Building a Team

[Hasi]

For current developers,

• How long was it before you started building a team?
• Did you start alone or with multiple developers?
• What skills did you hold as an individual?
• Did you find it difficult to build a team in the beginning?
• What convinced others to join you in the beginning stages (passion, personal development, income)?
• Any tips for early stage developers (with regards to team building or running a team)?

Thank you~

[Digital]

Gonna mention a few more people to see if we can get some input.

@runeowl @Dinocanid @Hare @Regnant @Vix

[Dinocanid]

I actually work alone for the most part; I just started getting volunteers when I made a post about it a little while ago. I've been working on Foodbabs for 2 years (3 once October finishes out), so how early you build a team depends one your needs and personal abilities.

I would say to always check on those you plan on picking. Look for examples and references of their work. If they were previously hired (which not everyone is), talk to whoever hired them to get an idea of their work ethic.

[Anoua]

I have not really built a team. It's mostly myself, but my husband is also working on taking on more game responsibilities as well (including learning programming). 

For animal acres I have had a mod team but the game came with them. And they were just volunteers so I didn't have much expectations on them. I also had someone do some volunteer work on Eliyo before which was from passion on there part. They just asked if they could help I said, well actually I could use help with this if you are able. Gave them some site credits in return. Was pretty nice really.

And right now I also primarily work with the same artist since we have been working together for both our games, programming to art trade and that's been nice but for most part I just say hey this is what I need can you do it? 

So I haven't really worked to build a team per say. If you are just looking for a team where you all co own, or they are volunteers I can imagine that would be trickier. They would need to have a reason to join your game. And so income definitely speaks, but unless you can afford to pay them full time wages, they couldn't really afford to be dedicated just to you either. Even with income though I think finding someone who is interested in your project is probably the best thing to make someone stick.

As for my skillset I am primarily a programmer (web developer by trade), but also the main game designer. I am not the greatest artist, but I know my way around photoshop pretty well and can do basic things and recolors. 

Good Luck!

[Vix]

On 10/12/2017 at 7:13 AM, Hasi said:

For current developers,

• How long was it before you started building a team?
• Did you start alone or with multiple developers?
• What skills did you hold as an individual?
• Did you find it difficult to build a team in the beginning?
• What convinced others to join you in the beginning stages (passion, personal development, income)?
• Any tips for early stage developers (with regards to team building or running a team)?

Thank you~

In my opinion, building a team is vital when entering development. As a game owners, it is really easy to fall into a habit of thinking only from your perspective, which can lead to features that are under-developed. In my experience, bouncing ideas off of team members has helped flesh out unique features for CE!

 

How long was it before you started building a team?

I am not a developer or an artist, so I built my team up pretty quickly. I would say I started this process right away.

Did you start alone or with multiple developers?

In the early staged of development I only had one developer. I think this helps keep things tidy! I also purchased a framework, so that also pushed development along a bit faster.

What skills do you hold as an individual?

I handle all marketing/advertising, manage multiple teams, handle all concept creation, and create some designs.

Did you find it difficult building a team in the beginning?

Of course! It is really difficult trusting another person fully capable of running off with your hard work. However, it gets easier as time goes on. If you start off only adding on essential people (developers, artists, etc), you will have an easier time keeping your circle small and secretive (if that is your goal).

What convinced others to join you in the beginning stages (passion, personal development, income)?

My paid help likely joined in due to the income, but id like to think I have a few staff members that feel excited about this project! Having a passion for the project was important to me when I was selecting team members.

Any tips for early stage developers (with regards to team building or running a team)?

Oh boy - I do have quite a few suggestions! Here are my golden rules:

• Always pick the applicant who has real interest in your project
• Referrals are gold! No not blindly hire without consulting respected peers.
• Test runs are okay. Be transparent with your communication and let staff know what your process is.
• Have a clear breakdown of what your needs are before posting a hiring! This helps you stay organized and will give you a better idea of how many people you are needing to get the job(s) completed.

At the end of the day, you also need to like your staff members. Whether this is your developer, your designer, or game moderators; you need to like them! Don't hire people solely because they have good reviews or other people have had good experiences. I have ran into this with moderators, and its tough! Now I am much more selective and have a better idea of what my needs are, so this selection process is much easier.