I just read a post (see link below) and, passing the glory bit about doing well on Steam, I see NOTHING in here that would attract a skilled developer:
I think you are way off base, I think its a great post. Its very clear they aren’t looking for your standard freelancer, they are looking for someone who fits their way of doing things and their seemingly brusque personalities.
A job ads purpose is to find a person who will fit the requirements, not to attract as many offers as possible. Seems they are specifically trying to filter out people that don’t fit, they filtered you out (and me too)… seems they are doing a good job of it.
PS I will add that I didn’t like the bit where they say their project is bigger and much better than everyone else’s, but at least they believe in their project.
Apart from the tone of that post, which I can only describe as incredibly condescending , they are at least defining what they want and what they expect. The holier than you attitude is really off-putting though.
It would also be much better if they followed the what you will not be paid with section with a what we will pay you for section. Also, little confused by “working out bugs on your own pc” - fixing bugs is a huge part of work for a developer, are you saying that bug squashing is unpaid? Or only bugs that effect my PC ? If it is the first, count me out.
“Time spent “researching” how to do the tasks we’ve asked you to do.” - So please define this? A lot of developing is by its very nature research - researching how to implement system (there are often many choices to get the same result)
researching how to integrate it into the existing codebase (again many choices). Sometimes you might want to test a couple of approaches before deciding on the best way. Is this all unpaid?? Again if so, you are making me work for free so count me out.
That said, their project, their rules but as I can see this leading to a lot of free work for them, no thanks.
Not all game dev studios are professional outfits. These guys are very non professional. It’s their studio, their advertisement reflects the studio itself. At least it’s honest.
If you like a bit of professionalism in your work, stay well clear. If you are worried about @zombiegorilla 's legal team, stay well clear. If you have any shred of sanity, stay clear.
But if you want to run the risk that this project goes somewhere and you actually get paid. And you like the idea of working with a couple of bozos like the current game devs, then go for it.
On a general note I typically include research time and bug fixing time in my freelance contracts. Any time I spend on google gets charged to the clients. I also don’t (currently) sign on to work exclusive on projects. So the jobs not for me.
Well, they DID forget to mention how much they’re paying.
Although this part was amusing:
I actually like that.
I think you have a very strict idea about “how things should be done”, and are trying to push your standards onto others. I wouldn’t do that. If those guys want semi-informal work relationship, I don’t see a problem with that. As long as they aren’t asking to work for free, that is.
The last person we hired last month, we ended up paying them more than we agreed.
The purpose is not to say "We have this evil abrasive work atmosphere so you’d better be ok with abuse, bitch!". The purpose is to scare off the hundreds, and hundreds of emails you get like that boredmormon guy above, who see your project as an entity they can bleed dry while they admit to screwing around on google at their clients’ expense.
Those types, yes we can most definitely live without.
What he feels entitled to is essentially charity. It’s “pay me, and not that guy from Bangladesh who works ten times harder for 1/10th the pay because… Well first off, I speak English better and second if you don’t, you’re an unprofessional bozo… You’re so unprofessional, you bozo!”
I have it within my power to give one individual who scribbles their name in blood next to mine a very good living for many years to come, but just one. Somewhere out there, that person is hoping to get found. Just like my partner was in 2014 before I found her, who went on to join me in building what we have today. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours.
Now we’re on Steam making a good-enough living to plan the next phase; Which is scour the internet the same way I did when I found her for that next lost-soul willing to put it on the line to turn our duo into a triad and share in the spoils. In order to find gold in the pan, first you must collect a fist-full of mud, then filter out all that which is dead-weight, and believe me, when you put up a help-wanted post on the Unity forums, you get more mud than you can possibly process. It’s best to filter out as much as you can before it ever hits your inbox.
Ouch. Not sure I deserved that. But it definitely illustrates the point. As I said earlier, I’m not the guy for this job. Your description has done a good job of making sure I don’t apply. It would be a nightmarish experience for both of us.
You are looking for a very specific person with a very specific work ethic to work in a specific environment. Your job description does a good job of explaining that. More power to you.
I didn’t intend to insult with my comments. I apologise if I gave any. I probably could have worded my thoughts a little better.
This is a very apt description. Both as employer and as a freelancer.
Have you tried directly contacting people that you would be interested in working with? It might seem like more work at first, but I’m not actually convinced that it really is. Like you said, you put a job offer online and then get flooded with crap applications. If I was looking to hire I’d be trying to find someone competent and compatible and then ask that person directly if s/he is interested.
Martin_H is right. But then you will be dealing with people who will be, justifiably, demanding a good rate per hour. Probably more than a small two man operation could afford. Unless you could agree some kind of profit share.
Probably gleaned from some of the reviews, such as:
“First off they stole assets from Star Wars Galaxies (audio, and some graphics)”
and
“You never even removed the Teras Kasi Artist name from the brawler line in the skill tree.”
That’s actually a requirement in the Job Offering forum - no public discussion of pay is allowed, it always has to be done privately. Legal reasons, apparently.
The dominant theme in the steam reviews is that the game is built with stolen assets from a Star Wars game. Ergo the reference to our friend from Disney.