Innovative MMORPG Development at Clevrer

Company Overview:

We live in an exciting new time. All the tools to create are at our fingertips and more accessible than ever. We no longer need S-class production studios to create stunning work with our passion. The big-name studios increasingly create games that water down mechanics creating stale, boring, and repetitive games. A major reason I started this company and am taking on such a serious project is that I am sick of the current studios exploiting the players, especially the artists and devs that make it all possible. I think we can do and deserve better. In fact, I know it.

A bit about me, the founder, I went to school for animation and focused on conceptual design out of college. I can model, animate, etc, etc, but my love is painting. I worked in the industry on 2 titles over 3 years and unfortunately, the 2008 crash took out the company I was involved with and I had to leave the industry in 2009 to pursue other economic options. Since that time, I have worked in many different areas, most recently in app development as an art director. However, I have always loved game design and have yearned to return to it. So here I am, making a company with the goal of creating something new and frankly amazing. I am going for the moonshot baby!

Cleverer is an ambitious and innovative game development company working on an exciting MMORPG project the likes of which our world has never seen. We are passionate about merging the best elements of our favorite games and setting the bar higher with the latest gaming technology and tomorrow's AI.

Our six-month goal is to create a pvp demo to secure funding for the larger project that I expect to take 4 years.

The Game:

So what are we building? An MMORPG in UE5 set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi high-fantasy world. There are heavy quantum/spirit/mind themes. We will be instituting an LLM AI for questing. We are using a procedurally generated destructible sandbox world, procedurally generated mobs=mobs swap out parts/materials/colors to create unique creatures (goal of procedurally generated abilities and stats), procedurally generated towns and dungeons, and of course static dungeons and raids with a tier system for higher difficulties. There will be full movement of character=normal wasd/jump etc+climb/double jump/sprint/slide/360 dodge. There is a heavy focus on pvp=WvW/Arenas/BGs and introducing combo mechanics into the genre, with the goal of making it appealing for pro tournaments. We have a unique take on class roles, talents, and so-so-so much more.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic realm of high fantasy and high tech. It is quantum, it is ethereal, and it is deeply cerebral.

Available Positions:

• Project Manager (x1): As a Project Manager, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing the entire development process. You will be responsible for organizing tasks, setting deadlines, and ensuring the project stays on track. Strong leadership and organizational skills are a must to coordinate our team effectively.
• Game Designers (x3): As a Game Designer, you will play a crucial role in the crafting of captivating gameplay mechanics, intriguing quests, and immersive storytelling. You'll collaborate with our team to integrate AI elements and time manipulation features seamlessly into the game world.
• Conceptual Designers (x2): You will be responsible for technical drawings, character design, creature design, and environmental design. You will be expected to provide turnarounds and color illustrations in immaculate detail.
• 3D Artists (x3): We need talented 3D Artists to bring our high fantasy and high tech vision to life. You'll be responsible for creating stunning character models (textures/rigs/animations), intricate environments, and awe-inspiring visual effects that enhance the player experience.
• Level Designers (x2): As a Level Designer, you'll be instrumental in crafting the game's cities and static raids and dungeons. You will also utilize procedural generation techniques to create diverse landscapes, towns, and dungeons.
• Programmers (x3): Our programming team will focus on implementing game mechanics, AI integration, and time manipulation elements. Proficiency in C++ and a passion for game design are essential.
• Writers (x1): We need imaginative Writers who can breathe life into our high fantasy, high tech narrative and craft compelling stories, lore, and quests that will immerse players in our world.

Requirements:

• Unreal Engine 5 proficiency
• Strong passion for gaming, MMORPGs, and the fantasy/sci fi genres.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Demonstrated skills in respective fields (portfolio required).
• Availability for one weekly meeting with updates.
• Willingness to dedicate time and effort to the project.

Application Process:

Please send your resumes, along with a brief introduction, the position you are applying for, relevant experience, a portfolio, and your availability, to cleverbyconcept@gmail.com. We will review applications and contact candidates for interviews promptly.

Note:

This will be a passion project while we work out this demo. We are also submitting our project for crowdsourcing and there will be Company Share and Rev Share according to the quality and quantity of work that is submitted, all tracked through Crowdsourcer.io. My goal is to get my devs paid asap. I want this to be a company that recognizes hard work and dedication. Join us in creating a new company and jump in on the ground floor of this thrilling journey to shape the future of gaming!

I recommend that you first read this topic about game engines on this forum

https://www.gamedev.net/forums/topic/714644-been-away-for-many-years-finally-decided-to-get-back-into-it-looking-for-advice-for-those-who-have-used-unreal-and-unity-recently/​

for this, programmers are required who will choose an engine or Unity or Unreal and not modelers choose an engine: it all depends on the availability of encoders for a particular engine - more often more encoders on Unity: and envy of who at this stage of time is already available in the team

it is easier to go straight through crowdfunding by a team of crowdfunders and already have specific money on hands

then dream about what will come out there and how long it will take, which is already obvious that it will take several years when crowdfunding takes several months

I'm like a Freelancer but a Game Producer, so first the money for the card then everything else

draculaura frankenstein

alice wolfraider said:​

for this, programmers are required who will choose an engine or Unity or Unreal and not modelers choose an engine: it all depends on the availability of encoders for a particular engine -

Is “encoder” the new lingo? I'm just wondering because when I started everyone used the term programmer or possibly software engineer. Then I started to see the term “coder” appear, but this is the first time I've seen “encoder”.

To the OP, MMORPGs are typically poison for getting hobbyist or even rev-share help. I know because I'm working on mine solo, ha ha. In any case good luck.

This genre is not a good idea!

It will take longer than expected i guarantee

@GeneralJist I disagree. I know that the genre has been stale for a long time and the player base has shrunk considerably. That is a bit of the point as to why I am taking this on, it is due for a revolution of gameplay. Players are bored with the formula, everything is so predictable. I believe I know how to revitalize the genre. Of course, it absolutely will take longer to develop if I can't find the talent, but I will look until I do. Not to mention with the onset of AI going in the direction it is, this entire process will be streamlined. Coders will soon be able to pump out 4x/6x/10x the code in a fraction of the time.

@Gnollrunner Also, the plan isn't just for rev share, we are using crowdfunding as well. But I know it's not going to be easy. I just need a few guys who see the value in what I am creating and sink their teeth into it. Of course, I have advertised big, and maybe that is in error. But my first title was on a large indie team making an RPG, there must have been at least 40 of us. Once I get the 1v1 demo up and running--one environment, 2 characters, 2 classes, and the battle system--I will load that onto Steam as a standalone. I also want to patch that demo to accommodate 2v2 and 3v3, adding in our additional characters and classes. I can use all this to pitch for larger investors and boost the crowdfund while having people actively testing our balance and code. All while growing a following.

I know I'm onto something, I just need to find people who want to be a part of it.

you are aware of this:

https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/03/valve-responds-to-claims-it-has-banned-ai-generated-games-from-steam/​

?

Clevrer said:
Of course, it absolutely will take longer to develop if I can't find the talent, but I will look until I do.

This genre will take MUCH longer than you expect, and that assumes you can find people who can actually work and build this up.

Clevrer said:
Once I get the 1v1 demo up and running--one environment, 2 characters, 2 classes, and the battle system--I will load that onto Steam as a standalone. I also want to patch that demo to accommodate 2v2 and 3v3, adding in our additional characters and classes.

I've worked with (although corporate software - incl. heavy weight simulations - not games) systems that heavily use networking (that includes realtime protocols, databases, etc.) and are made for large quantities of users for … well, maybe almost a decade now. If you choose this approach, you will NEVER be able to make it work on any reasonable scale. Networking for few users at once is hard (even basic 1v1 is not nearly as easy as it sounds, and has many caveats) … networking for 1000s is story on a completely different level and different approach.

It is quite unlikely you will be able to make it work at any reasonable speeds with any Unity or Unreal packages. Honestly with large scale networking it becomes absolutely irrelevant whether client uses Unity, Unreal, Godot or custom built engine (the last has some major advantages over others - but disadvantage of investing work/effort into developing it). Networking infrastructure become much more relevant and basically is the project. Single wrongly implemented piece (authentication node/login node, data partition nodes, game nodes, chat nodes, etc.) makes whole system unusable. This design has to be built around specific requirements of your project. There is no “slap Unreal on it” or “use AI to generate this” that will make it magically work (note … apart from very simple projects, that case applies everywhere).

As this is “rev-share MMO project”, I always wanted to ask authors of those one question - who is designing and financing infrastructure, even development one (because you will need it technically “from day 1”)?

Clevrer said:

@Gnollrunner Also, the plan isn't just for rev share, we are using crowdfunding as well. But I know it's not going to be easy. I just need a few guys who see the value in what I am creating and sink their teeth into it. Of course, I have advertised big, and maybe that is in error. But my first title was on a large indie team making an RPG, there must have been at least 40 of us. Once I get the 1v1 demo up and running--one environment, 2 characters, 2 classes, and the battle system--I will load that onto Steam as a standalone. I also want to patch that demo to accommodate 2v2 and 3v3, adding in our additional characters and classes. I can use all this to pitch for larger investors and boost the crowdfund while having people actively testing our balance and code. All while growing a following.

I know I'm onto something, I just need to find people who want to be a part of it.

I think it will be hard to get crowdfunding without a track record or demo. You can point to Chris Robers and Star Citizen, but he had made a name for himself long before starting Cloud Imperium Games. Even so, Star Citizen has plenty of issues. That leaves a demo. But again, it's really hard to get people to work on an MMO for free. because anyone with skills, knows what goes into it.

I guess I can't say too much since I'm working on a Sci-Fi MMORPG myself. But at least I'm coding every day. I don't even give myself such great chances, but since it's my dream project, it's kind of like make an MMO or die trying for me. If I were in your shoes and really wanted to go forward, I would at least try to learn enough to put something together myself. Baring reputation, people respond more to seeing something working rather than sky high promises. This doesn't mean you have to have a fully working MMO but at least get something on the screen that looks good.

Also, when looking for people I would leave off stuff like:

• Demonstrated skills in respective fields (portfolio required).

Until you have funding, this is basically a hobby project. Statements like this are fine when you are actually hiring, but it comes off as a bit arrogant, for what at this point amounts to free labor. You are likely going to have to take what you can get and hope you can find some reasonably competent people.

We are using a procedurally generated destructible sandbox world,

Finally, this is not all that easy. I know because it's exactly what I'm working on. You can find plugins to do voxels, both Minecraft like and smooth (via. Marching Cubes, Dual contouring, etc.), but you also have to take care of physics, and pathing. If you further want to do planets (i.e. spherical) that's even more complicated, and the scale of your world(s) is always in issue. Everything adds up. Make no mistake this is a huge project. Again, look at Star Citizen with their half a billion investment and there is still no word on an official release date.

Gnollrunner said:
I think it will be hard to get crowdfunding without a track record or demo.

One of the things I noticed with crowdfunding in general is - that unless you bring and show functioning product (or are VERY known - literally being main face of some previous project), you're not going to get much attention at all. In case of MMO it'd mean a good looking and polished part of the game that's shown to people. This is one of the reasons why I never went there or seriously considered it - it makes no sense. Having a product in stage where you can show it will full features means that I can finish it with resources I have available (although yes, this might not be the case for everyone).

The only reason could be ads (showcasing it there to get more coverage and visibility) - but at that point, it is more effective to pay directly for promotion in other ways.

@Gnollrunner in principle, yes: there are programmers and there are coders since the industry has been developing for a long time: coders are essentially those who deal exclusively with code, but do not develop, including games, and also they are not architects of the software structure, although they code it: then there is an engineer program Architech, that is, Mega Leader