Crazy as it is to think about, PseudoQuest is created through the efforts of a single man. Well, a single married man. With the help of some artists, the community... and you!
The PseudoQuest community is as vibrant, polite, and awesome as it is thanks to YOUR efforts! We can't thank you enough for your support. If you're looking to get more involved in the game, this page has some resources available for you.
Before we get into everything, I'd just like to let you know a couple of guidelines for using PseudoQuest's name and assets. The rules are simple: don't make it look like a partnership exists if it doesn't; all fan artwork using PseudoQuest art assets must include legible text saying "PseudoQuest.com" (and a link back to PQ if possible); nothing raunchy, suggestive, or potentially offensive, please; and if you're in doubt about anything just ask.
That wasn't so bad, was it? ;)
The easiest thing to do to help out is to tell a friend. Or several friends!
You can pester them via email, IM, or whatever means, or you can use our handy forums banner. You could make some fan artwork, put it on your website, and point to your referral link. Make a YouTube tutorial video, or hand out cards to your friends. The sky's the limit!
This one's nice since you get a little something in return. If your friends put your character's name into the "referred by" box when they create an account, you'll both get a little free Gold when your friend plays 700 turns. How sweet is that?!
Post a lot on forums? Want to show off your character? Want to get referral Gold without even trying?
It's easy! Just follow the instructions here to get the code for it, add it to your forums signatures, and start rolling in the referral Gold!
Have some PQ artwork you made that you'd like to share with the community? Show it off in the "Fan Stuff" area of the forums!
Want to share it with the world? Use the HTML link from creating your forums banner and swap out the <img> tag with your own artwork. Voila! Your artwork now takes people straight to the referral page, netting you and your admirers some sweet, sweet Gold for free.
(Just remember those legal notes above when using PQ art assets!)
Here's a couple of files you can use to help spread the word! Print 'em up on your home printer, send 'em to Vista Print and print some up for free, or just email 'em around to your friends like oh-so-many chain letters. The sky's the limit!
DO remember that Rule #1 applies out in the real world, too, so if you'd like to leave a stack at a coffee shop or college dorm or whatever, make sure you get permission first, k?
Show off your PseudoQuest pride with a fancy-shmancy T-Shirt! There's many a way to show off PQ and have some cool swag at the same time. Check out what's available here!
Are you playing PseudoQuest on Facebook? You can invite your friends by clicking on the link at the top of the address book window!
In fact, just playing the game on Facebook helps spread the word every time you show off that you've completed a quest or leveled up. Sweet!
Have some talent that you think could help out the game? Want to get some exposure for your leet skills?
Good news, then! Xaroth will carefully consider any and all submissions that come his way. Anything you can think up, from feature ideas to artwork to questlines or beyond! Already, a large number of the game's items came straight from player submissions!
Obviously, Xaroth can't accept everything, but anything that doesn't make the cut can just as easily be posted to the Fan Stuff forums to share with the rest of the community that way.
If something's exceedingly good or time-consuming to create, I'm happy to compensate via in-game stuff (even exclusive stuff!), real-life swag, a note on the about page, or even cash in some cases.
Please note that all submissions are considered "works for hire", and all rights are transferred to uTime Games at the time of submission, regardless of whether the submission is accepted for use. If you've got questions, just ask - Xaroth is pretty reasonable and flexible.
The official player-run wiki is at http://pqwiki.wikidot.com/. You can contribute to the community by documenting the game, adding hints for tricky quests, mapping the world, sharing strategies, and helping others. New players will appreciate it!
The primary way that PseudoQuest gets better is via your feedback. Keeping a lookout for bugs, UI inconsistencies, play balance issues, or missed opportunities helps ensure that this game is the best it can possibly be.
Just post your findings on the forums so others can chime in, too. Popular issues tend to get bumped up in priority, and the discussions can help refine a good idea into a great one!
Bugs and features might take a while to be implemented (it is just Xaroth, after all), but they'll be addressed eventually.
PseudoQuest's artwork is at once simple and sublime. Ok, maybe that's a little too pretentious for pixel art, but Xaroth sets a fairly high bar for what makes it into the game art-wise. That doesn't mean we don't want to see your skills of an artist, though!
If you'd like to try your hand at making some PQ art assets, here's some tips to help get you started:
PseudoQuest doesn't currently have any music or sound. Part of this is due to time limitations on Xaroth's end, and part of it is that we just haven't found quite the right sound yet.
Any music that makes it into the game should strongly evoke the feel of the old 16-bit RPG era, to match the visual aesthetic. Phantasy Star 4 and the original Ys on the Sega Master System can be good references. Retro Game Challenge on the DS did a phenomenal job of capturing the correct sound (especially Robot Ninja Haggleman 3).
All music must be 100% loopable, and not become grating after listening to the loop for 15 minutes straight, regardless of the intended context.
Compress the sound file down to the smallest listenable size in MP3 format. We can always make a high quality "PQ Soundtrack" available for download later.
In general, the more synthetic the sounds are, the better. The Genesis's Yamaha YM2612 FM chip is the perfect reference sound for the game.
PseudoQuest - as a codebase and as an organization - is ill-prepared to let others muck about in the code directly at this time. That doesn't mean you can't lend a coding hand (or two)!
The easiest way to get involved with PQ coding-wise is to write some user JavaScript to be run either via Opera's User JavaScript or Firefox's Greasemonkey. All the front-end code is (presently, at least) non-obfuscated and reasonably well documented, so it should be easy to jump in and start making things happen with the interface.
Just put together some UI changes or tweaks you'd like to see happen in the game, and share your results! If they're a good fit for the game, I'll be happy to integrate the code in. And even if they're not Xaroth's cup o' tea, you can always share the extension with others that might also enjoy it.
Whether it's organizing a virtual get-together in your in-game house or throwing an all-out bash 'til the sun comes up, why not organize a PQ party? Post details on the forums, and see who shows up!
Set up a PQ party in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Xaroth himself might make an appearance. How cool is that?
Got an idea for a way to help out that I haven't listed yet? Want something in particular to help make your PQ fandom dreams come true? Just give a post over in the Fan Stuff forums and we'll see what we can do!
Oh, and have fun!
--The Management