How To: Recruitment and Requests

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How To: Recruitment and Requests

Recruitment and request threads pop here and there on many game-making forums, which is not surprising. Making a game is a long and at times tedious process. It helps to have a person or two easing that load. However, many of the recruitment/request threads go unanswered for months. Others are disappointed to learn that the only people offering their help don't have the skills needed for the right quality of work.

Here are my tips on how to increase your chances of recruiting a team member or getting a request filled.


Make a plan: complete plot, list of characters and locations.
(Sub: Make a kickass thread)

A person is more likely to join your team if they know exactly what will be expected of them. This is especially the case when it comes to custom graphics, events or scripts. For example, if you tell me that you need 4 sprites with 3 poses each, I will have a good idea of how long it would take me to finish them and whether I'm currently able to make that type of commitment. This is extremely important in cases of paid commissions. If you want to get your money's worth, know ahead of time what you'll need and how much.

If you prefer to 'wing it' or make up your plot/locations on the go, do us all a favor and don't ask for team mates. Projects on-the-go have a tendency to never see the light of day. I'm not saying that you're incapable of finishing a project using this approach, but it will be very difficult to find and keep team members with you the entire time. People aren't always comfortable with vagueness and as time goes on, it becomes increasingly harder to find motivation and inspire others into action. Use single requests instead, or better yet, use place-holders until you can give us a proper direction and an estimate of the quantity of work you'll need.

Always make a fantastic thread. This is what draws people in. It makes them check your game out, get excited about playing or write reviews. Most people won't join your team if they don't know you. A good thread will not only introduce you to the community, but it will give you the right exposure. People will get to know you and will be more likely to help you.


Do it yourself.

You can't recruit a team for every single area of game-making while your job is to just supervise. Your team isn't going to make the game for you. Nor should they, really. You're not a big-time game developing company that's paying people to make a game (and if you are, you should already know this). So, do as much as you possibly can by yourself. It doesn't matter if it's really crappy. The fact alone that you're willing to try to do something is telling others that you're serious about your project. This is what gives you credibility and that's often a deciding factor in whether someone will join your team.

Doing things by yourself also gives you the advantage of learning and practice. Others will give you good advice so that you can improve. Eventually, you can become self-sufficient enough to take on more complex games or different approaches to making them. The less you rely on others, the less limits you have in terms of settling in your designs.



Requesting: Be specific; keep it simple.

Most forums have a request template. If it's there, use it! Otherwise, make sure that you're as specific as possible with your request.

With graphics, include the style, palette (you don't have to provide actual colors, but at least mention the color family you want), size and detail. With scripts, include all the functions, scripts you're currently using (for compatibility) and what features you don't want/need (trust me, it helps when a scripter doesn't have to code something you'll never use). With music, include the atmosphere/mood/emotion, what instruments you want, the tempo or even a simple melody they can build upon.

Also, keep your requests small. Don't ask for 30 sprites because no one wants to take on a request like that. It just seems greedy. Instead, take a look at what you're asking for and decide what you really need. Sure, it'd be cool to have 12 characters with different looks, poses and details. But you're not likely to get someone to do all of them. So, settle for 1 or 2. It will make those characters that much more special and memorable to the player.


Requesting: Offer something in return.

Offering your services in return is a great way to generate more responses. It shows that you appreciate and value their work, plus it's also a great way to say 'thank you'. Trades are also more fair, as they make a person feel that they're getting rewarded for the time they spend helping you.