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The Smart Approach to “Teams”
By UOK Games 2011

As a developer, I’ve seen several “teams” or “companies” come and go on various forums. I also am often asked how I recruit members since I seem to be successful in recruiting others. Well there are a few fundamentals we need to understand before attempting to establish a team or make a request for team members. The first and hardest thing to understand; don’t use teams in most cases.

A lot of people often are too quick to make team requests without learning the programming language or skills needed to begin. Any valuable team member should already have a few games or software titles under their belt before considering a “team”. After all everyone needs to be on the same page and generally around the same level of expertise.

The second fundamental you need to understand is prior friendship established. If you partner up with a complete stranger your opening yourself up to failure before you even get started. Common sense says questions like this: “who are you”, “can I trust you”, “are you dependable” and “are you a thief”. Remember guys/gals were working with ideas and non-copyright protected code/software. At any point in the project someone can walk away with the code, claim it as their own code/software and you cannot do a thing to prove it’s yours in most cases. Other issues that will likely occur is loss of motivation. Not everyone is self motivated or hard worker. At some point the project will become “work”. It will at some point become a chore more than a fun way to work.

Granted this is your passion most likely but at times it will become frustrating and seem never ending. So how nice of a person do you honestly think you will be to talk to during this time period? Probably not the nicest person to talk to on the block, in fact this is why I suggest establish “teams” with friends or people you know or have known for a period of time and who will not be easily offended by you or others. Most small projects stop because lack of motivation or fights between members. So it’s critical to understand your all people and friends working on a piece of software with real lives beyond the computer.

The next fundamental is getting games under your “teams” belt before attempting large projects. As a individual its great to get games completed and under your belt. So the same is true for you and your team. You need to learn to work as one and learn each other’s habits. Ultimately you build up a tolerance for each other and know what to expect from each other’s behavior. If you cannot get simple games completed together, how can you make big projects together? You can’t and that’s the point. Also need to keep it realistic when brain storming ideas as a team. Apart of having experience and being on the same level comes into play when designing levels, games, art, software, layout and other stuff related. If you want a 3D object in your game and it can only handle 2d objects. It’s not going to work at all and you need to explain this to everyone. Then you need to work on a solution to the problem.

The final fundamental is being established before “teaming” up. If you’re a small business such as myself, you need to establish yourself and company before building a team. It is true, I personally have requested help from others (artists mostly) in the past but I have an established small business. We can afford to take a small hit if the “team member” did not work out. If your business is so small you cannot afford to take a hit, then don’t risk it. In business we know we take risks. Every business owner knows we take a risk just by starting a business. As we organize our companies, we learn how to take calculated risks or as I call them educated risks. These are measured risks and offer very little “ripple” effects to your business and your finical situation. So be prepared for the worst when requesting a extra team member. If you can code it yourself in a timely fashion, then code it yourself and avoid the risk.

So how do I create successful teams in business? I follow these rules above. In order to join my team, you sit on the bench so to speak for awhile. After a year or longer of talking to you and helping you etc I might consider it. At that point it comes down to a calculated risk. So I ask myself the following:

Do I know you
Can I trust you
Are you skilled
Are you self motivated
Is this a good risk or is this a bad risk

I hope this article helps you understand teams and team requests better. Thanks for reading.

I thought this was a rather good post and you did make some good points, especially about having smaller projects under your belt before attempting the big ones, thanks!

aside from what I spotted [ gotta have this in check ]

From a fellow small businessman myself I must agree with all of the above mentioned and the harshness is welcome, I believe a wise businessman makes those selfish descisions, but its needed, sometimes you cant help everybody, sometimes you need to face reality and say, 'Can this be done?'

I hope to hear more constructive words from you Old_School

Yes very good point sorry I forgot to hit on that "Can this be done". First question you should ask your self before you even start any project.

Wise words there. I would love to work in a proper team, but I have never really had the pleasure. What I've noticed is, the people with all the skill and experience (a) have no time, and (b) what little time they have, they want to spend it on their own projects. This means you end up with a lot of less experienced people trying to make teams without the hardcore veterans there to hold it all together!

There has to be one key player, in my opinion. One core coder with the vision and the skill to do most of the legwork. Most of the older players here have had to become competent in all areas (coding, 3D modelling, texturing, 2D art and sound), in order to get projects finished. You need to have someone like that at the core.

After that, unless the other team members are getting paid, they really need to share the same vision. If someone asked me to help with a game, it'd HAVE to be a post-apocalyptic zombie survival game. Why? Because it's the only game I haven't made that I've always wanted to make. It's my dream game. It's the only way I could be counted on to stick with a project.

If your freebie team mates aren't long-term passionate about the core game concept, they will, with 100% certainty, do you over at some point and not deliver (unless it's a quick project).

...... so while we're on the subject, whose 1 single long term core dream, before they die, forsaking all others, including their wife and own bodily urges and desires, wants to make a realistic zombie survival game? Speak now, if you exist. <-- Cheeky smiley, but I ain't joking!

I would run everyone over to be able to make my dream come true (aka REAL ZOMBIE SURVIVAL a bit like Zombie Project, but 3d..)

EXCEPT my child, she comes first, even before that...

EVERYONE ELSE CAN SHOE THEMSELVES.

Quik - you really were quick >.<

I think Teams are best when they can meet once a month if running remotely/ad-hoc so to say...

But a good Team, would meet regulary to build that comeradary kind of connection, I intend to make a team like this one day. I plan to cover costs via my businesses. but I dont see myself making a team until i have covered the grounds and gotten a couple of apps/games under my belt as the general rule now goes.

I'm making something like this, but based in a minecraft style world.

I can honestly say Im not a Zombie fan. I would like to see a "Sims" zombie spoof for a joke but I personaly would not want to make it. i preffer to make simple tools and gadgits. However, I did just spend about a week on a "Mouse Maze" game. Their does not seem to be alot of puzzle games out their anymore. I mean really popular ones. Be nice to see someone make a really cool puzzle game.

The point about friendships is valid. The people who will help need to have a vested interest in your idea, since they are most likely not getting any sort of monetary incentive.

The problem with team-forming in this community is that almost everybody has gotten into TGC products because we are all budding game designers. In other words, the eventual thought is: [i]why should I work hard on YOUR idea when I have MY idea to work on?[i]

Completely true, which is why you have to share the same passion for the same game idea. When you discuss a game, you have to have the same long term goal (i.e. I've always wanted to make this game) and be on the same wavelength with regard to ideas. How often does that happen? Must be pretty rare.



Good man! I must admit, despite not being a fan of Project Zomboid (for various reason I won't discuss here), it has really captured my imagination and relit the fire to work on my own survival zombie RPG. It's good to see some other people share the same goal.

Work hard, young paddawan, and master your 3D art, for one day I may call upon you to craft the greatest zombie survival game of all time.

Me!