Yeah, I''m that way right now, except for a few graphics friends I know that help. They are not what I would call professionals, but they do have an ability, and an interest... kinda like me right now.

I will end up doing most of the programming stuff on my own, but being by myself, at what point would I consider myself good enough to write games for a living? Since I live in TN, it''s not like the game companies are here. AND, since I don''t want to move, I guess if I ever wanted to do more than just be a hobbyist (which isn''t a bad thing), then I''d have to write games and sell them over the internet. I do enjoy game programming alot, but with work, wife, kids, dogs, Church, etc, I''m lucky to get 2 hours a night or every other night writing games. Makes it hard to progress as quickly as I''d like. We programmers can be impatient when trying to accomplish something.

I hear producers are worse for the big time games. I''ve seen a few online games released no where near ready full of bugs. Oh well, such is the nature of the professional business I guess.

Much greatness is achieved thru perseverance and faith.

At the place I work right now we have a couple of projects going on. One of them, that''s further along, started with about 20 people and is now up to 30~40 or so. The other project is at about 15~25 people...but I''m not sure if that''ll grow or not.

One thing to realize is that the larger a project gets it not only requires more actual work, but more coordination as well. If you''re the lone coder and you go to work on something new in the game, you almost undoubtably know how that hooks in with the rest of the game. If you''re on a larger team then part of the work is coordinating your work with the rest of the team. Are you going to do something that breaks something else? Are you going to re-invent the wheel? Are you going to introduce a gameplay mechanic that works well with the rest of the game? Etc? It can be a daunting task to say the least...

Same thing on the art and design side. The team as a whole needs to make sure that all the levels and characters look and feel the same, and that the quality and style is consistant throughout. Or for design, you need to make sure that the levels and interaction in one area "fit" with the other areas....and all that kind of jazz.

Another thing to realize about big teams is that the producers, testers, QE, publisher producers, etc all play into it. There are milestones that you must turn in, and approvals for art, design, and code that must be met. Bug testing and tracking is often done both locally and at the publisher. All of this must be coordinated. Oh, and don''t forget getting demos ready for magazines, going to trade shows like E3, etc. All of this takes extra time and effort, but is what makes it possible for your game to get into market, become known, etc.

All things being equal, I''m of the opinion that a smaller team that has more time can make a better game then having more people that work within a shorter time. However, that does not usually turn out to be the case. Almost all publishers want your game to be ready to go within 1~2 years, and usually for multiple platforms. This kind of time frame, coupled with the ever-increasing expectations of what a game will play and look like are why the team size has grown quite large over the last few years.

I still think a lone guy, or small group of people can make a good game. It just requires very good planning, time, and patience =)

-John

The development team that me and some of my friends created includes 2 programmers, 2 3D modelers, 1 pixel artist, 2 story writers, 1 special effects artist, and 1 level designer. That''s 9 people on our development team.

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I think it''s hard as a new game developer to keep a team of friends interested. I had 6 people at one time trying to make a simple RPG, but because we aimed too high, I lost almost everyone, except 2. Keeping a team motivated and busy is something that can be as difficult as making the game itself. I made some quick progress up front, but then everyone got discouraged when things slowed down.

It''s probably easier when it''s your job and you want to pay the bills. I DID trim my sites back and I''m making some 2D games right now until my skills develop to where I want them to be, but until then, a team goes through ups and downs that I think a single developer can manage better. I do the bulk of the work right now, so when I hit times when I just don''t feel up to programming, it''s easier to take a break without worrying about the team impact of my laziness.

There ARE good and bad sides to having a team, but I think the key is to treat the hobby like a real job. Even the fun stuff can feel like work sometimes.

Much greatness is achieved thru perseverance and faith.