Chris Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Goldhawk is looking to hire one or more Project Leads for future titles – basically, we’re looking for someone who wants to take on the role I am doing on Xenonauts on another project. We are looking to the future for three main reasons: Xenonauts is inching towards completion. We want to retain the services of several team members who have finished their work on Xenonauts, so we need to give them more work. We made the mistake of not having enough technical expertise / infrastructure in place when we started work on Xenonauts, but these are expensive – so spreading the cost across multiple projects makes sense. These future projects will not be diverting any resources away from Xenonauts. The reason why we’re hiring new people is because I don’t think I can do my current job across multiple projects at the same time - and I’m already committed to Xenonauts. The role will involve: Game Design - within the bounds of the design initially agreed with us Community Management - managing the sub-forums and building / working with the community around the game. Project Management - you will need to project manage the staff on the project. We’ll provide the coders, but you’ll have to source the artists. Marketing - you’ll need to do most of the PR and marketing work on the game. Working remotely – unless you’re also in London and want to join us in the office, you’ll be able to work from home. This will be much like setting up your own indie studio, except you’ll benefit from our experience, network and money. In return, you’ll give up some creative freedom and will have to share the financial gain. Development costs will be paid by us, but you’ll be paid via a profit share. Therefore, your pay will be reduced if you overspend on development. Many of the staff here at Goldhawk do not come from a background in video game development, but have got into the industry through a lot of hard work. Technical expertise will help your application, but we will not discount people without it. We are looking for the following in a candidate: Fluent English Loves strategy games Able to commit to at least 20 hours of work a week (can include weekends) Able to work through obstacles that would leave a lesser man a broken, weeping mess Being a talented artist or programmer is helpful, but not required A fair warning here – making a video game is really, really hard. We will do our best to support you, but it will still be a seriously tough job. If you don’t genuinely love video games or are the sort of person who gives up easily, then this role is not for you. If you’re still interested in the job, please send an email to chris@xenonauts.com with the subject “Project Lead Vacancy” and the following information: Name Age Location Current Profession Previous experience, in any field you think is relevant to producing a game Amount of time you can commit If we get sufficient interest, we’ll put together a series of tasks that will test the skills required for the role and send them to the candidates we feel might fit in well here. We are going into this process with open minds, but this is an important role and we are not going to accept anyone if we are not fully confident that they will succeed. Please do not take it personally if we turn you down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 We'll be closing the applications on Monday (15th) morning, so if you want to apply then please send your application in over the weekend or earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solarius Scorch Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Interesting! Just to clarify, provided that someone is interested, how exactly do they apply? Post here? send you a PM? Send an actual CV to Goldhawk by mail or post? Or perhaps it doesn't really matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 The post contains instructions on how to apply. Consider that part 1 of the entrance exam Also, I won't be replying to any applicants for a good few days. We need some time to see how many people are interested and get a feel for the type of candidates, so please don't expect an immediate reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenX Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I have a few questions, Chris. I actually fit much of that and I have experience in the industry (with references). I also really need a job I can do from home because I'm sick, which is where my questions come in. I have crohn's disease so I'm stuck here at home most of the time unless I'm only leaving the house for a few hours. Sometimes I also have unexpected flare ups which can put me in bed for a day or two at a time, usually happens once or twice a month. I would need at least 2 days off a month though for doctors appointments I have to keep and these are always on week days, usually in the beginning of a month or the end of a month. To make up for that though I have no problem working weekends and nights on any schedule and I'm a pretty decent artist with a portfolio as well, but my art skills are more of a secondary bonus compared to my other qualifications. When it comes to my availability because of health issues, unless anything like that is going on literally %90 of my time is spent sitting here in this chair. I'm sure I could put in far more hours than you could afford to pay me lol. In fact with all the hours I sit here either gaming or doing nothing, if I were to commit all that time for a job and project I love, it would probably be worth it for you to put me on salary, but we can always talk about that later down the road. Giving you just that bit of info, do you think I should apply or would you rather look for candidates without health issues first? No worries if that's the case, I completely understand. I already have my own insurance by the way so I'm not looking for a company health plan or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBork Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I would love to apply but I'm prone to panicking under pressure so... maybe not right now =P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StellarRat Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I would love to apply but I'm prone to panicking under pressure so... maybe not right now =PLOL. It is never ending work that consumes your life and it's never really finished. Add deadlines and budgets to that and maybe you'll have an idea of how difficult this can be. I've only done one game, but I learned a lot about the process.And, oh yeah, you're best efforts might still end being a complete flop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solarius Scorch Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 The post contains instructions on how to apply. Consider that part 1 of the entrance exam Crap. This is what happens when you post after 36 hours of sleep deprivation... I think I'll send an application nonetheless. I thought about it and it looks like a good idea for me and hopefully the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avid Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I would love to apply but I'm prone to panicking under pressure so... maybe not right now =P I can relate to that sentiment. 8D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Aces Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 It is never ending work that consumes your life and it's never really finished. Add deadlines and budgets to that and maybe you'll have an idea of how difficult this can be. It is the major focus of your life, that is for sure, but should not totally consume your life. If that does happen, you will just burn-out, which will slow down production while you recover. While a project can never be 100% finished, with proper goals you should be satisfied when it is 'done'. Deadlines keep the budget in check, but should always be planned with a sensible margin (based on the design and target platforms). I have yet to see a modern project actually meet the initial deadline without leaving a lot of features unfinished, or worse, cutting massive chunks out, wasting all the development time (and money) spent on them. But without deadlines, you get things like Duke Nukem Forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StellarRat Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 (edited) It is the major focus of your life, that is for sure, but should not totally consume your life. If that does happen, you will just burn-out, which will slow down production while you recover.While a project can never be 100% finished, with proper goals you should be satisfied when it is 'done'. Deadlines keep the budget in check, but should always be planned with a sensible margin (based on the design and target platforms). I have yet to see a modern project actually meet the initial deadline without leaving a lot of features unfinished, or worse, cutting massive chunks out, wasting all the development time (and money) spent on them. But without deadlines, you get things like Duke Nukem Forever. Well, at one point I was dreaming about code and AI stuff. We had plenty of 18 hour days too where we worked until we realized that we weren't thinking well enough anymore to do any good. The upside was that I learned a great deal about, AI, code, networks, writing and how to apply and receive a software copyright. I will say that our game had one of the best AI's (technically it was an "expert system") I've ever played against and it didn't cheat at all. I could only beat it about half the time and beginners were hopeless. Edited July 11, 2013 by StellarRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 RavenX - yes, by all means send in an application. Obviously your illness would be a complicating factor but it wouldn't disqualify you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenX Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 RavenX - yes, by all means send in an application. Obviously your illness would be a complicating factor but it wouldn't disqualify you! Sounds good then. I'll type it up and email it to you this weekend, before Monday. If you like I can take some pictures of my artwork and either attach it to the email or post it here in this thread as pictures. Some of my work is digital of course so I don't need to photograph it first but a lot of it is conventional media or mixed media. I'm also proficient in Photoshop and can do skins and textures among other things. You can see some examples of my work over on the "Elemental: War of Magic/Stardock" forums. I'd PM you here on the forums when I email the application but last time I tried to PM you your inbox was full and couldn't accept anymore PMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFroho Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I'm interested in this "Series of Tasks" to test for the skills required to do this kind of job. I love games and game design and I have tons of free time, I could even move to London, but other than that I have no programming skills and limited art capabilities. I'm a huge game design enthusiast and constantly have great ideas I never write down, but I think I'm a bit under-qualified at the moment. Do I have a chance at this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 We'll be closing applications and reviewing everything on Monday morning, so if you want to apply then please do so over the weekend at the latest. MrFroho - you can try your luck if you want. RavenX - OK. You don't need to PM me when you email me though, as I'll get the email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemar Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 (edited) The e-mail will be sent too. Sorry the forum rules for pictures make the full Dossier almost unreadable. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2355[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]2354[/ATTACH] Edited July 12, 2013 by Jemar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenX Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 My resume is all typed up, Chris. I'm working on taking pictures of my art work around the house now to send with the resume as a attachment. Should be sent off by tonight or tomorrow morning. Until then, here's some examples of my skinning work on Elemental: War of Magic. You can also find threads on the Elemental Forums showing my work Here: http://forums.elementalgame.com/393516/page/2/#2750449 http://forums.elementalgame.com/415841/page/1/#3062318 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenX Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 My resume has been emailed, Chris. Accidently sent it twice, only the first one has the attachments you'll need. Please disregard the second one without the attachments. I look forward to your reply or thoughts even if you don't hire me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussischerZar Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 so does Development costs will be paid by us, but you’ll be paid via a profit share. Therefore, your pay will be reduced if you overspend on development. mean that the job won't be paid until there is some kind of payment by customers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Yes, unless we agree an advance on the profits for living expenses (this advance would be later deducted from your share of the profits). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussischerZar Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Thanks for the info, email sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarks Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Is there no additional information on what kind of game will be developed? Could we submit a project proposal but not an application? If we submit a polished game design document and it gets a lot of support from the community, developer, potential new project lead, etc. would it at least get considered? This looks to be a golden opportunity, but I'm a busy student with a part time job that's preparing for graduate school which means I won't have the time to commit. I wouldn't want any of the profits, or even care about having my name on the credits. Just having an idea get turned into a game would be more than enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenX Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Is there no additional information on what kind of game will be developed? Could we submit a project proposal but not an application? If we submit a polished game design document and it gets a lot of support from the community, developer, potential new project lead, etc. would it at least get considered? This looks to be a golden opportunity, but I'm a busy student with a part time job that's preparing for graduate school which means I won't have the time to commit. I wouldn't want any of the profits, or even care about having my name on the credits. Just having an idea get turned into a game would be more than enough. I would imagine (and I'm just guessing here) the person who lands the job will be able to have some input on the decision as to what kind of game (project) will be worked on. Most likely Chris either already has an idea of what kind of game they'll be working on next or the new project lead will be able to give a proposal to Chris and then they'll work from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Nah, we're looking for project leads rather than ideas (we've got plenty of them). We're now closing these applications and reviewing what we've been sent so far. I will remove the post in a couple of days so people don't keep trying to send me late applications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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