I am a game developer, recently I started a project, it being a game where you play as a wizard's apprentice. Using a vast and varied (think the number and variety of spells in D&D 3.5e) list of spells, you fight monsters, save towns, solve puzzles, and delve into dungeons. Sound's fun, right?
The problem is, I tried to do the art as well. I got to making the main character (below) to a point where I was satisfied with it
However, upon trying to animate it, and subsequently realizing that the game would require lots of animation (Most spells will be gesture based), I came to two conclusions
*If I tried to make this all in an acceptable fashion it would add months to the game development time
And
*If I had someone working with me on the art I could focus all my time actually programming the game
And so I'm here, now.
Right now it's unpaid, but I plan to make the game commercial, and maybe even get it on steam, all profits would be split between me and any other team members as a percentage cut, which we can negotiate in emails.
You can reach me at LLASishio@gmail.com
Have you taken a look around OGA for placeholders? You're much more likely to find an experienced artist if your game is at a later stage of development (aka, more likely to ultimately succeed).
I did, actually. The problem is twofold, the game's main focus, being diverse and varied spells, are gesture based, the other problem, related to the first, is that using placeholders and adding in real art later on (especially in a game that requires a decent amount of animation) can cause problems and even require re-writing portions of the game. If I don't find any willing artists, I'll look and find suitable placeholders. But I thought I'd try at the start as well in hope of not encountering the problems placeholders bring.
I only say it because it's generally very hard for devs to find good artists willing to invest a lot of time in a game that isn't far along in development. So many games fail at this stage that the artist is left with nothing after having done a huge amount of work, not to mention the time/emotional investment in the project overall. So they learn to be very selective pretty quickly, even if the idea for a game sounds like a lot of fun.
That's a valid point
(I'd like to say to any artists reading this that I fully plan on following this to the end)
That's a valid point
(I'd like to say to any artists reading this that I fully plan on following this to the end)
I'll do some sprites for you, if you want.
Is that the size of the sprite you're using? If not, what size do I have to work with?
How many frames are allowed for animation?
Are there any color restrictions?
What items/characters do you need done?
Of course you don't have to accept my offer, but that information's probably still important.
www.charlestyler.com
Sorry for the late reply, I was at a relative's house and unable to access the internet til' now.
Yea, 32x32 is the size I'd like to use.
I'd prefer to keep the animation frames in the 8-12 range
Nope, no color restrictions
As for items and characters, I mainly need the character with all the typical movement states (running, jumping, falling), some mundane furniture pieces like tapestries, candles, tables, stools, and mirrors, and sprites for rough, somewhat crumbling stone backround walls and "regular" walls and floors (as in stuff the player character can interact with). In addition I'd ideally need a couple of animations for the player character to be "casting" his spells, stuff like waving an arm outwards, swinging them around, generic "spellcasting" things, I can go more indepth if you want.
And again, if you decide to do any of these they'd be a great help, thank you.
32x32's a tight fit, but I have faith in my skills.
That being said, I just committed myself to a few projects and will be busy for at least the next month or two. Maybe someone else will jump in on this. If not, I will when my schedule frees up a little. Sorry about that. I replied to a few post a few days ago and didn't expect to fill my schedule so quickly... honestly, I wasn't even sure if I'd get any replies. In the meanwhile, if I make any unused 32x32 tiles while working on other projects, I'll post them here for you.
www.charlestyler.com
@Sishio: If you're willing to use something a little larger than 32x32, you may want to check out the platformer character I did recently, 32x64 (actually only 48-ish tall, but with headroom for overhand slashes, etc.). It has quite a few of the animations you're looking for, and wouldn't be too difficult to skin with your character's clothing, hair, and other details (the naked character base is in the .zip file). Still requires some work to be game-ready, but it would at least save you some time animating.
My project won't be off the ground for a good while yet, so it'd be cool to see him get used somewhere. Hope it helps!
My project: Bits & Bots
32x32 mirror, two stage animation
www.charlestyler.com
mirror1.png 4.2 Kb [5 download(s)]
mirror2.png 4.2 Kb [1 download(s)]