{"id":286,"date":"2010-01-07T20:06:51","date_gmt":"2010-01-07T10:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doolwind.com\/blog\/?p=286"},"modified":"2010-01-07T20:06:51","modified_gmt":"2010-01-07T10:06:51","slug":"building-a-strong-indie-game-development-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doolwind.com\/blog\/building-a-strong-indie-game-development-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Building A Strong Indie Game Development Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Are you looking to set up an independent game development team?\u00a0 You\u2019ll need a team that covers all areas of game development including programming, art, design, sound, project management and business.\u00a0 You need to pick the right people that can work together for months or even years.\u00a0 Below are some tips for putting the right team together to increase your chances of success.<\/p>\n

Roles<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Game development involves a number of common roles as well as some overlooked ones.\u00a0 Individual team members can handle multiple roles on smaller teams and some roles can be shared by more than one person.<\/p>\n

Programming<\/strong><\/p>\n

Programming on an independent team is about more than just game development.\u00a0 The programming department will be responsible for tools and website development.\u00a0 They will also have to handle the creation of the installer.<\/p>\n

Design<\/strong><\/p>\n

Design is one of the great areas it pays to share ownership.\u00a0 The designer has the final say on decisions and is the go to if people are unsure.\u00a0 They also maintain the game design document to unify the team.\u00a0 A wiki is a great way to collaborate on the design document.<\/p>\n

Art<\/strong><\/p>\n

The art department is responsible for not just game art but also creation of marketing material and web design.\u00a0 Artists need to work closely with the programmers to make sure technical requirements are met and to drive the requirements for tools.\u00a0 They also need to collaborate with design to make sure the look and feel of the game is met.<\/p>\n

Sound<\/strong><\/p>\n

Often overlooked, sound is vitally important to give atmosphere to the game.\u00a0 Sound should not be left to the last minute as it will feel disconnected and won\u2019t add as much to the game.\u00a0 The programmers should build the infrastructure for the sound early to allow experimentation.<\/p>\n

Project Management<\/strong><\/p>\n

Project managers are responsible for the velocity of the team (how much they are achieving each milestone).\u00a0 They need to be aware of when team members are falling behind and make sure everyone is performing their duties.\u00a0 Visibility is the key to making sure everyone on the team is aware of their current goals and deadlines.<\/p>\n

QA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without QA the game will be unplayable. \u00a0QA is another area that is good to share across the whole team. \u00a0The team should be playing the game constantly and fixing bugs as they go. \u00a0It is preferable to have non-programmers doing QA as it is easy for them to overlook issues in their own code. \u00a0Sharing the games with friends and having a beta-testing period is a great way to share the load.<\/p>\n

Business<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without someone managing the business side of game development, you may as well be making the game just for fun.\u00a0 One team member needs to be responsible for making sure the game will be profitable.\u00a0 The entire team needs to be mindful of the fact they are making a game for profit, not just fun.\u00a0 Business includes marketing, sales, business plan writing and possibly seeking funding.\u00a0 The team needs a business plan covering:<\/p>\n