Orion - Coming to UDK! Seeking talent!

[Praz]

Please refer to the updated thread:
http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=720094

[CupcakeMan]

I want in on this. I can do some pretty gnarly level design.

my email is bmx_720@hotmail.com

[Praz]

Contact me via email - about to go see a movie with the misses. I'll be able to check via my phone though.

use: david@prassel.com

[DarthRoni]

I would love to be in on that but I have no experience in anything, only thing I have is ideas XD
Maybe I could work on IU with photoshop ?

[dazdaryl]

I'm interested, I have a sketchbook over at conceptart.org http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2578922#post2578922

I can draw, model and use the UDK. I am interested in learning UnrealScript

[Nawrot]

I am interested in joining, as Level Designer. I am very skilled in unreal editor, some skills in making models, and basic skills with working in photoshop.

My website with gallery of maps i done for UT3: http://nawrot.windglider.net/
Map topics on this forum:
CTf-ApodosGE (http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=666556)
DM-1on1-JudithSE (http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=666583)
CTF-November (http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=635815)
DM-DeadSimple (http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=593215)
2 maps: DOM-Apodos and DOM-Aki in Domination mod (http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=615024s)

[Praz]

Cupcakes man, DazDaryl, and Nawrot I've checked out some of your work and / or have sent you an email.

If I havent, please feel free to contact me personally at:

Skype: david.prassel
Steam: Praz34
Email: david@prassel.com


We are still looking - so do NOT be shy!

[RhinoMatte]

I was just wondering how you see "Level Designer". From my experience, it is in Source the person who creates and finishes a whole level, from BSP to props (Static Meshes); but in UE3 more like the person who simply creates the basic lay-out.

I'd like to know which of these definitions you use.

Thanks

[Praz]

Yeah on Source it was mostly the person that created the displacements and brushwork for the level based off the level overview concepts or there own designs. Using content like world props and materials to decorate.

On UDK this will be a little bit different, mostly because building levels on UDK is different. We are still nailing away at a few things such as dimensions and what not.. But what we are looking for is someone that can do all the terrain, dispacements and static mesh creation. If you do 3d art that is a bonus. We have others focused on the creation of world props, materials, and audio / ambience. Hope this helped answer your question.

Also, sorry, typed this from my phone, not at home currently.. So please forgive any spelling mistakes

[saymoo]

question: since you have such success with the source engine usage (mod building), what is the reason to switch while you are in the middle of a beta, that has been brought to the attention of Valve? The door is open, you get attention, with quite a lot of potentials (maybe even a deal with valve to make the mod a standalone game with their engine, just as they did with the original Counterstrike mod team), and on this point you are walking away from the door, and trying to open a new door, which is unsure what's behind it.. Seems not so wise..
maybe i'm wrong, and you do have a valid reason for switching the formula..

just curious, cos wouldn't it be wiser to make this project (based on the source engine) go gold, and then do a sequel on the UDK?

[Praz]

Well, all of that would be ideal, yes.

There are a few reasons.

This game has been in development for quite some time, you can read more about the interesting history and nature of the game development behind Orion here:
http://www.orion-project.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=455

We have considered using the Unreal engines since we started on Source, as well as when we redesigned the game from Incoming to Orion. However, we stuck with Source, mostly due to being familiar with the engine set up.

I heavily considered switching from Source to UDK when it was first announced a few months ago - I privately thought about it and really didn't mention it to any other developers but decided to stick with Source. However, a few days ago I was talking to our lead programmer, Jack, who says he and the programming team are confident they can get a prototype on UDK that is on par with what we currently have on the Source engine build. This sort of ignited the idea of the port. We can use all of our models, materials, audio and most animations on the UDK platform, which is fantastic.

The real reason behind the switch is due to Valve. I've sent maybe 8-10 emails in the course of the last 4-5 months and haven't received a single reply. Emails ranging from getting Steam works, to me setting up something to fly down and demo the game, to getting a steam news release. In fact, your post alone is making me send them one last email today. But it's just the fact I've extended my hand out trying to work alongside them and build the game up and all that.

So this year we plan to pitch Orion. We plan to keep the same release structure that we were using on the Source engine. This means 4 betas. We will be attempting to release the first beta of Orion on UDK this summer, featuring all the features in the first release on Source as well as adding the alien weaponry and a few other touch ups.

Being on UDK / Unreal Engine 3 makes the game a lot easier to pitch, even more so compared to being on the out-dated Source engine and the developer of that not even responding.

So our future is pretty limited on the Source engine and we want to expand it as we have a lot of plans and ideas for future content and releases.

I hope I was able to answer your question thoroughly. Let me know if you have any others.

However, we have released a Closed Beta through IGN and FilePlanet, had a pretty good amount of success, nominations for the MOTY awards, etc.

[AnTeevY]

Sounds like a plausible explanation. ;) Pretty bad for those who were hoping to play the game in early 2010 or when it would have been released though. I'm looking forward to playing the betas.

Can Source Engine mods even be standalone? Or do they require the player to own a Source game such als HL2? If so, this would be another advantage of the UDK.

[Praz]

There are plenty of advantages for this port, that is one of them.

Our Source released of the mod DOES require an already owned Source engine game.

Some UDK advantages:
01. Control of the game.
02. Able to pitch.
03. The upgrade in tools and the feature set of the engine.
04. Vehicles already programmed in the engine - saving us the time
05. Larger levels
06. The efficiency of getting models ingame compared to Source (no .qc file required for example)
07. Cleaner code base
and more!

We are all very excited for the port, especially the programmers. The current Source level designers are however ripping there faces off learning the poly based editor (instead of Sources brush based editor) :)

[5hfifty]

Gday I'm interested in joining in!! Looks awesome, and may be just what I need to actually get something finished instead of starting many different personal maps or projects and not being focused, hehe

I've been using the UT3 editor for about a year, and downloaded UDK last night to have a look, lots of sexy new features, but still essentially the same editor. I am good at all aspects of the actual level building, including material editor, cascade, kistmet etc.

I've also begun 3D modelling this past week. I might be able to do simple assets in the future but texturing is another thing best left to someone else.. anyone else, haha. But level building is my forte what I enjoy doing most

I have some pictures of my work here:

http://s356.photobucket.com/albums/oo1/5hfifty/?newest=1

simonsrance@hotmail.com

[Blackblood]

Ive been learning level design for awhile now, and Well be glad to help anyway I can. dylanhodge94@gmail.com

[Blackblood]

Ive been learning level design for awhile now(from hammer to UDK), and Well be glad to help anyway I can. dylanhodge94@gmail.com
Hope to talk to you soon.

[Praz]

Sent both of you guys emails, Blackblood - send some samples to: david@rassel.com

[Praz]

Updated the first post Added a bunch of new images!

We appreciate all of those that applied and we still have spots left open! Make sure to apply!

[Praz]

Here is some very early in-game screens of Orion on UDK. This is all 100% custom content. Please remember this is VERY early and all considered Work-in-Progress.

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/development/orion01.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/development/orion02.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/development/orion03.jpg

Every thing here is modular.. meaning in pieces where Level Designers can build almost any types of base using shapes and static meshes!

Perhaps we'll show some Dinosaur work in the next post... :)

[AnTeevY]

Looks really nice! :) Are these the same assets you used in the Source engine?

[Quade]

Praz:3D ARTISTS - STATIC MESHES / WORLD OBJECTS
We are looking for experienced individuals
I'm not really experienced, but I'd like to help on world objects. My own projects are going nowhere at the moment so I'll help if you want a noob on the team. My toolset is limited to blender so that could be a problem. If you could point me to a free/cheap 3d modeller that is easier to work with I could be of use. But blender does .ase exports fine so static meshes I could do easy

[delavaca]

Hello,

I would like to collaborate with your mod as 3D ARTIST, since it seems to be a serious project. I don't have previous experience with mods but i am very interested in create some stuff for games. I have experience with 3DS MAx, Mudbox and photoshop, and I've been playing with the UDK a bit but still learning

You can see some examples of my game related work here:
http://www.moddb.com/members/delavaca/images

[Praz]

Delavaca - contact me directly via email at david@prassel.com

Quade - any portfolio or previous work examples? It would help greatly.

[delavaca]

I sent you a PM, but not sure if you received it since I've got 2 post delivery failure messages:(

[Frito Bandito]

its really a shame to see an opportunity like this go by... ha i was using the 30 day trial about 2 months ago for max and i got really good at it... no assets saved. Ill be getting the Autodesk suite in april so if you still need help around then id be willing to help. oh im 16

[Quade]

no previous examples for me but I know my way round a 3d modeller. This leaves you at a cross-roads as to what to do with me:
1. Give me the slip like any sane individual would
2. Give me a brief on some object to create and I'll show you my talent (or lack there-of; however you see it)

[Nawrot]

its really a shame to see an opportunity like this go by... ha i was using the 30 day trial about 2 months ago for max and i got really good at it... no assets saved. Ill be getting the Autodesk suite in april so if you still need help around then id be willing to help. oh im 16

Make new internet identity, get next trial, will work until april. I am sure they do not mind, if you buy full one someday.

[Praz]

We appreciate everyone that is applying and are contacting as many of you as we can!

We are however putting our focus on finding additional programmers for the game. You will be working alongside our other programmers, Jack Morgan and Eric Blade. You will be using a variety of tools, such as SVN, FTP and more.

We are looking for already experienced individuals. If you've worked with Unreal Tournament 3 and Unreal Tournament 2004 previously, that is a big plus.

Please contact me directly at:
david@prassel.com

[Praz]

Posting another quick update. This week is a busy week for us. We are continually working on the UDK build of Orion as well as wrapping up the Source Beta 1.2 Patch. We will be doing a lot of Orion Source news updates this week and ending it on a UDK note.

However, we are still actively seeking talent. We are very humbled at how many people have applied but we are still hunting for the following:


UNREAL SCRIPT PROGRAMMERS
We are looking for individuals both experienced and literate when it comes to Uscript programming. You will be working with our team of programmers (Jack, Chris, and Ben) via SVN, chat clients, FTP and other clients.

UNREAL LEVEL DESIGNERS
We are looking for experienced level designers that are already familiar with the UDK and it's toolset. You will be working alongside our level design department headed by Michael Abraham.

2D ARTISTS - CONCEPT ARTISTS
We are looking for experienced individuals who can help us create the rest of the concepts that are required for 3D artists - ranging from vehicles to characters to props.

2D ARTISTS - LEVEL TEXTURE ARTISTS
We are looking for experienced individuals who can help us create the rest of the level textures required to complete levels. Ranging from organic / nature to indoor and sci-fi metal materials.


Here is a sneak peak at the progress we are making. It is a comparison picture. It shows Orion in its current state on the Source engine (LEFT) compared to where we are on Orion UDK (RIGHT):

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/development/orion_comparison01.jpg

Keep in mind - this is only after 2 weeks of development on UDK. We are also working on the Source Beta 1.2 patch at the same time.

Hope to hear from some of you soon!

[strangelet]

fab lookin game man. im saddened to hear about the lack of response from valve.

[Praz]

We appreciate those kind words, stragelet :P

Yeah - it is a shame about Valve - but so far it's turning out for the better - so perhaps an appreciation is due to Valve :P

We will be posting some updates rather soon!

[Veshch]

Are the openings in the first post still current? I'm interested in the level design position but I'm not at my home computer right now to send you my resume and such. I'm currently an Interactive Design and Game Development major in my third year so I don't know about your constraints.

edit: Home now, sent an e-mail.

[jimmys]

Great news, shame I had already started to make my own map in Hammer for this mod! Hope you do come to UDK, it's a great engine, and the level editing is far superior. Used to work in it when I used to map in UT/Unreal 1, and it's come on leaps and bounds since.

Shame I don't have any of my portfolio work anymore, would of been great to work on such a project. If you have any jobs available that need someone to do, and I can work on modeling/level designing in my spare time, feel free to PM me, I'd love to help out in any way.

Good luck!

[Praz]

Hey guys - sent you both responses so keep an eye out for them!

[jimmys]

Hey guys - sent you both responses so keep an eye out for them!

Presume that doesn't mean me, since I haven't got anything, wasn't expecting anything mind :P

[Praz]

I sent you a message as well, Jimmy.

[Praz]

We are currently seeking one Programmer that is already familiar with the UDK platform. Previous work with UT3 and UT2004 is a bonus but not a requirement.

We hope to hear from "you" soon!

[jimmys]

I sent you a message as well, Jimmy.

Sent you a link of my old work, didn't get any messages though I'm afraid!

I'll keep a look out though, hope to speak soon.

[Praz]

Shoot me an email Jimmy - david@prassel.com

[Praz]

test test fill

[Hytek]

Hi, im relatively new to unrealscript but learning it fast. I am skilled in the use of other programming languages. I worked with source for a bit, but not being an artist its hard to really do anything. Also I am an electronic music producer, mostly do rave/danceclub stuff, but im good at Ambient Compositions if in fact you need any help with that.
Im currently in St Johns University studying Computer Science.

I am going to continue studying unreal script code and testing out ideas.
Contact me on here if you want to know more.

p.s. Unreal is so much better organized that Source, no matter what it was a good choice for you to move your project to unreal.

[Praz]

Yeah that Source engine is poorly organized. I don't know how our programmers ever treaded through that non-sense. It's also horribly documented / noted.

However, we are currently working on both. We are working on the Orion Source Multiplayer Beta 1.2 patch (4 new maps, new weapons, over 30 fixes, etc). Here is an image from one of the new maps, ctf_myst: REMEMBER - THIS IS FROM THE SOURCE ENGINE - NOT UDK!

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst001_forum.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst002_forum.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst003_forum.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst004_forum.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst005_forum.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst006_forum.jpg

http://www.orion-project.net/Team/praz/ctf_myst007_forum.jpg

Keep learning UnrealScript - I hope it goes well for you! We are always scouting quality talent - so this goes for everyone when I say: Don't hesitate to apply / join!