TRADE (Closed) Looking for Mapper/Level Designer!

[Rhino]

This game is currently in the early development stage. We'll be using default rtp maps to later be updated when a mapper joins the team.

Engine: RPG Maker MV

Disclaimer: This game has lgbt themes.

Heir to the throne of Alundria, Princess Yvenne finds herself in a difficult position: does she agree to the proposal of the Prince of the neighbouring kingdom of Zandrinell, a temperamental and loveless man who she does not trust; or does she instead stay with her lover, Leonara, a warrior and one of her most trusted servants?

Deciding to go with her heart instead of succumbing to royal pressure, a chain of events are set in motion that will change the course of history between the kingdoms.

Spoiler: Read More

Soon, they become entangled in a conspiracy – Yvenne is kidnapped, and the King and Queen declare war. The kingdoms become embroiled in conflict, but Leonara suspects all isn’t as it seems. What has happened to the Princess, and why aren’t her parents sending anyone to rescue her? Defying the orders of her commanders, Leonara deserts her position and instead takes off on a journey through the two kingdoms on a rescue mission for her lover.

Along the way, she must cross mountains, caves and forests, facing off against all the wild monsters and perils of the wilderness. She faces greater danger still when crossing into Zandrinell, a harsh and mountainous kingdom where only the fiercest warriors survive.

Meanwhile, Yvenne - though she may not be able to hold her own in a fight like Leonara – is a master of stealth and puzzles, with her quick wit and smarts. She tries to make her way out of the castle dungeon herself, and reunite with her lover, the one servant who refused to betray her.

And together, they attempt to team up to take down the corrupt system that set them up, and save the kingdoms from more war – even if it means turning against their own former comrades and families – all for the good of the people.

The gameplay is inspired by the Legend of Zelda Series. Features include:

• Action Battle System
• Tool System
• Highly interactive environment
• Waist up character portraits
  
• Item collection

Possible add-ons:

• Romance System with multiple endings
• Fishing minigame
  
• Custom art for cut scenes

As we progress with the game, we'll be looking to expand our team further, but at this early stage, we're looking for a:

• Mapper/Level Designer

Ideally, we are looking for one person who can fulfil both roles, however due to the different skill sets required, we'd be happy to split this up.

Spoiler: Read More

Mapper:
We're looking for someone who can make the rtp shine. These are not necessarily parallaxed maps, as we'd be happy to accept someone who is skilled at mapping in the editor. However, if parallax maps are preferred, I'd be happy to offer my assistance. Whilst I lack the natural talent of being able to arrange objects and create a nice layout, I am fairly proficient in Photoshop and can help with recolours, tile edits or otherwise. Examples of maps I have made are shown in the screenshots below.

We have places a very rough estimate of 30-40 maps in the game. This also takes into account maps that are created for world building and rewards for exploration, rather than just going the A to B of the plot.

The story takes place between two kingdoms, so the locations we'd be looking at are; 2 Castles, farms, mountains/cave areas and the roads between them.

Level Designer:
The game world is highly interactive. The player is encouraged to roam and explore, and will encounter several environmental puzzles along the way. We're looking for someone experienced in game making to help create maps that are engaging and enjoyable to walk through.

Each location will be created with gameplay in mind, from secret passages, doors that can only be opened by certain characters, and stealth sequences, we want the maps to be part of the game world, and not just pretty scenery.

The Level Designer will work closely with (or be) the mapper, and the writer, in order to create puzzles that tie into the plot, and have players experimenting and backtracking to discover all the hidden secrets.

​

Please post a comment here or send me a PM! Include any relevant info such as screenshots or links to things you've made in the past.

Please don't apply if you feel you'd be unable to commit. Although we'd be grateful for the help if you contribute to a few maps, we're ideally looking for someone who can stick with us through the whole process.

As part of our team, you'll be invited to join our discord where you can also contribute ideas and feedback to other areas of the game if you wish.

​

Rhino:

Project Leader. I handle the art/sprites and eventing.

Jack:

Writer. Creates the plot and dialogue.

Foo:

Coder. Handles all the javascript stuff, including creating custom menus and plugins.

​

Please note these images are not final.

Spoiler: View

The maps shown here were made for practise, and may not feature in this game. I've included them as we do not currently have any maps for this game, and to show off my parallaxing ability.

​

This project is non-commercial, and therefore we can't offer anything of monetary value, though we'd be more than happy to share our skills in exchange for your time.

I can help out with creating edits or making sprites. You can see more of my work in my resource thread. I also enjoy eventing (in RMMV) though I'm not a master.

Jack is a screenwriting student and can help out with plot and dialogue. He can also playtest and proofread your game.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Spookyrpgmaker]

Hi I am looking to get a get some experience so I would be up for that!! :L

 

[Rhino]

@Spookyrpgmaker Thanks for your interest! However, we are looking for someone who is a bit more experienced to help out with this role.
But I really appreciate your offer, and I wish you luck with your project too!

 

[Spookyrpgmaker]

Check out my progress for my game when I have the custom backgrounds posted up! I am making them all myself from scratch so if you like the art style for the levels and tilesets + animations get back to me!

 

[Rhino]

Here's a snippet of a cutscene from the intro! We hope you like the animated character portraits! There's no sound yet, but I'm excited to announce that we've had an offer from a composer, so you can be expecting some awesome original songs to come.


As you can see from the default map, we're still very much looking for a mapper!

I want to take this opportunity to clarify why we're looking for someone experienced.

Spoiler: Read More

Simply put, there's no substitute for experience.

Most of the time, it's quite obvious when a map has been made by someone new to it. I know that we all must start somewhere, and I myself am a n00b at mapping, which is why I'm trying to outsource the help. I don't wish to accept help from another beginner, as I feel that I'd be wasting their time. I'm not asking for help out of laziness, if I was happy with beginner maps, I would make them myself.

This game is non-commercial and will never bring a profit. I'm not trying to make the next 'To The Moon', I just want to make something as good as I can. I hope you can see from the previews that we're putting everything we have into this game, custom sprites, portraits, menus, and I would very much like for the maps to continue the high standard.

The team itself has a wide range of experience. I've made 3 games before (2 in RM) and I have over a decades experience in art and story telling. Both the writer and coder are working towards degrees in their fields. (The RM games I made previously were private games made for friends, and so I did not concern myself with making maps that were 'good', they were simply backgrounds to the story.)

Mapping is a skill that requires refining. Feedback from players, practise and experimentation allow experienced mappers to efficiently make maps that are aesthetically pleasing, logical and exciting. Although I keep practising, I feel like I must spend twice as long and make something much worse than a talented mapper could. I struggle greatly with conceptualising maps and figuring out how to incorporate puzzles, which does not lend itself well to a game of environmental puzzles. Someone with experience will understand the players path, how to draw their attention, make a passage that's hidden but won't go unnoticed etc. They bring more than just maps to the team - knowledge from past projects, knowing what worked well and what didn't, ideas that can be renewed and reused.

Working in a team allows everyone to focus most on what they enjoy doing, and therefore produce their best work. As I have said in the opening post, I'd be happy to assist and probably make some of the minor maps, but I am not at the stage where I would want to approve of myself as the main mapper. I want to learn as much as I can from the mapper/level designer(s), and with the offer of a skill trade, and the prospect of this game being finished, I believe that it'd be a mutually beneficial partnership!

Thanks for visiting this thread!

 

[Itsthatoneguy]

Hi I'm definitely interested. I'm a pretty good map and level designer, would love to stick around and help for the project. I'm not good at scripting so perhaps I can pick up a few pointers from your team. Let me know if you're interested, I would love to get started!

 

[Rhino]

@Itsthatoneguy Sounds good! Would you mind sending me a PM with some screenshots/links to things you've done previously?

We'll do our best to help in exchange for your time I'm away right now, but I'll be back this time next week, and we're nearly there with our plans for the first puzzle, so if everything suits, you'd be able to start fairly quickly

 

[Itsthatoneguy]

Sure, I will message you some screenshots when I get a chance, looking forward to getting started