Need Programmer or Small Dev Team

Hello,

I'm looking for an experienced game programmer or a small Dev team to develop a WWI Aerial Combat Wargame I have designed over the last two and a half years. The game has a 2D strategic overlay in which campaign missions occur and a detailed 3D Tactical module for dogfighting which is based on aerial maneuvers and their effects on energy states. Has detailed rules covering all aspects of WWI aerial combat, pilot/observer skill development, detailed damage and performance models, weather, random events, wound effects, aircraft and aircrew replacement, random mission generator,etc, etc.

This is Not a Flight Sim but aircraft maneuvers do occur in a 3D environment so will require AI routines and 3D development for the Tactical module. The game puts the player in the position of running day to day operations for a Squadron or Jasta in Campaigns as well as engaging in tactical combat when enemy encouters occur during a Campaign mission. It is designed to be played solo vs the computer or one can participate in Multi-player campaigns over the Internet.

Already have significant publishing interest from a well known Computer Wargame developer and publisher but they have no internal resources currently available to assign to programming for some time into the future due to current projects. Am offering a 50/50 revenue split with an individual or negotiated split with a team to develop the game. Serious, mature inquiries only please and a passion for or at least interest in wargaming would be helpful. I am totally committed to seeing this game produced and marketed commercially and looking for the same mindset.

Open to talented hobbyists/indies also as long as you can commit to a certain number of hours weekly. Even if you only have spare time for development, please contact me.

Please contact me at [email protected] if interested and also tell me why you are interested, what your time commitment can be and your related background. Thanks much in advance for your inquiries.

Jasta

[MikeW]

So let's get this straight, you have a fully detailed "requirement document" presumably? Have you completed the "High Level Design"? Or are you expecting the programmer to do all of the High Level and Low Level design or just the codeing?


I can put you in contact with a CMMI cat 5 company in India that will do the work for a chapatti and a poppadom. Figuritively speaking of course. However, your Requirements and High Level design will have to be very detailed and rock solid.



Before anyone has a go at me about outsourcing, I don't agree with it, but its the industrial revolution all over again, Luddites fall by the wayside.

Hi MikeW,

Thanks much for the response and the information. I do have the Requirements Document completed but am unclear about the "High Level Design" aspect. My understanding is that High Level Design has to do with source code and a programmer I am not. If it is a design document further detailing or expanding on the Requirements Document then I can certainly complete it but perhaps you could define it for me so I understand what it details. I have delineated a step by step sequential requirement for what the Tac module must do within the software and am completing one for the strategic aspect of the game as well but am not certain how these documents would be labeled withing the development industry.

I also have graphical design concepts demonstrating the Tac 3D environment, Tac maneuvering and the Tactical GUI for visual display reference. The strategic module of the game is in 2D and less involved compared to the Tac module but I can easily develop a graphical mock up of the 2D Strat screens as well.

Look forward to hearing from you and any further questions or input.

Regards,

J

[MikeW]

Jasta,

the high level design is the decomposition of the the work into "modules".

A module could be thought of as a group of functions (routines) that perform a certain aspect of the overall functionality. Each module will have links (interfaces) to other modules and possibly to the outside world (the player, other players, display, keyboard etc).

The purpose of the high level design is to broadly "paint in" the modules that will be required and define the intefaces between the modules - a good way of thinking about it is to compare it with a "GA" or General Assembly for a hardware design - imagine an exploded diagram of your PC - processor - memory - graphic engine - north and south bridges - i/o controller - monitor - keyboard etc etc. Some modules will have simple relationships with perhaps another module, some will have complex connections going off all over the place.

If you can define this yourself, it leaves much less to the imagination of the guy (or guys) that will be writing the software. It sounds as though your requirement document is sound - that's the major hurdle - always a source of disaster if you leave interpretation of requirements to the coders!!!!

It looks like you are progressing in the right direction, but what remains is still a major task, I take it your publisher was unable to recommend anyone to you?

I think we all wish you luck in this.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks again for the info as this is very helpful. One question I have is how would I know whether what I "think" are modules would be perceived in the same way from a programmers perspective. We may have different definitions of what constitutes a module. I can do a schematic but should I make an assumption that my definition is probably going to be the same as a coders? I suspect the links would become obvious as I lay out a schematic but I wouldn't want to be way off base with this and then have to have rewrites.

Any thoughts?

Thanks much,

Jasta

[MikeW]

how would I know whether what I "think" are modules would be perceived in the same way from a programmers perspective

The modules as you perceive them would be "your" design. Another person might well design things differently, and a third person differently again. that's why all designs are different.

Many "old school" code hackers don't see the need for any sort of design, preferring to dive in and start codeing, often without a proper requirement either. "Design on the fly" usually results in a buggy, unmaintainable piece of software that doesn't do what the instigator required.

Your design will help the coder(s) to understand your requirement and translate it into a working piece of software.


Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks and that makes sense so I can start working on it. Any chance this team would work on a revenue split vs up front funding? The president of the publisher I referrred to has a strong interest in seeing this built out and has referred me to an individual and a dev team but neither has worked out. The individual had no passion for or even real interest in the era and the dev team wanted funding up front which I don't have available. The publisher's internal resources are tied up for a year or more on other projects so I'm trying to get development going for even a demo of the tac module to perhaps generate some funding although I'd prefer to go with a direct build to completion.

Apparently you are in the industry so perhaps I can stimulate your interest? If I can get your email address I will send you design some graphics if you're interested in where I'm going with this.

Again, thanks much for your input and comments.

Jasta

[MikeW]

Jasta,

I'm in the sw industry but not the games industry - industrial control - far more boring. Not a coder either, my coding is trully appalling.

The people in India that I know would have to be paid up front, even though the cost could be sigificantly cheaper that getting it done in the west.

They would not be experienced in any particular field, they are just given work and the they churn the code out, albeit to aerospace standards.

Perhaps if you write to some of the established genre specialists? The better the spec documents that you have the more likely they might be to take you up on it.


mike

[wingstrutdotcom]

I am not interested.

Thank you.

Hi Mike,

Thanks again for the info and I will continue to improve and complete the documents and see where it goes from there. I had one one well established designer and developer that wanted to make separate Strategic and Tactical games out of this but it's the combination of both along with the RPG element that makes the game in my opinion so we didn't go any further.

Have to keep looking and hope someone with an interest pops up.

Regards,

Jasta