Supernatural Mod -Recruiting-

[Stormy]

I wrote a fucking. Massive. Post. That would have been really helpful. But then the shitty work computer ate it. So fuck it. I'll rewrite. maybe. For now the short version is: Who the fuck are you and why the fuck should I put my sweat and tears into your idea?

Goddamn I am so pset right now. Seriously, the shit was like three a4 pages long.

[thefoofighter]

Goddamn I am so pset right now. Seriously, the shit was like three a4 pages long.

Im sorry to hear that Stormy and i understand you are upset but lets keep this civil please. Your right to ask who the fudge i am and why my idea is any better than what others have proposed before me.

Really i dont have an answer for who i am other than i am who i am like ive mentioned in prior posts to the thread Im a 22 year old male from Ireland who just finished my 4th year in a computer games development honours degree course at an Institute of technology.

I have college exposure to Java,C++(openGL,DirectX),C#(XNA4.0,Kinect,forms) as well as action script 2.0 and a general knowledge of html and CSS. Although we never used the Source engine in the duration of the course it didnt stop me delving into it in my spare time.
I own and run the website http://www.sourcemodding.com which is under development and will include plenty more tuts now that i am finished college. If you want to have a look at the PDF's i provide with both videos you will see that i do my best to explain in depth the tools in a professional and informative manner. SourceSDK overview and HLMV Overview.

I have college exposure to 3D studio Max and photoshop as well as what ive learned about Softimage XSI, Maya and Zbrush in my own time. Ive spent up on €400 on the complete suite of Noesis DVD's before they were ported to design3.com Ive watched and practised what was taught in the dvds. Ive decompiled and recompiled models in Source and compiled a few of my own basic ones in.

All of this can be viewed with more detail on my portfolio
My latest work was this Kinect project which i havent had the opportunity to add to the portfolio.

Now onto your more pressing question about putting your time and effort into this mod. Well as i havent really got a story yet it's going to be difficult for me to sell the idea to you but i'll attempt it.

First of all about me regarding anything i start i will not leave it unfinished, Thats just a natural trait for me, I get the oddest feeling that if i leave something out i must return and add it. This means that for every project i start i must finish it. I have a few small C# personal projects ive started recently and am constantly reminding myself to return to and finish and sure enough when i find a few minutes to spare i add a new feature and push the changes up to github. Its all down to the mentality i have over these types of projects so basically, even if the whole team abandons me im gonna keep working on this as dedicated as ever. Hoping that no-one abandons the project i can tell you that i approach everything in a professional, weighted and thought through manner. I wont rush to a conclusion without consulting all other team members and the community about it so i can get the full spectrum of views and opinions both constructive and not.

I could have just started writing the story myself but i thought i would by the right choice to find an experienced creative writer and have them plot out the course of events.
This project will not start development until the both the high concept and design documents have been read over by as many people i can throw it so i can take the feedback and apply it where appropriate.
I have a Drop box set up with sharing folders where devs will keep a log of their activity where appropriate and also a place for them to keep assets and consult documentation.
I have a developer group set up on google groups for devs to meet and talk.
I want a meeting between all team members via voice chat on skype once a month/fortnight to ensure people are on track or know exactly it is we need of them.
I purchased the domain http://www.supernatural-source.com about a year ago (although if we choose not to use source i'll need to find a new one)

For each person who responded to the threads ive posted looking for writers ive asked each and everyone to think of a good overlaying story arc as well as a short excerpt so i can gauge their talent.

These are just a few of the things ive been working to try and set up in the last week or two. Then my next step was to acquire a writer and or artist for the Mod so i posted what you see at the front of this thread in many forums for games development/source and supernatural so i could reach as many people as possible with this.

Like i mentioned in a previous post im not going to make a half arsed attempt at making this game. Ive been trained for 4 years to do this and im very very passionate about games development to the point i spend more time coding than i actually have to play new and upcoming titles.

I am going to give this game my all and if things work out the way i hope them too i will have the next year or two off to work on this game in a full time capacity.

Im not sure if thats what you needed to hear but im all ears man, and im finding this thread very useful.



Kind regards
Foo

[Major Banter]

Permit me butting in again, with a few more points.

I own and run the website http://www.sourcemodding.com which is under development

This site is well built and comprehensive. Plenty of sites and so on, which is good. However, why is the design so awful? I'd like to be more positive about it, but brushed steel textures, with lightning bolts in black logos? The last splash screen ('Latest Tutorial') is laughably bad! Not to sound like an asshole, but lightning and cheesy flames? Don't worry, many people aren't particularly good at design or Photoshop, but they don't bother trying either! I respect the attempt, but I think you'd be better with a minimalist approach. Cleaner, sharper; more PlanetPhillip and fewer flames, yes?

I have college exposure to 3D studio Max and photoshop as well as what ive learned about Softimage XSI, Maya and Zbrush in my own time. Ive spent up on €400 on the complete suite of Noesis DVD's before they were ported to design3.com Ive watched and practised what was taught in the dvds. Ive decompiled and recompiled models in Source and compiled a few of my own basic ones in.

Rather than talking about what you've done, show us it. Your portfolio images don't expand so I can't see anything in detail, so if you could URL link them in here that'd be great.

All of this can be viewed with more detail on my portfolio

See above.

My latest work was this Kinect project which i havent had the opportunity to add to the portfolio.

What did you specifically do? And keep it to a sentence, please.

First of all about me regarding anything i start i will not leave it unfinished,

We have all said/heard this before. I'm sorry, but it has no value at Interlopers.

I wont rush to a conclusion without consulting all other team members and the community about it so i can get the full spectrum of views and opinions both constructive and not.

Good. Listen to everybody, even if they're ridiculing you or taking the piss. Most Interlopers had a 'trial by fire', myself included. The good modders picked themselves up, brushed themselves down and learned from it. Your attitude is good.

This project will not start development until the both the high concept and design documents have been read over by as many people i can throw it so i can take the feedback and apply it where appropriate.
I have a Drop box set up with sharing folders where devs will keep a log of their activity where appropriate and also a place for them to keep assets and consult documentation.
I have a developer group set up on google groups for devs to meet and talk.
I want a meeting between all team members via voice chat on skype once a month/fortnight to ensure people are on track or know exactly it is we need of them.
I purchased the domain http://www.supernatural-source.com about a year ago (although if we choose not to use source i'll need to find a new one)

Very good organisation. Consider looking at Turtle SVN to keep your builds up to date.

Like i mentioned in a previous post im not going to make a half arsed attempt at making this game. Ive been trained for 4 years to do this and im very very passionate about games development to the point i spend more time coding than i actually have to play new and upcoming titles.

This is the part I don't get. To spend four years in education, to have a burning passion and a genuine love of modding - and you're spending it on somebody else's IP. What an absolute waste, and what a huge project to take on. You've never released a map in your life! Do you think you'll be able to rebuild the Combine into some sort of enemy? 10/10 for ambition, but I don't think you even know what to do with the IP.

For God's sake man, be original, or draw on influences. Just make something smaller and come back to this at the very least. Hell, it's not that hard to break off from the original IP and just work off vampires, werewolves, djinni and so on. I don't understand the dedication to something that doesn't need a damn game. Just make something small, simple, with a really good team.

Also, could you cut it down the amount you're writing a little? You don't need this much.

[thefoofighter]

Hey,
I'll keep it concise!

why is the design so awful?

I do agree the design of the images on the site are pretty gay to say the least. Im a programmer and i think the term is "programmer art" but yes you're right, i probably shouldn't have even attempted it. Once i get around to it i'll clean it up with like you said a minimalistic approach.

The same is true for the Portfolio, it could do with being easier to read and images should expand.

Here are links to my "art" if you could even call it that.

Sketches for a female character
sketchL sketchF

Same Character box modeled in Max (turbosmooth was not allowed and polys had to be kept at a minimum)
render1 render2

Sketches for a blimpy/chooper thing i made in Max(cant find the renders ^^)
blimpy1 blimpy2 blimpy3

Bmw M3 modeled in XSI (probably my best work to date)
bmw1 bmw2 bmw3 bmw4 bmw5

Models i ported into Source (static meshs)
Shelby Hitachi Black hawk before i dismantled it Black hawk down?

What did you specifically do?

I used the Kinect SDK along with XNA to show the potential the Kinect has for a game such as Operation/as well as real life scenarios such as training Surgeons.

For God's sake man, be original, or draw on influences. Just make something smaller and come back to this at the very least. Hell, it's not that hard to break off from the original IP and just work off vampires, werewolves, djinni and so on. I don't understand the dedication to something that doesn't need a damn game. Just make something small, simple, with a really good team.

Point taken onboard. Personally im for what you said. I dont want to constrain the game to what the show has/ or hasnt. Building a new story/concept drawing off the influences the show has as well as other shows (Trueblood/Fringe/X-files) and books also (big fan of Stephen King/James Herbert) we can create a unique gaming experience that fans of the Supernatural/and Paranormal can relate to and enjoy.

[Stormy]

That wiki is a goddamn travesty. I read your post. I realise that it is an old version you're only keeping for posterity, but the seething masses may not be so conscious. You really should save an offline copy for yourself and take it down. Lots of people won't read your posts and will just click on the links, and having that terrible looking wiki reflects badly on your image.

The reason MB is giving you a hard time (and you're lucky the rest of the forum isn't circlejerking on you as well) is because lopers is a community made of modders who have been fucked over by ideas men too many times. That's why you'll find that most lopers projects are small, simple and acheivable. Because they realise the amount of work required to produce anything worth a download. Your lack of actual portfolio proof of your design/coding skills gives everyone an immediate reason to be suspicious of your merit (and your constant claims of your games design degree only reinforce that). You're just a dude on the internet, we don't care about who you are. Oh, and never EVER say "trust me, I'll see this to the end, no matter what" to a loper. They will rage fuck your eye socket.

Your "plan to get a plan" move is a bit odd as well. If you have a games design degree, shouldn't you be able to design the game?

Now as for your mod, I like to assume that people are as dedicated as they say they are. So I have some suggestions. Supernatural is a good TV show, but I don't think it's the kind of show that fosters a demographically reliable or desirable community, especially for a source mod. I get that you want to make a game around the concept because you like the show, but you really need to distill what makes you like it. What emotions or experiences does it give you? If it's the "feel" of the show, then try to build your mod around that, not the show itself. This is a loose allusion to "bottom up" designing. Google it, although I assume anyone with a games design degree would be wildly farmiliar with the idea.

I'd like to resuggest the SCP foundation for your universe. It eliminates a lot of the problems that may arise from using the Supernatural IP. Copyright infringement, uncanny valley, having a too well defined benchmark and a lack of concrete gaming community. Read the favourites on the site, they are scary as fuck. There are already games based around them and you could even get in contact with those people and see if you can help them or they can help you. The community would go fucking ballistic for a decent SPC game, you wouldn't find yourself lacking motivation methinks. The environment and universe is well mapped out, but ambiguous enough to allow for heaps of artistic license for you to explore as much as you want to. It invokes (in me, at least) the same set of emotions as I assume you are looking to invoke with your mod - suspense, fear, intrigue and such. The game I see is being an agent on a mission to find, research and capture/eliminate a new SPC. This follows essentially the same flow as the game you have loosely described above.

Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4DzJUFJv9E the UDK demo "sixities". That's what I'm talking about.

Anyway, make some progress and post it back up here, regardless of the slander we may give, interlopers loves to see mods progress.

[Jordash]

If you want a team too you have to be excellent at organisation and know the engine like the back of your hand, otherwise why would anyone give up hundreds of hours of their time. This is what stormy meant when he said 'who are you?', why wouldn't someone just make their own mod? What are you bringing to the project? Sadly, after seeing your portfolio, I don't think you are bringing much, I don't mean this as an insult, your work seems good, but it is not good enough to lead. If you do end up making a great mod I'll eat my words, but if you can't get a team together, this is probably why. Improve your skills and keep trying, join another mod as a coder or modeller. This mod might be up your alley, few people turn down free help if they need it.

If you still really want to do this then reduce it's scale, even if you got a reasonable team to help you out, what is going to keep them inspired to keep working on this project in their free time? If a year or so passes and the mod isn't nearing completion you'll start to lose people, and would you really want to spend more than a year on this? A quality mod with a lengthy story would take longer than three years in most cases, you've just graduated will working on a source mod still be relevant for you in three years?

Try aiming for an hour or so of game play, it will probably end up being longer than that if you add small things during development, but that is a much more manageable scale for an amateur project. It also gives you the opportunity to focus your ideas and make something of real quality. Check out forums for writers too, it's an untapped resource for modders.

Check out Titan: XCIX, it took two years, for someone already very experienced in the source engine. It was just him working on it, no team, but it was fun to play, which is the point isn't it?

[LordDz]

Just a small question, why do you feel the need to create a new mod, which will take a LOT of your time and where you will feel rage with other members of the mod (mods tend to have a rather dynamic workforce...)

Why not join one of the countless mods that scream for a coder? You'll get into it faster, you'll help other people and you can ship it faster.

*Bit tired, if above makes no sense, that's ok*.

[kirby2112]

Hi,

Im looking for team members to help build a mod on the Source Engine. Supernatural will be based around the universe of the TV show Supernatural. Due to copyright infringement and other issues we cant just make a game based on Sam, Dean, the colt and the Impala but we can still make a wicked Mod based on the show.

About me.
Im 22 from Ireland and i just finished my 4th and final year in a Games development course where i picked up alot of experience in Programming,Artwork,3D modelling and Webdesign although i would like to think my primary strength is as a coder so i will assume that role for the project.

I was approached by another member of Moddb not to long ago asking to help with the audio for the mod so ive taken him on board too.

What i now need first of all before any development starts is a writer(s) and an artist(s). I know from the 4 years of study that you dont just dive into a mod and start coding, you must plan everything and more importantly document everything. I will start with the High concept document which isn't entirely needed since we are not looking for funding or publishing the game but its still an important part of the process in my opinion as it gives a broad overview of the game.

What do i know about source? Ive studied Source indepth for the last 3 years spending quite a few euro on Noesis Interactive DVD's and quite some time on the VDC. Ive made models and compiled them for the engine, ive coded a few interesting quirks and mapped a bit also. Im certainly no expert but im very familiar with the architecture.

Why Source? and not UDK,CRY? another valid question. Im not totally sure why but i have a deep love and respect for the source engine and although i know UDK and Cry are stunning for graphics i think we could achieve everything we need via Source both in functionality and Graphics.

So as i mentioned the next step is a high concept/Pitch document and then the Design document.
Before i can begin work on these i need to have a solid story and foundation that the team agrees on before development begins.

Although i would like experienced Artists, modellers, writers i will accept newcomers so long as they can accept constructive criticism and work as part of a team.

tl;dr;

Need Writers and Artists for a supernatural mod based on the TV show of the same name. all welcome.

Kind regards
Foo

Do you need some one to do voice work?

[stoopdapoop]

why did you quote the whole post? What's wrong with you, boy?

[kirby2112]

why did you quote the whole post? What's wrong with you, boy?

I have no idea why I did that.