iQew

0 comments by iQew on Mar 5th, 2012

...are coming together!

Click here to visit Mindworld: Shattered Dreams!

There are currently positions open for the following jobs:
• Sound Designer
• VFX Artist
• 3D Character Artist
• Concept Artist (Environment Art)
• Programmer
• 3D Organic Modeller
• Texture Artist
• 3D Hardsurface Modellers
• Graphic Designer (Company and Game Logo Design)
• Male Voice Actor

The project Mindworld was started in January 2011 and is thus already over one year old. With the new changes to the development cycle and the new talent in the team, I'm very happy to see that a lot of progress is done in a really short timeframe.

The amount of quality this project calls standard by now amazes me and goes way beyond my own artist abilities. Today, I have written around 5 denials regarding the positions for concept art and around another 5 to 3D artists with the reason of not meeting our quality standards. It was the moment I realized that this is a luxury I haven't even thought of in the beginning of Mindworld.

One major thing I've learned throughout this adventure already is to not give up and look for alternative ways, if there are unsolvable problems. I think the change back to the Source Engine was the best thing that could have happened to Mindworld.

Another thing I've learned: don't be afraid to get in touch with amazing people and just try it and show the project around. Up to here, the most experienced individual has joined the team after I have contacted him and not the other way round. I wasn't too optimistic, because I was responding to a thread regarding job hunting for commercial projects, but the mail and the project triggered his interest and he is now part of the team.

It's not the first time that we have been able to create such a connection. Now, after the change to the modding community, I can also give out the information that we had contact to one of the senior technical artist at Ubisoft in Paris. Using the Source Engine and not developing a next-gen title made me decide to cut him loose from the project though, because he was looking for a complex task with the UDK engine. Other than that, people working for Sony Online Entertainment and Sony Australia said that it was an interesting project and they'd keep an eye on it.

I find that extremely cool, because I've never imagined to have such contacts with my first indie title. However, it seems like even the high-end professionals are only human and most of them aren't arrogant, but really friendly. Thus my advice to not be afraid of high skilled individuals with decades of experience, they usually are happy to give some feedback, if approached in a nice manner.

The 10 page long guide about team leadership in the Indie-/Modcommunity didn't receive too much attention and almost no feedback, which I found unfortunate. I'm currently thinking about writing another one, once I find the time to do so, which isn't soon ahead, because of the current workload on Mindworld.

I really hope that we can meet the deadline of Q4 2012 with Mindworld: Shattered Dreams, but according to our level designer it should be within reach. You can expect some very beautiful art coming soon for the mod and also the so often requested in-game screenshots (although those may take some more time due to quality assurance).

cheers.