Full-Stack Developer Needed Text RPG Strategy Game

Project Overview
I am looking for an experienced developer to help build a browser based, text driven medieval/fantasy strategy RPG. .

The game focuses on:
- Resource management (3 different types)
- Time based building and research
- Island/territory expansion
- Player vs player combat
- Alliances, messaging, rankings, and world events

This is a long term project/partnership.

Scope of Work
The developer will be responsible for designing and building the core game systems, including:
- Core Gameplay Systems
- User accounts & authentication
- Persistent player state
- Resource production (time-based)
- Building construction & upgrades (with timers)
- Unit training and research systems
- Map system (oceans, grids, islands)
- Fleet movement & combat resolution
- Colonisation mechanics
- World events (e.g. inactive player cleanup / island reset events)

Game Interface
- Clean, readable, text first minimalist UI
- Responsive browser interface (desktop / mobile-friendly)
- Game menus (overview, map, mail, alliances, rankings, settings)
- Event logs & notifications

Technical Requirements
- Backend suitable for long running persistent games
- Efficient handling of timers and scheduled events
- Secure handling of player actions
- Scalable architecture (even if launched small)

Tech Stack (Flexible)
I’m open to suggestions, but experience with any of the following is ideal:
- Backend: Node.js / PHP / Python / Ruby (or similar)
- Database: MySQL / PostgreSQL / MongoDB
- Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (React/Vue optional, not required)
- Experience with cron jobs, queues, or background workers is a big plus

What I’m Looking For
Experience building browser based games or complex web apps
Strong backend logic skills
Comfortable implementing game mechanics from written design docs
Able to think about balance, performance, and security
Good communicator (English)
Self directed and reliable

Deliverables (Phase 1)
Playable MVP with:
- User accounts
- One island per player
- Core resource buildings

Basic unit training
- Simple combat resolution
- Basic map view
- Clean, documented codebase
- Deployed on a test server (or instructions to deploy)

Budget & Timeline
Budget: I'm on a tight budget £500. There will be pay to play elements and happy to come to an arrangement of splitting the income.

Timeline:
Flexible
Quality and long term maintainability matter more than speed

Nice to Have (Not Required)
- Previous MMO, idle, or strategy game experience
- Interest in long term collaboration
- Basic game balancing insight
- DevOps or deployment experience

Please include:

A short introduction about yourself
Relevant past work (especially games or complex systems)
Your suggested tech stack
Estimated cost and timeline.
Any questions or suggestions you have about the project