition, the idea of a central Catholic Church in Rome is largely forgotten, so is the immense stockpile of wealth and information that the Vatican Guard departed with.That is of course until, years after the end of the reconstruction era, an international incident arises in the newly formed Baltic Union. A fierce Rebel group starts perpetuating genocide against one of the largest, and healthiest Catholic communities in the world, which resides in the southern Baltic where Serbia and Montenegro used to be. The world stands idly by, war-weary from generations of bloodshed. Two weeks pass and over two hundred thousand Catholics are exterminated. On the beginning of the third week, under a moonless sky, something that electrifies the world occurs. As the sun rises, natives exit their homes to find the Rebel group entirely decimated, their smoking remains organized into a massive cross in the town’s square. Evidence of the Catholic’s mysterious savior starts to trickle in, with locals reporting men in hyper-advanced armor covered with religious imagery descending from aircraft the likes of which the world had never seen. The one survivor of the assault whispered two words before succumbing to his wounds.”Militis Templare”The Knights Templar in Latin.Art: A few mechanical characters in Neoshock Music:Lthrboots - FinaleDesign: From an old HL2central InterviewQuote:Pendragon: Since the game features three different races, the infantry combat is obviously going to be quite frenetic, can you tell me how a match might play out from the human perspective?PinFX: The gameplay from the human perspective will indeed be frenetic. At all times a player will have to be alert and ready for ambushes, traps and enemies. There will be enemies and dangers in the sky, in the distance, crawling on the ground and the ceiling, breaking through walls, coming out of the ground. But the trick from an infantry perspective is to work together as a team, constantly covering each others backs and focusing fire the right way. Voice communication will be a vital factor, and these communications can even be intercepted or scrambled. When a game starts one team will not be able to communicate with another, and you can't communicate with your team mates without shouting or using the radio (mic required). Finally, the human factions are not all infantry based, in fact infantry based factions are probably minority. There are also vehicles/mech piloting, and ninja antics as well.Pendragon: How about from the Cyborg and Alien perspectives?PinFX: As an alien you are always evolving. Over time you get more and more powerful, so the human team is always pressured to go on the offensive, but at the same time watching out for traps. From a cyborg perspective its all about twitch skill, being '1337' in the 'BOOM headshot' sense if you will. You have a lot of firepower and so do the humans, and you will have to employ guerilla tactics in order to use fully your abilities of resource processing and energy use.Pendragon: So the humans will be the strongest at the beginning of the match, followed by the Cyborgs and then the Aliens at the endgame?PinFX: Not necessarily, the alien team doesn't get stronger over time because they get many bonuses, instead they get powerful by changing strategy with different evolution strings; they become more specialized.Pendragon: On the website you describe the Cyborg team as having "A variety of classes with a wide range of playing styles." What new styles do you intend to implement beyond the already diverse styles of the three teams, and do they fit into the rest of the game?PinFX: Depending on a specific game, and what classes are in the game the Cyborg team will have different playing styles. For instance, if the cyborgs have a manufacturing class unit, then playing style will be more straightforward, with players taking losses to go on the offensive. On the other hand, if there are just two or three medium class units (like the Archon) then smart play will be required.Pendragon: How will the amounts of different classes be determined? Will it be on a per-map basis or user-selectable?PinFX: On a per-map basis, and also selected by the players sometimes. Each team will get a certain amount of setup points and from there players get a lot of choice in terms of customization and the equipment/classes they want.Pendragon: Can you tell us about the evolution pattern of the Alien team?PinFX: There are two levels of evolutions—Global evolutions and individual soldier evolutions. Global evolutions include strategies, which direct the way soldiers move and attack and also evolutions to the overlords themselves which can increase the amount of soldiers he can control and things he can do with them. At any point in time you have a certain amount of "evo slots", and with these slots you can select certain evolutions, sometimes sacrificing others at the same time. Over a period of time (1-5 minutes) this evolution will complete. Individual soldier evolutions include things such as wings, improved strength/speed, improved armor, and extra biological features, which includes weapons such as blades, spikes and projectiles.Pendragon: You mentioned enemies that are capable of "crawling on the ground and the ceiling, breaking through walls, coming out of the ground." How will controls for things like this work out?PinFX: If you've played Aliens vs. Predator then you can get an idea of how crawling on walls/ceilings will work. As for breaking through walls and coming out of the ground we leave it up to the Source Engine, which Valve tells me it will be capable of.Pendragon: So you will be employing gameplay mechanics (in terms of terrain) like those in Red Faction, correct?PinFX: Except better.[Edited by - PinFX on November 23, 2005 1:35:13 PM];  One more time!;  Free bump, this was just unstuck as the Spotlight topic for the previous week.  Good luck with the project PinFX! [smile]   ;  Thank you Kazgoroth and GameDev.net for spotlighting us. The position of lead programmer has now been filled.As of now we are not actively recruiting more programmers, but we will definitely be needing them in the future. I will update this thread again when that need arises.Also, it seems that without an option to respond negatively in this well-moderated forum, some individuals decided to respond negatively at our site. It is unfortunate that I have to mention this, but I believe it is important that I send out the following message:A word of advice from me as an indie developer to other indie developers: Do not be discouraged by forum feedback. Be confident in your own ideas and ability, and do not take flaming as more than it is: the attempts of individuals with low self-esteem to prove their intelligence by making YOU seem like an idiot, in the process proving themselves not to be intelligent but simply assholes.Thank you again to all applicants and GD.net, I'll be back ;)-Pin   