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Kronos3

Looking for doom level designer, „paid“ job

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Hi everyone,

We are looking for a Doom level designer to create a single small level prototype in gzdoom builder or any other doom level editor. The level is supposed to be a proof of concept for an indie game, inspired by an old 2D 8bit game from the 90s. It will need to have custom textures and a few sprites in retro style, with visuals matching as close as possible the original 2d game. We don’t have much to offer and only have a very small indie budget,  but can pay a symbolic 100$\€\£ for someone  to create this single level. Please PM me. We are not expecting this to take a very long time for someone familiar with doom level editing. The level will not be sold, but will serve as a proof of concept/reference for building this game…

 

Apologies if this is the wrong forum section or not appropriate for this forum, would still appreciate if someone can point me to the correct section or give advice where to find someone willing to help with this?

 

best

 

Kronos

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"Please make a game in which I haven't described what it's about, what visual style I would like (retro could be literally anything), and on top of being a good level designer you must also be a texture and sprite artist and do it quickly"- the thread, number #5564564564

 

For all that money, you could actually stick around here and learn how to do any of that. Not providing a concept, visual style, or literally any prior knowledge about how level design/game making works is guaranteed to just make people avoid you. Ideas people are a dime a dozen here. 

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3 minutes ago, Major Arlene said:

and on top of being a good level designer you must also be a texture and sprite artist and do it quickly

 

I read this as you had to include sprites/textures that they give you, could you clarify @Kronos3?

I think just for getting your point across you could make a very simple room with your items/graphics/assets to make a quick publicity video, and as Major Arlene said you can learn to do that pretty quickly.

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You're trying to pay someone for a proof of concept? As in, you'll take whatever someone makes here, pay them a lump sum of money, and only use the map as a reference and not get used in a final product in any capacity? Not even a guarantee you'll be using the same engine or promised royalties for the custom assets they had to take the time to make and format correctly for GZDoom?

 

Not even a job offer?

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A small proof of concept map is something any semi-decent mapper can bang out on a rainy afternoon... but designing not just textures but also sprites from scratch, assuming you don't have them yet.... yeah... that's not going to happen unless somebody is seriously desperate for a benjamin...

 

Another thing you might wanna consider is that if the retro game you use as inspiration was a jump and run, then people will probably need to fuck around with the physics as well, possibly resulting in the necessity for even more work than you might just be able to imagine...

 

In other words... add another zero or two to your 100$, and you might just be able to convince somebody, provided you can lay down an ironclad contract instead of a dubious and most definitely uninformed forum post...

 

Oh, before I forget, just based on my experiences with entrepreneurs: Unless you are able to get a proof of concept off the ground on your own, you're not going to get very far with your game... You don't want this enough to do what's required...

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On 11/15/2021 at 6:41 PM, Kronos3 said:

The level is supposed to be a proof of concept for an indie game, inspired by an old 2D 8bit game from the 90s. It will need to have custom textures and a few sprites in retro style, with visuals matching as close as possible the original 2d game.

Can you at least elaborate and tell us what this "old 2D 8bit game from the 90s" is?

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On 11/15/2021 at 4:41 PM, Kronos3 said:

 

I mean no disrespect, but most people on this forum are gonna treat a 'paid' request like this w/ suspicion...

 

I understand you may be new to the forum. I'm not saying close the thread, or anything - I'm just saying that most everything on this forum is done for free - even insanely complex projects like the GZDOOM sourceport and Eviternity...

 

Most people have a very DIY attitude around here. Everyone on the forum will be happy to assist you w/ any editing questions you have, but you'll very likely not find someone to make this 'level' for you.

 

25 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Can you at least elaborate and tell us what this "old 2D 8bit game from the 90s" is?

This seems like an integral detail that was left out... The more information you give us the better, being intentionally vague doesn't help anybody...

 

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour, I'd just like to request that you maybe try to figure this stuff out somewhat on your own first. If you were to say, post a level of your own, I'm sure people here would be happy to collaborate. I've only been mapping since February - it's quite an easy skill to pick up - Doom level design is not nearly as complicated as modern game design.

 

Just my two cents, not trying to give you a hard time! :)

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I'm guessing that Kronos3 want's who ever is interested in making a level for the (unknown 2D 8bit concept) to pm him.

But a concept usually requires some sort of visual, unless the concept is restricted to pm's only?

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If you just need one test level, and all the graphics are already made, you're the one who'll know how to make it best. It will take several revisions for a stranger to make a suitable map, and you'll need to guide them through it. It takes about an afternoon to learn how to use Ultimate Doom Builder. You shouldn't spend any money. It's not worth it for you.

 

Conversely, if you need a whole suite of professional graphics, that's outside of your stated price range. Artists need $1k or even $10k to take their time and deliver consistent quality. That's why the Doom community subsists on hobbyist graphic packs, and why poor Freedoom is still struggling to get all their art finished even after many years.

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I can't wrap my head around this. Why would pay money for one prototype map and few sprites? What's your plan for actual maps and rest for the sprites? If you are doing them yourself, why pay for small fraction of them? If you aren't doing them yourself, what is your plan with the rest of the game? Also if this is a commercial product based on actual real NES game, you could run into _big_ legal trouble. Don't spend your money, if you can't get any profit.

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Personally, I would consider doing a map for a hundred bucks, but only if the other resources were already available. Asking someone to do a bunch of sprite and texture work on top of it is unlikely to yield any results with the payment being offered.

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>Quality
>Fast

Pick one, you won't get both. You're better off learning to use Ultimate Doom Builder, which is not that difficult to grasp. Maybe a few hours to grasp how to make a super simple level as proof of concept by doing it yourself. There are royalty free assets (be it free or cheap in price) you can use as a base for graphics modification.

Sorry, but you're very unlikely to get any bites on this forum.

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2 minutes ago, rd. said:

Hi I read wesleyjohnson's guide and I can make doors and toilets to spec for $50/hr. 

 

/thread

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What kind of sprites would you need to be made?  What is it based on?  How long would the creator have to make it?

A few details would help, curious to see what you have in mind.

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@Kronos3 

#NOTLegalAdvice.

 

As far as I'm aware, you legally can not use shareware assets to make a profit.

 

If I'm understanding this correctly, you are looking for map/level designers for your indie game. What engine is it based on? If it is based on doom engine, you got to consider a lot more, than the map/level designers pay. Using and modifying engines for commercial use come with their own sets of laws and regulations. I suggest consulting a lawyer if you plan to use doom engine for anything other than provided by fair use clause. 

====================================

Now, to address another concern. You have had multiple questions asked and you have not answered them in 18H. This shows a pretty big red flag: lack of communication. 

You also show signs of lack of knowledge how much work actually goes into these projects. For an on demand, custom map/level with custom sprites costs usually start around 800€(900 USD) and go upwards of thousands. And that is from Red Alert community, a game with far easier modification possibilities. I have no price idea on doom community myself as I am quite new, but just from previous posts alone, it's around 1000 or more, as suggested by @Nine Inch Heels 

 

Another thing to consider, there are hundreds of thousands of wads created daily by multiple creators, some of them take months before being released. The more complex the wad, the more it will cost, even as a proof of concept.

=========================================

 

About proof of concept: a proof of concept does not include custom sprites and textures, unless neccessery for level design. As such, do you need the assets to be created from scratch? If so, noone is going to do it for 100 bucks. If you provide the assets however, you still won't find anyone quickly. 

 

And now for the third red flag: your fails to provide neccessery information for level creation. A number of posters have shown interest in your project. But without answers or communication you will not find anyone.

 

Next up another issue:

Are you going to pay them for the development period? If so, how much is that pay going to be? I know budgets can be small, but the smaller your budget, the more you have to do yourself.  Projects cost money. You need to calculate the costs and adjust for inflation. 

=======================================

 

If you ever need a lore/background story writer, feel free to contact me. We can probably reach an agreement

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1 hour ago, DarkIceCyclone said:

@Kronos3 

#NOTLegalAdvice.

 

As far as I'm aware, you legally can not use shareware assets to make a profit.

 

If I'm understanding this correctly, you are looking for map/level designers for your indie game. What engine is it based on? If it is based on doom engine, you got to consider a lot more, than the map/level designers pay. Using and modifying engines for commercial use come with their own sets of laws and regulations. I suggest consulting a lawyer if you plan to use doom engine for anything other than provided by fair use clause. 


This. As far as I'm aware, you can't just do a "replace this weapon" DECORATE and roll out a paid TC, even if you create new sprites and graphics, you can only use the engine itself. I highly would recommend Nash's game template to build off of in this case. 

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