Solo or Team?

[Seriel 830]

Heyyyyy,

 

So, while in the process of moving on to my actual project, what should I do? A solo or a team project? I've seen lots of successful games made with both methods, but i'm not sure. What are thr Pros and Cons? The risks? The rewards?

 

I'm not the kinda guy who writes huge opening topics so i'll leave it here.

What do you think?

 

~Kirikaz

[lonequeso 1,921]

That's kind of a loaded question. There's a ton of factors that need to be considered, and really at the end of the day, it comes down to how you personally feel about both.

So... 

1. Is it commercial or non-commercial?
2. About how long is the game?
3. Are there certain aspects of development you're looking for help on?
4. How open are you to collaboration?
5. How well do you work with others?
6. If you do decide to work with a team, about how many people are you looking to work with?

[Seriel 830]

 

That's kind of a loaded question. There's a ton of factors that need to be considered, and really at the end of the day, it comes down to how you personally feel about both.

So... 

1. Is it commercial or non-commercial?
2. About how long is the game?
3. Are there certain aspects of development you're looking for help on?
4. How open are you to collaboration?
5. How well do you work with others?
6. If you do decide to work with a team, about how many people are you looking to work with?

 

 

1. Non-Commercial but may turn commercial.

2. A short length game. Maybe 5-10 Hours.

3. Music, Art, and general plot/story stuff. I can do the cody stuff like events.

4. I'm not sure what you mean :/

5. Reasonably well, provided nobody be's awkward to work with.

6. At a guess, around 3-5.

[+ Chaosian 617]

Not really what a "loaded question" means, but I would tend to agree.

Thing is though while team-work and roles works great in the real world for actual game development - I have yet to see it work out once for RPG Maker projects. This is in part because of the kind of people who RPG Maker attracts. Just sit down and think about it for a second. If you're with just one are you willing to sacrifice up to 50% of your vision over to someone else for creative control? Do you think anyone is willing to put in substantial time and effort for no input, creative freedom, or pay? With 4 equal partners, how about 80%? If you don't have equal partners, do you think you have the experience and leadership skill to be a game director and project manager?

[Seriel 830]

Not really what a "loaded question" means, but I would tend to agree.

Thing is though while team-work and roles works great in the real world for actual game development - I have yet to see it work out once for RPG Maker projects. This is in part because of the kind of people who RPG Maker attracts. Just sit down and think about it for a second. If you're with just one are you willing to sacrifice up to 50% of your vision over to someone else for creative control? Do you think anyone is willing to put in substantial time and effort for no input, creative freedom, or pay? With 4 equal partners, how about 80%? If you don't have equal partners, do you think you have the experience and leadership skill to be a game director and project manager?

Right, this reminds me of some stuff.

1. The project will be done over the web, using something like Skype.

2. I will probably act as a team leader and organize the group.

[Rikifive 3,411]

*Oh I feel a wall of text is coming! ~*

 

It really depends on your planned project.

 

First of All

If you're not sure of your project, still thinking about some things etc. then SINGLEPLAYER

If you have everything planned ~ tasks ready and stuff then you can go MULTIPLAYER

 

To Multiplayer or Not To Multiplayer

> Working on a bigger *even commercial* project? - MULTIPLAYER! (but it still depends)

Pros of Multiplayer

- work goes faster and easier

- it's very likely, that you're not talented in everything - so some stuff may be problematic - different people with different talents is great

 '-> higher game quality, because when people are specializing in something, then work will look better, than amateur-done stuff.

 '-> of course, there are exceptions

- working in team keeps you motivated - there's less chance of casting "Abandon Ship" skill, when there are people working with you on it - which means, that they liked your idea and stuff and you know, that it's not (that) bad.

- working in team is funnier - there's problem? laugh at it together and try to fix that

- easier to get feedback - somebody finished their task - made a sprite? - the rest of the team will quickly leave useful feedback and suggestions

- Sharing ideas and discussing them together

 

Cons of Multiplayer

- there is a chance, that somebody will leave your team - this can be problematic sometimes (motivation-lowering / not finished task- progress stuck etc.)

 '-> increased chance of leaving when working on a free project (no payment)

- paying for the work if @paid_job

- if you don't know people, that you're working with - there may be problems, problems and more problems ~ you never know

 '-> if you'll be lucky enough to have a good team, then you'll be fine (best if they'd be your friends)

- haste - can't do something slowly, when anybody else is working quickly - they'll say "Boooooooooo" (a chance of slowing team down)

- if you don't have planned stuff / not a good leader ... bad times.... baaaaad times...

- one additional task when working on game - organization

 

Or Go with Singleplayer?

> Working on a smaller game? (Commercial or not) - SINGLEPLAYER (but it still depends)

Pros of Singleplayer

- You can do whatever you want

- You can work whenever you want

- You can work quickly/slowly - as you want

- You don't have to rely on anybody

- No paying for a work - you're your own boss

- +10 to awesomeness, because you made a game alone

- no stress - work in your rhythm

 

Cons of Singleplayer

- You can lose motivation over time

 '-> increased chance of successful "Abandon Ship" each day (dependable)

- Everything takes ages to make

 '-> lower quality of game if @haste

- You can easily get stuck with something

 

Useless Comment

Well... that's what I can think of at the moment.

[lonequeso 1,921]

By loaded question I meant, there's tons of variables to consider. I was being lazy and didn't want to type it all out 

 

Chaosian laid it out very well in his post. What I meant by collaboration was about the creative control. 

 

Your project is pretty small so it's not something that would take an eternity. A team of even 3 people should be able to develop something like that quickly.

 

If you go commercial with a team, you all have to agree on how the profits should be split. You have to go through all the fun legal stuff with that and create a contract. 

 

Personally, I'd create a small project like that on my own. I'm more of a lone wolf type. 

 

If you already have a solid idea of what you want to do (story, graphic/gameplay style), and don't really need any one to collaborate with, go solo.  If not, recruit some ppl.

[+ Chaosian 617]

Writing more for second person, and not looking to offend, but here's some pretty common advice in the games industry:

"Nobody wants to hear your ideas."

This is probably because everyone has their own ideas. As such, people don't want directors or project managers that are just "the idea guys". People aren't just going to follow their team leader without expecting anything in return, either creative or compensation. So to reiterate what Rikifive says (in far less colors), if you have a vision, or are an auteur, then you're best sticking it alone.

[Seriel 830]

auteur

What's an auteur?

[+ CVincent 234]

I agree with Chaosian on many points. Although my current situation is nearly stable to fund a commercial project by myself, it has been a very sacrificial process as the developer of my project. I have given most of the creative control to my writer, though there are some things I have set clearly to keep the idea and vision I have a reality. When starting a project I tend to let teams be creative as opposed to myself being the person simply controlling everyone. I've found this to be the most rewarding as there are things I would never have considered to be a possibility otherwise.

 

For example:

 

When writing the characters for Left Behind we decided that we'd keep a lot of the core characters true to their original forms (at least in most aspects). Mostly just minor things were changed or detailed, though we had given a lot of thought into making them more unique in their own ways. This ended up requiring me to give up some of the original content we had, but the payoff was simply incredible. All of the characters have much more depth to them than they would have if they were kept the same as they were before.

 

I would personally recommend that you work with teams in both commercial and non-commercial projects, even if they'll end up being short. The experience is very valuable and you may even end up finding out you have skills you didn't realize you had.

 

Just be aware that as a project leader you will need to be very active in keeping everyone informed on the status of things. You will need to share a lot and must be willing to invest in your own projects sometimes, it can be costly if you go that route -- but it would be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Edited September 23, 2015 by CVincent

[Point08 219]

This is not at all meant to be rude, offensive, or an attack, but imho, if you are planning on being a team leader but have to ask other people whether or not you should use a team, and what the advantages and disadvantages are, then you're not ready to lead a team. As the name implies, a team leader must be able to lead, which means as a team leader you need to be able to make decisions. That doesn't mean you force your viewpoint on everyone else, but when the team is unable to agree on something, from how a piece of art should look, to how best to solve a problem, you need to be ready to step in and make the choice (and bear the responsibility for having made the choice you did). If the team has a problem and can't find a solution, you're the one they're going to come to for an answer, so you need to be able to not only make decisions, but well-informed decisions.

 

For such a short project, most of the above seems inapplicable, but that's partly because I don't see 3-5 people needing to create a team for a game 5-10 hours in length. It sounds more like you should make a game yourself, and if you are stuck on one of the areas that aren't your strong point, then ask someone to contribute (either for free as a friend, or for a fee). For example, if you need some character art but suck at it, you don't need a team with an artist, just get someone in the community to make you some character art based on your input. 

 

TL;DR It sounds like you'd be better off solo, with maybe some contributions from other people as needed, as opposed to them actually being full-fledged co-developers.

[EpicFILE 200]

Before seeking a team around internet, seeking a team from your closest friends is also a good thing.

 

They don't have to know about gaming.

As long as they love what they do, that's enough.

If you have a friend who loves to write story, just ask her "Hey, would you like to write a story for my game?".

If she refuse it, that's fine. If she thinks it's cool, that's really good!

 

The good thing about having a team of friends, is you don't have to lead a team. Being a partner is enough.

You don't have to take it seriously. It's just like having fun with your friends, with additional values...

Productivity and experience.

 

Just share the ideas with friends who have talents and passion to do the work. Be confident!

More or less, that's what I've done with my animation project.

It's nothing really professional, but the experience in it is invaluable. 

[Rikifive 3,411]

Before seeking a team around internet, seeking a team from your closest friends is also a good thing.

 

They don't have to know about gaming.

As long as they love what they do, that's enough.

If you have a friend who loves to write story, just ask her "Hey, would you like to write a story for my game?".

If she refuse it, that's fine. If she thinks it's cool, that's really good!

 

The good thing about having a team of friends, is you don't have to lead a team. Being a partner is enough.

You don't have to take it seriously. It's just like having fun with your friends, with additional values...

Productivity and experience.

 

Just share the ideas with friends who have talents and passion to do the work. Be confident!

More or less, that's what I've done with my animation project.

It's nothing really professional, but the experience in it is invaluable. 

Yup, I agree with that. (=

Unless you're doing a ponified game, that nobody cares. =P