im a programmer. i have a project. the client will give $417. so how much percent will i give my artist? the game requires a multiplayer(4 players). it is a 2d sidescroller game. how much will i pay for my 1 artist?

Thats really something you and the artist need to work out. Depending on how much art you need. Do each of the 4 players need a seperate sprite? How many background images are there?

The only one who can answer how much you will pay is the artist.

the game has 2 stages,2 backgrounds,2 boss,10 enemies,thats all.

With the budget for the project being so low, I don't think either yourself or the artist is in it for the money. $417 really doesn't cover the cost of labour for this project by any stretch.

So, you have many choices you can make, but here is two that may help you out.

1. Log the number of hours you both put into the project. Divide the $417 by the amount of time you both put into it. If you do 75%, you can take 75% of the money.

or

2. Split the money down the middle knowing that neither of you will be getting paid what you are worth.

I'd use this project more as a playground to see if you can work with your artist on other projects. Then, start making your own games with the artist and try to make money off them that way. Typically what people pay for Flash games is hardly worth the amount of work you put into it.

However, if you write your own games and license them out (while still offering them on your own site), you stand to make more money than what this project will pay.

John