Need Help Tessa Prime - All types of developers welcome.

[WereAlpaca]

Project Name: Tessa Prime
Setting: Medieval with psionic abilities and a sci-fi twist
Engine: Intersect

The limited resources on Earth lead us to research digitally suspended minds and cloning, which then allowed for long distance space travel. This ultimately led to the planet Tessa Prime. 500 years after humans of Earth landed on Tessa prime - you are created. With a mind suspended in data your journey will lead you outwards to become a force to be reckoned with.

Born of data from Earth, the many civilizations that have grown on Tessa Prime are rooted in past cultures and ideas. It's our goal to help the now growing population of Tessa Prime, and to connect them together. Unraveling your own story will be a challenge, but with strong forces at play, like the clashing of advanced technology and a new way of life, you will thrive.

With traditional and basic Online RPG systems, the charming world laid before you will bring stories that explore many aspects of the human experience. With some not-so-human experiences as well. While the graphics are commonly used, known as Time Fantasy, this doesn’t mean there isn’t careful consideration on how the graphics are used and modified. The goal with the project Tessa Prime is to just do things right, I trust that Intersect has the features to succeed, and by sticking with a basic engine  (with minor modifications) I know a truly great game can be made.

Story:

Spoiler

Exposition:
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All taking place in Ances Station. In a clone lab with odd machines and medical equipment, the room is not very organized. Farf creates the player when messing with the cloning machine, and a verbal fight breaks out between you and them, like being born to a world and instantly arguing with your creator. Armed guards run in to see what the commotion is (from the left), Farf runs (to the right), but the player is captured and brought to key character General Ances (or goes with the guards willfully).

In a small office that is designed like a vintage study, bookshelves and a big desk and chair. General Ances tells you that you’re a clone, and that you are on a planet called Tessa Prime. The Earth is long in the past and the planet Tessa Prime has become a mixing pot of culture and human design. Farf was an old engineer who always sneaked in to fulfill their addiction of modifying themselves. It’s a dark practice of killing your physical body and planting your consciousness back into a new body. It’s the first time Farf has cloned a person into existence, usually indulging in new bodies and physical features. Rather than decommission you, General Ances orders you to take a training program. The player is left to explore Ances Station with the Combat Hall being clearly labelled and easily found; the Combat Hall is where the questline continues.

Inciting Incident:
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The training program starts in the Combat Hall with Drill Master Yaro, who instructs the player on basic controls and game concepts. Teaching players how to use their spells (psionic abilities). The Combat Hall has training dummies, weapons and armour displayed, and mats on the floor to convey wrestling or combat. During the training program you meet another clone, your first encounter with them is in the Combat Hall. This clone is a blank slate, has no memories or past self, their name is Echo. Despite being a “blank state” they are full of personality and individuality.

There is also a robot at the exit of Ances Station with a questline that gives you a teleport spell back to Ances Station, having further requirements to gather all teleportation spells to complete the quest.

The training program also leads out of Ances Station where the player learns how to gather resources and craft weapons. At the entrance of Ances Station there is a forested and cliff surrounded area called Harvest Clearing, this area has NPCs to help the player with early gameplay. NPC Grolpeth the Guide will reside at Harvest Clearing to continue the questline outside of Ances Station. The clothing/armour that the player can use as an Initiate is purchasable at Harvest Clearing, but learning to make a weapon better than the starting baton is key for introducing crafting. While the healing items have not been planned yet, this time is pivotal for introducing those as well.

This portion of the game called the training program should include a boss and a few enemies for the player to fight. There could be a cave that needs to be explored, or even have the boss deep in a forest.

At the end of the training program, your quest leads to General Ances again. She praises your performance and decides right then and there, you will be part of the Explorers, a handful of clones whose purpose is to explore Tessa Prime and bring back intel to Ances Station. As an Explorer you can take 3 different jobs: Guardian, Agent, or Knight. To choose a job you must go back to the Combat Hall, where Guardian Master Kenna, Agent Master Syle, or Knight Master Alex give you your job after a basic quest (possibly there is no quest for job changes, but the possibility for more gameplay may be relevant). You are no longer an Initiate.

After you have completed your job quest you are sent back to General Ances. General Ances reveals that you weren’t cloned as a blank slate like Echo, that your data matrix was stolen by Farf. Your mission is to track down Farf and recover the missing data on who you were cloned from. While this is a tall order, it is assured by Ances that by following the guidance of others and taking quests, you will be ready when the time comes to face Farf. Echo is on the same mission, so talk to them at Harvest Clearing to continue the quest.

Story continued behind closed doors.

Current progress:
 - First area map and sub-maps
 - Several levels of armour and weapons (paperdolls and items)
 - Resource progression fleshed out with graphics
 - A collection of enemies ready to be implemented
 - Basic story outline written for a significant portion of the game
 - Rudimentary spell animations
 - Custom edited Time Fantasy entities (Every paperdoll is redrawn and recoloured)
 - Many hair styles with many colours
 - A small set of NPCs with unique looks
 - Animated crafting stations
 - A 24/7 online server
 

Screenshots: Maps and NPCS






Things I need help with:
 - Mapping
 - Combat and resource progression math
 - Quest writing (Side quests or critique on my main story script writing)
 - Programmer (I will go over my wish list in this post)
 - Spells (I can do the graphics but I am not great at using the editor to its fullest)
 - User Interface Redesign (I like the layout but a new theme would be very cool)

What to know before applying-------------------------------------------------------------------
Will I pay you? The answer is yes, but not a lot. I am really hoping to drum up some excitement for this project, and thus recruit people that want to help! I understand that some things take time, and therefore cost money. If you can prove you’ll be an asset to the project, then I will do what I can to pay you.

I only have a budget of 300$ a month for general game developers (the exception being custom coded systems that require higher budgets), that’s what I feel comfortable spending on a passion project. If this number scares you away, I fully understand. If the money isn’t important to you, then that’s great. With a 300$ CAD budget I can realistically pay someone 50$ a month for 5 hours of mapping a month, if they’re comfortable at 10$ an hour for this type of work. None of this is official business, just game devs helping each other pursue their hobbies.

Now! There is a proposition that’s key. I am fully willing to train people on things I’m already experienced at. If you want to learn how to map, or want to learn how to draw paperdolls, I have all the time in the world to teach you. That includes a workflow and organization using paint.net that could lead you to creating your own pixel art. I am new to writing, especially script writing, but I have no problem sharing what I’ve learned about it. I can also show you how to document your ideas and organize your game dev folders, so the workflow is efficient.

If you want to learn from me and help with the project at the same time, voice chat is generally expected, and so is sharing screens through discord.

I don’t know if this game will ever be monetized, so I don’t want to offer profit share while getting peoples hopes up. If the game starts to take shape and succeed, then it is on the table for anyone that has contributed.
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Custom system wishlist:
 - Hair editor ingame with toggle between hair and helmet paperdoll in player window
 - Separation of attack and interact key
 - Exp limitations dependent on player and enemy level (possibly in combat formula?)

These are just my must-haves for custom systems, and depending on how the development is coming along I will invest in taking it to the next level. If you’re able to make any of these systems properly, then please privately message me a quote.

Thank you for reading and considering! If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. If there is any information missing that you feel is important, then also let me know.

Look forward to hearing from you, cheers.