Hello everyone.
For the past year I've been working on building a video game (bad choice bro since oversaturated market, little returns, etc.). I'm doing the coding part pretty easily, but I can't for the love of God find a good 3D designer. I don't wanna quit my project (I don't like leaving loose ends) since if I get a good designer to be dedicated one month, I can launch the game.
I've searched for and talked to over 20 people. Some said no, some asked for money (I specifically stated that I'm working pro-bono and I would like them to work pro-bono, and we could share the profits, if any), some asked for thousands of dollars, some said they'd do it and disappeared, some started working and stopped after 2 days, some started working and slowed down to a crawl (no progress from 1 month already), and some straight up didn't answer.
What I learned from this: either I'm an exceptionally retarded people's person and can't convince someone of something if my life depended on it; or 3D designers have horrible personalities, work ethics, drive/ motivation, etc.; OR any combination of both.
What do you think is the issue? What do you recommend?
lietruth 9y ago
This is not a red pill issue.
R3v4mp3d 9y ago
I'm not sure if I'm the problem or people are the problem. I wanna identify and correct the issue.
TheFirsh 9y ago
3D is not something people can do in their bedroom as a professional. It's fine as a hobby but to really be good at it you need to be within a company. Reason: with more people on the project the more specific task each can do, also access to render farm. Real pros work on large scale projects in a company. I've learnt 3D but since I always wanted to work from home I didn't choose to work in that field as I'd only become a someone if I worked somewhere. There are way less 3D freelancers than coder freelancers out there. It could be that you just picked those that couldn't get a job and were only doing 3D as a hobby. Those kind of people would generally want to see a salary as soon as possible and don't believe in the long term magic of royalties.
lietruth 9y ago
I would say your terms are the problem. Most designers don't work for free (I'm a web designer/developer and I wouldn't work for free even for a friend) unless there's promise of company stock etc.
Maybe the cohort that you're drawing designers from has a bad attitude. Try looking on Dribbble or PMing someone in a designer subreddit.
R3v4mp3d 9y ago
I understand what you're saying, but when I say that I'm offering a % of the profits, doesn't that implicitly suggest that I'm offering a part of the company (indirectly)?
Also, why would everyone be so optimistic as to think that this will make millions and they need to assure themselves a slice of the pie? I tell them that I'm working on it as a side project and that they should do the same.
Regarding the source: I've tried 3-4 different forums until now (I'll admit to not trying reddit though) and I got the above results.
lietruth 9y ago
Sure. But why not skip the implicit, and offer it directly? Way more clear and upfront. People are more likely to see that as an offer and not just an implicit suggestion.
Right. But you're seeing it from your perspective here. People care about themselves. Their slice of the pie is what is important to them. What's in it for them? What flavour is the pie? How many hours a week do they need to work on the pie? Is it in the oven yet?
My suggestion is craft out a offer letter (professional) with explicit terms. Stating their share, the commitment from them, VC interest (if any) and any other details.
If someone came to me with that, I'd be way more likely to work with them, rather than just asking them to work with me for free for a possible % of the profits.
R3v4mp3d 9y ago
I understand your point but people have too high egos and think they're gonna strike gold if they just look around the corner. I told everyone that they could consider this a great working experience and add it to their portfolio. I was willing to showcase the coding and the levels that I designed until now, yet still people are looking more from your direction: waiting for the next Blizzard-like company to call their phone telling them how good they are and how fat their paycheck will be.
While your point is valid, I presume it applies only with professional designers that are industry heavyweights. Funny thing: I actually contacted a Blizzard designer over this job and offered it to him as a hobby. He looked into it, told me that he would love to work on the idea but only paid (since he already has many ongoing projects), and gave me a quotation. That's already far better than most people who just don't answer or are already asking me what their pay will be on their very first reply.
Honestly I don't even have a company, and I'm still thinking on the game's name. I consider that such things are trivial if I don't have the product. I wouldn't open a shop tomorrow if I knew I didn't have merchandise to sell.
I'm looking for aspiring designers that are trying to make a name for themselves, increase their portfolio, show off their skill.
Given the above, is the problem still on me?
lietruth 9y ago
I gave you the advice that has worked for me. I convert around 80% of my leads into customers. Sometimes I even get graphic designers to do work for free for me.
It's all about framing it. I'd say listen to my advice (try it). Trust the process & see if it works. If it fails I'll send you a $5 Starbucks card. Win-win
R3v4mp3d 9y ago
Thank you for the advice both you and u/harkrank are suggesting the same thing, so you're probably right. I'll give it a try in the near future, after I'm done dealing with the current designer that offered himself. (great start, not so sure about how it will end though)
Thank you for the explicit advice and for your time.
lietruth 9y ago
Did it work?
lietruth 9y ago
You're welcome.
[deleted] 9y ago
[deleted]
R3v4mp3d 9y ago
Thank you very much for the highly elaborate answer. It puts many things into light and it reminds me of some self realisations also: working with people is so hard in of itself and the pay doesn't make up for it (hence why I want my own business); making video games is a semi-dead industry (I wanted to build aome interesting titles with a lot of innovation brought in, but the market is oversaturated, and my friends -which I consider a representation of the average gamer- are only interested in playing hyperpopular titles or games that have nothing really interesting in them. They will be enticed some good titles, but finding them is like trying to find a wreckage while fishing in the ocean.
I just wanna finish the project and not work with people on business again (me and them being on the same level). Slightly off topic: what lucrative business would you suggest that requires little manpower?