   Importance of Team Structure
  To the Moderators: I am posting this in Help Wanted because I believe it is relevant to the recruitment process for every project. Please move it if you feel it is incorrectly placed.Thank You. ~TEDIT: Some points i forgot to point out before...One of the key things that i am asking this for would be targeted more towards a large scale project, be it an MMO or large scale FPS etc... But it should be noted that I do not mean a small one player game.Greetings Gamedev, I have been watching many projects for a while now, and think that it is important to understand the trends that have seemed to follow quite a few of them, since I am having thoughts of beginning my own. Most important of all the major trends seems to be keeping people on board, or simply getting people to join. And I understand that there are a lot of people simply can’t keep up with a project, or are just outright flakey. However there are quite a few very talented people out there who are looking to join good projects, but even some of those good projects just don’t seem to be able to keep/attract them.I am very interested in the game industry and would really like to see what is important, and what is a complete turnoff when someone is considering joining or staying with a project.If I receive enough responses to this to provide a consistent statistical analysis I will be happy to create a diagram/list/chart of some sort that all current and future projects can see and take into consideration when creating their pitches. I know it will certainly be important in my own.Most of the following questions can be answered with a simple yes/no or one word answer (unless otherwise indicated), but if you wish to give a relevant example please do, any and all information regarding the question will help everyone to understand the reasons for your answer. But please don’t feel that you need to if you do not wish to.Also do not feel obligated to answer every question, if you have no opinion one way or the other, or only have certain questions you wish to answer only post those.And thank you for taking the time to help answer these questions.First let me begin by asking what type of game development position you are looking to fill, or have filled in the past. I only ask that on this question you say which one is most pertinent to your major skills. So if you do mainly Code, then say Programmer, if you do mainly Design, then designer, and if you do mainly artistic work, then Artist:).*************** Questions Begin ******************Which type of Game Developer are you? Artist, Designer, Programmer?When you are considering a game development team, do you like to see an environment that is more community oriented in the development area, where everyone chats about game development, real life, and generally carries a more laid back feel? Or do you prefer an environment where it is run more like a business?Do you prefer a team who has a large number of developers, or do you follow the saying, too many cooks spoil soup?Does a project that uses Forums as its primary means of communication instead of Real Time Chat (MSN, IRC, and AIM) encourage you to join, or do you prefer to chat live?Does the presence of team members who sometimes have lewd or sexual conduct affect your decision to join/stay? Be it minor or moderate.EDIT: Some of the responses didn't understand what i am asking here so let me clarify. By Lewd or sexual conduct, i mean on the forums or during chat they make comments that could be considered offensive to people, be it in developer only, or community areas. I.e. posting about topics that are not work-friendly.If a team has strict rules about using alternative free software instead of commercial software that you do not legally own, do you immediately get turned off from the project?Is the presence of a fan-based community during early development important to your decision?Do you prefer a team who releases constant small minor updates, or a team that releases large but rare milestone updates?Do you like a project that keeps information separate in different departments (i.e. coders don’t need access to raw models, and modelers don’t need access to source code), or prefer that everyone has access to all aspects?When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?Does the presence of a functional and viable code base affect your decision in joining the team? Please explain why.Are you more inclined to join a project that is developing based on current game development ideals (See Currently Released Commercial Games), or a project who is taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas (This Question has two parts)…a) With Design?b) With Technical Aspects (Making new technology)?Does a project that has time requirements that keep you from other projects make you feel the team is serious and dedicated about their work?Assuming you meet them, does a project that has higher skill requirements for its members make your more interested in them, or do you prefer the type of project who welcomes anyone who wishes to join?Is seeing a game that has renders from a 3d Art program (aka Max Renders), but not necessarily any actual in game screen shots, make you interested in the project, or turn you off?Cinematic Video Sequences?Do in-game screenshots/videos have any weight on your decision to join a team?When considering joining a team, what is more important to see, Art Assets, or Code Progress?Is Art or Code more important when determining staying with a project?Given a good overall presentation of a project, can the status of their webpage make or break the deal? Or is it irrelevant.Do teams who refuse to have telephone/voice chat about game design make you uncomfortable about joining and or staying?Does the requirement to sign an NDA or other trade secret contract (i.e. no posting your work on your personal website) keep you away from the project?Is the promise of future funding, either soon or long term, encourage you to join a project? Or does it make you feel they are only saying it to attract people?Would a small payment for your services ($10-$20 per model/piece of code), knowing the project doesn’t yet have a lot of funding, be better than working for free? Or would it be an insult to your abilities?Is the project being a registered business important to your decision, or does it make you feel uncomfortable?Do you prefer a team who’s leader is more your friend, or your manager?Is it important to be on a team where the leader can make an executive decision even if everyone is not in agreement, or do you prefer for everything to be up for debate until it is settled?Do you like a leader who sets strict, but reasonable deadlines?Do you prefer a team that has one leader who oversees every aspect of development, or a team that has department leads, who head up each of their own areas? (Code Lead, Art Lead, Design Lead etc…)Finally if you have left a project before, if you wish, please include what were the major factors in your decision to leave the project.***************** Questions End ****************If there is anything else you feel you wish to include as important to your decisions to join or stay with a team please include them here.I appreciate anyone and everyone who responds to this post. I feel that every team here can learn from the answers to these questions, because I know a lot of people consider them when trying to build up their team. And I know I certainly will as well.~T[Edited by - Territe on June 17, 2006 1:10:23 PM]
  I find this interesting...I'm going to answer the questions but I have something to say about team stucture afterwards.Which type of Game Developer are you? Artist, Designer, Programmer?-ProgrammerWhen you are considering a game development team, do you like to see an environment that is more community oriented in the development area, where everyone chats about game development, real life, and generally carries a more laid back feel? Or do you prefer an environment where it is run more like a business?-Product oriented, laid back.Do you prefer a team who has a large number of developers, or do you follow the saying, too many cooks spoil soup?-Dosn't matter to me.Does a project that uses Forums as its primary means of communication instead of Real Time Chat (MSN, IRC, and AIM) encourage you to join, or do you prefer to chat live?-Don't care, both is good.Does the presence of team members who sometimes have lewd or sexual conduct affect your decision to join/stay? Be it minor or moderate.-seems pointless, never seen it before.If a team has strict rules about using alternative free software instead of commercial software that you do not legally own, do you immediately get turned off from the project?-no.Is the presence of a fan-based community during early development important to your decision?-noDo you prefer a team who releases constant small minor updates, or a team that releases large but rare milestone updates?-don't care.Do you like a project that keeps information separate in different departments (i.e. coders don’t need access to raw models, and modelers don’t need access to source code), or prefer that everyone has access to all aspects?-people should be able to see what they are intertested in...but stick to their work rather than try to do everything.When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?-Art Assets.Does the presence of a functional and viable code base affect your decision in joining the team?Please explain why.-No, but that's only because I'm a programmer and it would become my job.Are you more inclined to join a project that is developing based on current game development ideals (See Currently Released Commercial Games), or a project who is taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas (This Question has two parts)…a) With Design?-Don't care, new is fun, old is still fun.b) With Technical Aspects (Making new technology)?-Yeah, of course, from a coders point of view.Does a project that has time requirements that keep you from other projects make you feel the team is serious and dedicated about their work?-No, nobody is paying me.....Assuming you meet them, does a project that has higher skill requirements for its members make your more interested in them, or do you prefer the type of project who welcomes anyone who wishes to join?-welcomes anyone who wishes to join is best.Is seeing a game that has renders from a 3d Art program (aka Max Renders), but not necessarily any actual in game screen shots, make you interested in the project, or turn you off?-turn off (what are they hiding?)Cinematic Video Sequences?Do in-game screenshots/videos have any weight on your decision to join a team?-Yes, huge importance.When considering joining a team, what is more important to see, Art Assets, or Code Progress?- Art.Is Art or Code more important when determining staying with a project?-art.Given a good overall presentation of a project, can the status of their webpage make or break the deal? Or is it irrelevant.-irrelevantDo teams who refuse to have telephone/voice chat about game design make you uncomfortable about joining and or staying?Does the requirement to sign an NDA or other trade secret contract (i.e. no posting your work on your personal website) keep you away from the project?-I hate NDAs for minor projects...there are soooo many huge projects out there that give source away that is better than anything that average people can do.So long as they agree not to TRY to do something that the team would not want.Is the promise of future funding, either soon or long term, encourage you to join a project? Or does it make you feel they are only saying it to attract people?-attract people.Would a small payment for your services ($10-$20 per model/piece of code), knowing the project doesn’t yet have a lot of funding, be better than working for free? Or would it be an insult to your abilities?-Rather do it for free, not an insult, just to avoid arguments.Is the project being a registered business important to your decision, or does it make you feel uncomfortable?-Online game dev is best done non-offically.Do you prefer a team who’s leader is more your friend, or your manager?-Friend.Is it important to be on a team where the leader can make an executive decision even if everyone is not in agreement, or do you prefer for everything to be up for debate until it is settled?-Debate, so long as people don't freak out about little things.Do you like a leader who sets strict, but reasonable deadlines?-I always think setting up motivation is better than deadlines.Do you prefer a team that has one leader who oversees every aspect of development, or a team that has department leads, who head up each of their own areas? (Code Lead, Art Lead, Design Lead etc…)-Department leads, not appointed, earned by leadership, contribution and know how.Finally if you have left a project before, if you wish, please include what were the major factors in your decision to leave the project.-One thing I hate is people trying to create a large project and don't know what they are doing before hand. Or that spend time designing and recruiting, hoping that someone else will pick up the actual work.I just want to throw my 2 cents in about team stucture....team structure is horrible. I've been in my share of failed projects and the major difference is that the failed ones had a "heirarchy" and my current one, one that's actually getting somwhere has absolutly no stucture at all. It's an unspoken, unwritten rule that there is no leader. There is no code lead, there is no art lead, there is no design lead. There are many people involved, some hang around the forums complimenting on screens or updates (and that's fine, we don't boot them out for it), others are fully active and as such direct the project. We are actually currently calling our project "some FPS" because the name is something we can just slap one once it's done. There were 2 people who joined in the beginning and commented on team stucture and design, they were the first to drop out. It's amazing how far a little work and lead my example can go in terms of getting people to work togeather. So, all in all, my advice to anybody who would like to start a small team:1. Don't squabble over design2. Listen to your team3. control your project by motivation, not by controlling members.keep people happy and have fun, don't worry about dealines or your boss, there are none. (sorry about spelling, it's 2:30 AM here and I'm not re-reading)   ;  Which type of Game Developer are you? Artist, Designer, Programmer?>>Artist by trade, designer by neccessity.When you are considering a game development team, do you like to see an environment that is more community oriented in the development area, where everyone chats about game development, real life, and generally carries a more laid back feel? Or do you prefer an environment where it is run more like a business?>>Some degree of both.  I feel the personal relationship also creates better employees/workers, who are more committed to the project (and ultimately, as the project lead/designer, understand my vision).  As an employee, the community aspect I don't find important.Do you prefer a team who has a large number of developers, or do you follow the saying, too many cooks spoil soup?>>I would rather have a very small team than a large team that one must keep tabs on and in order.  As an indy, I find having enough coordination and structure and reporting to support a large team extremely difficult without a dedicated manager (who, if is a developer himself, should just be developing).  This is really a whole essay in itself.Tommorrow I can elaborate more on team structure/number of devs if you wish.Does a project that uses Forums as its primary means of communication instead of Real Time Chat (MSN, IRC, and AIM) encourage you to join, or do you prefer to chat live?>>Doesn't really matter.Does the presence of team members who sometimes have lewd or sexual conduct affect your decision to join/stay? Be it minor or moderate.>>Not at all.If a team has strict rules about using alternative free software instead of commercial software that you do not legally own, do you immediately get turned off from the project?>>Yes.  I do not know how, and have no desire to learn, open source software.Is the presence of a fan-based community during early development important to your decision?>>No.  In fact, I'd rather no community until alpha.Do you prefer a team who releases constant small minor updates, or a team that releases large but rare milestone updates?>>Small minor updates keep up morale, IMO.Do you like a project that keeps information separate in different departments (i.e. coders don’t need access to raw models, and modelers don’t need access to source code), or prefer that everyone has access to all aspects?>>Whatever works.  Coders are often inspired by art, and artists inspired by additions to the game engine/code.  They should definately have alot of contact with each other... as far as access to the actual raw files, doesn't make a difference.When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?>>Code Assets.  I am an artist, so having a working engine and pipeline are important to making sure my art will be used properly (I feel Art Assets are the most important to the community, though, since they are what people respond to most).Does the presence of a functional and viable code base affect your decision in joining the team?Please explain why.>>It would depend on how certain I am the code will be finished.  But yet, its important, because it means if I get the art done the project will be done.Are you more inclined to join a project that is developing based on current game development ideals (See Currently Released Commercial Games), or a project who is taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas (This Question has two parts)…a) With Design?b) With Technical Aspects (Making new technology)?>>Yes to taking a step in a new direction, especially with IP.Does a project that has time requirements that keep you from other projects make you feel the team is serious and dedicated about their work?>>I feel to be a dedicated team member you can only work on one project as your extra-cirricular (or cirricular) game development project.Assuming you meet them, does a project that has higher skill requirements for its members make your more interested in them, or do you prefer the type of project who welcomes anyone who wishes to join?>>Definately those which require a high skill level, unless I have the will/time/desire to teach.Is seeing a game that has renders from a 3d Art program (aka Max Renders), but not necessarily any actual in game screen shots, make you interested in the project, or turn you off?>>Definately more interested, especially if I can understand the art style, game design, plot, etc., from them (and I love promo renders/paintings).Cinematic Video Sequences?>>Pre-rendered CG is the greatest waste of time and resources possible.Do in-game screenshots/videos have any weight on your decision to join a team?>>Yes.  A good trailer will really get me excited for a project.When considering joining a team, what is more important to see, Art Assets, or Code Progress?>>Code Progress (did you already ask this one)?Is Art or Code more important when determining staying with a project?>>Art, if its progressing support and morale will generally stay high.Given a good overall presentation of a project, can the status of their webpage make or break the deal? Or is it irrelevant.>>An up to date webpage with weekly/monthly updates shows the project is still alive, no matter what it looks like.Do teams who refuse to have telephone/voice chat about game design make you uncomfortable about joining and or staying?>>Design takes alot of input, and it is simply too extensive for email and MSN Chat.Does the requirement to sign an NDA or other trade secret contract (i.e. no posting your work on your personal website) keep you away from the project?>>No.Is the promise of future funding, either soon or long term, encourage you to join a project? Or does it make you feel they are only saying it to attract people?>>If they are offering future funding, I would be more inclined to stay away.  Generally, showing some progression of either art or code, and a full design, will be enough to court a dev without the lure of funding.  I think that those projects pimping funding as their greatest lure are extremely week.Would a small payment for your services ($10-$20 per model/piece of code), knowing the project doesn’t yet have a lot of funding, be better than working for free? Or would it be an insult to your abilities?>>I'd rather work for free and they put the money in a fund.Is the project being a registered business important to your decision, or does it make you feel uncomfortable?>>Irrelevant.Do you prefer a team who’s leader is more your friend, or your manager?>>A compassionate manager.Is it important to be on a team where the leader can make an executive decision even if everyone is not in agreement, or do you prefer for everything to be up for debate until it is settled?>>As long as the leader has mutual respect, let him decide.  I prefer a small team of managers come to an agreement, however.Do you like a leader who sets strict, but reasonable deadlines?>>As long as he can inspire people to meet deadlines, yes.  Otherwise, constant missed deadlines can lower morale.Do you prefer a team that has one leader who oversees every aspect of development, or a team that has department leads, who head up each of their own areas? (Code Lead, Art Lead, Design Lead etc…)>>No leader can oversee all areas...  Generally one leader for art, one for coding, and one for design, one of them will be overall leader but they make decisions together.Finally if you have left a project before, if you wish, please include what were the major factors in your decision to leave the project.>>Desire to pursue other goals.   ;  Which type of Game Developer are you? Artist, Designer, Programmer?-Designer, though I do art and programming where necessary.When you are considering a game development team, do you like to see an environment that is more community oriented in the development area, where everyone chats about game development, real life, and generally carries a more laid back feel? Or do you prefer an environment where it is run more like a business?-A bit of both is good. I like to chat, but productivity is good also. Perhaps run like a nice business, with chatting?Do you prefer a team who has a large number of developers, or do you follow the saying, too many cooks spoil soup?-Too many cooks spoil the broth. I like a small, tight knit team.Does a project that uses Forums as its primary means of communication instead of Real Time Chat (MSN, IRC, and AIM) encourage you to join, or do you prefer to chat live?-Forums are really useful, but it's nice to be able to chat live.Does the presence of team members who sometimes have lewd or sexual conduct affect your decision to join/stay? Be it minor or moderate.-I'm not sure what you mean by sexual conduct, particularly as my work is always over the internet, but I find that team members, particularly leaders who I would judge as "noobs" would certanly put me off a project.If a team has strict rules about using alternative free software instead of commercial software that you do not legally own, do you immediately get turned off from the project?-No. I do like the idea of all software being at the respective employee's descrition, and not bringning the team into it whatsoever.Is the presence of a fan-based community during early development important to your decision?-Nope.Do you prefer a team who releases constant small minor updates, or a team that releases large but rare milestone updates?-A balance is nice, but milestone updates to third-party sites and small minor updates to dedicated community members is the way to go.Do you like a project that keeps information separate in different departments (i.e. coders don’t need access to raw models, and modelers don’t need access to source code), or prefer that everyone has access to all aspects?-Only if it is necessary. If a coder wants a raw model, that should be cool, but I wouldn't go sending all model files to the coder just for the sake of it.When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?-Art Assets and Code Development.Does the presence of a functional and viable code base affect your decision in joining the team?-Yes.Please explain why.-It shows dedication to the project, and more of a chance of completion.Are you more inclined to join a project that is developing based on current game development ideals (See Currently Released Commercial Games), or a project who is taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas (This Question has two parts)…a) With Design?I like innovation, but only if it is worthwhile. Fun is the main factor, and innovation can sometimes come in the way of that.b) With Technical Aspects (Making new technology)?If the technology is viable, sure. Re-inventing the wheel isn't high on my list of things to do, thus unless it is beneficial to invent new technology, there should be no reason for it.Does a project that has time requirements that keep you from other projects make you feel the team is serious and dedicated about their work?-No.Assuming you meet them, does a project that has higher skill requirements for its members make your more interested in them, or do you prefer the type of project who welcomes anyone who wishes to join?-The higher skill requirements, generally, however, it really can depend on the type of project.Is seeing a game that has renders from a 3d Art program (aka Max Renders), but not necessarily any actual in game screen shots, make you interested in the project, or turn you off?-It depends on the stage of development. If a project is half-way completed with no ingame media, I would indeed be turned off, however, a project with some renders that has just started out will let me know there is some genuine artistic talent on the team.Cinematic Video Sequences?-It helps a lot to see thare is artistic talent on the team.Do in-game screenshots/videos have any weight on your decision to join a team?-Yeah, certanly. It shows the team is dedicated and good at getting work done.When considering joining a team, what is more important to see, Art Assets, or Code Progress?-Both are integral, but code progress usually is more important, because a game can be released without much art.Is Art or Code more important when determining staying with a project?-Code, for the reason given above.Given a good overall presentation of a project, can the status of their webpage make or break the deal? Or is it irrelevant.-Yeah, it can, but only if it is badly done, rather than simplistic.Do teams who refuse to have telephone/voice chat about game design make you uncomfortable about joining and or staying?-No, I think voice chat is an excellent idea for team members comfortable with it.Does the requirement to sign an NDA or other trade secret contract (i.e. no posting your work on your personal website) keep you away from the project?-Yes.Is the promise of future funding, either soon or long term, encourage you to join a project? Or does it make you feel they are only saying it to attract people?-Prospective royalties should always be taken with a pinch of salt, so really no, unless there is concrete evidence to show that the payment will eventuate soon.Would a small payment for your services ($10-$20 per model/piece of code), knowing the project doesn’t yet have a lot of funding, be better than working for free? Or would it be an insult to your abilities?-Better than working for free, although I would often choose to donate to the project. I think for a small budget project, nothing is an insult to my abilities.Is the project being a registered business important to your decision, or does it make you feel uncomfortable?-It's nice to have a registered business, but it isn't important to my decision.Do you prefer a team who’s leader is more your friend, or your manager?-A blend of both. As a team leader myself, it's a hard line to walk down, but I like to chat with my team, while still asking for deadlines and whatnot.Is it important to be on a team where the leader can make an executive decision even if everyone is not in agreement, or do you prefer for everything to be up for debate until it is settled?-Debate is great, but in the end, the person who is leading the project ought to have final say. I would like the final say to take into consideration the debate though.Do you like a leader who sets strict, but reasonable deadlines?-Yes.Do you prefer a team that has one leader who oversees every aspect of development, or a team that has department leads, who head up each of their own areas? (Code Lead, Art Lead, Design Lead etc…)-A team leader that oversees every aspect of development.Finally if you have left a project before, if you wish, please include what were the major factors in your decision to leave the project.-Never conciously left a project.   ;  Ooh fun!> Which type of Game Developer are you? Artist, Designer, Programmer?All three. I consider my role as PRODUCER most important to the team.> When you are considering a game development team, do you like to see an environment that is more community oriented in the development area, where everyone chats about game development, real life, and generally carries a more laid back feel? Or do you prefer an environment where it is run more like a business?Laid back. I can't imagine anything worse than a Nazi project lead.> Do you prefer a team who has a large number of developers, or do you follow the saying, too many cooks spoil soup?Whatever it requires. Prefer teams not to become saturated with people who aren't working.> Does a project that uses Forums as its primary means of communication instead of Real Time Chat (MSN, IRC, and AIM) encourage you to join, or do you prefer to chat live?Not sure, I think a mix is important.> Does the presence of team members who sometimes have lewd or sexual conduct affect your decision to join/stay? Be it minor or moderate.There is no excuse for rudeness, specially in a working environment.> If a team has strict rules about using alternative free software instead of commercial software that you do not legally own, do you immediately get turned off from the project?It depends on if the software is best suited to the task.> Is the presence of a fan-based community during early development important to your decision?Not particularly, but it helps.> Do you prefer a team who releases constant small minor updates, or a team that releases large but rare milestone updates?somewhere in between, we release on a monthly schedule at the moment.> Do you like a project that keeps information separate in different departments (i.e. coders don’t need access to raw models, and modelers don’t need access to source code), or prefer that everyone has access to all aspects?No preference. It seems wise to distribute resources on a 'need to use' basis.> When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?I would look for a project with all their bases covered, or extremely promising work in one of the areas mentioned.> Does the presence of a functional and viable code base affect your decision in joining the team? Not as much as the work which has gone into it thus far. It's swell to join a project which is nearly completed, but there's not so much reward in that.> Are you more inclined to join a project that is developing based on current game development ideals (See Currently Released Commercial Games), or a project who is taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas (This Question has two parts)…In both parts I'm mainly interested in the practicality of the approach. If people are complicating production for the sake of ideals then thats where I get off.> Does a project that has time requirements that keep you from other projects make you feel the team is serious and dedicated about their work?Time requirements are a restriction, not a benefit. If I want to work on the project I need the resources there to do it immediately, if not I don't want to be pestered about what to do with my time.> Assuming you meet them, does a project that has higher skill requirements for its members make your more interested in them, or do you prefer the type of project who welcomes anyone who wishes to join?Higher skill requirements are usually a red herring, however a team producing high quality work will encourage high skilled applicants.> Is seeing a game that has renders from a 3d Art program (aka Max Renders), but not necessarily any actual in game screen shots, make you interested in the project, or turn you off?It depends on the quality of the artwork. Unless it's very good or accompanied by shots of the engine working in some form, then it's usually a negative point.> Cinematic Video Sequences?Sure, if they are nice. However unless they are as a compliment to a lot of excellent work examples then they usually mean it's a vaporware team.> Do in-game screenshots/videos have any weight on your decision to join a team?Absolutely essential. Even with playable code available i'm not going to bother testing it unless I like the look of their screenshots. > When considering joining a team, what is more important to see, Art Assets, or Code Progress?This seems kinda similar to the question above: "When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?"> Is Art or Code more important when determining staying with a project?They compliment each other equally, but art is a more accessible sign of progress.> Given a good overall presentation of a project, can the status of their webpage make or break the deal? Or is it irrelevant.It's not so relevant, but I would like to see that they have the ability to manage a community and publish good community feedback.> Do teams who refuse to have telephone/voice chat about game design make you uncomfortable about joining and or staying?I'd be very surprised if a project lead or designer didn't jump at the chance to have a voice chat with someone.> Does the requirement to sign an NDA or other trade secret contract (i.e. no posting your work on your personal website) keep you away from the project?Not particularly, although I'd prefer it to be do-able online.> Is the promise of future funding, either soon or long term, encourage you to join a project? Or does it make you feel they are only saying it to attract people?That depends on their overall professionalism. It's usually quite clear who's just saying it for kicks and who's capable of getting it.> Would a small payment for your services ($10-$20 per model/piece of code), knowing the project doesn’t yet have a lot of funding, be better than working for free? Or would it be an insult to your abilities?Payment in any form changes the mindset of the team member, from collaborator to employee. As an employee, if you were capable of maintaining payments for as long as I stuck around i'd have no problem.> Is the project being a registered business important to your decision, or does it make you feel uncomfortable?No problem either way, but bragging about business registration can be another warning sign of a vaporware group if it's not complimented with a history of excellent work and examples.> Do you prefer a team who’s leader is more your friend, or your manager?Of course, who wants to be managed in their relaxation time...> Is it important to be on a team where the leader can make an executive decision even if everyone is not in agreement, or do you prefer for everything to be up for debate until it is settled?Better to have a leader who can make unquestioned decisions if need be. But a really good leader makes sure everyone is following their vision. > Do you like a leader who sets strict, but reasonable deadlines?Yup, deadlines are important.> Do you prefer a team that has one leader who oversees every aspect of development, or a team that has department leads, who head up each of their own areas? (Code Lead, Art Lead, Design Lead etc…)Well that depends on the practicality of it. Is the team really large enough to warrant department leads? If not they are just for show, another vaporware trait.Finally if you have left a project before, if you wish, please include what were the major factors in your decision to leave the project.***************** Questions End ****************I guess that what i've said is: I would look for a well rounded production and consistent public image. Many of the things you question don't have a right or wrong, but they do need to be consistent with other features of the project or team. Inconsistency is the biggest giveaway of a dud project, just as consistency is near enough to a guarantee that you are looking at a good thing.It's ok for a 12 year old to be recruiting for a "team project to learn and have fun" and show nothing else - but if he also states he has a registered business and animated logo but no domain name etc, you have to wonder what his main objective is.   ;Quote:Original post by TerriteIf I receive enough responses to this to provide a consistent statistical analysis I will be happy to create a diagram/list/chart of some sort that all current and future projects can see and take into consideration when creating their pitches. I know it will certainly be important in my own. Just be aware that an analysis on such a a survey does not make your findings "correct", unless you somehow manage to prove that your sample size is large enough to be an accurate represent the entire population (and even then, its only a population of GameDev.net visitors, not the entire game industry). I'm not saying don't do this (it would certainly be helpful), but don't incorrectly label it as the truth. Wikipedia - Statistical SurveysWhich type of Game Developer are you? Artist, Designer, Programmer?A little of all of the above, but mostly a programmer.When you are considering a game development team, do you like to see an environment that is more community oriented in the development area, where everyone chats about game development, real life, and generally carries a more laid back feel? Or do you prefer an environment where it is run more like a business?I prefer laid back.Do you prefer a team who has a large number of developers, or do you follow the saying, too many cooks spoil soup?I would prefer a smaller team where all team members work full-time, but my project is not-for-profit and it is absurb to request people to spend 40 hours a week working for free. Thus, we are forced to have a larger team to achieve sufficient progress since everyone works in their spare time.Does a project that uses Forums as its primary means of communication instead of Real Time Chat (MSN, IRC, and AIM) encourage you to join, or do you prefer to chat live?I prefer both. Forums are useful for having structured discussions on design topics (and also make it very easy to keep a record of important conversations), but real-time chat has advantages as well.Does the presence of team members who sometimes have lewd or sexual conduct affect your decision to join/stay? Be it minor or moderate.Such conduct shows a lack of maturity, so I would be less inclined to join such a project. Although if it the insults are made (and seen) in good spirit/humor, it would have very little effect on my decision.If a team has strict rules about using alternative free software instead of commercial software that you do not legally own, do you immediately get turned off from the project?No (I use 100% free software myself). I do get turned off from projects that *require* you to use proprietary software or file formats though, unless the team is willing to (legally) give you the software that you need to use if you don't already own it yourself.Is the presence of a fan-based community during early development important to your decision?Not at all. I would prefer such a community arise after a playable product is released, not before.Do you prefer a team who releases constant small minor updates, or a team that releases large but rare milestone updates?I prefer large milestone updates for new game content, but small and frequent updates for bug fixes and other solutions to existing releases.Do you like a project that keeps information separate in different departments (i.e. coders don’t need access to raw models, and modelers don’t need access to source code), or prefer that everyone has access to all aspects?Everyone in the team should have access to all content related to game development. I believe such "segmented" approaches are a severe barrier to communication and, in most cases, lead the project to ultimately fail.When considering joining/staying with a team, which aspects of development are more important in your decision? Art Assets, Design Assets, or Code Development?All of the above. [grin]Does the presence of a functional and viable code base affect your decision in joining the team? Please explain why.Absolutely. Games are easy to design on paper, but difficult to implement in practice. Especially if I get a feeling that the project leader(s) or programmer(s) do not realize this, I will almost definitely stay away. On the other hand even if a team does has a functional/viable code base, if I have suspect that the code is poorly designed and/or documented, it lessens my interest in joining such a project. I don't want to join a team and deal with the frusteration of dealing with a bunch of spaghetti code.Are you more inclined to join a project that is developing based on current game development ideals (See Currently Released Commercial Games), or a project who is taking a step in a new direction with innovative ideas (This Question has two parts)…a) With Design?Current ideals: I would only be inclined to join if they were focusing on improving gameplay and had an intriguing and well-written story.Innovation: Yes, I would be fairly inclinded to join.b) With Technical Aspects (Making new technology)?Current ideals: Indifferent.Innovation: No, not at all. In fact I would almost say that it de-motivates me unless the developer is a proven professional in the industry with a release history. Does a project that has time requirements that keep you from other projects make you feel the team is serious and dedicated about their work?Absolutely not. Especially in the case that the project will not compensate me financially, or offers "a portion of profits received after release". If I'm not being paid, I should  be free to dedicate as much or as little time as I wish to.Assuming you meet them, does a project that has higher skill requirements for its members make your more interested in them, or do you prefer the type of project who welcomes anyone who wishes to join?Indifferent. If the existing team members have high level skills, then I am more inclined to join. What "requirements" they set for potential members means nothing to me.Is seeing a game that has renders from a 3d Art program (aka Max Renders), but not necessarily any actual in game screen shots, make you interested in the project, or turn you off?It only turns me off if the image is rendered in an art program, but this fact is not mentioned. Especially if it is the intention of the project to deceive me into thinking that it is a real in-game screenshot when it is not.Cinematic Video Sequences?Indifferent. For start-up and independent developers, I don't think this should factor into their game design plans at all until the procure the necessary resources (software, people) to do so.Do in-game screenshots/videos have any weight on your decision to join a team?Absolutely. And a playable demo has even more weight.When considering joining a team, what is more important to see, Art Assets, or Code Progress?I would like to say both are equally important to see. However if I had to choose one, I would say code progress. It is much easier to replace crappy art with better art than it is to replace crappy code with better code.Is Art or Code more important when determining staying with a project?Same answer as the one I gave above.Given a good overall presentation of a project, can the status of their webpage make or break the deal? Or is it irrelevant.It does not "make or break" a deal, but it is also not irrelevant. As long as I can see some visible progress is being made on a project, whether it is a webpage, forums, IRC, etc., that is sufficient for me.Do teams who refuse to have telephone/voice chat about game design make you uncomfortable about joining and or staying?Not really, although such a refusal would make me feel awkward unless some technical reason was given (long-distance call charges, or inadequate bandwidth).Does the requirement to sign an NDA or other trade secret contract (i.e. no posting your work on your personal website) keep you away from the project?If it is an independent project started by someone with zero industry experience, then yes absolutely. One must first prove that their "trade secrets" are worthy of protecting before I will agree to protect them.Is the promise of future funding, either soon or long term, encourage you to join a project? Or does it make you feel they are only saying it to attract people?I am highly skeptical of such financial promises, especially if there is no publisher signed on and no promise of "minimum compensation" in case a project fails. However if a project leader obtains start-up funds through a loan or other means, and promises to compensate his employees financially by a disclosed amount, then I would be much more accepting of those terms.Would a small payment for your services ($10-$20 per model/piece of code), knowing the project doesn’t yet have a lot of funding, be better than working for free? Or would it be an insult to your abilities?It certainly wouldn't be an insult to be paid a little money instead of no money. As long as promises for compensation are not broken (and have not been broken for anyone else), it would have little effect on my decision.Is the project being a registered business important to your decision, or does it make you feel uncomfortable?If its a registered business, I expected to be a registered employee. If its some 16-year old whose father is a lawyer and helped him to obtain the registration of his new "business", I would turn my back to the project right away.Do you prefer a team who’s leader is more your friend, or your manager?Friend, and co-worker. I respect and follow leaders who lead by example: those that don't just spend their time handing out orders, but who work in the trenches themselves.Is it important to be on a team where the leader can make an executive decision even if everyone is not in agreement, or do you prefer for everything to be up for debate until it is settled?Depends on the project. If its a business, the leader has the right to make executive decisions. But no matter the project, I prefer a democratic system where all team members have a voice.Do you like a leader who sets strict, but reasonable deadlines?Again, depends on the project. But in generally, I would say not really. I prefer to getting a quality product finished after a deadline rather than getting a half-ass product finished just before a deadline. Look at how well that philosophy has worked for Blizzard Entertainment. [wink]Do you prefer a team that has one leader who oversees every aspect of development, or a team that has department leads, who head up each of their own areas? (Code Lead, Art Lead, Design Lead etc…)Depends on the size of the team. A small team (< 10 people) is best managed by one leader I feel, while a larger team really needs department leaders to be effective.Finally if you have left a project before, if you wish, please include what were the major factors in your decision to leave the project.I've never joined (and hence, left) any project. I started my own project about 2 years ago and I've been working on it ever since. [grin]Quote:Original post by TerriteIf there is anything else you feel you wish to include as important to your decisions to join or stay with a team please include them here.The only thing I wanted to add was a quick note on my experience in game design so that others who read this can get a better understanding of why I answered those questions the way I did. I started an open source, not-for-profit RPG project in June 2004. Initially we had about 5 staff members, and two years later we have a staff of over 20 members (not including outside contributors). I've lead the project the whole way and I've handled more than half of our recruitment and new hires. Everyone in the project works in the spare time that they are willing to dedicate (as they are not financially compensated). Such a project is very hard to make forward progress since people's schedules fluctuate with changes in people's education, employment, etc. causes the amount of time it takes to get something done to be very hard to predict. Despite this, the project has been alive and kicking for over two years and we've made a decent amount of progress (that is soon to be seen [wink]).Damn, that was a long survey. I don't think I can take another one of those for a while now. [smile]   