[R>Programmer] Share Highschool Hobby Harlots needs 1-2 Devs

StarbaseK · Jul 10, 2023

The Project So Far...
Backstory: I've been working with a Dev friend on her adult game for about three years. She programs; her girlfriend does the art; I'm her editor and backup writer. But for the past 18 months, she and I have also been working part-time to launch my game, Highschool Hobby Harlots (HHH). Long story short, recently my Dev and her girlfriend disappeared. They no longer answer emails or Discord, and have apparently abandoned their own game. None of their online friends knows what's happened, and we're all a little worried. And she has the code for HHH. So I am left with a ton of completed artwork and writing, but now apparently have to start from scratch. Great. But I am determined to bring this project to life, and pig-headed enough to just start over. And that's where you come in...

What Do I Need?
I'm looking for 1-2 developers to complete the functionality for Version 1.0, and work with me to git 'er across the 1.0 finish line. Fortunately, all the dialog has been scripted in the format required by our (former) display engine (i.e. avatar + text + background image + sprite), so there should be very little coding required for dialog--IF we can reverse-engineer a display engine that will work with my existing input format. Namely:

textarray.append(["avatar","text","emote","background image","sprite image",null,null])

After 1.0 is launched, Version 1.1 will need additional functionality, including an inventory system, the main character's phone app, game achievements, etc. But right now I'm just trying to get to minimum viable product.

What's My Vision For the Game?
I want to be the next Love & Sex, Second Base: a big, sprawling dating sim / visual novel, with deep functionality, a harem of girls, and plenty of ongoing content. I think the game will stand out for its strong writing, humor, character development, and distinctive look and feel.

What's Been Accomplished?

A comprehensive, 60-page design document has been created, including release roadmap for 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, etc.
All character interactions between Main Character and her first five Girl friends are coded
All dialogs and event texts for v.1.0 are scripted and ready to be plugged into the display engine
All game music (~50 open-source files) have been edited, equalized, and turned into loops
All the artwork for v.1.0 is done, including:

~50 background and location images
~620 UI, Main Screen, and Phone image elements
~200 girl profile images
~475 hand-drawn avatar images (6 Girls + antagonists)
~1350 cartooned images for story and repeatable events for v.1.0

In other words, basically everything for v. 1.0 is ready--it just needs to be coded and tested.

For v.1.1:
Almost all needed the dialogs and event texts for v.1.1 are scripted. Additional completed art includes:
~450 hand-drawn avatars for 6 more Girls
~2600 cartooned images for story and repeatable events

Takeaway Message: This isn't some amorphous "Gee, I've got this game concept..." kinda thing, or a sketch on a napkin. A LOT of real work has already been accomplished. Thousands of pieces of art are now front-loaded for the rapid release of follow-on versions once the core game engine is done. Help me make that a reality!

Why Work With Me?

I'm funny, easy to get along with, and open to ideas and feedback
I'm honest, a straight shooter, and play well in teams
I know how to write erotica. My captioned image Tumblr (starbasek.tumblr.com) had over 20,000 followers before the Great Tumblr Porn Purge. I've been the editor of my Dev's primary game (Highschool of Succubus) for years.
I've worked extensively in software development. I understand how digital products are created, and I'm skilled in developing clearly-written technical requirements.
I'm technical enough that I can shovel basic script, HTML, etc. So, I can do gruntwork code maintenance, leaving you free to focus on "The Fun Stuff."

How Do We Get Paid?
We share any profit from Patreon donations (with "profit" meaning after itch.io, Patreon, and whatever other costs are accounted for.) There will be complete monthly transparency of the Patreon books on my end. I am also wide open to talking about how the business model for the game should work.

Expected Time Commitment?
My goal is to put out updates either monthly or every other month, with 2-3 story events per update. Once the main game functionality is in place (say around version 1.2 or 1.3), the programming load should drop off dramatically. Why? Because the display engine input format should give me the ability to code most of the story event dialogs / art for each new release myself. Dev work would mostly be cutting and pasting my code into the event structure, creating event triggers, setting completion & achievement flags, and then testing. The intent, in other words, is to make me responsible for as much of the dialog coding gruntwork as possible.

How To Get Ahold of Me?
Feel free to reply to this thread, PM me on F95Zone, or email me at starbasek <at> gmail.com

Want To See the Design Doc?
PM or Email me, and I'll send you a link or a PDF

Patreon / Itch / Project Management Tools

Patreon account is set up
You must be registered to see the links
is here
Jira and Confluence sites for project management are set up
Discord structure is sketched out, but I'm wide open to input on that, and would want help in Admining it
Code Repository: not established. I figured that was for the geeks to handle. I've used Git and CVS before, though, and can be taught.

What's The Art Look Like?
As you can see, my art style is cartooned photos, along with 2D avatars. I've created an extensive set of Photoshop and video-capture tools to help me rapidly create 'toons. Because efficiency is important over the long haul. Wanna take a peek? Samples below...