Find a team for your next project on ludust

[nickofnight]

Hi everyone! My name is Nick and I recently launched a website called Ludust (http://www.ludust.com) for game developers to easily find a team to work with (artists, composers, script writers etc).

The site has been going for just over a week now and we have had a lot of talented people sign up looking for a game development project to join. I would love a few more projects on the site so if you want to find people to work with on your current or next project please come and check us out! Or if you are looking for a project to join, we have those too.

The site is free and once you are in a project you get access to a bunch of team tools such as team forum,wiki,uploads,public blog etc.

Any feedback is incredibly welcome!

[Morhighan]

Hey, this is pretty cool! I enjoy your use of Latin.
I'm going to join and if I have any thoughts, I'll let you know.

[nickofnight]

Thanks for joining - and wow, you are the first person I have come across who got the name <3

[trooper6]

Really? I'd think anyone who has been keeping up with the field of ludology would have gotten the name.

[nickofnight]

Ah, well game makers are only part of the website. The artists, script writers and the rest probably don't keep up with ludology as much as I would like them too

[Laiska]

Oh, this looks pretty slick, nice work! Both the manage and release buttons on the main page currently link to the registration page - are they supposed to? (3/4 buttons do but the project button doesn't.)

Also regarding releases, I assume that's an upcoming feature. How are you going to handle releases? Simple hosting of finished projects? What about commercial projects? Or if not on-site, are you going to have ways of integrating with/linking to other distribution platforms like itch.io? Or if not direct integration then tutorials and places to link from the Ludust release announcement page?

[nickofnight]

Thanks so much for your feedback! Those buttons were originally just icons with text under them but as everyone was trying to click on them I made them into links They all need to be linked to their own "explanation" page instead of the registration page I think.

You have really got me thinking about releases! This is about day 11 for the site and I have not given that much thought at all.

My first thought is to integrate an ecommerce platform where people can release their games for free, or sell them with PayPal. Maybe more payment options in the future but I love the simplicity of PayPal They would have to have been at least partly created on the site. Plus the site will need a featured games section.

Articles about where else they can go to release their game and how to get it publicity (the most important thing right?) is a great idea and certainly something I will get on to. That is an area I have some experience with.

[trooper6]

According to this thread, Paypal does not take care of the new EU VAT stuff..so they may not be the best payment option to tie to your website.
http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... =4&t=31336

[Laiska]

I think most packaged e-commerce platforms these days come with support for multiple payment methods, but I'm not sure how polished most of them are. You might end up shelling out a lot for a better one. (Thinking of, got a tip jar anywhere? )

I don't know what the general consensus is, but a lot of people seem to like the option for a pay-what-you-want, so it'd probably be best to use a payment platform that supports that, when you get around to it.

Also the site is powered by WP? That's pretty cool. I just visited the site on mobile while I was activating my account, and it works pretty well!

[nickofnight]

Trooper6 - Thanks, I had no idea about those new regulations - I guess I better tread carefully.

I was hoping with paypal I could allow the studio/group to set their own price and then sell it and it would legally be their issue with tax based on where they are located. That tax rate of where the customer is sounds like a pain.

Laiska - I am glad you noticed - I am a big Wordpress fan. I went with wordpress as I thought I could get a quick prototype of this site done in it and see if the site garnered any interest. I am pretty happy with how it is all going though so it looks like the wordpress prototype might stay It does need some more optimisation for mobiles but for the most part it works.

I don't really want to spend too much on a big eCommerce solution as I didn't plan on making money off the sales. I love the idea of pay what you want!

[Aviala]

I suggest you don't start a webstore or whatever. It's a lot of work and are already services that focus on hosting and selling indie games, like itch.io. It'd probably be better to focus on bringing teams together and maybe direct to or work with the already existing services.

[nickofnight]

That is certainly something I will consider. Perhaps I will go the route of promoting free games on the site and advice/connections for people looking to sell.

You guys are very helpful, so maybe you could help with another thing. I have recently had loads of professional script writers and composers join the site, but these are not people who tend to start projects so I need more projects for them to be able to join. Do you know of anywhere I could go to promote the site (a forum?) to people who start projects/manage projects. Are forums like this my best bet?

[plainviewer]

Do you know of anywhere I could go to promote the site (a forum?) to people who start projects/manage projects. Are forums like this my best bet?

This is something I have personal experience in (launching a new community and advertising its launch).

Often times I see people that have great ideas, but don't get noticed because they don't know how to advertise themselves. It's not difficult, mind you, but not as simple as posting a message and then people simply join up.

Best example I've seen are the projects on kickstarter.com. You'll notice that projects either reach their goal, or don't come close. Few are actually in-between. The more work you put into selling yourself, the more people want to support you. It's why companies hire people for this specific task.

Forums like these are a good start to gain a bit of a following. Once you have some projects to showcase, you should consider branching out to other forms of social media, not just Facebook.

I really hope your website becomes successful. If you want any more info on advertising it, feel free to message me, and I'll be glad to help.

[nickofnight]

I have seen way too many of those kickstarter projects...

I will give you a PM as I could do with definitely do with some advertising advice!

Thanks.

[wendybirdx]

dude that looks amazing?? seriously and there's lots of people there already wow
thanks so much for sharing!