Embarking on the big one.
Well at least you didn't ask to split 50/50 like most newbie designers. Whether 25/75 is okay with your friend is up to him.
With my card game and my programmer friend, I'm just like "Look, there might not even be a market for phone apps in the 2 years it's going to take me to learn to program and sprite this fucking thing. Just take this completed, tested design and make it and give me 25%"
Does that sound so unreasonable?
Yes, it does sound unreasonable. Your use of the word "just" when talking about what you want him to do is unreasonable. You'll lose a friend with this attitude.
Author
[quote name='mekk_pilot' timestamp='1342345662' post='4959223']
With my card game and my programmer friend, I'm just like "Look, there might not even be a market for phone apps in the 2 years it's going to take me to learn to program and sprite this fucking thing. Just take this completed, tested design and make it and give me 25%"
Does that sound so unreasonable?
Yes, it does sound unreasonable. Your use of the word "just" when talking about what you want him to do is unreasonable. You'll lose a friend with this attitude.
[/quote]
You know nothing of our relationship. We're constantly making reasonable demands of each other.
I do not know your relationship as I said earlier, but I am also not sure you realize how long it would take to program your game and also that it would likely not make any money. Most games don't.
Author
I do not know your relationship as I said earlier, but I am also not sure you realize how long it would take to program your game and also that it would likely not make any money. Most games don't.
How long could it possibly take to code a card game that's less complicated than bridge? As far as making money, American football is pretty popular. And I should mention that all the testing I did on this game, probably over a hundred hours through all the iterations, I didn't have to twist anyone's arm to play it with me. They came to *me* after they got a taste of this dope. It's mad addictive, if you like and understand American football, that is.
...aka "just a small matter of programming": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_matter_of_programming
Author
...aka "just a small matter of programming": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_matter_of_programming
If I thought it was going to be cake, I'd have asked for a bigger cut.
But seriously, what do you have to keep track of*? 36 cards in a random order? Integer values of drawn cards? Position on gamefield? Down, both of possession and quarter (there is a hard limit of 50 downs/half)? Offensive, Defensive modifiers (add/subtract 1 to int, how difficult) Victory/Loss conditions? The score? Options for action on a given down (up to 7)?
I haven't so much as print effed hello world, but If I can write all the rules on two pages, and we're dealing with 36 cards, yes, I think it's probably just A SMALL MATTER OF PROGRAMMING. Elegant, and Arrogant. It's just how I roll.
*I know you can't answer that.
EDIT 2: So educate me then: How many man-hours would it take your typical hobbyist programmer to create a working bridge application, given stock playing card graphics?
mekk_pilot wrote:
1. So I'm just a lowly wanna-be designer/writer, and I'm looking for advice on viable ways to actually get a game made.
2. My first instinct is to write some kind of 200+ page design doc ... to attract programmers and artists.
3. what IS the best way for a person with little technical skill to get into a design position on a game?
4. I'm not saying this is going to be triple A, but I would like it to turn a profit.
5. Okay then, if I'm going to have to do it myself, where should this total noob at art and programming start, if he wants to design a TRPG
6. given that I want to turn an already designed and tested card game into a phone app, where should I start?
7. if design was so easy, why do most games suck?
8. With my card game and my programmer friend, I'm just like "...Just take this completed, tested design and make it and give me 25%"
Does that sound so unreasonable?
9. how can a designer get programmers and artists on board?[/quote]
1. FAQ 1: http://sloperama.com/advice/idea.htm
2. The time to write a full GDD is when you have the ducks in a row, ready to start marching. First you need an elevator pitch, a 2-page concept, and a treatment (a 10-20-page description of the game, including story elements, target audience, target platform, and competitive analysis). You also need a business plan (a description of how the game is going to make money).
3. You want a design position on A game? That's not what you're talking about in this thread - you're talking about getting YOUR game made. Getting "a design position on a game" is an entirely different topic.
4. You need a business plan, then. Great, you have a game idea. It's a great game idea, but what is the business idea? Who's going to take your game and turn it into money?
5. As has already been said, you (noob) can design the game. You don't need industry or technical experience to do that. The hard part is executing it and marketing it.
6. Get into the industry, and/or write a business plan, and/or learn to program.
7. Most games suck, do they? This is a separate topic, but I think you need to back up that insulting statement.
8. Yes, very unreasonable. Your friend would have to work for years on a hope and a prayer (instead of a wage or salary), and you don't have a plan for making money from the game once he's made it.
9. With a business plan, and funding.
How many man-hours would it take your typical hobbyist programmer to create a working bridge application
Three months.
Edit: sorry, I misread the question. I was talking about an experienced professional programmer (working full time), not a "typical hobbyist." Hobbyist would take longer (more man-hours).
Author
8. Yes, very unreasonable. Your friend would have to work for years on a hope and a prayer (instead of a wage or salary), and you don't have a plan for making money from the game once he's made it.
The 75/25 split was in reference to an already completed and adequately tested card game I've designed. By this point, I am, by my own admission, a little OT. But this is why I'm asking how many hours it takes to program a bridge game. If I've got a game, less complicated than bridge, and I've put over a 100 hours into the creation and testing of it, then is a 3:1 pay ratio really unfair? If he puts 100 hours into it, do programmers usually make 3 times what designers make?
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