MMORPG Death March - 1st Casualty
by Chris Burk · 01/04/2006 (1:43 pm) · 5 comments
Well, it appears that the potential survivors of the death march have already dropped by one. My tech lead has taken a lucrative position with a major software company that holds its employees captive. That means no working on side projects that could potentially compete with his employer's company.
Crap.
Well, the lighter side is that I needed to retool my budget anyway, and this provides me the impetus to do it. The downside is that now I'm entering the design phase without a qualified technical lead to put together a TDD and reign in my overreaching on the creative design side. Any takers for a position that pays in animal crackers until we get funded? Bueller? Bueller?
Yeah, I didn't think so. Dig deep compatriots, this bridge has to be built for the war effort. We will persevere.
Crap.
Well, the lighter side is that I needed to retool my budget anyway, and this provides me the impetus to do it. The downside is that now I'm entering the design phase without a qualified technical lead to put together a TDD and reign in my overreaching on the creative design side. Any takers for a position that pays in animal crackers until we get funded? Bueller? Bueller?
Yeah, I didn't think so. Dig deep compatriots, this bridge has to be built for the war effort. We will persevere.
#3
Anyways, sad to hear (It kinda spoils yer fragrate don't it) ^^
01/05/2006 (5:42 am)
Heh, this is like looking into an mirror :/Anyways, sad to hear (It kinda spoils yer fragrate don't it) ^^
#4
you are thinking too big. I've been doing this 'start up' stuff on and off for the last 5 or so years and i am pretty sure that you are thinking way to big right now.
first of all, scope down your budget. if you want to raise 10mill for a mmorg, that's great, but no one except your rich uncle is going to fund you that amount (C-corp or not) if you dont have something sexy to show them first.
So that should be your first mission of order: write some small, sexy game that will spark people's interest, and show prospective shareholders that you can actually perform. the budget for that should be something in the 10k range.
01/05/2006 (2:18 pm)
Chris: i read the posts on your last .plan.. and....you are thinking too big. I've been doing this 'start up' stuff on and off for the last 5 or so years and i am pretty sure that you are thinking way to big right now.
first of all, scope down your budget. if you want to raise 10mill for a mmorg, that's great, but no one except your rich uncle is going to fund you that amount (C-corp or not) if you dont have something sexy to show them first.
So that should be your first mission of order: write some small, sexy game that will spark people's interest, and show prospective shareholders that you can actually perform. the budget for that should be something in the 10k range.
#5
-Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. I haven't excatly come out in this blog with the entire plan. That would take...wait a minute, I've already got a copy of it lying around here. Lessee....fifty some-odd pages. I'm primarily using this as a venting space and a developer notebook, not a hardcore discussion of project management for a MMORPG. In fact, I'm meeting the lead for my demo team this evening to start getting him setup with what he needs. The big number is a total of all successive rounds of financing (4 in all). Each round has a seperate deliverable and milestones as well as a different purpose. I'm wearing producer/designer credits for this one, so I'd better have my head screwed on straight when it comes to expectations.
01/06/2006 (2:00 pm)
Reply to Jason-Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. I haven't excatly come out in this blog with the entire plan. That would take...wait a minute, I've already got a copy of it lying around here. Lessee....fifty some-odd pages. I'm primarily using this as a venting space and a developer notebook, not a hardcore discussion of project management for a MMORPG. In fact, I'm meeting the lead for my demo team this evening to start getting him setup with what he needs. The big number is a total of all successive rounds of financing (4 in all). Each round has a seperate deliverable and milestones as well as a different purpose. I'm wearing producer/designer credits for this one, so I'd better have my head screwed on straight when it comes to expectations.
Torque 3D Owner Jesse Liles