TIGSource Forums

Hi everyone,

I'm the Project Lead and Lead Programmer for HowlJerk Games. I'm at the point where my technology and tools are stable and ready for game content. I have a very fresh game design that I believe to be very original and a perfect fit for the iPhone. I'm in need for a pixel artist to assist me in this project to establish a cutesy-cartoon art style and to create art assets for the game. There might be an artist or two that you will have to work with.

So, to make it clear, this is not a paid position. All of the developers that are included in this project are in it for the love of creating games and a great resume boost. I plan on getting this game to the app store, so there will be possible profit from this, if the game is to turn out how I hope. Also, I've architected the engine to be multi-platform, so we could be possibly targeting more platforms than just the iPhone. But our main objective is for iPhone release.

If you want to know more about me, please go to http://howljerk.com. It includes my bio, my 3D game project (which I was Project Lead for), my resume, and any Project HowlJerk updates that are needed to be made. If you are interested, please contact me from any feasible way you see fit, from the site I just posted. If you have any questions, about the game design in particular, I'll be happy to share in a more private matter.

Thank you very much for your time guys, I look forward to hearing from some pixel artists! :)

-Michael Romero       

Please read the rules of this board.

There are only four of them, and you basically broke them all (okay, more like violated 2 and molested another one).

Michael Romero?

Romero?

...no relation I suppose?

You're right, I apologize. Perhaps I get a new member reprieve? Well in any case, do as you see fit with the topic.

And to Melly, yeah the relation is there.

Hey, Michael - I moved the thread to the Fun Collabs sub-board.  If at any point you want to turn this into a paid hunt, let me know, and I'll move it back.

I sent an E-Mail, I would love to see what you have in mind  :)

Hello there, did you send me an email at [email protected]? I haven't received your email yet.

I did from your site. I'll try again

EDIT:Sent

I :biglaff: at all the people who offer unpaid positions as if it is some amazing opportunity to boost their resume.

Good luck finding someone reputable! You're gonna need it.

Why would you laugh at that? Many indie developers don't have the expenses to hire artists. All I can offer is the potential for them to be part of a cool game developing experience that CAN boost their resume.

Thanks for the credible input.

I find that any portfolio building work when starting out is good. I forsee Dan & I taking on unpaid projects in the future but only to a certain extent. The person should get something out of it though, besides experience, but that's in the interests of the employer, as it where!

I suppose accreditation would be the main thing and a good referral! Anyway, best of luck!

Hi Micheal, your father is like the coolest dude ever in the industry :] I had the opportunity to chat a bit with him back then about two of my favorites games ever, Anachronox and Quake.
Wasn't you working on Slipgate Ironworks btw?

Best luck with your project, I'd give an hand but I'm terribly busy starting my own company atm :-\

Don't mind people being rough, they're usually like that when someone arrives offering unpaid jobs as his first post but this community is the best and more friendly you can find believe me :)

oh, If you only need pixel artists try to post also on pixeljoint or some other pixel art related community too

The artist should definitely get more than just experience from the product. I plan on an app store release, so there's a good chance for money to be made. If there's money made from the project, the exact details will disclosed to the artists that are interested. I'm just not making any promises. It really just comes down to one thing; are the other developers finishers?

I've been getting some solid pixel artist applicants. I'll also take a look at "pixeljoint". Thanks for the kind words, you two.

Btw, Anachronox is awesome :). And yes, I was a part of Slipgate Ironworks.

I am sorry  :concerned:

I read your name as How I Jerk instead of Howl Jerk

People are just skeptical of unpaid jobs from people who's work they're unfamiliar with.  This:


...is also what the artists are wondering about you!  So it's a bit of risk on both sides.

But also check out Way of the Pixel if you're looking for artists.  They have an unpaid jobs forum:

http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?PHPSESSID=b0956381bcd2d788ace22c8dc893a241&board=6.0

I think I'll change the name of this board to "Unpaid Collaborations" to make it more explicit.

Hmm, this seems like an interesting prospect and I happen to be a pixel artist, with some of my work featured in a released game (Dark Void Zero on DSi)... But my style is somewhere between NES-era and SNES, so I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for. Plus, I've got my hands pretty full at the moment with a lot of other projects. It would be cool to work with the progeny of a legend, though  :beer:

EDIT: What kind of game is it, by the way? Can you divulge any details?

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Now I get it.

You're not the only one..

Same here, Im still willing to help sprite if you need an artist 

I can't say how much I loathe the "Something for your resume" line as a reason to work unpaid.  No other profession has to deal with it - would you ask a surgeon to operate on you for free, saying he can put it on his resume?

Having a finished/released game on your resume can sometimes be worth more than an actual game contract if you're looking at how its worth later. And also, surgeons go pro-bono all the time, so do lawyers.

It takes risk and time to break into the Game Industry, especially nowadays. I thought this was common knowledge for anybody trying to get their foot in the door.

Alright, so I have a good list of candidates at this point. However, there have been no finalities. To the people that have posted before me that are interested, go ahead and email me. I can tell you what I'm looking for, and if you're interested in knowing the basics of my game design, I can send a couple of .pdfs your way. I'm trying to keep the design of the game as tight-lid as possible. Thanks guys.
 

Acting is another area where they do this.

I guess in the 'entertainment' industry more people want to get in than positions available. Perhaps because of a misplaced vision of glamour and fame.

This is untrue - lots of people do unpaid internships. Yeah, its not quite the same thing, but its still free work, essentially just for the resume and personal development.

Hoping his name and brilliant ideas alone will get the crowds to follow him? Well he is a Romero all right.

This is a nice community except for when it is a really unpleasant quagmire of nastiness.

You know what? Fuck yes I will be nasty. When people look at the brilliant artists in this community and treat them as some kind of free labor they can get in exchange for some hypothetical word of praise to someone who may have lots of money that may or may not be sent their way, I will become Samuel Fucking Jackson on their heads. I will unleash the goddamn Large Cussword Collider on fifteen generators of ancestors of people that think not only money makes their ideas good, the mere possibility of money makes their ideas good.

If you feel that way then maybe you shouldn't be browsing the unpaid collabs board. The only thing you're going to find here is unpaid work so if that offends you then maybe you should only browse the paid work board in future. Just a thought. :shrug2:

I was going to say that maybe we should keep opinionated topics in a thread that invites them. And please do not claim to say that he has invited this kind of behaviour. The guy is looking for unpaid collabs, if he finds he, good on him, if not, then it's not changing our lives, if I saw this stuff in my thread in the jobs area i'd be getting quite annoyed at the lack of replies actually referring to the topic in a helpful way.

Anyway, not spending more posts besides this dispensing my opinion, it's not really in sync with the intentions of the threads creation.

Yeah, it's a little sad that this thread had to spawn up negativity.

Zaratustra: Take a valium and go nap, or something.

I have found a very good and "reputable" pixel artist that is now on board. This thread is no longer necessary.

Take it easy, guys.

You can click the lock thread button on the bottom left to prevent further rants. Sorry to hear so many people instantly got on the attack on an "UNPAID COLLAB" board. Good luck on the game!

Yeah and maybe you could change the name of the site to indiegamer while you're at it

Looks like people got Daiktana flashbacks after seeing that this guy was Romero's son. Man, he must get jokes about that all the time. I can't even imagine what that's like.

Anyway, yeah. This thread has served its purpose. Time to lock it and move on. Nothing to see here.

I was hoping it wouldn't get ugly, but it did.  Locked.