Finding a programmer
Author
How hard is it to find a programmer willing to work on a game you've designed
For instance, i'm really into browser based MMORPG's.
Like:
www.zelderex.com
www.ogame.org
www.travian.com
But i have lots of my own themes, i've done everything like work out all the costs all the buildings and units and everything else apart from programming.
I can't progame and don't suppose i'll bother to learn (well i might learn some)
But if i could show someone (a programmer) a detailed plan of a game do you think they'd be intrested in developing it. Will people only do it for a decent amount of $$$ (or £££ to me). I personnaly don't care about getting money out of a game, but if it was a pay for extras game, you'd probably end up with a bit left after server costs
Basically i'm asking the programmers out there what it takes for them to want to work on a job,
i.e if they like the look of the game they'd go for it.
thanks
From what I've seen, most hobbyist game programmers are also hobbyist game designers. As such, they will probably be more motivated to implement their own ideas than somebody elses.
That's not to say it's impossible to do what you're wanting, but I wouldn't bet on it.
That's not to say it's impossible to do what you're wanting, but I wouldn't bet on it.
For programmers to work on someone elses game, the other person either needs money, or skills that the programmer doesn't have, eg, 2D or 3D artistic ability.
Otherwise, we'll just work on our own game designs which we, to a programmer, will have a lot of faith in.
Otherwise, we'll just work on our own game designs which we, to a programmer, will have a lot of faith in.
http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/default.asp
You can have professional programmers bid on your game here. Or parts of a game...
It might give you an idea how much something like this might cost. But if you aren't willing to spend a serious amount of money or the programmers don't think you are serious then you won't get any bids.
Programming is work...a lot of work. YOu have to pay for it.
You can have professional programmers bid on your game here. Or parts of a game...
It might give you an idea how much something like this might cost. But if you aren't willing to spend a serious amount of money or the programmers don't think you are serious then you won't get any bids.
Programming is work...a lot of work. YOu have to pay for it.
Quote:Original post by Stormforce
How hard is it to find a programmer willing to work on a game you've designed
....
Considering I have a reasnobly close to finished BBG in need of graphics and I can't find a (decent) artist to do about 60 or so (small) images to save my life, I'd say the odds are good you won't find a decent programmer to make your game for you without paying them what their time is worth (or close to it). Nevertheless, that doesn't mean you can't try.
Author
well its all in writing at the moment so soon i'll type it up and put it out there, and see what happens
As said above, you need to give something in return.
Why should a programmer work on your game instead of his own?
Answer: Because you're adding something to the deal he wouldn't otherwise get.
Basically, you can either offer to pay him for his time, or you can add one of your skills, that he doesn't have, to the mix. And coming up with game ideas isn't such a skill. Nor is fleshing it out or writing it down. What else can you do? Graphics? Sound? Pitching it to a publisher? Free dinners while working on it? [grin]
You need to keep in mind that every programmer has a bunch of ideas of his own, game designs that are more or less detailed, but which he'd love to work on.
Why should a programmer work on your game instead of his own?
Answer: Because you're adding something to the deal he wouldn't otherwise get.
Basically, you can either offer to pay him for his time, or you can add one of your skills, that he doesn't have, to the mix. And coming up with game ideas isn't such a skill. Nor is fleshing it out or writing it down. What else can you do? Graphics? Sound? Pitching it to a publisher? Free dinners while working on it? [grin]
You need to keep in mind that every programmer has a bunch of ideas of his own, game designs that are more or less detailed, but which he'd love to work on.
Quote:Original post by StormforceVery hard.
How hard is it to find a programmer willing to work on a game you've designed?
Professional programmers generally want a fair bit of money to work on anything, and as already mentioned the majority of hobbiest developers are normally more interested in working in thier own ideas.
If you have a detailed design that looks interesting you might have a chance of finding someone; better again if you're also able to offer at least some amount of financial compensation. If you can offer some skill of your own to the project - design doesn't count, I'm talking asset (graphics, audio, whatever) creation, etc. - you'll increase your chances even further.
What this means is that unless you're offering a reasonable amount of money you'll need to be fairly free is presenting information about your idea in order to attract others, and you'll have to do the best possible job of presenting it. Any additional skills you're offering to the project yourself should also be mentioned.
Alternatively, if you do have a more significant amount of money you may be able to find someone through that alone; you could try getting bids through a site like RentACoder or could make a Help Wanted post stating how much you're offering and see if anyone takes it up.
So, as a breakdown:
- Always present yourself and the idea to the best of your abilities. This means spell/grammar-checking any documents or posts on the topic, putting in the effort to format things nicely, making any links in forum posts clickable, etc.
- Don't be overly secretive with your idea; you need to get it out there if you want to catch anyone's attention, and chances are extremely good that someone else out there has also had even your craziest ideas.
- Any financial compensation you can offer will help out, but still doesn't neccesarily guarantee finding someone.
- If you're offering some additional skills to the project yourself it will significantly increase your chances.
- Mockups or a functional prototype will often make a big difference in attracting people to a project; if you're able to create either (or both), it's probably worth the effort.
Hope that helps. [smile]
Author
thanks for the reply's
Another question?
Do developers generally only work for upfront money or do they mind doing deals like: once the game is up all profits made take away the server costs all profits go to them
Another question?
Do developers generally only work for upfront money or do they mind doing deals like: once the game is up all profits made take away the server costs all profits go to them
This topic is closed to new replies.
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