Help Needed for an indie visual novel project!

TwistedFates:LUCAS is Luke’s origin story, following his descent (ascent?) into madness until he escapes the Corruption and founds the Rebels with Terry and Gale.
At its core, TwistedFates:LUCAS is a visual novel with some easter eggs. The player takes on the role of Luke, a lethargic hacker with very limited time to interact with technology in a technologically advanced world. Something is haunting him relentlessly, infesting every device he interacts with in an attempt to reach him—but thankfully, a mysterious inner voice is ready to protect him. Learn more about TwistedFates:LUCAS here!

Help Needed!

Hello! I’m Olive, an independent digital artist and indie game developer looking to build a team to help bring TwistedFates:LUCAS to life! At the moment, I have no budget, but I am hoping to be able to expand and offer more means of compensation as my health improves and TwistedFates starts gaining traction. A couple of things for transparency:

💲This is a non-commercial, indie hobby project. When I first posted this, I posted a very small budget of $500 USD (which would be split among those who wanted financial compensation) while I offered my skills up for trade as well. As an artist in the field, I understand how bad that looks. That’s a LOT of work for what amounts to pennies on the dollar, which isn’t fair to anyone–especially in the wake of so many of us losing opportunities genAI. Truth be told, I wish I could properly financially compensate everyone who helps me bring this vision to life. As such, I can’t offer financial compensation at this time. It’s not in the cards for me right now, and until then, I know that the skills I have on offer will make for a great trade.

🏥 I WILL BE OUT OF OFFICE intermittently throughout May and throughout the entirety of June due to an upcoming major surgery. This means that I will be unable to work on other projects while I focus on recovery. I’ve included a calendar to help with figuring out dates and deadlines! Note that I will NOT be providing rush services, as I am chronically ill. Click here to see my availability! I’m also out of office/studio Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. While I may answer some questions and correspondence during those times, this is not the usual case.

🚫 This is an AI-FREE project. I will not accept or participate in any projects that use AI-generated writing, imagery, sounds, or voice.


What I Need:

I’m looking for creatives who are:

  • familiar with Ren’Py and visual novels!
  • enthusiastic about TwistedFates:LUCAS and bringing indie projects to life!
  • excited about the entire creative process of making a game!
  • vibe well with their teammates!
  • able to keep secrets! Please don’t release details about the project until it’s done!
  • on Discord! All communication and collaboration within the project will be handled via a private Discord server.

What I Can Offer:

As this is a self-funded project, I’m willing to offer my own skills as a trade to help bring your vision to life. For every episode you help me with, I can offer any of the skills listed below, which we’ll negotiate before we start collaborating. You’ll also get access to the “Clocked In” role on the TwistedFates Discord server, which comes with its own bundle of benefits!

I can collaborate with you to bring characters to life, from conceptualization via building a mood board to sketches, to final design!


EXAMPLES – More on Unvale!

Already have a design in mind, but need a good splash image for your project? Fantastic! I can make that happen for you!


EXAMPLES

I have 2 years of AAA quality assurance experience and a lifetime experience of playing videogames in general! I will happily playtest your game and provide feedback on functionality and text. I’ve been referred to as helpful, keen-eyed, and passionate about my work!

The Timeline*

last updated

Here’s a general look at Episode 1’s development timeline. A majority of the game is done, as I’ve been working on this solo (and with help from a couple of friends) throughout the course of 2025-26.

  • Fall Equninox 2026 (9.22.26): Resume team recruiting
  • Halloween 2026 (10.31.26): Team recruiting DONE!
  • Winter Solstice 2026 (12.21.26): Quality Assurance/Closed Beta Playtesting

This timeline may change as my health/outside situation change, for better or for worse.

Current Open Position(s)— ON HOLD!

last updated

These are the current positions I have open for the project. They will be updated as the project evolves!

Designs the world around the characters and collaborates with the CG/BG Artist(s) to create background/cutscene graphics that the characters will dwell in. This includes:

  • Interior design, i.e., the characters’ work suites and their personal workspaces.
  • Abstract areas, i.e., the digital world, the space between reality and the digital world.
  • Exterior/abstract landscapes, i.e. a lighthouse on the shore in the digital world.

Plans and designs the game’s UI, including:

  • Screens:
    • Main Menu
    • Load
    • Save
    • Credits
    • Options
    • Help
    • Pause Menu
  • Popup windows for system dialogue
  • Textboxes for character dialogue
  • Buttons
  • Indicators (symbols that appear on screen that highlight certain parts of the scene or the UI itself)

Interested in Joining?

Fantastic! Send an email to gamedev@twistedfates.net with the following details:

  • SUBJECT LINE:
    Project introLUCAS | [Position] | Your name (Nickname is okay!)
  • Body:
    • Introduce yourself! Tell me about what you do and why you’re interested in joining the project!
    • Link some examples of your past work!
    • How would you like to be compensated?
    • What’s your Discord username?
    • Do you have any questions for me?

These details will update as the project evolves. If you know someone who may fit this role or may be interested in joining an indie game project, please share this post with them! And if you have questions about the project, please feel free to ask in the comments or forward them to gamedev@twistedfates.net.

Thanks a ton!

🍊 Olive

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