itch.io

Hm, guess I'll have to market myself to small studios then.

How much should I charge as a freelance game tester? More specifically, how much are indie game devs willing to pay a freelance tester with professional QA experience to test their game? Per hour or per day?

I'm a professional game tester and I'm starting my own freelance side business for some extra income, but I don't know how I should price myself. Any feedback on what you're all willing to pay for testers and how much testing you would pay for would be a big help to me.

I'm a professional game tester, but since the job doesn't pay a living wage I'm looking to moonlight for extra work. If you're looking for a professional tester who actually knows what he's doing and knows what to look for with 2 years of testing experience under his belt then I'm your guy. Here is my Fiverr link: https://www.fiverr.com/seanmetzer/test-your-games-with-full-playthroughs-and-des.. Reach out to me there as I check my inbox daily.

Thank you very much! This is most helpful information. I honestly had no idea where to start so this really gives me much needed direction.

I'd love to record my own music, but I don't have money nor the space for a synth of my own. Thanks for the link. I'll check that out. Any other good programs I can check out? 

I'm a hobbyist and I want to make some music for a small game I'm making with a friend. The problem is, I am having trouble finding programs to create realistic musical notes on synthesized instruments. Can I get some suggestions from the community?

By the way, I can read music because I grew up playing instruments all the way through high school, so if a program requires knowledge of how to read and write music don't hold back. I would love to at least take a look at all of my options before committing to practicing with one program.

Absolutely. It will be a sort of "gateway project". The goal is to make a small project with a small team on a reasonable timetable. The hope is for each member to learn how to work with one another so that we can be a cohesive team of leads on larger future projects. The deadline for this first project will be 6 months (+/- 3 months). The game is a version of Tic-Tac-Toe where tied games are impossible. I've already got the GDD and I have an artist and a composer selected. Now all we need is a programmer who understands Unreal Engine and C++. I understand if this seems like a lot to ask. I'm working hard so that this game studio takes off and can be taken seriously one day as a professional studio. But the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and that first step is this little game.

Are you interested in joining our small team?

I am looking for a programmer to join my team. We are about to start work on a small 6 month project. We are building this in Unreal Engine. If you are interested in working on a project that is the first of many please contact me here with your discord ID so we can talk. Thank you for reading.😁

There has been great response to the Job posting, but I've filled the Composer position I'm still looking to fill the other positions so any artists and programmers who want in on this and the next projects I also have lined up for when this project is complete.

A common question asked in the interviews has been about the turnaround time for the project. I can tell you that the deadline is 6 months +/- 3 months. This means that the project will not be published before the 3 month mark and it will absolutely be published officially by the 9 month mark from the project start date. On this you have my word. The game is a modified version of Tic-Tac-Toe where a tied game is impossible.

When should I repost my help wanted post? Should I leave it where it is or post it again? If I don't repost it is there another way to draw more attention to it if I'm getting some roles filled but not others?

Hi! Sorry for the delayed response. I've been busy going through all of the applications I've had as well as all the interviews. Speaking of which, I visited your soundcloud. You've got some great stuff. If you are still interested we could chat more on Discord. I've sent you an invite there.

Do you have a discord account?

Hi everybody! Just a quick update for the week. I have received many offers of interest in this project from composers and some offers from programmers both on itch.io as well as through other channels. I believe I have made a decision on the composer but I still haven't decided on programmers. If you are a programmer or an artist and you want to get in on the ground floor of a new Indie studio the application process is still open. Composers/Sound designers, I will continue to accept applications until all roles have been decided, so if you believe you're up to the task apply now and I will be happy to interview all who do. Just post your discord name and I will send a friend request as soon as I am able. Thank you all for your continued interest in this project.

Hi, I sent you a request on Discord so we can chat.

Hi! Yes, I'm still interviewing for positions and would love to add you for an interview. I tried to add you on Discord, but I couldn't because Discord claims that you are blocking friend requests. Can you adjust your settings and let me know when you have please?

I sent a friend request but after no response I tried again and discord says that you aren't accepting friend requests. I am not sure if you changed your settings or if it is simply because you have not checked your discord app, but I thought I'd reach out again to see if there was a misunderstanding on my part. Would you still like to interview for the position?

I appreciate the offer, but while your music is good I'm looking for a composer to tailor the pieces for the projects the studio will work on. I would like to give you an interview via discord if you are interested in the position, but I am not in the market for individual tracks at the moment. I've sent an friend invite if you are interested in the position.

Hi. I'd love to give you an interview. Do you have a discord I can reach you at?

Just posting a weekly update here that while I have several interviews already lined up I haven't officially brought anybody on yet. I am still accepting applicants and will continue to update this forum post until all 3 positions are filled.

Hi! I'm absolutely still looking for all roles to fill including programmer. If you're still interested I sent you a discord request. We can talk about it there.

Hi, I'm starting an Indie studio and was hoping to look at your portfolio. I need to bring in a skilled artist who would be willing to lead an art team on larger projects in the future.

Hi! I sent you a discord request. Would you still like to apply for the position? I took a look at your portfolio and you have some good music on there.

Hi, I sent you a discord request. I saw your portfolio and it looks good. Would you still like to interview for the position?

That is a valid question. I can say there will be monetary compensation , but these are not salary nor hourly positions. Compensation will be a percentage of the revenue as the game sells. I had to come up with a new pay structure since I don't have any capital to pay wages. Basically if the game is made top quality and in a timely manner we will all be paid. How much depends purely on sales.

I'll also say that this is hopefully the first of many great games as well as a new way for game developers to form studios. I will happily discuss this more through DM.

Like the title says, I'm starting a game studio and I'm looking for 3 people to join me. I need to fill 3 positions. I'm a game designer, but I still need a programmer, a composer/sound designer, and an artist.

I am hoping to build momentum off of this game into the next one so it would be ideal if applicants are self-motivated, driven to succeed, and are willing to step into leadership roles in future projects with this small studio.

I have the GDD already written up for this first game. I'm estimating a turn around time of 6 months +/- 3 months. I want to post this game on multiple publishing sites (itch.io, steam, etc.) for sale. Feel free to DM me with any questions.

Artist requirements/preferences: 2D art, 3D modeling, Textures and Materials, UV Unwrapping

Programmer requirements/preferences: As this will be in Unreal Engine an understanding of C++ is preferred as well as an understanding of Unreal's Blueprints system

Composer/Sound Designer requirements/preferences: Dynamic music, Music creation of multiple genres, Audio editing, Sound effect creation/Foley

Update 10/6 - Number of Official Applicants: 

Programmers - 1

Artists - 1

Composers - 5 (Closed)

I'm a game designer with some skill at audio editing. I want to build my portfolio a bit. I can work on game audio on my weekends and in my spare time on weekdays. 

https://discord.gg/9QaHaeJ9

oh sorry! I must have messed it up. I'll post a new one.

Yes. Here is the link. It will be open for 24 hours. https://discord.gg/hTfsE26r

Sure. This invite will be open for 24 hours. https://discord.gg/sGcYYWYx

Yes. I prefer being the designer but I am able to handle the 3D assets. What we need is 2D sprites and textures as I'm (imo) not the best at those. What's your discord? I'll send you an invite to our channel.

Yes, we need music and sound effects. Do you know the games Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion? That is most of the inspiration behind the style of this game.

have you done artwork for game assets before?

We are working on a 2 week game jam. We are trying to make a haunted house that is a cross between Luigi's Mansion and Paper Mario.

If you are interested you can respond to this forum post. I will be checking back multiple times per day until the end of the jam.

sorry, that only took me to sketchpad. Can you link to something you've already drawn? Or maybe post a jpg?

Hi, as the title states our group is already 3 days into a 2 week jam so there's still plenty of time to join us. We've only just settled on the concept. We have two programmers and a designer so getting a dedicated artis and composer would really help us out.

We're going for a haunted house that is less scary and more like Luigi's mansion. Ghosts that are scary in-game but can seem kind of goofy out of game. Like Boos. 

Are you planning out long levels with parallax scrolling backgrounds requiring several layers of background art? Or are you planning shorter levels with an interior setting with a single background designed per level?

Ok. Thanks for the quick responses btw, guys. Like I said. I'm a level design artist so I like to dream up wild scenarios in my spare time. This idea was one of those. I thought it up because I saw that servers are limited in how many people can exist on one server at one time, not counting all the assets, etc. So I've been running thought experiments by everyone I know and anyone who will listen so that I can understand the limitations better.

I'm not a programmer, so what little I understand of programming comes from what I learned online and from programmers I know. I've been trying to grow so that I can one day create an mmo when I am ready.

I read that some servers top out at 11,000 people. Is there any other way around this? Or is the only solution to build a better server?

I'm an artist more focused on the level design aspect of games and had an idea for a game but it would require multiple servers.

I'M NOT MAKING THIS MMO RIGHT NOW.

Just clarifying that so I don't get a bunch of people telling me not to make mmo's because they are too complicated. This post is just a thought experiment.

How would someone go about connecting multiple servers for an mmo without having load screens each time you changed servers?

To give this some imagery, imagine a game has 2 cities each on a different server and the player can go to City B from City A without any loading screens at all. He just walks there in game.

I'm not asking for how this can't be done. I'm wondering, what would be necessary to make this possible.