itch.io

LFS: Programmer(s) — For a multiplayer 4X turn-based strategy game set in the ancient world

About the Game

• 4X turn-based strategy spanning 10,000 BCE – 500 CE
• Procedurally generated hex worlds — continents, biomes, rivers, resources
• Up to 8 players, tactical combat, 10,000 years of civilization history
• Built in Unity 6 / C# with a deterministic simulation architecture and Mirror networking
• Currently on Milestone 1 — singleplayer prototype — with a full roadmap to a polished, shippable game

The Team

• Game Director / Lead Programmer / Lead Designer
• Art Lead
• 3 × 3D Artists

The art pipeline is active and producing. We need programming firepower to match.

Why This Project is Worth Your Time

• Scoped GitHub issues with full documentation, context, and instructions — ready to pick up
• Async-friendly and milestone-driven — no hand-holding required
• Active community of artists and designers already collaborating with real momentum
• You won't be wading through chaos or waiting on direction — just building

Who We're Looking For

 We're not filling seats. We want one or two developers who are already passionate and driven and just need the right project to commit to. There has to be real buy-in — this is a serious long-term collaboration, not a casual side contribution.

Compensation

• Revenue share model
• Programmers collectively receive 40% of total revenue
• Split based on finalized contributions
• Terms formalized closer to publishing — serious work gets rewarded

Details

• Tools: Unity 6, C#, Mirror Networking, GitHub, Discord
• Status: Open
• Development time: 1+ years in active development

Contact

 DM me here on Itch.io or via Discord — Sederic

Hello!

We’re a small indie team working on a stylized strategy game set in the ancient/classical world, and we’re currently looking for 3D artists to join us.

Our art style is simple, low-poly, and minimalist — designed to look good from a strategy-game camera rather than up close. This makes the project very approachable for newer artists or students who want real game experience without needing hyper-detailed models.

🗺️ About the Art Style

• Low-poly, clean shapes, readable silhouettes
• Simple materials and colors (not heavy texturing)
• Assets are relatively small on screen
• Focus is on cohesive world-building, not individual hero props

The game world is built from repeating pieces, so artists get to see their work used everywhere on the map as part of a bigger whole.

🏛️ What You’d Be Working On

We’re starting with environment and settlement-style assets — things that help bring towns and landscapes to life on the map. These are:

• Simple structures and props
• Natural features like trees, hills, and terrain elements
• Variations on the same ideas to create visual diversity

Everything is stylized and intentionally kept manageable.

🤝 Team & Support

You won’t be working alone or dropped into the deep end:

• We already have artists helping guide the visual direction
• Tasks are broken into small, achievable pieces
• We’re happy to support people who are still learning 3D

This is a relaxed, collaborative project focused on learning and building something cool together.

🛠️ Tools

• Any 3D software is fine (Blender, Maya, etc.)
• We handle all game integration — artists just focus on making models

🚧 State of the Project

We’ve already built and released a 2D prototype, which you can find on my itch.io page. It includes core gameplay systems and procedural map generation. 

Now we’re making the shift to 3D visuals, while keeping the same gameplay foundation.
This will be our first time working in 3D as a team, so part of this phase is about learning together, experimenting, and building a solid visual style from the ground up.

If you enjoy being part of an early-stage project where your work helps shape the look of the game, this is a great time to jump in.

💼 Compensation & Commitment

This is primarily a volunteer-friendly project and we’re very open to people who want to grow their skills, build portfolio pieces, and gain experience working on a real game with a team.

That said, for contributors who stick around long-term and take on consistent responsibilities, we also offer revenue-sharing arrangements once the game is in a position to be released commercially.

We’re transparent about expectations, contributions, and credit, and we want everyone to feel respected whether they’re here to learn, to build a portfolio, or to help push the project toward release.

There is no pressure to commit long-term right away — you’re welcome to start small and see if the project is a good fit.

💬 Interested? Let’s Talk!

If this sounds fun, I’d love to hear from you.
You can reach out to me directly on Discord: @sederic.

If you’d like, feel free to include:

• A short intro

• What software you use

• Any examples of your work (finished or practice pieces — both are totally fine)

You don’t need professional experience — just interest, reliability, and a desire to improve your skills while working on a real game.

Hello! We’re building a 4X turn-based strategy game inspired by the history of antiquity, where players compete to lead an ancient civilization to greatness. Think tile-based gameplay, procedural hex maps, tactical unit combat, deep multiplayer systems—all developed in Unity.

• 🎮 Genre: 4X Strategy

• 🏛 Setting: Antiquity (ancient empires, rich cultural themes)

• 🧪 Status: Playable prototype complete; multiplayer & polish underway

• 🔧 Tech Stack: Unity (C#), Aseprite (Pixel Art), Discord (comms)

✨ What We’re Looking For

We're currently seeking 2D artists and pixel animators for a variety of art tasks:

• 🌱 Pixel art + animations (for hex tiles and UI)

• 🧭 UI design elements 

• 🔍 Icon art for resources and gameplay elements

• 🖼 Capsule art and banners for Itch and Steam pages

Whether you're a seasoned artist or new and eager to learn, we value curiosity, consistency, and collaboration over previous experience or formal credentials. If you love ancient history, have an affinity for pixel art, or strategic games, —we’d love to hear from you. Many of our current team started off with little-to-none art experience and have grown significantly through the project. 

We are always open to anyone who wants to grow with us!

👥 About the Team

We’re a team of ~6 core contributors and a dozen or so flexible collaborators.
Our work culture is:

• 🤝 Supportive & growth-oriented

• 💬 Collaborative via Discord (async + weekly syncs)

• 🚫 No crunch – quality over speed

• 🌱 Mentorship-friendly – ideal for developing artists

🕒 Commitment & Compensation

• ⏰ Time: 10–20 hours/week (fully flexible)

• 💰 Compensation: We are primarily a group of volunteer-only friends and peers working passionately to make something we're proud of. However, It is still our intention to eventually monetize the game and do some form of revenue sharing to reward our contributors!

📸 Progress So Far

• ✅ Working prototype (playable internal build)

• 🌍 Procedural hex tilemap & 4X systems

• 🖼 Early art, UI mockups, and animation samples available

• 🔁 Currently refactoring for multiplayer

💌 How to Apply

To get in touch, email sergioandresdelrio@gmail.com or share your Discord tag (e.g., username#1234) and we’ll reach out!

Please include:

1. A brief note about your background or interests

2. Why you're excited to join the project

3. Your Discord handle

4. (Optional) A link to your portfolio, Instagram, or any past work

🏛 Why Join?

• Work on a game you'll be proud of

• Collaborate with kind, creative teammates

• Grow your portfolio and skills

• Help shape a game still in development

• Be part of something meaningful and ambitious

Looking forward to hearing from you!

— Sergio
Project Lead

Sent a Discord friend request!

Sent you a Discord friend invite. Looking forward to talking!

Sent you a Discord message. Looking forward to talking more!

Here’s a sample of our Tile art. Each of these hexagons are 68x68 pixels each. We don’t only use this scale but for now it’s become our default -especially for tiles. 

Sent a message through Discord! Looking forward to talking

Yes, would love to talk. Please send me an email at:

sergioandresdelrio@gmail.com

Please include in your email:

1. What role you’re interested in
2. A short note about your background or skills
3. Why you’re excited to join
4. Your Discord username so I can contact you

Looking forward to hearing from you!

🔹 Description:

Hello! We're developing a 4X turn-based strategy game set in Antiquity—think ancient empires, tile-based conquest, and rich multiplayer gameplay.

Our game is built in Unity on a hexagonal tilemap with procedural world generation, classic 4X mechanics, and an ambitious long-term vision. We've already built a working prototype, and are currently refactoring systems for multiplayer support and modularity. This is not a vague idea—we are well past the concept phase and deep into production.

🧠 About the Project

• 🎮 Genre: 4X Turn-Based Strategy

• 🌍 Theme: Antiquity (historical-inspired civilizations)

• 🧩 Tech: Unity (C#), Aesprite (pixel art), Discord (team comms)

• 🧪 Status: Prototype complete, working on multiplayer + polish

• 💰 Payment: Volunteer-only, but we are planning revenue sharing based on contribution if the game is monetized

👥 About the Team

• 🧑‍💻 ~6 core contributors + 20 flexible collaborators

• 🖼️ Roles: Programmers, Pixel Artists, UI/UX Designers, Musician, Project Managers, etc.

• 🎯 Structure: Weekly sync meetings (1–2 per week), async collaboration

• 🫂 Culture: Friendly, positive, growth-oriented, no crunch—quality over speed

• 💬 Discord is our primary hub for coordination and camaraderie

💡 Who We're Looking For

We're actively seeking programmers, artists, project managers, and game designers,  especially those excited about:

• 🌱 Procedural world generation

• 👾 2D Pixel Art

• 🔵 UI Art / Design

We're also very open to people interested in game design, especially if you're passionate about:

• 🧭 4X strategy mechanics

• ⚔️ Turn-based systems

• 🏛️ Ancient history or classical civilizations

Experience isn’t everything—we value curiosity, commitment, and good communication over credentials. If you're eager to learn, collaborate, and contribute to something meaningful, we'd love to meet you -regardless of your skills or background. Our current team includes people who started with little experience and have grown immensely.

🕒 Expected Time Commitment:

Roughly 10–20 hours/week, with flexibility based on your availability. We're not a crunch team—we want people to enjoy the process and grow with us.

📷 Progress & Media

• ✅ Working prototype on itch.io (WIP, internal build link on request)

• 🗺️ Procedural hex tilemap and working 4X systems

• 🎨 Early art and UI mockups available upon joining

• 🎮 Multiplayer refactoring in progress

🏛️ Why Join Us?

• Work on a game you’ll be proud of

• Collaborate with kind, skilled people

• Get real experience and mentorship if you're still learning

• Share in potential profits if the game succeeds

• Be part of a project already well underway—with space for your ideas to matter

📬 Interested?

📬 How to Get in Touch

Since itch.io doesn’t allow DMs, please email me directly at sergioandresdelrio@gmail.com or drop your Discord tag below (e.g. username#1234) and I’ll reach out.

If you’re interested, please include:

1. What role you’re interested in
2. A short note about your background or skills
3. Why you’re excited to join
4. Your Discord username so I can contact you

Looking forward to hearing from you!

- Sergio : Project Lead

Recently patched the bug that didn't allow them game to reload if anyone wants to play it :)

All our art is orignal EXCEPT for the title screen which is a purchase asset from IStock.

This is Sergio, I worked on the game and I wanted to make sure we leave disclaimers.

Our game involves a LLM AI that the player can talk to. 

We wanted to simulate the experience of pretending to be someone else in order to enter a bar or venue. 

Our AI model is the bouncer trying to test if the player is really who they say they are.