Hello everyone! :^D I haven’t really talked much here on DA but I do have an important announcement to bring to you all. For months, I’d say since June (half a year), I have been undergoing a personal project of mine for a while.

I think at least some of you have thought once in a while to think of your own game. You may’ve probably seen one you’ve really liked and wanted a sequel to it. Or maybe to think of your own creations in a game. I’ve thought of these little games for years! I imagine in my head gameplay of stuff that I couldn’t really do on my own anyway, such as ‘remaking’ the Sonic the Hedgehog games. It’s sorta like the ‘Tetris Effect’ where your mind plays a game in your head even if you’re not really playing a game.

Although these ideas are fun to me, they’ve only existed on paper and on my computer as a jumble of Word files and documents that really go nowhere. Some game projects I have even forgotten about. It wasn’t until early this year I set out for myself to make a game project idea go as far as it can. Something that can exist beyond a bunch of statistical and technical mumbo jumbo on a .doc file somewhere.

So my goal is to create a game. I want to gather people around my cause, I want to make a finished product for the people to see. Well not a pay-for product, this is a fan game X^D You see, this is going to be a game based on a Sonic the Hedgehog fancomic I read many moons ago called Sonic :: Epilogue. It was penned and created by Marie Lu (). You can read the only issue here: [link]

Seeing that first issue got me stoked and I awaited more when I saw previews for the next issue and even the comic’s own website. The comic was since discontinued. Marie simply lost the time to work on it and it’s remained forgotten. It’s my desire to bring Sonic :: Epilogue back to light by making this game project based on it. Although I didn’t have any main reason for picking this particular fancomic, I have chosen it nonetheless and have stood the course.

For the past six months I hammered away at the basics and foundation of the gameplay and the story. I have worked as close as possible to the original plot and setting. As of now it stands as a platformer mixed with RPG elements, akin to newer Castlevania games.

My goal now is to make some sort of finished playable product! I can’t work this alone, which is why I am asking for help to create a small creative staff! This is the first step into going deeper into the project.

All I want the staff to do now is just join with me in brainstorming. There are no deadlines or shifts or any sort of heavy work at all. Just think of it as something fun for now. I'm considering this my next step in the process. I am serious about this project I do hope those interested in it will be as well, but take it in stride :^D This should be fun, I'm no anal boss or anything X^D

To elaborate on who and what I need, I will detail them below:

*Technical Staff – I am looking for a few people that can understand the basic ins and outs of gameplay mechanics. I’m not looking for advanced game theory or the like, but rather someone good at math that can figure out formulas which pertain to damage and healing and other actions within the game. Having experience with RPGs (of any kind) is a plus, as this game will be a platformer with RPG elements.

Particular pluses go to anyone with experience playing the recent Castlevania games (post-Symphony of the Night) as the game has similar elements. Any RPG experience is also a plus, I am looking for someone who can help iron out things like item and equipment lists and statistics.

*Visual Staff – I’m looking for a couple of artists. I’m not asking for the whole shebang and demanding a huge staff of concept artists though! I only ask for a couple (maybe even a few, no more than 3 or 4) of artists who can create concept art for the game. To be specific on the types of artists I’m looking for, I’m looking for one that can create backgrounds and scenery, another that is good with mechanical and technical artwork (think machines and other machine), and another that is just plain good with characters. For the character-oriented artist, I want him or her to work on emulating the style and atmosphere that Marie Lu laid out for the original comic (while of course, not emulating Marie’s own style in general.) Any of these artists may also create promotional art for this project.

It’s not really necessary now, but I would like another artist that is skilled with sprite making. I’m not talking about sprite modification like you see in sprite comics, but stuff that is made from scratch and from the ground up. Sprites aren’t needed now but simply a few conceptual sprites would be nice to create reference for future work. Sprite animation is not necessary at this point.

*Sound Staff – I’m only looking for one or two composers. Someone who is skilled at making original compositions and pieces as well as remixes. I’m not aiming for MIDI-quality music, so any work with .mp3s is appreciated. Big plus if you’ve had your work submitted to places like OC Remix. Early compositions and tunes can help very much set the mood and tone for many things to follow in the project as well as inspire others on the project.

*Design Staff – I’m looking for a level designer or two to work out the maps and areas of the game. To define ‘level designer’, I mean one that can work maps by tile and how rooms look design wise. Background and scenery art is already covered through a background artist. Level design is very important for defining the flow of the game and so this is a critical job like all others. Having experience with open-ended platform games like Metroid and Castlevania are big pluses, although I’ll generally take anyone that is creative enough.

*Writing Staff – I need someone with good Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic experience to look over the plot and story I created to see how well it stands with respect to the game. You may have to work with the other staff members so that they can work with the story changes you make as they can affect many aspects of the game. Experience with SatAM Sonic is necessary as Sonic Epilogue is based off of it, however I have included quite a few classic game references, so Sonic game experience will also be helpful though not necessary.

That’s all I’m looking for right now. If you are interested in this, please leave a comment here or note me.

Thanks for your interest and reading through this long thing X^D