We basically want to make a collection of short ODST fan games. The problem is...we currently only have 2 people, and neither of us know anything about game making or coding. We are looking for people who have more expertise in those sort of things, as well as artists and designers. We have the ideas and the stories, we just need the means to bring them to life.

Also, if you have other ODST game ideas to add to Project: Drop we would love to hear them, right now we have two, "Hard Drop" and "Feet First Into Hell"

"Hard Drop": "With the Fall of Reach, your ODST team has fled the planet and followed the Cole Protocol, leading the Covenant away from Earth. But things take a turn for the worse. You have led the Covenant away from Earth... to a holy relic of their Religion...A Halo."

"Feet First Into Hell": "Life for you was always tough, but never like this. When you were assigned to the In Amber Clad, you expected to fight the Covenant. But you ended up at another Halo, and the conflict on the Ring unleashed an ally of Extinction: the Flood. When the Clad was taken, you were spared. Now you walk, hunted by the Flood... deep inside High Charity."
Edited by X12_1992 on Nov 8, 2015 at 02:34 PM

in the halo ce engine ?

Maybe, depends on how much we can do with it. We plan on everything, models, environments, skyboxess, etc, to be original, and not extracted from a Halo game or current existing Halo Custom Edition maps.

Halo CE engine is probably your best option, because the expectation of "custom-everything" is unreal, if you only have 2 people who don't know how to do anything. I'm working on an ODST-esque firefight (Sector 09), if you need any help or anything.

Thats why we are looking for more members on the developmnt team. As we are now, we can't make a game, we can only discuss ideas and hope to find people with more expertise to help make them, thus this "recruitment" thread.

Um, yeah, I will get right on that /s

Seriously, if you are just gonna make jokes, don't bother replying. I am seriously looking to recruit some people. If you anyone is interested in making a game like this and want to help, please say so.

I really want more ODST games and want to see my idea come to life....but, we are just two people.

So all you have is 'idea guy'?
This isn't going to go anywhere.
Good luck garnering interest for a non-CE project on a CE forum.

The problem with this type of thread is that the amount of devs still around and active here is fairly low. Of that number, most of them are already wrapped up in their own projects, some of which have been going for years.
On top of that, the main reason that they are involved with their own projects, is that they have the expertise to see their own ideas come to life - rather than spend precious time working on the visions of others.

In general, you guys have (probably very good) ideas, but lack the know-how or experience to pull them off. Most developers start this way, and then they slowly build their working set of skills to help see those ideas through.

From what I can tell, you guys want to make at least 1 campaign mission, full of 100% custom content, and would like to "recruit" people with the skills to make that content for you. I'm really not sure what your roles in this would end up being? Just supplying the ideas while other people do literally all of the legwork? I don't think that will end well, just from the tension that would inevitably come from that sort of system. The guys making the content and scripting the encounters are going to have their own artistic vision, and....well, they'll just do it.


I'm not here trying to bash this left and right, just saying that this probably isn't the way to go about achieving your goals.

What I would recommend, instead, is going through the very ample tag collection that already exists for this engine, and trying to tinker with it and get things working while gaining knowledge. If your ideas are feasible, then help will come. You can post here all the time with questions, and 9 times out of 10, people will jump up to help.

The difference is, that with this scenario, you are going to be actively gaining knowledge and experience by trying to create your vision - which is the heart of being a game dev in the first place, and is the biggest key to getting any kind of respect around here.

Even if the stuff you start to make is garbage (and it always will be, at first), people will see that you're dedicated enough to put time and effort into even a small facsimile of your initial goals, and that will probably draw people in.

If you can start getting a "tagset" together from all of the existing content here (there is a good bit of ODST, from models to VISR to HUD), and get something in working order, using the existing stuff as placeholder, you will be able to easily swap out the old stuff in favor of new things if/when someone makes them for you, or you can get new team members on board.

There are an infinite amount of tutorials around here to get started, and heck, you already have Nickster5000 offering to help if he can. I'm sure there are others who would be willing as well.

I know you guys are in that "exciting idea-board" phase of the project, where the possibilities seem endless and fantastic, but don't overlook the grueling months or years ahead of you working on this project - because you aren't devs yourselves, of course that isn't going to factor in yet. How could it until you experience it?

Most devs here will immediately think "is this feasible, how long will it take, will the final product be worth the time spent?", and unless all of those answers are a solid yes (and sometimes not even then), this won't end up anywhere but on paper.

Not trying to piss in your cheerios, I'm just trying to explain the potential pitfalls usually experienced from these threads of "I have an idea I need someone else to implement for me" that pop up here every week or so.

Good luck!
Edited by NeX on Nov 8, 2015 at 04:27 PM

Of COURSE its not gonna go anywhere as it is, THATS WHY IM RECRUITING, so we can actually START SOMEWHERE.

Sorry for the "all caps" but I'm just really frustrated.

I hate this elitism of "if you don't have game design expertise then you should just give up, your ideas will NEVER come to life, because no one will take a chance on you"

Despite the fact that, most of these major single player map teams like CMT probably started with a person and an idea, this person shared this idea, and they found people who wanted to help.

Well, while this is a frustrating thing, like I said before, it's going to happen because of the difference in the way that you are currently thinking, and the way that those with dev experience are going to think.

It's not that people dislike the "vision", its more that they have no idea who you are or why they should care that you have that idea in the first place.

Teams like CMT started as a collection of already very talented individuals who saw that their combined efforts towards a common goal would far outstrip any individual productions.

It wasn't "guy with idea recruits team of grunts who know how to do things to make a game".

It was "several guys with a lot of experience in different and overlapping fields of expertise band together to create a synergistic final product with a unified goal".

I do not plan to just have a "i have an idea and i want you to do this for me" i want Project Drop to be a COLLABORATION. A collection of short ODST games and stories. And even with my own ideas, i would allow liberties, as long as its close to my idea. Think of it like a writing prompt. I do not consider them "grunts", rather i hope they have ideas of their own to share. I dont expect this game to be "ground breaking", i just want to bring it to life.
Edited by X12_1992 on Nov 8, 2015 at 04:39 PM

Huh. You're one of those guys who thinks all caps helps get your point across.

In any case, it's all as Zetren said. This won't go anywhere if you don't give real developers a good reason to join you. All you have is an idea, and while it is true that most projects start that way, you don't even have a drawn out map layout of the type of level(s) you want.

Ok, the layout for my idea "Feet First Into Hell" is the early Stages of the Flood infesting High Charity, after the Covenant abandon it (though still preventing it from escaping) but BEFORE it becomes the way it is in Halo 3. You are an ODST, but you are also a former Spartan-I, and you wear specialized ODST body armor, with features such as a prototype Active Camo ability.

And yes, you are in fact playing the mysterious ODST you find in the Halo 3 level "Cortana".

Okay, I don't want to be THAT guy, but here goes:
Ideas are nothing. They're abundant. They're everywhere.
Anyone can come up with an idea.
Unless you're somebody like Paul Dini you cannot expect someone to come on board to donate THEIR time realizing someone ELSE's dream.
The only real advice I have for you is to learn how to do something and kick start it yourself. People are motivated by "tangible" progress.

P.S. It's not elitism. Think of it like this:
"I have an awesome cake to bake!"
"Cool, get it going!"
"I dunno how to bake"
-Awkward silence-
Edited by Spartan314 on Nov 8, 2015 at 04:49 PM

Even if I did have the brain capacity to do coding (i am NOT good at math, never have been), I doubt I be able to create this game all by myself.

I guess im more like a fan who wants to see an idea made but knows it will never be made. And it is frustrating.

Maybe it would be better if i try to share my ideas with current people with expertise, and hope they accept them, instead of recruiting people, hope someone recruits me as a writer or something. But....thats unlikely.
Edited by X12_1992 on Nov 8, 2015 at 04:52 PM

This is something you should quite honestly just start up and do in CE, and if it works well in CE and actually grows into something bigger, then you can try to expand it otherwise. If you're lucky, instead of making a halo game, you can make your own IP in the same sci-fi genre as a homage to Halo and build off from there.

There's a million and one different tutorials to help you get started with CE, and I can promise you that (CE3 has a giant directory of em). Its pretty easy to make stuff and most of the issues you run into are pretty simple bugs that just require small tweaks to fix. If you run into issues, most of us will be more than happy to help you out as well, so long as you're willing to listen (and maybe take criticism)

As a final note, Project: Drop is actually the name for Hiralis' old ODST campaign that he wanted to do (As well as the name of an indie game trying to be made by some guy on the contingency forum who clearly has no idea what he's doing). I would suggest changing the name and maybe thinking of something more inventive than Project: X or whatever.

Its just a working title. But i will inform my partner to change the name. And yes, my partner is the guy who "has no idea what he is doing". He's honestly a little bit over ambitious. Im more of a realist, that we need to start small, and work up from there. Still, he has good ideas, and I hope we can bring them to life.

One of the reasons I am iffy about making it for Custom Edition is the, well, disconnect. I see these great original models....along side Halo 1 default environments. the difference is quite jarring. Thats why i want to use compeltely original stuff so that there is no disconnect, everything looks like it belongs together.

Unity or Unreal?

The other guy is not Rambo is he?

PMed you.

Show me drawings of what you want, and maybe im in

Im just...a little upset that writers (like me) are basically considered "worthless" in game design.

You could always bring 'larger value' to yourself by being both a writer + something else.

Now this is where I'm going to disagree with the consensus that's saying that's absolutely worthless, because that is probably one of the most important things (at least for me) for game designing. If you know how to write a story, game plan, etc. Then you have the fundamentals assembled to create the actual game.

I responded to your PM, asking you to hit me up on Skype.
Edited by Nickster5000 on Nov 8, 2015 at 09:03 PM

Have you ever looked at a GDD before? Writers are super needed in the industry...

The engine is fully capable of great looking environments, the reason you see a "disconnect" is because the majority of the people here only know how to port content from newer games, and lack any real artistic ability/experience themselves. Porting is an easy process. Creating your own art however is way more difficult, which is why a lot of these projects fall apart. It goes from "look at mah halo reach weapons in tutorial.map were working on awesomez ODST campaign", to nothing, in most cases.

I like your ideas, however this is more work then I think you can comprehend. I've been making content for this engine for the past 10 years, and it's never a smooth sailing easy process for these types of things.

Do you have some writing work you could post?
Edited by Btcc22 on Nov 9, 2015 at 02:27 PM

For now its gonna be on the CE engine. PM me if you want to discuss.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Basic Plot:

Basically, this is an action survival horror where you play as a lone ODST (who was a former Spartan I) in the early stages of the Flood's conversion of High Charity. All of the Covenant has either abandoned High Charity or have been infected by the Flood, so you are pretty much alone. Unlike other Halo games where Terminals/ Audio Logs were easter eggs, these are required to complete "Layers" of High Charity. With the exception of the prolouge level "In Amber Clad" and the final level "Indulgence Of Conviction" (which takes place both on the mentioned ship and parts of High Charity's Holy District), their are four Layers: Lower (largest), Middle, Upper, and Holy (smallest, based on the areas you visited during Halo 2).

It is pretty much an open world experience.

You also have special ODST armor that employs limited Active Camo. Also your health slowly refills (like, it wont refill while you are in combat, but take time to rest and it will be back to full)

Im still working out the exact story myself.

And yes, you are playing the ODST that you find in the level "Cortana" in Halo 3.

Characters:

The Survivor (Player)- A former Spartan 1, they joined the ODSTs sometime after that project was shut down, but wears a special suit of ODST armor that has many features the normal ODST armor doesn't have, such as radar and an Active Camo ability. Because they are Spartan 1, they are resistant (not IMMUNE, though) to Flood infection.

Charity Bias- A fragment of Medicant Bias that was left on High Charity, pretty much fulfills the role that the Superintendent had in Halo 3: ODST.

Enemies:

Infection Forms- Can infect dead Humans, Brutes, and Elites and turn them into Combat Forms/ revive fallen Combat Forms.

Combat Forms- The main infantry that you fight, comes in Human, Brute, and Elite forms.

Carrier Forms- Basically enemies that explode with Infection Forms. While Infection Forms aren't that deadly in this game, if you are within the blast range of a Carrier Form when it explodes, you WILL die.

Flood Controlled Dropships- Uses its searchlight to look for the player, and if it sees them, will alert Flood to your location. Can be Pelican or Phantom.

Leviathan- Appearing in one of the final levels, this abomination is the result of flood biomass replacing the Lekgalo in a Scarab. While it still has the classic beam cannon, the Leviathan also has a scorpion like tail made of Flood biomass that it uses as a melee weapon in a attempt to crush The Survivor, replacing its rear plasma cannon.
Edited by X12_1992 on Nov 9, 2015 at 02:40 PM

Aren't you kinda dead when you're in contact with an infection form because you're an ODST though?

I dont need it to be HD. I just dont want it to be Halo CE default models. I have no problem with "simpler" textures, but i would like to have some more original model designs, instead of just Halo 1 Flood with armor on it.

So when another thread like this arises. Just quote nex.

He did, and promptly waved my advice aside. Can't win 'em all

I didn't wave your advice to the side. Also, i am not a "he"

I think that great writers can be a huge asset to any gamedev team focusing on story telling. Not only in terms of the overall plot design, but especially in the construction of dialogues and all that good stuff.

That said, it's always beneficial if you can do additional things. Be it (simple) level design or population.