[CLOSED] Long-term programmer needed for city game - R$10000 + 50% of profits

[yan3321]

We are looking for a programmer to work on a city game that is also capable of designing basic user interfaces to go along with the code. This is a long-term position which requires the developer to actively contribute to updating the game.

Background
We are Malaysia of Roblox, an established community mainly comprising Malaysians but welcome to everyone. Our developer’s Twitter can be found here.

The game is Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, a uniquely diverse South-East Asian nation.
Some images here: Malaysia - Development Log

The premise of the game is mainly exploration, however traditional city game elements will be incorporated for replayability.

Tasking
For release, players are expected to be able to play as a civilian by default. A variety of jobs will be made available for the players to take on, including police and bus driver. Players may also live a life of crime, and rob the city’s bank for extra cash. Players are also able to work in cafes, restaurants while playing minigames to earn in-game currency.

Examples of systems on release include but are not limited to:

• Job system - players may choose to work jobs which grants them access to tools and vehicles.
• Spawn system - players choose their desired spawn point (having a job gives you access to the job’s spawn point)
• Currency system - in-game currency that is used to purchase items and services, as well as paying those who work jobs
• Dealership system - players can purchase and sell vehicles, as well as customise them to their liking
• Shop system - players can purchase items from premade shops
• Housing system - players can purchase lots and buy from premade homes

Examples of systems to be added after release (subject to change):

• Advanced public transport - Animated monorails, trains, etc
• More jobs - Eg. Firefighter, paramedic, etc
• Quest system - players may take on tasks from NPCs in order to obtain rewards

This list is not comprehensive.

Payment
Payment will be made via the group payout system, so developers are paid in full amount without taxes.
As this is a long-term commitment role, R$5000 will be paid upfront, then another R$5000 upon completion of work.
50% (negotiable) of profits made via the game will be paid on a monthly basis as long as the developer continues to be directly involved in the development of the game.

Timeframe
We are expecting this to be completed within the span of 4 weeks, and will offer a R$1000 bonus if completed by then. Maximum time allotted will be 2 months.

The developer will be required to check in with us weekly and share whatever has been completed/what is planned to be done, etc.

Misc
The developer may opt to work with other people to complete the task, however compensation remains unchanged. We can assist with splitting the upfront payment and percentage of profit upon request.

All of the tasks listed are negotiable and not concrete. We are all ears to any suggestions.

If interested, do feel free to send me a Discord message with your portfolio/examples of work at @yan#2256. I can also be contacted on Twitter @yan3321, as well as e-mail (yan@yan3321.com).

Feel free to ask any questions by replying to this post, and I will be glad to answer them.
Thank you for your time!

[Noxielotl (Nox)]

How much R$ are you expecting to generate from the game?

[yan3321]

Realistically, within the first few months of release, maybe around R$5,000 per month. We are expecting to make anywhere from R$20,000 to R$100,000 per month after that.

Granted, I am not familiar with the genre, so the figure may be wildly off.

[Noxielotl (Nox)]

The pay is really not worth the time a Programmer will have to put into the game.

[yan3321]

Completely understandable.

However, we do not live in Western countries where the economic situation is favourable. In Malaysia, our minimum wage is 7x lower than that of the United States. It’s not like we chose to live here, but it is how it is. A victim of circumstance, as some people will say.

This in itself is no excuse for offering substandard compensation, however I personally hope that someone will be willing to do this job for us. Not minding deficits in quality.

We really want to show our unique city to the world in a way that players will enjoy. Maybe people could argue “just learn how to dev”.
Sure, but given the fact we don’t earn very much in the first place, many of us have no time to spare to live a comfortable life.
Yet we can’t just let this work go to waste.

[AlausSamus]

Sounds like a cool concept! We need some new ro-nations in the genre. Good luck!

[kinkocat]

From my experience your best bet is to start off working on some basic systems yourself over a period of time or using free ones to get an idea of how they work. Having to rely on other people to produce all this stuff may affect you in the long run in terms of production especially when/if bugs come up or when new content needs to be delivered. 50% profits does seem good, however, that is if it makes money. Will there be any investment in ads, builds and graphics? Things like that will affect how profitable the game will end up being and is something a programming might want to know.

[Lua_Basics]

In terms of game development, always assume you will make nothing off a game. With this in mind, you want to try and monetize and make what you can when you can, but not shove it in the player’s face but encourage it.

All numbers you assume to make should be out the window as it’s in view of the player, and instead go for play time and player numbers. It’s worth spending 100K robux to get 1500 players if you make that 100K back that day, and the reason is you’re going for exposure and trying to get players hooked in. Then once they’ve played enough they are like “why not but something” and use things like limited options and etc…

As for the programmer keep in mind the amount of work you do, always assume they will do more. So when you ‘promise’ numbers to them, they are trusting you on that for their work.

Nothing I say is against you as a person or to put you down, just saying to assume the worst and assume that they will work extreme hours.

I wish you the best in your journey and goodluck!