PAID - 3D Character Animator needed

The Job: 3D Character Animator needed for experimental indie adventure game
The Project: "Vespers"

Background

Vespers is a small, independent game project by Orange River Studio that uses TGE. It is an experiment in a new, hybrid genre of computer gaming we are calling "three dimensional interactive fiction", or "3D/IF". It is our attempt to bring old-school text-based adventure games (interactive fiction) into the world of real-time first-person 3D.

Vespers is based on the fantastic interactive fiction (IF) game "Vespers", by Jason Devlin. The text game won numerous awards from the IF community, including Best Game at the IFComp'05 and the 2006 XYZZY awards. Our objective is to bring this text game into the world of 3D, with a fully interactive 3D environment and good old-fashioned text command input and output. Our goal is to see how well text and graphics synergize in producing an interactive, story-driven, cinematic experience. As such, it is a very experimental project.

Storyline

Vespers tells the story of a secluded Italian monastery near the small mountain village of Rovato, during the time of the Black Plague (ca. 1350 AD). The player assumes the role of the Abbot who, at the start of the game, has made the difficult decision to close the monastery's gates to the desperate villagers in an attempt to keep the plague away. The plan fails, and within days most of the monks have succumbed to the disease. Now the handful that remain are filled with guilt, distrust, and despair, and the future looks hopeless -- until the Abbot discovers a village girl collapsed at the front door, and the tale takes a decidedly mysterious and evil twist, as the monastery spirals into darkness.

Help Wanted: Character Animation

We are seeking a character animator to help us with the animation for the game. Although this is an FPS-style game, it is different than most in that we more heavily emphasize thoughtful, slow character interaction than fast-paced action sequences. As such, the animation for each character consists primarily of a series of expressive dialogue responses and simple, repetitive idle activities.

The game is divided into five Acts, with four brief animated (in-engine) cutscenes between each Act. There are six characters in the game, five monks and one young female. Not all characters appear in each Act, but those that do require between 35-45 short individual animations per Act. The four cutscenes are brief (30-60 seconds), with some involving four characters and some involving just one.

The characters have already been modeled and rigged in Maya 2008, so this work is for animation only. The rigs include simple bone-based systems for facial animation, including eyebrows, eyelids, and lips. A simple, easy-to-use lip sync system has been implemented for you for each character.

The animation work is divided into individual sets, with a set consisting of one character's full set of animations for one Act. Animators who work on this project will be assigned one set at a time, with subsequent sets assigned as each one is completed. Scripts and voice files will be provided with each set and can be reviewed together prior to starting the work.

Requirements

Serious replies only, please.

Proficiency with Maya is required. Preference will be given to those who can work in Maya 2008, although earlier versions may work assuming the files can be imported successfully into Maya 2008 in order to export the animations to the Torque .DSQ format.

Since the character models are already rigged, you should be comfortable working with someone else's rig. Some character animation work has already been completed with these models, so changes to the models, rigs, or file format will not be allowed. We can provide you with the previously completed animations so you can see the quality of the work we would like to maintain.

Good communication is essential. Since the game focuses so much on character interactions, some animations may require minor revisions after exporting and testing in the game engine. It is expected that you will be comfortable working together like this to be sure the optimal results are achieved.

Compensation

This is paid work. Payment will be for each completed animation set (or cutscene), although partial payments at different stages within a set can be accomodated if desired.

There are 12 sets of character animations to be done, plus four cutscenes.

Given that this is a highly experimental indie game, the final product may be released for free (or for minimal cost) as a proof-of-concept game. Because of that, the budget for animations is limited. Interested individuals should contact us to review the work required for each set and the amount we are able to offer.

We understand that we are offering well below the going rate for this type of animation. We are hoping to attract animators who are looking for experience, in-game credit, and some additional supporting income.

Website and More Info

An early version of a website for the game has been launched, at:

http://orangeriverstudio.com/vespers

A development blog for the game, called The Monk's Brew, is also available at:

http://orangeriverstudio.com/monksbrew

Earlier blogs on the development of Vespers are here on the GG.com website. The last one posted is here.

Contact

Interested individuals should contact Michael Rubin at: slcrubes [at] gmail.com, with links to samples of your work. We will then contact you about reviewing the set requirements and our available budget.

Thanks, and hope to work with you soon!