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Caravel Forum : Caravel Boards : Development : Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (Hey, it's a job posting!)
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ErikH2000
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icon Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (0)  
I'm copy-and-pasting this to a bunch of places right now. If someone here is qualified, I would rather hire a DROD fan than some cold-handed stranger.
---
We are looking for a Mac C++ programmer to help us with a series of small tasks over the long term. This is a very small amount of work we're talking about. It probably averages out to something like 8 hours a month. We'd be paying you as a contractor--not as an employee. Unsurprisingly, you wouldn't be asked to relocate. Basically, we just want a consultant to assist our full-time developer.

We have a game (DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold) which has been ported to Mac OS X. It's a mature product that has been on the market for a year. The same source code is used for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X builds with conditional compilation used to produce builds for different O/S targets. We would like to find a Mac programmer to do occasional work on this game and an upcoming sequel that is in beta-testing now. Work would involve:

* Making a patch installer for the game that can be easily updated.
* Making automated scripts that grab source from a repository, build a project and the installers.
* Giving instructions to our lead programmer who is inexperienced with Macs on how to handle some Mac-specific issues like updating the installers.
* Fixing porting issues that come up with new code in our sequel. We don't anticipate many porting issues because we already have the old product building on the Mac.

Things that are important for us in choosing a programmer to work with:

* At least to begin with, we would like to send a spec for a small task that takes a day or two and receive a flat-rate quote for the work. Once we are comfortable working with you, we could switch to an hourly rate and avoid the overhead of this approach.
* We want to work with a programmer who has had at least 3 years experience developing for Macs.
* Experience in these areas a plus: automated build management, CVS, SVN, SDL, PHP, Universal Binary/Intel, maintaining projects with 100k+ lines of code
* The programmer should provided estimated completion time on tasks and do a good job of meeting these times. Occasionally, we will have deadlines that need to be met to take advantage of opportunities, but even without these deadlines, it is very important to us that work be performed in a timely manner. Most tasks would be about a day of work and we'd generally want to see them finished within 30 days of the request.

If you are interested, please e-mail me with your hourly rate and a resume. I'm not real picky about the formatting of the resume. If you have a consulting business, then maybe there is a web page describing past projects I can look at. I basically just want to see what you've done in the past for Mac development.

-Erik Hermansen
erikh@caravelgames.com

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The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

[Last edited by ErikH2000 at 07-05-2006 02:32 AM]
07-04-2006 at 09:22 PM
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Chaco
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icon Re: Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (0)  
What, did wmarkham quit or something?

Ahem. Other than that question, I obviously don't fit those qualifications. But would like to in the future.

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07-04-2006 at 11:27 PM
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ErikH2000
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icon Re: Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (0)  
Chaco wrote:
What, did wmarkham quit or something?
No, Weston didn't quit and there was no falling out. We found that we were missing some Mac-related opportunities because turnaround on builds was slow. Plus, some jobs weren't getting done that we really wanted--i.e. a patch installer for Mac users. We could hassle Weston for it, but he's short on time and he already did a lot for us without getting anything resembling fair compensation. Most all of the positions on the team are pretty laidback and voluntary/semi-voluntary. But for the Mac stuff we need a contractor that we can yell at if he gets behind schedule or these tasks won't get done. I encouraged Weston to apply for the contractor position. I suspect he may be too busy or not want to work on DROD this way, but if he wants the job, we'd almost certainly give it to him.

Ahem. Other than that question, I obviously don't fit those qualifications. But would like to in the future.
That's cool! I really want to work with someone who is comfortable with Mac programming and very professional about getting work done. I'm not sure where you are at in your experience, but if we work with someone who hasn't had a programming job before or is just learning how to program on Macs or in C++, then it will create more risk for us. There will be tasks that come up that we need done by certain dates. A new programmer will typically say "Sure, no problem!" and then work very hard and still miss the deadline by weeks. And then we lose out getting onto an important portal or releasing a game alongside a carefully timed press release.

I don't know how close you are to meeting our qualifications. If you're just a little off, then I can say I'll give quite a few bonus points if you already know how to build the DROD 2.0 source code. In any case, the first step to applying is to send me a resume along with the hourly rate you'd want for your time.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)
07-05-2006 at 02:11 AM
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Chaco
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icon Re: Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (+1)  
Well, to be honest, I think the best you'd get out of me is *understanding* the code. Not that the comments wouldn't help ;)

Seriously though, I haven't got enough experience to be helpful. I haven't even compiled my own programs yet - the one I have right now has committed devious subterfuge in the area of "where's the stupid "compile" button, darn it!".

Good luck finding somebody though. Having an offical Mac guy will make it easier for me to complain. :)

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):
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[Last edited by Chaco at 07-05-2006 02:25 AM]
07-05-2006 at 02:23 AM
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ErikH2000
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icon Re: Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (0)  
Chaco wrote:
Well, to be honest, I think the best you'd get out of me is *understanding* the code. Not that the comments wouldn't help ;)
Heh heh. Well, maybe you can catch up with us in a few years. :)

Unrelated: The other thing I neglected to mention is that Mike Rimer is going to be making the Mac builds. We're picking up an old G5 or Mini for him. So Mike would be doing most of the work for getting builds out that Weston used to do. The new Mac programmer (which might end up being Weston) would be helping him with the trickier stuff.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)
07-05-2006 at 02:27 AM
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coppro
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icon Re: Part-time C++ Mac Programmer wanted for DROD work. (0)  
Chaco wrote:
Well, to be honest, I think the best you'd get out of me is *understanding* the code. Not that the comments wouldn't help ;)

Seriously though, I haven't got enough experience to be helpful. I haven't even compiled my own programs yet - the one I have right now has committed devious subterfuge in the area of "where's the stupid "compile" button, darn it!".

Good luck finding somebody though. Having an offical Mac guy will make it easier for me to complain. :)

Well, I can relate to two of those things. I would be completely useless in this position, not just because I lack a Mac :shifty. I am near-useless when it comes to APIs and OS interaction (which, incidentally, appears to a vital part of this position). However, I have made and compiled my own modifications to 2.0 (despite a faulty library preventing the fonts from loading, thus preventing the game from working (Maybe if I made it ignore that error, and just deal with missing fonts)). As for something without the compile button, surprisingly enough, those exist. My solution was a switch to Dev C++, but I'm guessing that you don't run Windows on your Mac (which is possible) and that you don't feel like compiling from the command line. My suggestion: search google/help files for instructions on compilation, and then check to see whether your API actually has a compiler or at least a way to interface with the compiler automatically (which would normally be the compile button, but some old/barebones APIs don't feature automatically passing compiler commands for you). Other than that, you're on your own. Sorry.
07-05-2006 at 02:47 AM
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