TDC Article about teaming|
--------------------------
- - - - - - - - - -
Summary
- - - - - - - - - -

-Introduction
-How it works
-Timeline
-Guide on taking and being in a team
-Closing


- - - - - - - - - - - -
Introduction
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Hi! I'm writing this article, because the biggest flaw in klik game makers is the lonelyness. I have red lot's of articles about: Sleep well, Thing only 1 project, Don't make super projects. Those articles are good, but they show how unprofessional (yes, that's right) klik games are. I'm talking unprofessional, because every game feels the same. There is few who can do outstanding graphics and understand coding, so this is the basic in teaming. The rest should join their forces and start to do games together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How it works?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1)First you need good game plan. It should have story, basic game idea, number of levels, info what kind of levels, boss plans, what kind of music and battle plans etc. The plans should be pretty detailed so everyone can see that if the game is worth of making.

2)Second you need good team leader. He/She should be motivated to get the game done and he/she should be good at commanding other people (Not pushing too hard, but not getting too slopy either). Also the team leader can do coding or graphs, but mainly he's keeping the team together. Also he gives interview's, writes devlogs, assemples the team, gives weekly tasks and makes sure the tasks are done on deadline.

3)Artists: You need 4 types of artist in game (not always).

A)Designer: Usually this is the man who designed the hole game. Nothing goes always as planned so you need to make changes and improvise, this is why the designer have to be there.

B)Composer: If the plan says there need to be 21 different music for 42 maps. Then the musician does the musics and he's part in making the game is over. Easy, eh? Well musician can always make the musics better and better. And there is many games which are known only by the musics. So those are important of making decent game.

C)Pixel artist: There is so many ways to do pixel art, so I succest there would be only few guys doing the art. One can animate and other does the rest or one makes npcs,player,items and enemies and other backround. There is hard to teach others to draw differently.

D)Level creator

4)Coder: Every project needs main coder who does engine and stuff, but there can be few seconary coder also. They can do some editorial programs, help main coder doing things or just giving some advices.

5)Betatesting: At this point I think anyone can be betatesters. So go on some forums and find few.

- - - - - - - - -
Timeline
- - - - - - - - -

There is always good to have somekind of timeline plans. Deadline is first thing to do. Teamleader or designer sets some deadline, which is the base of all time in need of use in gamemaking. In klik games there is one profit compared to big game companies like EA. You don't have to realease the game on deadline day, you can stretch it bigger. Deadline can be used to split amount of work in some smaller time. For example composer needs to make 9 music tracks. Deadline is 9 weeks, so then teamleader can put hes weekly task: Make 1 track a week. If he needs one week more, then the deadline can be stretched into 10 weeks.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Guide on taking and being in a team
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Teamleader:
-In making team, take mainly relialable members. (Friends, relatives) You know them so if they are always as schezuled and does good work
-Give members time and don't push too hard
-There is always delay, so don't fear that. You are making klik game, so you have all the time you need.
-Make meeting weekly with hole team via irc,forums, etc.

Member:
-Do all tasks in given time, or disguss with teamleader if you can't do because of some reason. So he would give you more time.

- - - - - - - - -
Closing
- - - - - - - - -

I think first reaction in this article would be: It doesn't work that way.
Then I would say:Why then it works on EA.
Then someone says:Because they are on the same room 24/7 and get paid.

I think teaming will work. (not always, but if proberly made then yes) You don't have to be in one room or get paid, you just have to get along with people. 2 Years ago, in maplefin forums I was in samekind of situation. No one believed, that I found hack, where I would hit 99999. I showed pictures of it, but none believed. Until 5 other confirmed the hack, then everyone tried and saw it worked. The problem is also on TDC, none believes until one team makes game.

I hope there would be one group, who will do a game in team and show the others. And after that TDC would have lot's of these groups. It could make TDC games more colorfull. Not meaning by graphics, I'm meaning about different kind of games or new game systems etc. Because if this delays, then we are doomed to play shoot the peach 4 and platformers until end of our lives...


-NeoMonkey