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Starting my own Dev team |
gg14155
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2011
Posts: 13
|  Posted: 2012-04-21 18:27
I am starting my own MMO dev team in the next 2 years or so, and i was wondering if the team who made Darkspace could offer some tips.
To start off i'd like to say i am mostly inspired by this game and the team that created it. My friends and i were looking for a way around production companies and my idea was to start out as a volunteer team. We wernt sure if this would work at all, but later on i began playing this game and am under the assumption it was made voluntarily, considering its completly free. Seeing that this obviously worked out very well, i am confident my team can pull it off.
Some questions i have is how many people did it take to make this game, how long did it take, and about how much did all of the equipment cost. I was really hopeing on avoiding takeing out a loan for the equipment, but depending on how expensive it will be i may need to.
My current plan is to find a well paying job in computer drafting or computer design for another game company to pay for a building (might be renting an annex building) and the computers, graphics cards, and design software needed for the job.
My team and i will then begin voluntarily creating a game with our spare time. After completion we will release the game free to download, free to play, but we are planning on adding a subscription version.
So i would just like to know what you guys think, any tips you can offer, etc. Thank you 
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Fluttershy
Fleet Admiral
Joined: September 24, 2011
Posts: 778
From: Fluttershy
| Posted: 2012-04-21 18:50
I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, I've experienced about a 99% failure rate when it comes to these kinds of projects.
Only advice I can offer is-
Have a clear written plan and outline of what the game will be. Go into details on each feature you plan to have.
Start with the very minimum. Get a working version that multiple people can connect to- even if it's just flying around in cubes that can chat, it's a good foundation to build up from.
Don't get sidetracked on graphics or sound effects. I've seen countless times that when people implement such things early on, they tend to become content with the current game and can't be assed to continue development.
Another cause for failure I've seen is being overly ambitious, and then getting smacked in the face by the reality of trying to tackle a huge project like an MMO all at once. It MUST be done in patient baby steps.
[ This Message was edited by: Fluttershy on 2012-04-21 18:52 ]
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Fatal Mack Bolan(WildCards_58th)*COM*
Marshal
Fatal Squadron
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 184
From: home planet: Exathra
| Posted: 2012-04-21 19:41
you should have a talk with Faustus and pantheon/backslash, their advice will help keep you from getting knifed in the back by publishing houses. i've been around DS since 2006. Faustus can tell you about how his experence turned out.
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gg14155
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2011
Posts: 13
| Posted: 2012-04-21 20:58
Thanks for the advice so far guys, i appreciate it very much. And i know exactly what you guys are talking about with the publishing companies...we are avoiding them at full speed.
As for having every detail planned, i most certainly do. Creation has become an obsession of mine. 90-95% of my free time is spent writing and makeing lists, relentlessly long lists...i have 84 minerals and metals each with a paragraph on them what they will be used for. I have 78 star systems mapped and named. Ive also created 6 different alien species each with histories, IQ levels, and a specific role to play in the game. Ive also created a detailed time system. The list goes on.
Im not at all bragging lol, im just showing you guys how devoted i am lol.
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gg14155
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2011
Posts: 13
| Posted: 2012-04-21 21:00
Sorry for the grammar mistakes and the double lol, its late and i just got home from work :/
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Pantheon
Marshal
Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 1789
| Posted: 2012-04-21 21:31
Programming is very important. Design is great, but you could have the grandest design in the world and have little to no programming tallent to make it a reality.
The realistic part of it is, that the bigger your design or plan, the more time will be spent on programming, which is the largest requirement in terms of man hours, with art coming in second.
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Kenny_Naboo
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: January 11, 2010
Posts: 3823
From: LobsterTown
| Posted: 2012-04-22 00:54
A lil piece of advice.
A DS player had the same ambition. Roped both Shadowalker and myself to help him with his game. I thought, "Why the hell not?" and created a couple of models for him.
Dude had only a general idea of what he wanted. Some coding knowledge, and no real plan. Things went back and forth for a few month and he went MIA. Guess it didn't work out in the end.
Bottomline: Make sure your ambitions don't outgrow talent.
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Lithium
Chief Marshal
Joined: June 29, 2003
Posts: 109
| Posted: 2012-04-22 04:56
There're 2 methods to start the game development.
1. A great programmer starts it.
2. A rich person can hire a great programmer starts it.
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gg14155
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2011
Posts: 13
| Posted: 2012-04-22 10:49
Well atm i have about 7 people willing to help. I am takeing 2 highschool classes next year in computer programming, and 2 years of college in it, so i plan to pick up more people along the way.
The problem is, i dont suspect i'll be able to grab more than 20 people, maybe less, and they all have to agree to it voluntarily. So my point is, the dev team will most likely be small, anywhere from 10 to 20 people. Can we make a decent game with that many people?
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Gejaheline
Fleet Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 19, 2005
Posts: 1127
From: UGTO MUNIN HQ, Mars
| Posted: 2012-04-22 12:11
Having worked in a team that has produced applications for such notable companies as Google and Coca-Cola, I can attest to the fact that you can indeed produce high-quality content with as few as four people (plus a couple of support staff to bring you coffee and manage non-programming issues) in as little as six weeks.
You will, however, need four intelligent, skilled, and motivated people with good hardware, good knowledge of best practice, and a version control system like GitHub.
Also, planning is everything. EVERYTHING.
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gg14155
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2011
Posts: 13
| Posted: 2012-04-22 12:24
Wow guys thanks for the support and advice, you've all made me feel much more confident in my ability to do this. Almost all the major points you have made ive already been doing and plan to do, so that is good. Shows that i am on the right track. Im going to keep this up just for anyone else to give some input that wants to, and incase i have anymore questions i'll be sure to seek help here. Thank you all
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Sheynak
Admiral
Joined: September 05, 2011
Posts: 39
| Posted: 2012-04-23 00:24
Looking forward to the game!
Any idea what it's going to be?
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gg14155
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2011
Posts: 13
| Posted: 2012-04-23 16:09
The game im makeing? Im not releasing many details yet because i dont have anything copyrighted, but its a space game lol.
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Gejaheline
Fleet Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 19, 2005
Posts: 1127
From: UGTO MUNIN HQ, Mars
| Posted: 2012-04-23 16:48
As it says in the Wikipedia article on copyright, copyrighting is essentially automatic, you know.
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