I've put this on the shoutbox a couple times, but things tend to get lost there, so I'll start a thread. I am looking for folks with skills in 2D digital art to become co-developers for some simple apps. By simple, I mean something that could reasonably be ready to publish in 1-2 months. These would have to be apps that sell on a "good idea", rather than on the "awesomeness factor".
I have a lot of experience writing simple 2D games very quickly. I used to pump out copies of the old Atari arcade-style games like one per week, and in college I re-programmed the NES game Super Mario Brothers in like a month. But I am very slow and untalented when it comes to graphics.
Since I know there are people on here who are very talented artists, but who may not have any programming skills, I see this as a big opportunity. I will do the programming, the artist will do the artwork, and we'll be co-developers for the app, splitting the profits 50/50. Not only will this mean I make money a lot more quickly by creating more apps in a shorter time since I tend to spend a lot more time struggling with the artwork than on the actual programming, but it also means someone else will be able to earn money through a means that may not have been previously accessible to them (sounds like a win-win situation to me!)
If this sounds interesting to you and you have artwork skills, let me know, and we'll coordinate things. We can work out some type of contract so there aren't any misunderstandings. And of course, I am only one programmer, so if lots of artists jump on this offer, I will have to prioritize them (artists I've had previous experience with will naturally get a higher priority, while others will have to wait a few months) That is, of course, if anyone is even interested in this idea in the first place. I obviously can't guarantee that any particular app will sell, so it will be a gamble of time for both of us.
I've put together some app ideas that my family and friends and I have come up with. You can pick one from this list, or if you have another idea that you think is simple and people would probably buy, then let me know.
1) Strongman hammer
The idea would be like the "strongman hammer" games at the circus, where you have a large mallet and strike a target to make a weight lift up, and the higher the weight goes, the more points you get (usually there is a bell at the top as well). In this case, the user would whack their phone to try and beat personal and public high-scores lists. I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to break their phone just to get a high score, but I think the idea is funny enough that people would buy the app just for the laughs.
2) Ant farm
The idea here would be to have a small-scale ant-farm, focused more on realism (not a "cartoony" look). It would be like the pet-keeping apps, and would start with a single queen in an ant farm about 3/4 full of dirt. The user would need to feed and water the colony as it develops. They would be able to smash ants if they want, destroy tunnels to watch the colony rebuild, or even kill the queen to watch the colony eventually die out.
3) Dog trainer
The idea here would be a dog that randomly walks around and does things like sit, lay, roll over, speak, etc. There would be a list of signals the user could choose from, as well as "praise" and "punish" options. The user would basically be able to train the dog to do things when they give it specific signals.
4) Touch defence
This would be similar to the popular "tower defence" games, except the user would touch things to kill them rather than building towers. The user would be defending a city, castle, or whatever from swarms of things that come in to attack. They would start coming in slowly and few at a time, and gradually increase in speed and numbers until the user looses. The score will be based on time or levels, and personal and public high-scores lists would be kept. For instance, this game could be about zombies coming in to attack a campsite (there are a hundred possible different themes here, so if this idea ever became popular, there would be a good potential for sequels)
5) Block-Digger Bot
The idea here would be a bot that starts at the top of the screen on a layer of building blocks. He would steadily demolish blocks from the floor, drilling downward. Each color block would do something different, like hot blocks that cause damage, air push blocks that propel him upward into another position, ice blocks that temporarily freeze him, indestructible blocks that get flung to another random position, etc. There would be obstacles to avoid like pipes with dripping sewage, mines, spikes, etc. If he falls through from too high, he will smash at the bottom and die. New blocks will appear periodically and the user will be able to attach them anywhere they want on the existing layer of blocks. The goal would be to guide the bot safely to the bottom of the screen.
6) I Rule!
The idea here would be a spoof of the original Legend of Zelda ("I Rule!", the name of the app, rhymes with "Hyrule"). An alien would crash-land on a beach in a strange land. He'd hear about the triforce from Impa, and decide to use it to refuel his ship. The maps would be basically identical to the Legend of Zelda, except you would be an alien who has a blaster and can levitate, so you'd pretty much dominate the game. There could be some funny cut-scenes in there, too, such as stopping in the first cave and blasting the old man mid-sentence:
Old Man: "It's dangerous to go alone..."
Alien: "TAKE THIS!"
