Estimate Work

Like my other RTS project that is fully on hold at the moment, I finally made a full roadmap of my new project. The current scope of the roadmap is up until prototype. I started to slack a bit (since I'm building this at home and not full-time), I noticed I wasn't as productive again as when I've planned projects in the past. Playing games with friends or whatever you do to kill time, is fine as long as you are sticking with your schedule. I finally laid out my schedule as a cost and hour estimate. If you don't plan, your project is probably already failing because every day you are winging it. Amateur mistake. Know your numbers. Also, estimate more task hours than you think just to be safe. Finishing early is better than falling behind. Right now I'm at about 350 hours of work to get my prototype done.

Team Management

I started working on game ideas when I was 16 (15 years ago). When you meet people online (modders, other interested young people), everyone has their own idea of the game you are collaborating on. What happens wrong with this is you empower everyone to feel like they are a creative director. Not everyone should comment on other peoples art (especially if they are programmers). Let the art people do it. Let the design people design. Concept people concept. You end up with a team forum of postings that are too indecisive or not fitting to their personal vision. This guy likes that, this guy doesn't like that. Everyone chimes in on all aspects of the game and it does. not. work. Also, not how a game company works for the same reason.

With my current project, I actually pay artists. I had brought on a few people that liked my initial game idea into an online forum. People that might contribute more than just some 3D art. Today those few people are gone. I'm not 100% sure why, but I feel it comes down to being more attached to the project, than just enjoying doing 3D art. Because when you are brought onto a team in such a manner, you have been promoted from 3D artist to creative director. My other external artists however are still around, and happy to be doing what they want to do 2D/3D art. Completely different dynamic. It also shortens the amount of things I have to type and hours wasted in managing the team. I just receive work via email, suggest changes, email back. It isn't a whole discussion on what we are looking at, how it could be better. If someone thinks the gun design has a piece on it that looks too big.....this leads to a lot of my time being wasted writing on forums. If you want to update people on project status, do so 1 on 1.

Anyway, here's a few of the new art assets.