My name is Matt, and I'm a Co-leader of Epoch Games. Epoch Games is a global, fully-online volunteer team developing Lays of Althas: Sundered Order (LoA:SO), a single player, open-world, original fantasy RPG being developed in Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) for the PC. We are looking for C++ Programmers to help us develop the foundations for RPG gameplay as well as gameplay features we believe to be fairly original to the RPG genre.


Most of the original founding members of this team were modders developing a total conversion modification called the Middle Earth Roleplaying Project (MERP, http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project/) for the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. A project years in the making, we received a C&D from Warner Bros (http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project/news/merp-status). We fought hard to come to an agreement with Warner Bros, but we were unfortunately offered a deal that we felt would only hurt the good quality of MERP. And so we decided to cease development.

However, through the struggle, many of us have stayed together, and here we are working on an original fantasy title for UE4.


LoA:SO, as mentioned, is a single player, open world RPG being developed for UE4. Althas ("altar") is a continent set in Jevreth ("gift"), an original low-fantasy world.

Ever since it's early history, Althas has been a land shaken by conflicts. In the early days, these conflicts pitted the Anointed Kingdoms of Men against dark and demonic forces that threatened them. However, with the passage of time, the world has changed: the Anointed order is eroding away and new powers are rising. Another war looms on the horizon, a war of personal and political motivation. Thenodar, a burgeoning new kingdom in the North, and Anorthile, one of the last of the three remaining Anointed Kingdoms, now prepare for a war that will shake all of Althas. Old demons and new enemies gather in the shadows of both lands as each sets their sights on the ruined wilderness known as the Feralands.

For more information about Lays of Althas: Sundered Order, please check out our IndieDb page (http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-lays-of-althas-sundered-order). You can also visit our webpage at http://www.epochgames.co.uk


In this volunteer position you will be working closely with other members of the Coding department to develop C++ code for The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order (LoA:SO). Keep in mind that we are a volunteer team, and cannot pay for UE4 monthly updates at this time, so you must be able to pay the $19 monthly fee yourself (although you can pay only one monthly fee and keep the engine, you won't be able to receive updates, have access to the UE4 Marketplace or have access to GitHub (https://www.unrealengine.com/ue4-on-github). Knowledge of UE4 and Blueprint scripting, and how C++ code interacts with the game engine, is recommended (although not required).

Communication is key to a smooth and efficient pipeline, you must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with other team-members and not be afraid to ask should any problems arise. We are an English-speaking team, so English fluency is a must.

If you are comfortable with teaching, you may be called upon to aid the more junior members of the team in any relevant area.

Other duties include: following team policies, attending Skype meetings, as well as providing active, steady progress for assigned tasks.

This is a volunteer position, so no monetary compensation is being offered.

Minimum Skill Requirements:
- C++ programming experience
- Able to provide clear and legible code
- Online communication and Team-collaboration skills.
- A passion for coding and a dedication to creating a AAA quality game.
- Must be able to pay for UE4 monthly updates.

Optional Skill Requirements:
- Unreal Engine 4 Experience
- Programming with GitHub
- Blueprint scripting experience

Recommended Software:
- Unreal Engine 4 (https://www.unrealengine.com/register)
- Visual Studio Express 2013 (https://www.unrealengine.com/register), Eclipse C++ IDE (http://www.eclipse.org/cdt/downloads.php) or any other preferred IDE for C++
- GitHub for UE4 (https://www.unrealengine.com/ue4-on-github), as well as Visual Studio Express 2013 (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh850437.aspx), Eclipse C++ IDE (http://eclipse.github.com/) or any other preferred IDE for C++
- Notepad++ (http://www.notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v6.6.6.html)


Because we are an all-volunteer team, we are willing to accept hobby developers of various skill levels. C++ applicants should post any previous programming experience they've had (especially C++). In most cases, applicants are required to complete an assignment in order to show their skill level and work speed (although exceptions vary). If you’re interested, it is strongly recommended that you post an application on our official forums (http://www.epochgames.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=525), although you can also post about yourself in this topic.

Even if you can’t offer a routine amount of your spare time to join the team, we do accept Contributions. If you would like to contribute, please post an application and simply indicate that you would simply like to contribute.

If you have any questions in regards to the job, please post them here. All game-related questions should be posted on our forums.

Big news, we've upgraded to Unreal Engine 4!

You can read more about this on our latest IndieDb news update:
http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-lays-of-althas-sundered-order/news/althas-is-upgrading-engines