Making My First Game - What do I need to do to run an efficient dev team?

[Byakurent]

Hey guys, what's up? Sorry I haven't been around in ages (or, frankly, at all), I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues both IRL and just with myself in general. I hate to seem like one of those people that only come around when they need/want something. I want to get over my social anxiety and interact with the community more seeing as I wanna develop RPG Maker games like the rest of you.

Enough with the depressing stuff, I've come to ask you guys where and how exactly do you get started with your RPG Maker projects? I've got a lot of cool ideas for stories and characters and projects and whatnot, but I don't feel like I can really develop a game singlehandedly. I've tried starting up a full on development team for my previous project, Malachite, before, but after a while, it just kinda fell apart. (I still very much appreciate everyone for at least contributing though </3) I guess if I were to sum it up, it'd go something like this:

1.) How exactly do you join a dev team, even if it's someone else's and you wanna help out with things like artwork, story, sprites, etc.?
2.) How do you start your OWN dev team and manage to keep things steady and organized? My previous one fell apart because any sort of progress we did make would be rare lil chunks of inspiration for plot/characters on my part, and then because of other IRL/online things we would go off and do our own thing instead of working on the project. (No shade towards anyone of course.)
3.) What do you need to accomplish to make a decent game that feels complete? Plot, characters, sprites, combat if applicable, maps, etc.?

Sorry if this sounds all convoluted, I really have no idea what I'm doing and I wanna evolve from a wannabe writer/artist to an indie game developer with a tightly-knit team to help out. Any sort of advice you have would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Byakurent]

Oh my goodness, I just realized I posted in the wrong area, could someone move it to General Discussion or something? I don't know what to do, I'm so sorry!

 

[Milennin]

1. There's a section on the forum where you can find people requesting team members.
2. You're most likely going to have one of these when recruiting:
-Have at least finished one game that looks good, so people can more easily trust in your skills as developer.
-Have a clear and realistic vision of your project.
-Request small roles, so people don't feel like they're working a full-time job on someone else's project. Do most of the work yourself.
But realistically speaking, don't put your trust in online randoms to get the job done for you. The best way to keep a real team rolling is by paying them real money to help out.
3. A lot of dedication.

 

[HexMozart88]

1. That's probably the easiest question. You just need to go into project recruitment, search for a project that suits your specific interests and requires a role that you're good at, then reply by stating your interest and possibly a bit of introduction. This can also be done in PMs.
2. I'm not overly well-versed in this, because the first and only time I attempted to start my own team, it was a complete disaster. However, if you actually have good teammates, you need to plan so that you don't give them needless work that won't be used, you need to update them frequently so that they know what's happening in the project or with you. Most importantly, you need to remember that it's a team. If it's a small team, everyone's going to have their own say in the game's development. Don't use everything they say or it will be a mess, but you will need to learn to compromise, as will your teammates. Also, as mentioned above, the purpose of a team is to fill in the gaps in your abilities as a dev, so your teammates shouldn't be making the game for you.
3. Same as above. Be dedicated, play other games, and don't bite off more than you can chew (ambition can be a good thing, but it shouldn't hinder you from completing a game and for a first project, going overboard is a bad idea).

 

[Restart]

For 2 and, 3, I'd suggest using the outlining structure Yanfly gives in "Let's make a game" comics as a beginning framework.

http://yanfly.moe/comics/

Once you have a clear A->B->C->D->Final Boss structure, with placeholders, it's considerably easier to outline what needs to be done and by who. And, if you take Yanfly's advice to start with the final boss, even if the dev team falls apart you'll be able to stitch together what did get done and have a grand finale.

 

[gstv87]

I guess one advice I can give you, is to keep everyone involved in the project at a need-to-know level.
that way, they'll all refer to you for advice, and you'll be the person calling the shots.

only send somebody to ask something from somebody else, when you know they won't go around your orders and make a mess of it.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

I've moved this thread to General Discussion. Thank you.