Quote: Original post by Agreenknight
What you might want to do is do something with their school, something like a youth apprenticeship. Also, don't give a preset amount of royalty. After they do something, then give them a percentage like .o1 percent. That way you avoid giving royalties too soon without them doing some work.

I think you should set your sites lower. Keep It Simple, Make IT Fun. 60,000 is a drop in the bucket when your talking about making a mmo type games. Sure you might be able to save some on salaries but there is still lots to be done. Sure you can make a mmo game. You could put that money in the bank, and draw nice interest to pay some people you need done.

Another thing is your team, used to working together? Another reason to start small is then you can build the story. You can have a character in the single player rpg roll over to your mmorpg.

There are other means of getting this game advertised. Have you drawn up a business plan? A game document? Doing this will help you get financing later on if need be and it would help to show to a publisher.

Don't mean to be harsh

No worries! In contrast, you've done a good job of being both encouraging and realistic.

Actually, a handful of our high school team members are recieving credit for working on the game as an apprenticeship. It's definitely a nice bonus. Of course, it'd be nice to offer them something better than school credit. ^^

As for setting sights lower: There's nothing wrong with having high hopes, so long as one understands the difficulties and requirements of meeting them, and does so- one bite at a time.

Yes, our team is used to working together. Many of us have been together for almost a year-to-date. And yes, starting small is one way to go. We have our reasons for starting with an MMO. If you'd like to hear them, let me know.

And yup. We most certainly won't -just- be using commercial advertising. Grassroots worked miracles for iRO. ;)

Yes, we have game documentations and other preparatory documentation.

Good luck artifex. I'd like to know how it all goes.

I am sure many people would be interested in hearing what the lawyer has to say on the issue - it will certainly help those who are, or may soon be, in a similar position.

http://www.v-worlds.net/content.php?article.181

While I dont' know the guy personally, I know him by forum posts.

Anyway, I have some experience with mmo's myself. If you have everything figured out, why are you posting on this forum? Again don't mean to be harsh. This isn't ment to be legal advice btw just an option you might persue.

Quote: If you have everything figured out, why are you posting on this forum?

'Cause I never claimed to have everything figured out. ;) I'm here to learn. And I sure as 'ell better, since the direction of my career could very well be contigent upon the success of this project.

Anyway, that article does an excellent job of telling me why not to hire underaged laborers. I've already heard the arguments, and they aren't going to be stopping me any time soon. I take the government's theory that kids don't have brains and shouldn't have power very personally, and it goes against my own mantra to give in to it. I really don't see it to be at all beneficial to remove people from our team that have been working together for just shy of a year simply because it's a hassle to deal with them.

And no. I won't break any laws. Even if it means flying with half a parachute for a while. But I'm also not gonna fire half of my team to cover my own arse.

It seems to me, simply from an objective standpoint, that my career would be in more jeopardy if I was to purge away most of my help than to leave a handful of patches in my parachute open.

Anyway, if I hear anything more, I'll most certainly keep you guys updated. ^^

If you continue working with these kids you will need to factor in two additional points.

1. They can't work the same hours so it will take more staff to get the work done. You will need to plan your team accordingly.
2. Many people don't have the commitment necessary to finish a game. Its great when they start out and its fun but when it gets to the tough stuff they crack. This is even more likely with children. The Internet is littered with games that died because the teams started up well enough but then lost interest when they got to the tough part (or discovered girls). You will need to keep an ear to the ground for new talent to replace the drop outs.

One thing you should consider is when are they are off from school, this could be sometime to pick up some cash. Also are these employees or independant contractors? There could be a difference. I can't tell you the problems disgruntled people can cause. There are other articles on the site I mentioned on project management, so you might want to read up on them.

Quote: but then lost interest when they got to the tough part (or discovered girls).

Thats gold. Pure gold.

Quote: Original post by kooktroop

Quote: but then lost interest when they got to the tough part (or discovered girls).

Thats gold. Pure gold.

And very true, sadly.

Don't worry- I understand, if nothing else, the dangers of working with uncontracted young'ns. I've fired "dead weight", and I've hired replacements for them. I know who I can trust to stick around for the long haul, and who I should probably start looking to replace. Out of the ten underaged team members, five have been with the team for at least 7 months. The others are still proving themselves capable of dedication.

*nods*

Trust me: I know why most indie games fail. ^^ We've stuck to our guns for a long time.