C++ / SDL 2 Indie 2D Arcade Beltscroller Beat 'Em Up Game For Desktop, Mobile, Console -- 2

I need a computer games programmer who is very comfortable working in C++ with the SDL 2 library, making 2D games with multi-platform compatibility. Platforms are PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, PS4, XBox One, Wii U, PS Vita. FORTNIGHTLY MILESTONE PAYMENTS. NO UP-FRONT PAYMENT OR PAYMENT IN ADVANCE. SHOW RELEVANT WORK. TIME FRAME: 6 - 15 MONTHS. DON'T QUOTE SHORTER TIMES. We will not be working with OpenGL for this project, just C++ and SDL 2. This is for usability reasons. The game is a retro style arcade beat 'em up inspired by games like Renegade, Double Dragon, Final Fight, Streets Of Rage, etc., if you're familiar with the inner workings of fighting games and beat 'em up games you are the preferred candidate for this job. The game's graphics will be 2D, using hi-res hand-drawn animation. So a very modern 'next-gen 2D' style. Not using 3D graphics, using 2D hi-res sprites. I already have the art pipeline figured out. We would be using hi-res GIF sprite sheets with indexed colour palettes. Using SDL 2 the game should be able to allocate colours dynamically via a palette index or shader trickery. Not from colours over grayscale, but from an indexed palette. Gameplay should be snappy and responsive. Challenging but rewarding. It's a game you need to learn to play through trial, error and practice. This is not a casual beat 'em up, it is a very in-depth, challenging beat 'em up. Consider something like a Dark Souls level of difficulty applied to a Streets Of Rage style game. So this is not a casual game for light entertainment. It is a 'hardcore' challenging experience. One that punishes bad play and is well balanced for skill and difficulty. The game will feature local multiplayer, but not online multiplayer. The game will be offline only but will have 'achievements' as most games do these days. So no network functionality in-game. There won't be DLC, but there will be free updates to add content for all players. Anti-piracy security won't be in the game, it will be a DRM free game. I think DRM is a waste of time these days and being DRM free helps me build an audience for the game. The game will have three modes: - Story mode, which is 1 hour and 20 minutes long with slideshow arcade style cutscenes. 8 levels which are 10 minutes each, to make 80 minutes. - Waves mode, a wave based survival mode where enemies spawn. - Brawl mode, a free for all skirmish mode where brawlers can be human or CPU. In the game you control more than one brawler at a time. Like The Warriors you can swap between multiple fighters in your gang, but like Streets Of Rage it's a fixed 2D perspective. The game will not have a huge amount of characters or weapons. There will be 5 'character types' and about 12 usable objects, including 8 weapons and 4 vehicles. I have already managed the scope of this game down to something realistically achievable so the content of the game is already decided upon, it is not negotiable, do not try to re-design the game for me. I accept creative input but it has to fit what I've already conceived. If you can meet ALL of the requirements of this project comfortably, please apply. Please provide examples of your previous work. I want to see that you are capable of a high build quality and a strong work ethic, by seeing a completed game of yours.