[Stealth]

I'm attempting to assemble and train a team of developers dedicated to learning to use Headcannon Game Engine and using it to create a game project. Please read this blog post very carefully for more details

Feel free to ask any questions you may have; I'll be happy to discuss aspects of HCGE or this project with anyone who is interested before they officially apply, as it will be important for you to understand what you're signing up for

If you'd like to help but don't feel like actively participating, please help to spread the word by sharing the blog post and/or this tweet

Thank you very much for your interest!

[Matwek]

I might be interested in helping out with some environmental art, I just had a few questions.

• Is the plan to make a fully functioning, fully completed game, or is it more aimed at giving people the chance to learn a new game engine whilst making a small side project as they progress?
  
• I assume, whilst serious, the project is aimed at people looking to do it as a hobby? Are there plans to make a commercial project out of the game if things progress well (obviously not if you go the fan game route)?
  
• You also mentioned that your commitment to the project will significantly decress come March. Do you still intend to remain as project lead after that time, just with reduced involvement?

[Felik]

You should totally ask administration to turn this into a Sonic Retro community project. I believe with a worthy and dedicated leader like you it could be done.

Damn where have you been in the beginning of the year when I was only going to start a fangame. I'd have joined you in a heartbeat.

[Ritz]

Potential environment artist here. I don't want to commit to anything until I see what shape the project takes since I might have other jobs lined up, but it's not going anywhere unless people register interest here (Matwek was like the #1 dude I wanted to work with though so it's already working)

[Green Snake]

well I could be interested in programming, since more often than not I am not motivated to do much with other projects I have, but then again I am afraid I wont have full motivation for this either, as of lately I've had bunch of personal issues in my hands. Also I am not entirely sure as of how this works, from what I saw in your videos it is much of work for something that could be done easier, but I may consider writing a few tools to make it simpler to edit, and the scripting language seems to not be so great, especially since I've used to fanciness of IDEs as of late with some projects, but I can do my best at least if my life situation wont go much worse from now.

[Aerosol]

I can't pass up this opportunity because I've always wanted to use E02, but never could get into. Something wasn't clicking.

Now you offer this, but my plate seems full already. Why aren't there more hours in the day damnit?

[Stealth]

Please forgive the length of this post; it seems that I had a lot to respond to :P

Matwek, on 19 December 2014 - 07:28 AM, said:

Is the plan to make a fully functioning, fully completed game, or is it more aimed at giving people the chance to learn a new game engine whilst making a small side project as they progress?

The core project is geared toward eventually producing a complete game. It might be possible for a few people to get in some incidental training and support on the side, but the core team(s) producing the finished game(s) will be highly prioritized

Matwek, on 19 December 2014 - 07:28 AM, said:

I assume, whilst serious, the project is aimed at people looking to do it as a hobby?

My hope is that I can find people willing to take on this project relatively full-time. As stated in the blog, my absolute cutoff for full direct involvement is the end of March due to another commitment, so I need people who are willing to produce serious content and learn to be almost totally self-sufficient with HCGE within that time period so that I can get as much usage information as possible and so that the project can continue while my highest priority lies somewhere else. Since I'm looking to find people who want to work at it that hard within that period of time, I'm hoping that these same people will have the same dedication to the project in April and beyond. I know that there will inevitably be at least a few who would be sorely disappointed for productivity to drop sharply at that point, so I want to see it keep a steady pace both because a finished game will greatly benefit both myself and HCGE, and also because the people putting in that much initial effort will deserve to have that to show for themselves

Matwek, on 19 December 2014 - 07:28 AM, said:

Are there plans to make a commercial project out of the game if things progress well (obviously not if you go the fan game route)?

That's something I want to seriously look into if we end up with at least one non-fan project. We'll have to see what gains the most interest, which is why I ask everyone to mention what exactly they want to work on. It may be possible to do a Sonic game and one original game concurrently if the project gets the right kind of support, but I'm not sure if I could make any greater of a split. If there's enough of an interest in an original game and we can form a team that will agree on its nature, we'll discuss going commercial

Matwek, on 19 December 2014 - 07:28 AM, said:

You also mentioned that your commitment to the project will significantly decress come March. Do you still intend to remain as project lead after that time, just with reduced involvement?

That's pretty much the idea. I'll try to help guide things along and do what I can when it's possible, but April is the projected start date for another project I'm committed to, and I'll be expected to place increasing focus on it. As the team forms, we'll talk more about long-term leadership and possible chain-of-command

On a related note, I do want to work with the team to determine how best to progress the project, so that we can hopefully end up with something that we're all happy with

Felik, on 19 December 2014 - 11:10 AM, said:

You should totally ask administration to turn this into a Sonic Retro community project. I believe with a worthy and dedicated leader like you it could be done.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I've decided, though, that the goal of this project is best suited as a Headcannon project. Retro members are still welcome to apply, of course. Also, I can still supply support if anyone chooses to begin a Retro Community Project using HCGE :P

Felik, on 19 December 2014 - 11:10 AM, said:

Damn where have you been in the beginning of the year when I was only going to start a fangame. I'd have joined you in a heartbeat.

I was finishing post-release fixes for Sonic 2 and gearing up to pitch Sonic 3 :P

Ritz, on 19 December 2014 - 07:40 PM, said:

Potential environment artist here. I don't want to commit to anything until I see what shape the project takes since I might have other jobs lined up, but it's not going anywhere unless people register interest here (Matwek was like the #1 dude I wanted to work with though so it's already working)

This is fine, since I did mention that we probably won't start anything serious until mid-January, though if things pick up sooner than expected, that could potentially change. For anyone else in the same situation, please register your interest, as other potentials might be waiting for you

Also on the subject of scheduling, I am open to beginning training as soon as possible. Anyone who wants to get a head-start should contact me at your earliest convenience

Finally, if you're unsure if this is something that you can or want to do, don't be afraid to ask questions here, by private message, email, the Headcannon forum, or the Headcannon IRC channel. I will be happy to acquaint you with HCGE well enough for you to determine whether or not you want to commit to this

Green Snake, on 19 December 2014 - 08:04 PM, said:

well I could be interested in programming, since more often than not I am not motivated to do much with other projects I have, but then again I am afraid I wont have full motivation for this either, as of lately I've had bunch of personal issues in my hands. Also I am not entirely sure as of how this works, from what I saw in your videos it is much of work for something that could be done easier, but I may consider writing a few tools to make it simpler to edit, and the scripting language seems to not be so great, especially since I've used to fanciness of IDEs as of late with some projects, but I can do my best at least if my life situation wont go much worse from now.

The editing interface had always, until now, been low-priority because more importance was placed on the performance and functionality of the engine- it only really mattered if it could be used at all. Had I placed stronger emphasis on the editing interface, HCGE wouldn't be as optimized and versatile as it currently is

That said, I have already been overhauling the editors lately, as was shown in the one image on the blog post:


For clarity, each of those windows is separate and opened simultaneously, as well as the level editor having been resized (which is now possible). There are also several features there that can't be shown in screen-shots, and as for some of the layout, the current priority is getting this style of interface functional at all, and continuing with the Level Editor enhancements. The other editors will be given makeovers at some point afterward

This is not currently ready for general public use, but it is probably what will be available to members of the team(s)

Also, I have a partially-implemented context-highlighting script editor with some other fancy features planned, though it's not complete and I am making absolutely no promises as to its availability to this project - it could still end up not materializing until later:


By the time my vision of the editing interface(s) is fully realized, the one existing instructional video will be entirely obsolete. It only serves to instruct users on how to handle that version, not as a fixed definition of how HCGE will always work

HCGE is still in development and in spite of my other obligations, still constantly evolving. That's one of the major reasons for this project to exist - It needs users to help spur further progress

[DalekSam]

I'll send an email tomorrow afternoon when it isn't 3 in the morning, but as I'm interested in assisting as a musician, can I ask about what would be expected of one applying? Furthermore, how appreciative would you be of a portfolio of current work? I will provide more details in the application email, but I'd like to get a general idea of what exactly you want going with this beforehand.

[Chimpo]

Just out of curiosity.

What exactly do you consider a complete game? Are you looking for some big project with a large list of levels and features? Or would something more arcade like with a smaller scope but with higher replayability potential also count?

[Aerosol]

Chimpo, you disappeared on me. I hope you eventually get in on this.

[Stealth]

DalekSam, on 19 December 2014 - 10:14 PM, said:

I'll send an email tomorrow afternoon when it isn't 3 in the morning, but as I'm interested in assisting as a musician, can I ask about what would be expected of one applying?

Musicians probably have the least to worry about in terms of HCGE usage, as it supports high-quality ogg, but XM is also supported as long as it follows this spec. Obviously, XM by far provides the greatest level of control and interactivity in-game, if that sort of thing comes into play

A musician for Project HC would pretty much just need to be able to compose/master music that's fitting for any particular part of the game. Once it's known what sort of game is being developed (Sonic, or whatever original game concept is chosen), you can feel free to try creating music to inspire other team members in developing parts of the game, but it's not necessary to jump-the-gun on anything such as level concepts, or even some initial graphics

If I'm overlooking any specific aspect of your participation in the project that you want to know more about, feel free to be direct

DalekSam, on 19 December 2014 - 10:14 PM, said:

Furthermore, how appreciative would you be of a portfolio of current work?

Very. Please link or send anything that you think might be relevant to anything you want to do for the project

DalekSam, on 19 December 2014 - 10:14 PM, said:

I will provide more details in the application email, but I'd like to get a general idea of what exactly you want going with this beforehand.

That's fine. Anything you'd like to know about it, just ask!

Chimpo, on 19 December 2014 - 10:18 PM, said:

What exactly do you consider a complete game? Are you looking for some big project with a large list of levels and features? Or would something more arcade like with a smaller scope but with higher replayability potential also count?

For an original game project, I'm pretty open to suggestion at this point. I wouldn't be opposed to an arcade-style game if there was enough interest. A larger game is possible too, but I'm not expecting anything particularly grandiose unless we happen to get a sufficient team with the drive for it, so any ideas are welcome

[Chimpo]

Aerosol, on 19 December 2014 - 10:32 PM, said:

Chimpo, you disappeared on me. I hope you eventually get in on this.

Hello. I've been busy with some side projects.

Stealth, on 19 December 2014 - 11:48 PM, said:

For an original game project, I'm pretty open to suggestion at this point. I wouldn't be opposed to an arcade-style game if there was enough interest. A larger game is possible too, but I'm not expecting anything particularly grandiose unless we happen to get a sufficient team with the drive for it, so any ideas are welcome

Thank you for your speedy input. Usually when I enter these sort of rag tag team ups, there's a couple in the group that want to throw everything into their first project. They never tend to end well from my experience. I believe a smaller project has a higher chance of getting a product out and would help the team better understand what we're capable of doing.

I'm mainly a character artist/animator so that's what I can bring to the table. I have a couple of pitches in mind to throw at the group/potential members if anyone is willing to listen.

[Stealth]

Chimpo, on 20 December 2014 - 12:44 AM, said:

Thank you for your speedy input. Usually when I enter these sort of rag tag team ups, there's a couple in the group that want to throw everything into their first project. They never tend to end well from my experience. I believe a smaller project has a higher chance of getting a product out and would help the team better understand what we're capable of doing.

Yeah, I do want to come out of this with something nice but I also don't want it to collapse under its own weight. There will be a lot of getting used to HCGE and to each other at this point, so we don't need to aim all that high. There's always the next game :P

Chimpo, on 20 December 2014 - 12:44 AM, said:

I'm mainly a character artist/animator so that's what I can bring to the table.

I've seen some of your stuff before, but if you want to refresh me and show anything new, please send in anything you like

Chimpo, on 20 December 2014 - 12:44 AM, said:

I have a couple of pitches in mind to throw at the group/potential members if anyone is willing to listen.

Please do! If there's anything you don't want to break publicly yet, you can also contact me privately about it. Anything we don't use now can be considered for later if you still want to work with any of the group at that point

[Chimpo]

It's been about a year since I worked on something. I don't have much on hand at the moment. I'm currently in the process of moving so most of my stuff is packed up. I just two mocks ups, a GIF and an old concept animation. They're all about a year old.





Combat concept - Slower version

At the moment, the most fully fleshed out concept I have to pitch is an adventure/action game in the style of Castlevania/Monster World IV. I also have some basic concepts for a 2D Beat'em Up, and a puzzle platformer designed around pole vaulting. I'll try to see if I can find any files so that I can actually have something to pitch. If I can't find anything, I'll just have to write it up again.

Alternatively, I can come up with a new simpler idea. It's probably what I'm going to be leaning towards.

I'll get back to you on them.

This post has been edited by Chimpo: 20 December 2014 - 01:36 AM

[Matwek]

Ritz, on 19 December 2014 - 07:40 PM, said:

(Matwek was like the #1 dude I wanted to work with though so it's already working)

Thanks. I remember you as one of the few people who actual contributed something useful to the dreaded Retro Project. Same goes for Chimpo.
So consider the feeling mutual.

For anyone curious, here are some of the past games I've worked on (mainly as an environmental artist).

http://steamcommunit...s/?id=308778464



http://forums.tigsou...p?topic=37442.0

https://twitter.com/matwekpixel

@stealth
Where would be the best place to pitch a brief game concept?

Via email, so we don't run the risk of derailing this topic into a "my dream game" discussion.
Or should I post it here so you can gauge people's reactions and I'll make sure to keep it focused and to the point.

Oh and for the record.
I would be up for creating a small but fully functional game first, not just a demo. With the plan being to use that micro game to secure funding in some form or another to turn it into a full game.

Kind of like if MGS Ground Zeros was used to gain attention for MGS 5.