Creating a Team: How?

A place to discuss things that aren't specific to any one creator or game.
Forum rules
Ren'Py specific questions should be posted in the Ren'Py Questions and Annoucements forum, not here.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Neeka
Veteran
Posts: 359
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:06 pm
Completed: Hearts & Hexes; Winter Flower
Projects: Hearts and Hexes; Our Mountain; The Last Clan: Tale of Oni
Organization: Ostrich Burger Productions
IRC Nick: Neeka
itch: neeka-of-obp
Contact:

Creating a Team: How?

#1 Post by Neeka »

Hello everyone! I am a writer who has no talent in drawing/painting, etc. While I don't have a specific art style in mind at the moment, I believe teaming up with someone may be cheaper than commissioning only.

What are your thoughts/tips on this? It wouldn't have to be indefinite, even just teaming up for a game/series.

Truthfully I would only have a part-time job so I may not be able to offer full commission price, but a % of sales would go to them as additional compensation. So money isn't really the issue here, it's more or less finding someone you can create a team with to bring stories to life.
Not just in terms of a visual novel, as I want to make an online comic/graphic novel one day.

If there's any teams out there, how did you become one? Any advice?

mikolajspy
Regular
Posts: 169
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 12:05 pm
Completed: Too many, check signature
Deviantart: mikolajspy
Location: Wrocław, Poland
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#2 Post by mikolajspy »

TL;DR - go for commissioning only.

Being Business Management student myself, I would not reccomend going for % royalties from sales, it's harder for accounting, and there's also question how much and how long will you be paying? There's always someone who will disagree with proposed %.
For example - would you split it evenly? I don't think so, then how? Who did more valuable work? See where's problem?

If you go for commissions, you can even pay less in long run - you pay only once. If your game would be successfull, you'd be cursing yourself that you agreeded on royalties split.

Another thing I learned while working in few independent teams (not only visual novels) is that it's hard to have people motivated trough production process (which usually takes year or more) if they're not being paid and game looks far from finished.
With commissions it's simple - you pay and you receive.

There's also qestion of quality - you usually get it better by paying someone experienced.

It would be different with free project, where money are pretty much non-existent, but then again - motivation and quality.

For my upcoming project I commissioned some art, bought licensed music. Just check Recruitment&Services subforums.
Advice: pay only AFTER receiving work, no paying in advance.

andalusian
Regular
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#3 Post by andalusian »

i am a reader only!

but i have understood, that the single greatest way to get a team that can stay together, is to gather people motivated by extremely specific shared interests. money is no match for that.

this is why fan projects based on a copyrighted commercial product are so common, despite their limits and occasional copyright infringement: all the participants in it share extremely specific interests.

if i had to advertise for the formation of a group, i would name my very specific interests (that might be relevant to the project) and review the very specific interests of every other participant, and see that they match.

User avatar
Didules
Veteran
Posts: 417
Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 6:34 am
Completed: Sophie, Midnight's Café, The Phantom of the Hospital
Projects: SchizoValentine
Organization: Hidden Masquerade
Tumblr: hidden-masquerade
Location: Somewhere on the map
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#4 Post by Didules »

Hello!

The 2 previous comments are really right.
However you also have to know that even with people who share an extremely specific interest can lose motivation when working on a long term project, and it often leads to the team slowly disbanding.

You also have to know that if you bring in all the ideas, the other one may be less interested, because every creator has their own dream project that motivates them more than the dream project of a teamate.

Just so you know : I created a team with 2 close friends over shared specific interest and we disbanded 3 years and 2 games after. If you want a long-lasting collaboration, commission.

In the end, commissioning is actually the safest way to get a good quality content on a regular basis with no pbs of demotivated/unmotivated teammate.

This isn't a bad conclusion or a depressive one, it's actually more realistic than throwing oneself in a team and blinding oneself by thinking it's going to last long enough to finish the project. Because as teammates are *someone else*, your views will eventually end up diverging at some point, whether by lack of communication or loosing interest, etc.

Have a good day!

User avatar
puppetbomb
Regular
Posts: 123
Joined: Fri May 19, 2017 4:04 pm
Tumblr: puppetbomb
itch: puppetbomb
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#5 Post by puppetbomb »

Speaking as someone who is willing to do work pro bono, I look for projects that have a lot of work done already. At the very least, the script should be done. It's easier to commit to a project when I have a very specific list of things to do, which usually ties very closely to how close the project is to completion.

Personally, I avoid partnerships because they usually don't work out :/ I'd rather pick and choose who or what projects I want to work on.

User avatar
JayBlue
Regular
Posts: 86
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 7:10 pm
Location: Space
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#6 Post by JayBlue »

How about trade? I would think that would work since it's basicly two people that are supporting each other's projects and it would supposedly be motivating to help the other person in exchange for them helping you.

But I suppose the problem here would be, how much time you have and how much time they have. But if you and the other person has the time, then trade would work well.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong since this is only an observation :)
If an Owl hoots in a forest, does it make a sound?

User avatar
Didules
Veteran
Posts: 417
Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 6:34 am
Completed: Sophie, Midnight's Café, The Phantom of the Hospital
Projects: SchizoValentine
Organization: Hidden Masquerade
Tumblr: hidden-masquerade
Location: Somewhere on the map
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#7 Post by Didules »

Oh, trades do sound like an interesting idea! You're right to point it out!!
Just maybe be wary of the scope of each other's project, no good communication equals to no good cooperation X)

User avatar
morinoir
Regular
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:55 am
itch: blackpepper
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#8 Post by morinoir »

Profit sharing can be used as payment, but as mikolajspy stated before, it's not recommended because it's trickier than simply commissioning poeple. Professional also tend to avoid profit sharing, unless it came from well-known developer. But if people love your idea and you can make them believe in the prospect of your project, people will gather.

Finding people who can work well with you is a hit and miss. The only advice I could give you is, well, just start recruiting and you'll see. One thing that is absolute must is keeping communication open. Try to communicate at least once a week, and you'll do just fine. It's better to have someone who you can ask for progress regularly than someone who suddenly finish the job after went silent for a month.
Advice: pay only AFTER receiving work, no paying in advance.

If the pople you're hiring doesn't have lots of portfolio, this can be applied. But as an artist myself, I usually do the opposite because my commissioners are mostly new developer, and the money is to make sure they won't take my work and run.So I say, if you're not familiar with whoever you're hiring, divide the payment in half. Pay half, or whatever down payment you're agreed to, at the beginning and pay the rest after the work is done. Also if you're hiring someone for long term, it doesn't hurt to write official contract.

Hope that helps!

User avatar
Frullo
Newbie
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2016 7:35 am
Organization: Nativi Digitali Edizioni
Location: Italy
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#9 Post by Frullo »

Nothing boosts motivation and lets you keep control with a team than good old money upfront - Of course if you trust you teammates, but if you don't, why work with them?
Though sometimes especially in case you have a hard time with your budget, I think a compromise like sales royalties plus a resonable "advance", at least for the minimum the VN is expected to sell, can be reasonable.

User avatar
Neeka
Veteran
Posts: 359
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:06 pm
Completed: Hearts & Hexes; Winter Flower
Projects: Hearts and Hexes; Our Mountain; The Last Clan: Tale of Oni
Organization: Ostrich Burger Productions
IRC Nick: Neeka
itch: neeka-of-obp
Contact:

Re: Creating a Team: How?

#10 Post by Neeka »

Thank you so much for all the advice! I think in terms of me personally, I'll have to commission or trade for my best bet. I'm still new to the creator scene, so royalties and the like May be too much. In terms of trade it'd be writing but someone out there may need it! Thanks again!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users