Stealth

Now Recruiting For: Project HC

Hey guys!

I realize that this is something that normally wouldn’t fly, but many people who would read this know who I am and what I’ve done and can do, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Please read on as I explain what I have in mind

Overview

In-short, I want to build a team who will have and maintain serious intent to build a game using HCGE in its current state, as it’s being developed, with the goal of me personally training this team to ultimately become autonomous

If you’ve never heard of HCGE, it’s my own multiplatform 2D game engine, with runtime builds available for the folowing platforms:

• Windows
• Linux
• Mac
• PSP (CFW)
• Wii (Homebrew Channel)
• GP2X Wiz
• GCW Zero
• 3DS (Homebrew Launcher, experimental)

with upcoming platforms:

• Android
• iOS

You can read more about it on its official homepage

Given this multiplatform nature, this call is open to anyone planning to develop using Windows, Linux, and Mac, and the product will target all of the platforms listed above

A Mutually-Beneficial Endeavor

As stated above, I intend to personally train the members of this team to use HCGE to its fullest potential. I will conduct both public and private, group and individual training and discussion, as-needed. This includes message-board posts, e-mail correspondence, live chat, and to a degree, my own personal hands-on work. I aim to fully acquaint each team member with all aspects of HCGE that are relevant to their area of contribution such that before the project is finished, they will have developed the ability to use HCGE for future game projects of their own

In exchange, what I am expecting is serious dedication to reporting and working through bugs, and to build a serious HCGE userbase

For me, this will effectively be a rigorous QA session in which I have users actually put HCGE to vigorous use to test its stability and limits such that they can and do provide detailed feedback that I can respond to in what will ideally be a burst of productivity in pushing HCGE forward

This would also ideally serve to establish a userbase for HCGE such that there are significantly-experienced users other than myself who can demonstrate third-party usage of HCGE and potentially form the basis for a community in which other users can receive a greater level of support and possibly form teams for future projects

Time-Frame

At this moment, recruitment is open. There is no fixed cut-off as-of this writing, but as the team and project develop, lock-in for team and positions and more thorough scheduling will be implemented

It’s not expected that real work begin until mid-January or so, after the holidays, which should allow for plenty of time for many people to consider and apply for the project while still sorting out holiday business. However, it’s not impossible that anyone ambitious enough could get started sooner

The current goal is for the team to become almost completely autonomous by the end of March. This is the projected date for my next commitment, at which point my involvement with this project will have to significantly decrease. Until that point, though, I will be providing direct training and occasional hand’s-on participation, as well as bug-fixes and enhancements. After that, I will still provide standard user support at the very least

What, Specifically, Can Be Expected Of Me

To re-iterate, my role is mostly training, support, and updates to the core HCGE. Beyond that, this is what I see at-present:

Initially, I will be accepting and reviewing applications for potential team members. As members are accepted, I will begin discussing plans for the project with them, and with their feedback regarding their ambitions and needs, how I handle recruitment may re-shape in an attempt to build a functional team

As the team develops, I will participate in general discussion regarding the specifics of the project as things move forward. If creativity strikes, I will provide suggestions, and as other suggestions are made, I will attempt to help mold them into a firm direction. The team itself should gradually take on more and more responsibility in this area

While this is happening, it will already be possible to train some members in working with HCGE, so I will probably mostly be working with anyone creating assets to train them in tailoring them for and getting them into HCGE properly. As more solid ideas come forward, I will work with assets developers and coders to familiarize them with using HCGE and forming functional game elements

To start with, I am willing to do some of the work myself as examples, although I will attempt not to take a major role in this manner just because the aim is to make the team self-sufficient, and I will gradually be weaning the team off of direct and dedicated support

During this period, there are bound to be several bugs that come up, so I will be working with team members to track down and fix them, and if they will take a long time, to at least find ways to circumvent them until they can be fixed. This will probably eat up a significant portion of my time, and is one of my primary motivations for attempting this project. Training and hands-on for myself will become increasingly secondary to progressing development of the core HCGE

Fixes and Enhancements

HCGE is still being developed with my vision of a development tool and on my time. One purpose of this project is certainly to receive usage feedback, which I will take into consideration, but please don’t expect any particular feedback to be addressed at any particular time or in any particular way. Feature additions and changes are entirely at my discretion, and any and all changes/fixes are subject to my ability and convenience

Please regard any current build of HCGE as “definitive” - Plan to proceed as if you will be using only that particular build and its features in their then-current state from that point on. Although this project aims to help improve HCGE, no guarantees are being made that anything actually can/will be implemented/fixed

Becoming a Member

To be totally forthright, I am expecting dedication and results. Applicants need to be willing to commit to this project entirely; there can be no “maybe I’ll do stuff sometimes”, “how about an hour once a week”, “I think I want to do this but if I don’t I’ll just quit”. For myself and for the members of this team, I want to see success, so please only sign up if you are certain that you have the time and motivation to work toward truly forming an understanding of HCGE and doing as much as possible to contribute toward a finished product

Experience is not necessary, but it helps. All you really need is to have looked over HCGE documentation and tried it first-hand, or even had a discussion with me and be able to honestly tell yourself “Yes, if I really apply myself, and I do want to, I can actually do this”, and you will be seriously considered

As of this writing, all positions are open: Artists, Musicians, Programmers, etc. If you have the skill, or a firm reason to believe that you can and will develop it quickly, then please submit your application for review

To apply, please submit a short writing that details who you are, what your schedule is like, what skills you have, what you want to contribute to this project, and why you want to join this project to the gmail account “HCStealth” with the subject “Project HC Application”

I know that some of the criteria is a little annoying/intimidating, but please know that I am taking this very seriously. I will read all submissions, and choose who I think seem to be the best candidates. Please do not take it personally if you aren’t selected. However, if you do meet the minimum criteria listed above, please feel free to try

Please be patient after applying, as I may wait for groups of applications before responding

Can People Who Aren’t Artists, Musicians, Programmers, Etc help?

The best ideas for the team that develops will probably come from the team itself, as they’ll be the ones implementing them. There may, however, be a public element to the project, depending on how things shape up. If an open discussion arises, feel free to participate, but also know that the team is under no obligation to use external concepts or resources, and if anything is submitted, such submission will be regarded as an immediate transfer of all rights to the material to the team, which they will then be able to use freely at their discretion. We can’t allow ourselves to be locked out of options

Otherwise, please do help to spread the word by re-tweeting, re-blogging, and/or posting links to this blog entry. It will be greatly appreciated

Now, What Exactly Is The Game Project?

That’s the tricky part. There are two ways this can go-

First, HCGE is a general 2D game engine, and within that scope, we should be able to do just about anything. The issue with this route is - there is no plan. If you are open to anything at all, or have a suggestion as to genre and some gameplay mechanics for a game that you would like to be a part of developing, please do note this in your application. If there are enough like-minded applicants, we could end up developing something brand-new. If I get a significant number of applications to this effect, I can open the floor to some public or private applicant discussion. Do bear in mind, though, that there is a limited window of opportunity for this project to take root

Second, and currently the most-focused, “go with what you know” - Let’s make a Sonic the Hedgehog fan game

If there is sufficient response, both of these options could potentially be explored simultaneously. Please feel free to describe all of the options that you would be interested in

Option 2, More Details

As most probably know, I am already currently involved in another Sonic the Hedgehog fan project, but there are some key differences between that project and the goals of a Project HC Sonic game:

• Sonic Megamix targets the SegaCD and is aimed at pushing its technological boundaries, which are much more limited. This project targets HCGE, which has fewer restrictions in several important areas
• Sonic Megamix is aimed toward being a complex, character-ability-driven game with modern elements, while this project would aim for more traditional classic Sonic gameplay

As is also common-knowledge, I have already developed a well-featured Sonic the Hedgehog engine for HCGE, which you can see by means of the Sonic Example Game. This engine would be built upon, fixed, and enhanced to create this game

Currently, the plan is generalized, and I will be taking applicant and team member feedback into account to fill in the specifics. The following are some basic points:

• This is to be a “traditional”, “classic” Sonic game. This means that the gameplay should elaborate on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 without deviating from the formula enough to raise red flags. Just standard Sonic fare with platforming intermixed with speed, proper slope mechanics, fun gimmicks and occasional exposition. Complexity and saturation of level elements can be raised due to HCGE targetting more-powerful platforms, but the goal is almost-consistent full speed on all supported platforms
• Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are the only three playable characters, and for the most-part, mimic Sonic 3 behavior
• It is preferable that the graphic style also “elaborates” on Sonic 3/Chaotix, in that it aims for a similar level of detail and “popout” such that the graphics aren’t too flat, but also takes advantage of HCGE’s greater color depth (64 colors unrestricted by 4-bit graphics, up to 192 when “water” is not used). We will be using palettized graphics
• Musical style may be determined later, but leaders are FM-chiptune and Sonic CD JP type composition. These will be achieved using either Ogg Vorbis or XM Module playback

Public and Private Access

Depending on how the initial parts of this process play out, there may be an element of publicity, however, private discussion will also be held in any case between any public showings. Any public material would be presented on the Headcannon official forum, and can be discussed in the official chatroom

Team Members will be given a private forum and IRC chat in which to discuss internal development matters and anything that should be kept as a surprise

Team Members will also have exclusive access to newer, in-progress builds of HCGE for use in developing the project

Closing

I’m hoping that this project will lead to a better HCGE and a better environment in which to get started with HCGE projects, as well as help the members of the team gain skills that they can apply toward other personal projects

Thank you very much for reading through this post, and please do contact me if you have any questions about it!