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holy_fire Member Posts: 40 From: Hamilton, Scotland Registered: 08-20-2001 |
Hi People may (or may not) remember me I was working on a project called "Child of the Commander" a while back. I've been working on my project for some time now but I'm having major problems keeping a team solid for a length of time. I build a good team up who make significent progress then all of a sudden leave the project no word or anything. I see the re-occuring problem may be due to distance as we all use the internet to communicate. This means I build up a project so far and all of a sudden it collapses and I have to start from scratch. The only good thing to come from this is a good foundation. Is their a way around this problem ? Should I continue to use people on the net or look for "real" people to gather in one place. And if so HOW can i find these local unpaid voulenteers ? |
lostreflections Member Posts: 131 From: Registered: 05-29-2002 |
I sympathize, but have no suggestions. I can't even find somebody willing to do some models for me. I am not sure what kind of help you need, but I would not mind being involved in a project if it is something that interests me and is something I can do. I keep pretty busy even though I am retired, but do have some spare time I could devote to a team project. ------------------ Brice Lost Reflections -- When your life comes crumbling down around you, can you count on the one person who has never been there for you? Lost Reflections is a heart warming story of personal redemption and second chances. |
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holy_fire Member Posts: 40 From: Hamilton, Scotland Registered: 08-20-2001 |
basically a whole team is what I'm looking for. It's crazy I set up a team and all at once, like they planned it they all leave. I'm going to plan a small scale advertiing campaign through the Christian community. Usually I open the team to the secular circles as well but I'm finding them unreliable. I would love to have a whole christian team on board but I'm not wanting to sacrifice quility as well. Perhaps I need to be more patiant I mean waiting 2 years isnt that long .... *sob* |
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lostreflections Member Posts: 131 From: Registered: 05-29-2002 |
email me at bricemanuel@stories.com and let me know more about the game and such, and if possible send me a synopsis of the design doc. If it is an FPS, I can easily handle the programming and level design, but I cannot do any modeling. |
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jmkc80 Member Posts: 11 From: Knoxville, TN, USA Registered: 05-02-2002 |
I have also found this to be a problem. I circumvented it by just learning how to do everything myself, so if there was no one to help me I could still get the job done. Of course, by doing this you have to modify your game design a bit: the game has to be a lot smaller, since you're the only person working on it, and the technology has to be something that you can handle. However, writing and completing a smaller game beats working on and not finishing a larger game all to pieces! --Jon Cooper |
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RAN-SUN-SAN Member Posts: 27 From: Finland Registered: 10-09-2002 |
I understand your pain! The actual thing why Iīm here today is that I had a project going, and suddenly the programmer dissapeared! Now Iīm trying to get him back! Anyway! There can be many problems, and here comes some of them! - Everyone (that doesnīt live home with their parents) needs money to survive! If one works a lot there is not always strength to sit up in the night and work for a game project that could give you 0$ (or even -2000$ for publishing) for 2 years work!!! - Thereīs seldom any (investor) money to have as a driving force! Therefore many starts as entusiasts, and find out after 2 months that it was really a lot of work, and the end isnīt even near yet! Just for interest, can you describe you game shortly, and tell me what engines or code are you using! |
GUMP Member Posts: 1335 From: Melbourne, FL USA Registered: 11-09-2002 |
Well, most people don't seem to understand that the pre-production phase of any game development team may be a long one; especially if everybody is inexperienced in this particular field. Many people will just give up when they don't see any INSTANT returns. According to statistics the average startup team for an independant developer is 5 people with a producer, 2 programmers, and 2 artists. This period can last anywhere from a couple months to over a year until the design doc is complete, the production demo done, and the publisher found and the deal done. |
Angel Member Posts: 699 From: The Blissful State Of Me? Registered: 05-21-2001 |
Personaly I think doing all that can even be a waist of time. If I ever work on a game again it will probably be with an already established game design group. I would send in my best work as a demo to them and see if they would need my sort of tallent. The only other way if you ask me would be open sorce. I would make it christian/ the code would be open for anyone so that programers would be plenty and able to help out/ set up a free lace artist type thing, so that amitures could do the work and get there name into the game credits for what they did do. I think if you did it that way you would find more people open to help. You just need to make sure you stay ontop of it. I see small games out all the time. They have tacky art/ poor gramer in their stories (if any story exists at all)/ limmited game play.... but the game is actuly done and people begin to see that the work wasnt all that bad. It just takes time. Then maybe you could find a small percent out of all the people that helped that may want to try and do it right the next time around. Ive been through about 30-40 people with trying to put a permenent team together. I ended up with three seprt story lines/ two of them were pages apon pages long and one was even fully compleat/ no other work really done/ wanna bees left and right/ and one very good friend who does excelnt work when he takes the time to. That friend is still a great friend to me so all the hastles wernt intirly in vain. Anyways im sure you understand all my blah... im off for some Java as Veri would say. ~Angel~ |
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GUMP Member Posts: 1335 From: Melbourne, FL USA Registered: 11-09-2002 |
If you have any hopes of working within the game industry with STABILITY then I'd say to stick with the established business model... unless you're a millionaire and can fund the whole project from your own pocket. |
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Angel Member Posts: 699 From: The Blissful State Of Me? Registered: 05-21-2001 |
Dare to dream eh ^_^ If my book makes me a millionar that is one of the things im considering. I wouldnt label the company a christian one though. I would rather just make good games with strong hidden agendas. Making a game based on the Bible makes for to many riligus problems. Christians rearly support games other then secular ones. Its kinda funny that they do the same thing with music. Sad but true. |
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holy_fire Member Posts: 40 From: Hamilton, Scotland Registered: 08-20-2001 |
Firstly let me apoligize for not replying for so long. I have had a back log of work to clear as well as other stuff. For anyone who's interested I'm working on the old design doc (yes including that spelling) And also some new concept art. I think we Should all remember why we do this before we move on. I got really frustrated the 2nd time I lost a team and all the work it produced. But since then I have reilized something important I was so desperate to get this game out there i neglected one thing...God. |
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RAN-SUN-SAN Member Posts: 27 From: Finland Registered: 10-09-2002 |
Money is ofcourse one thing that would help groups to stay together. Another thing is to get to know the guys before you start. I have the worlds most enthusiastic friend, who wants to join ALL the projects in the world. But the when itīīs monday and reality meets him, he finds out that he actually donīt have the time. Projects that last for a long time, like game development, are quite hard to master. It requires a lot of job, understanding of team work, to have goals.... JUST AN IDEA! Example: graphics designers (without a company) for a team, lear each other how to master graphics, and 3D programs. Theese graphics are then given to the companies developing games. 3D modellers do the same, share knowledge, share models & bones..teach newbies. Sound engineers, coders.... Then companies (who already are teams), could group themselves into bigger teams where one BIG TEAM works with the Conitec A5, another with BLITZ... Persons and companies could "group" themselves to make distribution channels, advertising...... you name it. EVERYONE IS NEEDED, AND A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST and in this case christian game development! just a little vision! |
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RAN-SUN-SAN Member Posts: 27 From: Finland Registered: 10-09-2002 |
Sorry for my bad english! The people who have participated in some way to a game would get their name on the game, and a little share of the games income, in case itīs a success! |
Mack Administrator Posts: 2779 From: Registered: 01-20-2001 |
Quick msg (sry!): Holy Fire keep on going for your dream and don't give up! I agree with what you said in your last post, I went through alot of personal grief because I was pushing so hard to get the ultimate game out on 'my' time, it just didn't work out and eventually I did fall back on God and go with His flow, and things have been going great.  ------------------ |
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GUMP Member Posts: 1335 From: Melbourne, FL USA Registered: 11-09-2002 |
quote: So, all Christian developers link up together, covered with NDAs and other legal crud of course, and share code, art, whatever? Maybe make a website dedicated to this where if a team is having a problem, like the main graphics programmer not being able to grasp displacement mapping or something, they can make a post and another team who may able to fix the problem quickly could help them temporarily. Christian Game Developers Alliance sound like a good name to you guys? |
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nfektious Member Posts: 408 From: Registered: 10-25-2002 |
Not to cause division or anything of the sort, but you should be aware of this group also: CGDC - Christian Game Developers Conference. More info can be found at http://cgdc.graceworksinteractive.com God bless all of you involved in helping make the Christian Game community! Matt |
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Mack Administrator Posts: 2779 From: Registered: 01-20-2001 |
A unified group of people dedicated on making Christian games is already taking place. It's called the "Collective Works" group, and they are currently working on the project "INFINITUM" (an RPG). The sharing of resources between different Christian game companies is a complex undertaking. I think a better idea would be to have a "Free Game Works" collection, where people submit whatever work (music, graphics, models, etc.) for people to use royalty free on thier projects. Any comments? ------------------ |
InsanePoet Member Posts: 638 From: Vermont, USA Registered: 03-12-2003 |
Yep, I know all about Infinitum. Yeah, ppl do become inpatient. When the group started, they didn't see anything so they just gave up I guess. I thank the few ppl that actually stuck w/ it, that might have kept Infinitum alive ------------------ |
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RAN-SUN-SAN Member Posts: 27 From: Finland Registered: 10-09-2002 |
Oh! I posted a new topic about this same stuff (ideas). BODY of GAMERS! As someone said it might also be complex, and my idea is not just to have everyone work for free. There MUST be a system of sharing the incomes! And if someone is willing to work totally for free THATīS GREAT! EXISTING "body parts" donīt have to be broken up, but could continue as before. But with the difference that people would help them, and they would help other people (or companies).
Now if we have 5 companies, where one has the best artist, another has the best programmer, the third the best sound engineer, the fourth has the best contacts to distribute... Thatīs what I hope! Not that MY company succeeds over the other, but that the companies in the BODY of christ would succeed! |
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InsanePoet Member Posts: 638 From: Vermont, USA Registered: 03-12-2003 |
I think I get what you are saying, RAN-SUN-SAN, You are saying that all the Christian companies should help each other out, in which I fully agree with you. ------------------ |