I want to buy art, but I cannot buy it from here...

[goldenhawk]

I want to buy art like tilesets made by users and put their names in the credits of my game, fortunately the forums don’t allow buying or selling of resources through the forums as it’s against the rules so that makes me think and wonder how do I go about buying tilesets custom made to fit what I need, you know without breaking the rules?

 

[JtheDuelist]

@goldenhawk It isn't against the rules- that is the whole reason why the Veteran role and the Classifieds board section even exists on this site. You have said role (Veteran is 30+ "meaningful" posts), so the Classifieds section is open to you.

 

[goldenhawk]

Thanks for the helpful information...

 

[TheoAllen]

AFAIK, the classified section only allows you to open a workshop or a request, i.e, commission. If selling a resource like open up your own store, it's going to rival the actual web store, which inappropriate. So you're only going to find services, not an actual resource being sold.

 

[goldenhawk]

Well that’s great but could I ask the services to make a tileset for me if I pay them for it first?

 

[Heirukichi]

Yes, as long as you contact the right person (or that person sends you a PM after you open a request thread), you can commission any tileset you want.

 

[MushroomCake28]

^
It's called a commission. In the classified section, there are 2 sections: requests and offers. It's pretty straightforward. Payment and any other kind of terms are determined contractually with the other person, there's no official rules. It is truly a pure contract between two parties.

 

[Andar]

@goldenhawk
the people who place classifieds offers usually describe what they offer and what payment they request in return.
Please keep in mind that these are usually exclusive and private resources and as such much more expensive compared to shop packs (which are not exclusive)

 

[goldenhawk]

@goldenhawk
the people who place classifieds offers usually describe what they offer and what payment they request in return.
Please keep in mind that these are usually exclusive and private resources and as such much more expensive compared to shop packs (which are not exclusive)

Thank you for bringing that up though the shop packs have nothing I need.

 

[Windows i7]

Well that’s great but could I ask the services to make a tileset for me if I pay them for it first?

Personally, I'd make sure you have it well documented what the terms are so that you have proof in case something goes wrong. Also, I have heard that sometimes it is better to pay half up front then pay the second half when the work is done.

 

[bgillisp]

Most people that do sprites will do a 32 x 32 tile if you ask them nicely I've found, if it is not an autotile. Though you'll pay about 1/4 the cost of a sprite per tile, which will add up fast, as that is about $3 - $5 per tile. So you will want to detail out in full what you want first, else you will end up like the member who paid $10,000 on art and ended up not using it in the end.

 

[NeoFantasy]

Wait, how do you end up paying $10,000 and not end up using it? How much would you even have to ask for to accumulate a cost of $10,000 on here. Most prices I've seen are really fair and even if you order a large amount shouldn't be more than a few hundred dollars to maybe a thousand or so. That's a lost of tiles and sprites.

 

[Heirukichi]

shouldn't be more than a few hundred dollars

Actually a single background parallax map drawn from scratch can costs more than $200. You only need 50 different maps like that to reach $10,000. In the end everything depends on how what you are looking for. If you do not plan things out, it is easy to think that you might need more than 50 custom maps (when you actually do not).

 

[bgillisp]

@NeoFantasy : From what I understood, the person who did that bought essentially a full custom tileset, all A - E and autotiles. Then they changed their plan for the game so it no longer worked for what they did.

I was pretty new here when they posted about it so I don't know the rest.

Though you should probably read Celianna's blog on the cost of a tileset if you order a full A - E set and autotiles and separate indoor/outdoor/dungeon sets. She did the math on the fair market price based on the time it takes to make them and came up with $16,000. Before taxes.

 

[NeoFantasy]

@Heirukichi I've never messed with parallax mapping, so I had no idea of the price. I can see how that can add up quickly.

@bgillisp Okay, I can see how that can happen now. Thank God for store assets XD That's a shame they didn't end up being used. For that price, I'd say it wasn't worth changing my game.

 

[Heirukichi]

For that price, I'd say it wasn't worth changing my game.

I wholeheartedly agree. I think that is the reasons why planning things beforehand is important (and why it is mentioned in every beginner tutorial in this forum).

 

[NeoFantasy]

planning things beforehand is important

I'm definitely guilty of not doing this. I always have a basic idea and flesh it out as I go along. This tends to work better in writting than in game development, but I get by it by restricting what I can change.

For example in my recent project I know the setting is a hospital, I know what the focus is and the general direction of the plot/ amount of characters. I can decide to add or remove a character or flip the plot around, but I can't change the setting as it's too far set in stone.

 

[bgillisp]

Yep, and even then not everyone listens. I think I got about $100 in art I can't use as I removed the characters from the story after I ordered the facesets for them. Granted, it was a late decision to drop the characters, and maybe they will appear in another game so maybe I'll still get it use it somewhere, but at least in this game, it is not going to be used.

 

[Heirukichi]

This tends to work better in writting than in game development, but I get by it by restricting what I can change.

Well, the truth is that games are a complex media. They involve both writing and software engineering, and as such, you should brainstorm every possible idea when you try do draw the guidelines of your game, and when doing so you can change them as much as you want, but when it comes to the engineering part, having a clear plan in mind (and possibly on paper) is necessary.

That is what most companies do, and they do it because it is effective. So, to go back on topic, the OP should plan things carefully before commissioning someone.

 

[bgillisp]

Right. Which is why I'd suggest making the game with placeholders first. See if you even like the idea of the game. Test it. Maybe even put out a demo with the placeholders still in place. Then once you are a few months along then commission the art. That will minimize the art you buy that end up not using in the end due to change of plans.