Introduction
“Nuts: Winter’s Coming” is a family oriented multiplayer game for the iPad where you play backyard squirrels in a race to gather nuts before winter. The squirrel that gathers the most nuts from each of the three trees in the yard by the end of the season survives the winter. But, you also have the option to steal nuts from other squirrels while they’re off collecting from the trees. Or, if you think you’re going to be the victim of theft, you can bury your nuts. The yard is also stalked by a cat, who occasionally prevents you from collecting from one of the trees. So, you will have to keep an eye on the competition and choose where you forage carefully.
Nuts is the iOS adaptation of the game Stones.
The Project
We need the following illustrations for the game:
- App Store / Button Logo
- Splash Screen for the Game
- Background for the Opening Screen
- Background for the Play Screen
- Background for the Victory Screen
- Background for the Menu Screen
- Navigation Button
- Play Button
- Scoreboard
- Three types of Nut: Acorn, Chestnut and Hazelnut
- Three types of Trees each in Four Layers*: Oak, Chestnut and Hazelnut
- Two types of Green Trees in Four Layers*: Corner of the Screen, Side of the Screen
- A Cat
- Leaf pattern (overlay for the Play Screen)
- Rainstorm pattern (overlay for the Play Screen)
*Each tree needs to have an underlying layer with its trunk, branches and a few leaves as well as three other top layers of leaves that can be removed during play to make the tree look like it is losing its leaves.
Style
Stylistically, it needs to be wildishly cartoony. With squirrels, trees, nuts, a cat and a big back yard drawn in vector graphics with autumn colors in a highly saturated cartoon style. As the days proceed, the trees will start to lose their leaves and the daylight will become weaker. So, the final victory scene will show the victor all comfy inside his winter abode snacking on a pile of nuts while his competitors lay frozen to death outside in the snow.
Design Considerations
For the gameplay, it is designed to be primarily a hot seat multiplayer experience, with up to four players which can play at once. Each day of the game, each player has to decide whether he’s going to collect, steal or bury nuts. In his corner of the screen there will be three buttons, as well as a few sub-selection buttons to choose from. When the player wants to make a choice, he uses one hand to cover up the corner and the other to select his option for the round. His selection is then covered up by the App until everyone has made a selection. At that point, the options are revealed, the nuts are divided up accordingly and they go to the next day. The game end at the end of the 14th day when it snows and the winner is declared.
Time Frame
You will have 4 weeks to complete the artwork. Based upon the design material provided, you will draw up a concept image for each item. We can discuss alterations (if any) that are necessary and then, after we agree upon the color palette, you can go ahead and make the final imagery. Throughout the project, I’ll be there to provide you with any other reference material, feedback and advice that you need.
Medium
To be able to resize the artwork appropriate for each iOS device, we need the final format for each piece to be delivered as a vector image with separate color and line layers.
Compensation
Give us an estimate and we’ll figure out the total and arrange a payment schedule. You’ll also receive credit for the illustrations in all versions of the game that are published.
Grant of Rights
As a work made for hire, Evertide Games will own the copyright.
Lords of Scotland is now available. MSRP $10. But, you can find it on sale for less at places like Thought Hammer, Funagain Games and Cool Stuff Inc. The game includes 98 bridge size clan cards, 1 victor’s initiative card and a rules sheet all packed into the same convenient sized box as the one used for Court of the Medici. The rules for Lords of Scotland supports two to three players with a variant for playing with four or five players. Game time is approximately thirty minutes. Artwork for Lords of Scotland was provided by the talented Gabrielle Levion.
