Portalized is a game project currently in development by a two-man strong team. It aims to be create a unique puzzle-solving experience using heavily stylized viusals and uncommon gameplay elements. The game was initially started by Nullsquared as a tech-demo for showing off portals using the OGRE3D graphics engine. Null's announcement on the Facepunch and OGRE3D forums caught the attention of many people including the second team member, Svenstaro, who quickly got into contact with Null and, having previous project experience, suggested to create an actual game. This is how we got started.
What is Portalized all about?
It's going to be a first-person puzzle-solving game. As opposed to first-person shooters, it's going to be all about making your brain melt as you try to solve the various puzzles. In order to help you solve the puzzles, you will be given a special gun that does a lot more than just shoot portals. How about, for example, reversing or slowing time as you try to hasten through a dangerous, neck-braking trap?
What is Portalized built upon?
- C++
- Ogre3D
- Boost
- Lua
- NewtonGD
To be honest, we don't know. It depends on the community interest, the game quality we are able to reach within a reasonable time frame and of course motivation. We will review our goals once the time comes.
So I will not get paid?
Exactly. We work on the project in our spare time because we see it as a challenge and a great way to improve our skills and meet like-minded people. Working on a project like this is a rewarding experience that can be a lot of fun. Of course, if the project reaches a reasonable level of quality we can as well go commercial and get paid afterwards, don't expect to make a fortune though.
Is it going to be cross-platform?
Yup, currently we build and test on Windows, Linux 32bit and Linux 64bit.
What is the project structure like?
Currently there are two persons on the project, Nullsquared (programmer) and Svenstaro as project manager and odd-job guy.
Portalized itself is very structured, we have a wiki, automated cross platform builds, subversion, forums, a project site, guidelines, structured workflow and deadlines. It is NOT a project built by starters, we are experienced in what we do.
I'm interested, what do I do?
First of all: currently we are only interested in coders.
If you are a coder, ask yourself: Are you experienced enough? We are looking for people who help us speed up the process of development, not those who slow us down. If you apply, please make sure you have samples of your code availible for review. It isn't necessary to have experience in the libraries we use as long as you are capable of fast learning. Of coure, experience with afromentioned libraries is a major plus, especially Boost/STL/Ogre3D.
Good communication is another necessity. It's alright if you go on vacation but it's not okay if you disappear for a month without a word of warning.
To make it short: We are looking for reliable, experienced coders who want to work on a serious team for a serious project.
Have a look at http://www.portalized.org/ , register on the forums and send a private message with your application to either Null or Svenstaro. As mentioned, the application should contain code samples.
