Transhuman Design is looking for a mighty warrior which will go to war with us and create tools for the upcoming game Link-Dead with Michal Marcinkowski creator of the 2D multiplayer deathmatch game Soldat. The Tools Programmer will manage and implement new tools that will fullfil the dreams of thousands of gamers and mod-makers and help create glorious maps, battlefield arenas and epic animated characters in the new Link-Dead Universe.
Essential Functions:
- Create and design tools to translate the artists and game community dreams into reality
- Build 2 primary tools: Map Creating Tool & Character Creator and Animator for the Link-Dead engine
Desired Qualifications:
- Professional C/C++ coding and design experience
- Good communication and scheduling skills (english, forums/messenger)
- Worked on at least one editor from start to finish
- Great technical and graphical user interface design
- Passion for playing and developing 2D games
Plusses:
- Map making or animation programming experience
- Experience with cross-platform and open source libraries
- Likes Soldat and/or Transhuman Design games, philosophy and mission
Please email resumes (along with demo reels, portfolios, sample code, and anything else that demonstrates your skills) to 
I thought the map creation for Link Dead was going to be done with any image editor of the users choice. Has this changed now?
Even with an image based map creation you need an editor to place the spawn point and other game objects.
Nice to see your still working on link dead too…
“I thought the map creation for Link Dead was going to be done with any image editor of the users choice. Has this changed now?”
It was, but you needed a program that could support layers, and as most people only have MS Paint, he may want a program that acts like paint but that provides the support for the game that it needs.
Could be wrong, though, and we could be reading too far into this ad.
I’d love to help…but I’m not very experienced in using C++ so I guess I’ll pass.
“You needed a program that could support layers, and as most people only have MS Paint, he may want a program that acts like paint but that provides the support for the game that it needs.”
I believe he wanted to have seperate image files for certain aspects, like one image for the geometry collision, one for the actual visible terrain, one for spawn points, one for powerups, etc. That’s how I would of done it anyway.
Well, you can merge all those files into one if the program you’re using supports layers, which MS Paint doesn’t.
A lot of these decisions were made on my behalf. Having been through the original map making process, I came across a lot of problems which made it not worth the effort, so now we are pursuing a more efficient system.
Some of the problems were:
- Making levels took a very long time
- Repetition of graphics was inevitable, which meant that a lot of memory resources were wasted because the same thing that looks a tiny bit different (or not at all) can appear multiple times on a map.
- Correcting map errors or changing something after the level has been made is horrendously tedious. Most level editing programs make it so that changes can be made within seconds, but with the old method for making Link-Dead maps, it could take hours. It’s not simply a matter of moving something or taking something out; it is heavy image manipulation.
- Designing a level for most games can be separated into multiple “phases”. With Link-Dead levels, you had one shot to get it right the first time. If you didn’t do something right, it was hours more work to fix it.
- The method tends to make you focus much more on good looks rather than good level design.
I could list more, but at the end of the day and having made a few complete levels already, I realized it simply took far too long and was too taxing on both the level designer and the computer’s processing power and memory.
The method of making levels will change, but the end result should be indistinguishable from levels made the old way. It means more efficiency for the level designer, and hopefully with a tools programmer to help us, I’ll be able to use the same tools that amateur modders will use when the game is out.
So how’s the development going on? Are you focusing on Link-Dead or Berserker now?
Link-Dead at the moment.
It dosent really care how the map his made because any good programmer will be able to adapt his skill to any method! Will we know who his working on it when you find this hero?
Good luck let Odin be with ya
So are you actually going back to vertex based collision detection / terrain? Moreover, are you thinking about converting the visuals to a more modular system? (i.e. getting rid of the layer based idea; rather throw in sprites and dynamic lights on top, etc.)
Simply put: You aim to move the mapping work from the general graphic tools into the specialized editor, right?
Concerning the tool I was also wondering, if you’d provide a separate library for the engine / game base, so that the editor could be built on top of it. Obviously that would give artists a better idea of the final product during the design process.
It would be great if you gave us some more details on the techniques you’ll be using now, as a raw guideline of the desired, basic features.
It’s awesome seeing the team reach out, obviously growing! Tools development is one of those things that are really critical but a big task to do… (Obviously, why do I even say this on a developer’s blog?!) Good luck!
I hate to be irrelevant to the topic at hand…
But MM, your Project.exe doesn’t do anything to tweak the muzzle velocity for the M79. It’s exactly like the 1.5 beta executable. Please correct this so the tweak can be tested by the beta henchmen.
I suppose it would be better to make a program which could take a while to create but would make the map-creation process easier rather than not making one and increasing the time it takes to create a map. Either way, good luck in the recruiting process!
Hmmm Michal,
It seems something is starting to move…
I hope you find someone for the job.
If all else fails and you want to consider offshoring your work
you could use rentacoder.com for that purpose so you can find
someone that’s experienced in making such an editor.
” Likes Soldat and/or Transhuman Design games, philosophy and mission”
I got this at least… but about the coding skillz hum…
Too bad for the paint level editor, but I’m glad you focus on Link-Dead. Hope you find someone for the tools!
Michal, can’t you realease some map/character format specs to the public and see what pops up?
Why don’t you use a simplified version on the old map making method. So instead of having 6 different layers you only have a background, foreground and collision layer and map making will be so much simpler and quicker. Then levels will look cool because they be so much easier to make and people will be able to put so much detail into their levels.
If I wasn’t in an internship right now I’d love to work for you!
lol A mighty warrior? I think you need more of a computer nerd for this.
I could make it, but im too lazy for spending much of my precious and sparse time for a game that i havent wrote by myself. Sorry, but im a lonesome warrior.
Ask Anna, i think she can fight good with the keyboard
She wrote Polyworks, it is much complicated than the new editor that is needed. Offer her a part of the registration earnings you maybe will get in future, maybe she will do it.
^anna doesn’t want to work with MM, i asked her about it a while ago.
seriously my name says it all
Needs moar results if you ask me.
I’ll write some more details in a moment, maybe explain how the maps are going to work now.
yv3: Anna doesn’t like me
hey Michal I applied for this, don’t know if you got around to reading my e-mail yet. anyway you should put me to work, I got hella skills
Does me being The Greatest applies my candidateness — no? Anyway, I AM THE GREATEST.
Me just being here together with anonymous, Kropser, SpiltCoffee, teh_ham, Sigvatr, gedazz, rfreak, gsp, nint22, Skoskav, DARK AVENGER, Kasper, Shruger, Makron666, matt_j, BlackYew, yv3, niko, Somebuddy, Michal, gheft proves of how great OMG really is.
OMG: You are the greatest!
i have huge muscles: OMG has got the hugest muscles.
i might help allthough im not good in programing i might help in ideas here are some of them:
1. make it so that if you shoot some one in the leg they slow down or fall and can only crawl and if u shoot them in the head they die instantly or if you shoot them in the hand they can only use a knife a one hand gun etc
2. make it so that if you shoot someone from close range they get more damage than if you shot them from very far
3. make it so that you can carry more than one secondary weapons because when in suldat you get a gun which is small you can put it in ur pocket or somwhere like a gun holder and if its soo small you can take a knife which is small too and you could take something like saw with that or a law or you should be able to do thesame with primary weapons take one small one and another small one or get an extra long bullet belt for the minigun etc
thats all i hope it might give u some more ideas and you can ask me any time just if u have skype you can tell me on the skype well it is my moms but i will tell her about this Skype: alaitomeknottingham oh and i will try and find u a programmer.