Unvanquished Development is the team behind the Unvanquished project, which is a free, open-source strategy shooter pitting technologically advanced humans against hordes of organic, adaptable aliens. Our developers are highly diverse, ranging from hobbyists to employed professionals, coders to skilled artists. We are multi-national as well, with fully online development allowing us to have developers all over the world work together. Our game has been regularly featured on Phoronix, where articles have praised our efforts at quality artwork in an open source project, and the regularity of our releases. In addition, we have been featured on the front page of SourceForge, as well as several Linux repositories.

General Requirements

Ideally, an applicant should have the following traits:

• Ability to communicate effectively with project coordinators.
• Capacity to work in an online team environment, whether alone or with others.
• A genuine interest and passion for what one does.

To Apply

Below is a list of the positions that we are currently seeking to be filled. You may apply for any of these in any combination, and even if you have a skill not listed below, you’re more than welcome to submit your talents for consideration.

To apply, please contact our HR granger at kharnov@gmail.com with a description of what you’re skilled at and some examples of your previous work, if possible. Note that as we are an open source development team, this is not a paid project, but you will be fully credited for your work.

Organic Modeling

Whether you have a passion for modeling monstrous alien beings or futuristic human soldiers, there’s a position for you! Depending on your interests, you can create anything from alternative player models for the human team, to new forms, and even new structures for the alien team. Living map props could also be created, such as eerie organic mats and tentacled barriers. If you excel at creating expressive, lively models, we’d love to have you on our team.

A few general pointers:

• Player models can be made for the human team, for either gender. Ideally, we would like to have a female trooper in the near future.
• In addition, alien player models can also be made. We have support for adding claws and other attacking parts to the first-person view.
• Structures for the alien team are desirable, as well as organic map objects.

Hard Surface Modeling

Weapons, mechanical structures, pieces of equipment, and other inorganic objects fall under this category. For instance, one could design a suit of powered armor for the human team, or create new base structures for them. New weapons can also be designed. Alternatively, one could create map props ranging from industrial crates and factory components to elaborate computer displays. This position would allow you to express yourself through the creation of detailed, futuristic objects for our game’s universe.

A few general pointers:

• The human team primarily uses these models, both for equipment and buildings found in the base. Pieces of armor show up on the third person model.
• Those skilled at producing futuristic weaponry can produce new guns for the human team. Being able to create firing effects is a desirable skill.
• A wide range of map props can be designed, for a variety of futuristic settings.

3D Animation

A skilled animator can make a creatively designed model come alive, bringing its potential past the limits. If you have a passion for 3D animation, we’d love to have you on board! You could animate your own models, or the models produced by others. A variety of things can be animated, from player models, to weapons, and even structures. In addition, things can be animated for the first-person view, such as claws for the various alien forms.

A few general pointers:

• Work can be done on your own models, or the models produced by others.
• A variety of animations can be done, including those for the first-person view.
• We use the .md5 model format, which supports skeletal animation.

2D Artwork

Beyond the domain of concept art, general 2D artwork can be used for many things, including the creation of assets for HUD design, and the making of textures for maps and models. For those interested in the user interface, our upcoming integration of libRocket into the engine will allow for some advanced HUD features, which a skilled designer can take advantage of. In addition, our engine allows for a variety of texture maps, including normal, spec, diffuse, and glow mapping.

A few general pointers:

• Both UI design and texture artwork fall under this domain.
• UI designers simply need to export their assets into a compatible format, the implementation is done code-side by one of our programmers.
• Texture artists have a wide variety of things to work with, including touching up existing textures on models and creating new ones for maps.

Programmers

We are specifically seeking those who have had prior experience with an incarnation of the Quake engine, whether through directly coding for one or producing modifications. Our engine is ultimately descended from Quake III, but knowledge from other Quake engines should be transferable.

A few general pointers:

• Knowledge of Git is desirable, but can also be learned while on the position.
• Duties might include anything from integrating new libraries to coding gameplay changes, depending on one’s personal interest and skills.
• The vast majority of our engine is coded in C and C++, and as such, knowledge of both is required.

Translators

Our engine has translation support and we’d like to take full advantage of it. While we already have translations for a few languages such as Spanish, French, German, Polish, and Ukrainian, it would be ideal to have translators going over the existing translations to ensure accuracy. In addition, translators can assist in the advertisement of the game to foreign communities.

A few general pointers:

• Full translations of the game can be done either via our web interface, or by hand through editing a simple file.
• Translators that have been associated with the project for some time can serve as liaisons to foreign gaming communities.
• In addition, translators can also relay concerns and questions from foreign players to the development team.

Sound effects designers

We utilize sound effects for a variety of purposes. There might be ambient sounds on maps for instance, contributing to the general feel of things. Human structures might give off subtle mechanical sounds, while alien equivalents would make odd organic noises. Of course, player models would make a variety of sounds, from human battle cries to alien roaring. We need all of these, and those with sound skills are always appreciated.

A few general pointers:

• Since there is a large variety of sound work to be done, it is early enough to pick out what interests one the most.
• Sounds can be done for both the alien and human teams, as well as general ambiance to be used on maps.
• We would prefer for sounds to be done in groups by the same designer, to ensure consistency. For instance, all weapons of one type, or all the sounds used by a single alien form.

Alien concept artists

Our aliens have a distinctly biological appearance, and as such, would be excellent practice for those interested in drawing organic structures and monstrous lifeforms. A variety of art styles can be employed, and we are in fact seeking all sorts of unique artistic directions with the alien team.

A few general pointers:

• For those interested in more dynamic creatures, one could create designs for alien player models, which can have a variety of interesting methods of attack.
• Immobile structures can also be designed, with the organic buildings being used to defend alien bases, as well as providing support to players.
• One could make new designs from scratch, or go over one of our existing designs to give another take on it.

Technological concept artists

We are seeking skilled concept artists to design the equipment used by our human team in-game. All sorts of equipment can be designed, from guns, to futuristic suits of armor, and even buildings. We are going for a futuristic look, and would like to collaborate with artists that are skilled in presenting interesting, yet plausible designs.

A few general pointers:

• All sorts of guns can be sketched out, from simple rifle-like weapons to heavy energy cannons.
• Our humans utilize several types of armor, as well as utility packs that can be worn on the back.
• Human buildings serve a variety of roles, from defense structures to armories and healing pads.

Texture artists

In a texture artist, we’re looking for those that have experience in creating detailed, attractive textures to be used by our level designers. Besides base textures, our engine has support for bump, specular, diffuse, and glow maps. Thus, your textures can look the best that they possibly could.

A few general pointers:

• Preferably, one should be able to create additional texture maps for their textures, such as bump mapping.
• A variety of textures can be made for all sorts of different settings, from space stations to futuristic cities.
• Well-made textures will bring out the best in a well-made map, and the creation of a texture set will allow for one to easily get their name out.

Level designers

We are always looking for more level designers, as we have a stated goal of creating a default map pack for our eagerly awaited first beta release next year. Creativity and style are both strongly desired, to create an enjoyable gameplay experience for our playerbase.

A few general pointers:

• Knowledge of a Quake-based level design tool like a variant of Radiant is a requirement. Other design tools will not work with our engine, which is based off Quake III. As long as a tool is compatible with Quake III, it should be fine.
• We will provide ample support in the development of new maps, from offering our pool of textures to giving gameplay feedback. We will also provide the game pack to be used with Radiant, if necessary.
• A wide variety of maps can be made, as our futuristic setting allows for all sorts of design goals to be accomplished.