Creating a game for my team and how to find artists?

Hey Jedimace!

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It wouldn't make sense to make an indoor FPS game My game should take advantage of my team I don't want to make a game based completely on multiplayer mode if I have a writer. So then, tell me, how does it make sense to come up with a game idea that most people probably won't like, and that my team probably isn't going to be tailored to?

You are in four places at once. If you want to explain the specifications for your game, consider a high level concept that sums up your project in a couple of sentences and break down into details after that. It's much more sensible to brainstorm this way.

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Wouldn't it make more sense to get a team, and create an idea collaboratively considering our team's goals, strengths, and resources?

That's pretty much the heart of the industry!

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The Help Wanted forum seems to be a place to post your game project and get additional help, but I need to post something to help me form a team, and I need to find artists who understand what I mean.

Sounds like the Help Wanted forum to me.

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how can I solve the problem of getting a good project for my team?

I don't know, how do you? (See linked journal topic "Non-Biased code management") It doesn't seem like you have a solid foundation. Don't look for people if you don't have a project.

Hope this helps, and cheers!

While a team of three is indeed small, it's not impossible to put together a good game. I doubt you know it but if you played the original Prince of Persia (the one for the Apple and DOS), that game was built entirely by one person, graphics, programming, everything.

So a handful of good developers can make a good game.

One of the things you need to understand is that with small indie development teams you can't 'specialize' in anything (in terms of development). If you have an artist that is only really good at outdoor scenes, get yourself another artist. It's far better to have an artist that is good at a variety of things versus an artist that is exceptional at only one thing.

Another thing you need to understand is what your limits are in terms of programming force. If you have inexperienced or new programmers you're not going to be developing the next id Tech 5 engine. Period. You're much better off using widely available open-source libraries like Ogre, OIS, ODE, CEGUI, SDL, etc. to get yourselves off the ground.

As a small team, you're also a lot better off developing something on a smaller scale than say, an RTS or a racing game. The physics involved in a modern racing game is beyond the understanding of most beginning indie teams today (unless you've got a really good programmer who's done a lot of vehicle physics simulations) and RTS games are much more difficult to develop than you might at first think.

Another question is, what's your definition of a 'successful game'? There are many definitions to this. If you mean commercially viable, good luck. Try something small... something like a mobile app for the iTunes store or similar. You're much more likely to succeed that way. If you mean a popular free game, that's much more broad and much more attainable.

The game I'm currently working on (you can find it in my sig link) is not a commercial game. It's a free, open-source game. I would consider it a success if I am able to incorporate all of the features and concepts that we've put together. I don't care if it's popular or not. If I can finish it and finish it with my ultimate goals, it was a success.

You've got some of the right ideas -- build a game that all of your developers are comfortable working on. That's the first ticket to success. The other is setting realistic goals. A team of three, five or ten isn't going to be able to rival World of Warcraft, Quake 4, Halflife 2 and so on. Intellectual Honesty is important here so you don't end up as another start-up failure like Ion Storm or Stargate Worlds. Be weary of 'feature creep', have a concrete idea before you make the plunge and don't succumb to 'Not Invented Here' syndrome (i.e., don't reinvent the wheel just because).

Leeor makes a fantastic post, but it is in contrast to industry development teams which tend to desire specialized folks. Just remember that if you decide to get more serious. It would also help to make a development model and other standards to ensure your team remains sane. Try grabbing Mindmapper or the Free alternative MindMeister to lay out your ideas loosely and then strictly organize your tasks.

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don't succumb to 'Not Invented Here' syndrome (i.e., don't reinvent the wheel just because

Try to remember this, too. I used to have NIH. Outside code was intimidating for me due to the fact licensing seemed cryptic. This was until I sat down and read the GPL. To my relief it was very reasonable. I still allow myself to write code that is available elsewhere as long as it's manageable, but if I need a library I grab something under the GPL. The stuff is indeed released to make our lives easier and there is no sense starting a project you have no interest in doing if better alternatives exist.

I might not have made myself clear, so let me re-explain what I mean. I don't have a project idea I want to make a team on because in all likelyhood no one will like the idea or see my vision. I want to get a team, then a project if it would work.

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One of the things you need to understand is that with small indie development teams you can't 'specialize' in anything (in terms of development). If you have an artist that is only really good at outdoor scenes, get yourself another artist. It's far better to have an artist that is good at a variety of things versus an artist that is exceptional at only one thing.

I'm not saying they specialize, but just that they have strengths.

I'm actually a pretty good programmer, I'm just a beginner as a team lead. We're planning on using UDK and therefore find it easiest to make a FPS. Our goal is to create a commercially viable game, and I'm attempting to market the game myself.

Thanks for the responses, it started me thinking on the right track. I'm going to attempt to be the artist on my team and see how it goes.

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I don't have a project idea I want to make a team on because in all likelyhood no one will like the idea or see my vision. I want to get a team, then a project if it would work.

This is how I, and a good deal of others see that statement in our heads.
"I don't know how I can be an asset because in all likelihood no no one will like my input or share my vision. I want to get accommodations, and then maybe I'll start working."

No offense, but what kind of attitude is that? A lack of confidence certainly isn't attractive. Someone actually criticized me not too long ago in a similar fashion when I was complaining that I lived in a bad state for the game industry. You have to reach out. People don't start working in the game industry until someone feels comfortable something will come of the project. I'm sure you are smart enough to come up with a high level concept. Start simple, like "Macho man armed to the teeth fights mutants on their homeworld." What's the point of propping your feet up and saying "I'll wait until I get more people". You'll get people if you have a project they are interested in!

It would be nice if I was sitting at work and some guys came in and started tossing around ideas, but the problem with that picture is that they had no reason to come in. Maybe you can check the Help Wanted forum to see if someone may need you, instead of you asking for a team. They probably already have something lined up.

[Edited by - zyrolasting on December 11, 2009 9:17:41 PM]

So, should I make as many ideas as possible and see which one people like, or just choose one I like and make it? The problem is that I've tried many game ideas and I still haven't got an artist. Maybe there just aren't artists on Gamedev.net often?

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Original post by Jedimace1 So, should I make as many ideas as possible and see which one people like, or just choose one I like and make it?

Both. If you have an idea, write it down. It's always good to have some kind of library to draw from. Whenever you want to make a game, go through your list and pick the most interesting one (that's doable for your team), perhaps combining it with other ideas.

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The problem is that I've tried many game ideas and I still haven't got an artist. Maybe there just aren't artists on Gamedev.net often?

Can you afford a freelance artist? Not everyone is willing to work on someone elses ideas in their spare time without being paid. It's not like artists are happily jumping around waiting for a project - they have their own things to work on, just like you.

You'll certainly have to keep your team in mind. If it's only programmers, then doing something art-intensive and just hoping for an artist to come along is not a smart thing to do. Consider going for generated content (as rogue-likes do) or a more abstract art style instead (think Tron 2.0 or Geometry Wars).