Biting the Bullet
by Matt Fairfax · in Artist Corner · 06/12/2002 (12:21 pm) · 47 replies
I am a programmer by trade and inclination but I do have strong artistic tendencies. In the past I have been very frustrated by my complete reliance on artists to supply me with assets for my games. I have a very good modeller friend but he is simply too busy to do much and I haven't been able to fall in with another 3D artist of his professional caliber. This (and other RL factors) led me to put aside programming and to concentrate on modelling and I have made a fair amount of progress in the last 6 months. Then I went to E3 this year and was enlightened. I was visiting a game development studio with a friend (he was fixing bugs in their E3 demo) and I had a chance to wander around the artists' area. Looking at their concept art and thinking back to the models I had seen in their games I realized that while I was confident I could reach their level of creativity and skill, it would take me somthing like 10 years to achieve! Meanwhile, I had just sat in a room full of professional game programmers and had felt completely at home and was able to offer them worthwhile suggestions. That was I realized that, while I will always have artistic tendencies, I really should be a programmer.
This, however, led me back to my original frustration over having to rely on casual artists who really aren't concerned with my vision of the game and feel that I should be grateful that they modelled anything at all for me. That is not to say to that I am not grateful to any artist who helps me out =) but sometimes I have something specific in mind and if the artist decides to make it differently then tough for me.
It seems to me that in order to get exactly what I want I am going to have to offer money for it. I have started this with a post in the Help Wanted Ads (www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=project&page=view.job&qid=1570) but I wanted to get some feedback from others on whether or not they felt the amount I am offering is fair. For simple characters I was thinking in the $15-$25 range, depending on the amount of animations required. Later (my current project is only going to use simple models), I was thinking of offering around $50 for more complex models (a fully animated dragon for example ;) I know this won't buy me any professional modellers but I figure it would be sufficient to entice some talented ametuers w/o killing my bank account. I was thinking that payment would be on delivery once I satisfied with the model (looking at screenshots and avi's of the animations).
So what do you think? Does this sound reasonable? Think I'm a retard? Chime on in!
This, however, led me back to my original frustration over having to rely on casual artists who really aren't concerned with my vision of the game and feel that I should be grateful that they modelled anything at all for me. That is not to say to that I am not grateful to any artist who helps me out =) but sometimes I have something specific in mind and if the artist decides to make it differently then tough for me.
It seems to me that in order to get exactly what I want I am going to have to offer money for it. I have started this with a post in the Help Wanted Ads (www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=project&page=view.job&qid=1570) but I wanted to get some feedback from others on whether or not they felt the amount I am offering is fair. For simple characters I was thinking in the $15-$25 range, depending on the amount of animations required. Later (my current project is only going to use simple models), I was thinking of offering around $50 for more complex models (a fully animated dragon for example ;) I know this won't buy me any professional modellers but I figure it would be sufficient to entice some talented ametuers w/o killing my bank account. I was thinking that payment would be on delivery once I satisfied with the model (looking at screenshots and avi's of the animations).
So what do you think? Does this sound reasonable? Think I'm a retard? Chime on in!
About the author
By day, I am a senior programmer at The Playforge, makers of the popular iPhone game Zombie Farm. By night, I work on my own games as Night Heron Games. I am an ex-GarageGames employee who helped ship TGE, TGEA, Torque 3D, and Constructor.
#42
If 'content packs'(see Jeff's comments above) were to go on sale here at GarageGames, what would people like to see in them and how much would they be willing to pay.
08/02/2002 (9:45 am)
Sorry to resurrect an old thread. I am interested in getting some feedback. If 'content packs'(see Jeff's comments above) were to go on sale here at GarageGames, what would people like to see in them and how much would they be willing to pay.
#43
You've got a good question though, i would be intrested in what people would want... Why not start a new thread??
08/03/2002 (8:44 am)
Joe did you really need to get this thing back, now every one knows i am slacking..... You've got a good question though, i would be intrested in what people would want... Why not start a new thread??
#45
11/25/2005 (6:01 am)
I'd guess that it died over 3 years ago.
#46
Whats worse, its hard to get programers to do what you ask, for some reasion they alllways wish to rewrite whole systems, then fluff off, insted of working with what is there =)
For the record, i charge about 10$ an hour to model and texture.
The worst part, is making the model have the requirements of the "game" in question, haveing that as a clear discription or document, and RIGING, modling isnt the "hard" part..its RIGING the model so it supports all the required "abilitys" the game requires.. Player avatar are the worst and most compleax depending on the game, Static or wondering NPC's are not so much.
11/25/2005 (9:25 am)
Funny, i can say that same thing that the OP did about Programers.Whats worse, its hard to get programers to do what you ask, for some reasion they alllways wish to rewrite whole systems, then fluff off, insted of working with what is there =)
For the record, i charge about 10$ an hour to model and texture.
The worst part, is making the model have the requirements of the "game" in question, haveing that as a clear discription or document, and RIGING, modling isnt the "hard" part..its RIGING the model so it supports all the required "abilitys" the game requires.. Player avatar are the worst and most compleax depending on the game, Static or wondering NPC's are not so much.
#47
Does anyone know if Pascal Bos ever delivered the Wizard model?
11/25/2005 (9:51 am)
...Wow, read the whole thing, then got to the comments by Keith and Josh and then realized it was like 3 years old. So much for the my comments on the subject.Does anyone know if Pascal Bos ever delivered the Wizard model?
Torque Owner Pascal Bos