Splody (name subject to change) is the new working title for my Bomberman-like game (previously called
BBE,
http://www.dashingstrike.com/BestBombermanEver/), which I am in the process of upgrading from a free/hobby project to something commercially viable. The free version is available now (requires controllers to play).
What we need:Something memorable! Though the gameplay is great fun (Bomberman always is, in my opinion), this game needs a thick layer of theme dripped on top of it (and I'm definitely up for making gameplay changes to support the theme). Specifically, we need 6 or so animated playable avatars (4 directional runloops of 2-3 frames, 4 directional idles, a death animation or two, and place and kick bomb action animations) each with a unique visual design, and color-tintable, as well as possibly some supporting props and powerups. As for the particular style, I'm fairly open to suggestions, but my personal tastes tend towards pixel art and anime-style art. I'm thinking very happy looking bombs who are hopping excited to explode themselves for you, and a cast of interesting characters - maybe they're all dwarves mining with bombs, maybe they're all anime girls, as long as it's visually interesting and memorable!
Depending on the theme and the availability of the artist that has done my existing environments, we may also need environment tile sets, a world map (for navigating between single-player/tutorial levels), logo design, and the myriad of other little things that invariably required for a polished game.
Please send a link to your portfolio and an estimate of your rate for similar jobs to
[email protected]. I intend to offer up-front payment for work completed as well as the possibility of a profit share for an artist interested in a more ongoing partnership.
Other detailsAbout the game:BBE is, without a doubt, the best version of Bomberman for large numbers of local players (quite possibly the only one supporting more than 12 players (the official Sega Saturn version did 12), and in many people's opinion, the best of any that support more than 4 players).
Near term plans:I plan on initially aiming for a Steam Greenlight release. To make that viable I will be adding online multiplayer and (at least initially) a minimal amount of single player (tutorials, quick play vs bots). I can obviously go into much greater detail with prospective partners.
About myself:I was a senior engineer for many years with Cryptic Studios, doing large amounts of server programming and being the lead graphics programmer on many projects including City of Heroes/Villains, Champions Online, and Star Trek Online. After leaving Cryptic, I co-founded Cloud Party, a virtual world that ran directly in your web browser, which was successfully acquired by Yahoo. I am now pursing independent game development as Dashing Strike, LLC.