   Fear of asking for help
  I'm making a game similar to Galactic Civilizations 2.  Well it's alot more similar to the old game: Master of Orion 2. I've seen posts on help wanted where people have almost nothing and ask to make a team. I have alot of stuff done and yet trying to always add more art and more functionality before asking for help in fear of turning people off by the bad graphics or alot of things not working. Also I fear that people will not want to even help with this game since it's all turn based: combat, moving fleets around galaxy and then you press "end turn" etc.Also I fear that people will not want to work on a 2d game. It's all 2d except that ships and star bases were made in 3d and were rotated in 3d so when I animate the 2d pictures( even 50 pictures of the same star base) it looks like a 3d animation. I've been programming this game for 1 year and spent $7.5k on art. Also to make a game I need to share the ideas with the whole team.  I'm afraid that others will copy ideas and maybe even finish a game faster. When should I ask for help?   
Quote:Original post by GiantPaulI'm making a game similar to Galactic Civilizations 2.  Well it's alot more similar to the old game: Master of Orion 2. I've seen posts on help wanted where people have almost nothing and ask to make a team. I have alot of stuff done and yet trying to always add more art and more functionality before asking for help in fear of turning people off by the bad graphics or alot of things not working. Also I fear that people will not want to even help with this game since it's all turn based: combat, moving fleets around galaxy and then you press "end turn" etc.Also I fear that people will not want to work on a 2d game. It's all 2d except that ships and star bases were made in 3d and were rotated in 3d so when I animate the 2d pictures( even 50 pictures of the same star base) it looks like a 3d animation. I've been programming this game for 1 year and spent $7.5k on art. When should I ask for help?Ask for help if you need it man, what have you got to lose ? Sure, you'll might get a few negative comments or put downs in the process- but that's life and you can't impress everybody. If you believe enough in what you are doing then keep doing it and to hell with all the neighsayers!Quote:Original post by GiantPaulI've been programming this game for 1 year and spent $7.5k on artHoly crap! You must be deadly serious about this project to invest that much time and money into it. Fair dues! [smile]   ;  I find this thread painfully ironic.   ;  To sum up, here are your concerns: A) Afraid of turning people off by bad graphics. B) Afraid people won't want to work on a Turn Based, or 2D, game. C) Afraid that people will steal your game idea.Lets address these one by one:A) Afraid of turning people off by bad graphics.It's possible, but lots of programmers make bad art, and so recongize that the start of a game uses placeholder work. Bad graphics usually mean the game isn't near completion, and when recruiting that may be a good thing.B) Afraid people won't want to work on a Turn Based, or 2D, game.If you're willing to spend hours upon hours to work on such a game, there are hundreds of others willing to do the same. In fact, the post I just linked to was part of a 2D game seeking help, albeit not turn based. (Linky) People love 2D games just as much as they love 3D, and I'd even venture to guess(from no experience) that it might be easier for people to join a 2D project than a 3D, because people can work with 2D easier.And hey, Warlords 3: Darklords Rising, is still one of my favorite multiplayer games, and I'm sure others have their favs as well.C) Afraid that people will steal your game idea.Who cares? Honestly? If someone stole your entire design document, and hired clones of the exact same people you hire, the two games will be different. They will not be entirely identical. You need people helping with your project, and you need to share information about your game with them, but answer me this: What would you rather do: spend months making a game you want, or stealing someone else's game and spending months making his idea? You'd obviously work on your own project. So why would someone else come along and steal yours?If you want to make a Help Wanted post, do so. Just do these things: Give a detailed description of the game without it being longer than 3-4 paragraphs, post 1-3 pictures no matter how crappy the art is, spellcheck your post beforehand and reread it once, and use the posting template.[Edit:] Should note hear I don't have much experience in these things, but you have my two cents none the less. [smile]   ;  If people are willing to devote several hours of their life to an MMORPG that doesn't exist past a poorly worded story and a forum hosted on a free hosting provider, surely a project with some decent grunt going will get some people.Ask jbadams if he'll sticky your thread as a "featured project." That tends to really improve the quality and quantity of submissions, and keeps the thread from getting buried in the usual HW churn.   