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A question for the fine folks who use scripts or make script requests.

  • TDS
  • 07/27/2014 12:34 AM

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Pages: 1
Let's say a person or group of people create a thread on a forum and focus on fulfilling script requests and answering questions. I fully
understand that most forums have a "help" section, but this person or group would be obligated to take a look at all requests and unless the
request is impossible for them to do they would at least provide a reason or alternative for turning it down.

In short it would a dedicated service to make sure as many people as possible get their requests met and questions about scripts answered.

How do you feel such a person or group of people should be compensated for their time and work?
(Of course I'm willing to listen to the arguments against compensation of any kind as well.)
I guess it would depend on how detailed certain requests would be. There's a huge difference between a script line changing the font vs creating a whole new battle system from scratch.

Now, I don't know the first thing about pricing, but I'd imagine maybe having a donation option for smaller scripts that are simple works would work, while offering larger payment options for more detailed custom scripts would be okay.

My sole experience with paying for scripts was with a custom shop menu script and it cost a flat rate of $20, which I was happy to pay. The creator offered to help out if there were any issues and with some graphical creations on top, but I feel it was a good deal in and of itself. She didn't seem to mind the amount and I didn't mind paying it.

I don't know, if someone is willing to pay a certain amount for your help then that should be fine. Hell, really you should base it on how detailed the script is or how many hours you worked on it I guess.
I see.

Since you've commissioned someone before and I hope you don't mind me asking. What would you feel would be a fair price for a full battle system if it were up to you to decide the price? For example, one like this:



Also, would you be ok if the person who made you a script requested that you donate to a charity rather than paying them directly or would you be worried about not being able to receive a refund later down the line?
I don't have any direct plans for anything major involving rgss coding, but how do you feel about working for future profit of a commercial game? So for example, if you were to help me code the entire game you will get 25% of total profits. Probably with a cap of a few thousand dollars(best case scenario). But nothing upfront.
It depends on the person and how much work they need for their game.

Sadly the cap makes the gamble a loss from the start for the programmer. If the cap is 2000$ and the game sells like cold water on a hot desert then you get payed well for your work, but once you reach the cap your return on investment stops.

On the other hand if the game sells like ice cubes on a tundra, you make nothing and the person who hires you loses nothing for it either other than time.

Either way the person hiring risks little to nothing while the person being hired risks major losses and lost opportunities.

In that situation I would only invest if the person has been known to finish their projects or has had past successes. And of course work a better deal. 25% until a cap is reached then a much lower residual for taking the risk with my initial investment, like 5% or lower.
Well those numbers are just examples and yea there's so many variables. I plan to pretty much do everything myself, but that kind of pay structure is something I've been thinking about if I do ever ask people to work with me. For me to do it, my emphasis would be on making sure the return for the coder is sufficient.

Of course, if I get a kickstarter there could be up front money.
I would strongly advise against using kickstarter to fund your project unless the money needed is a large sum and even then I would advise against it.

I've worked on about 8 kickstarter projects so far and nearly all of them have grossly underestimated the costs of labor and the time required to finish the project in a satisfactory manner (stuff happens and most backers don't want excuses). There is also the added pressure and deadlines which just don't help in providing a healthy work environment.

Since you're doing everything yourself you can probably shop around and see who gives you the best bang for your buck or even get most of the scripts for free if you write your requests small enough for most scripters to find easy to do (you'd be amazed at how easily you can get a script done for free if you use the right words, even some you might think would be expensive to do.)

That way you can probably save enough to the point that you may be able to budget the rest of the work you can't get for free from your own funds (it's a risk, but you keep all the money at the end for yourself).

But yeah, best of luck on your project with whichever route you choose to take with it.
I don't think anyone would mind if you were asked to donate to a charity instead. In fact, I think that'd make them more likely to want to pay. The whole 'being seen as doing a good deed and getting something out of it too' factor. Some people would probably prefer that.

A full fledged battle system like that? No real idea. It would have to be between you and your client, really. If you really have no good idea, work out an hours spent * x rate and quote them that. If they're willing to pay, then good! If not, then perhaps offer a 'discount' if you feel the price is a bit too high.

But remember - it's your time spent doing this work (time you can never get back!) and there will be people who waste it if given the chance. Keep in mind that whatever cost you decide on, leave a clause in for you to either back out if they give off bad vibes/get too demanding or allow for more time (and thus, more pay) than you initially expected. The client might be very picky about what they want and something that seemed a short job might turn out to be a lot longer (and more detailed) so allow for some breathing room in pricing just in case.

Also, be on the lookout for those who try to wrangle free work out of you by saying they want one thing, checking it out (thus getting the coding) and then completely changing the plan so they get two things instead. There are people out there who do that, sadly.

Personally, I'd say go hourly. Think of it like a job - a side job perhaps, but work non-the-less. Even if you enjoy it, it's still work and thus, you're entitled to something for the time you spent doing it. ^.^)b

(And don't over-fret about finalising prices. Take them as they come and take the time to learn what your skills are worth.)
I think I might have phrased my question wrong or my English has finally truly gone off the rails. I am well aware of the price I would charge for the battle system myself, I was just asking what you felt would be a fair price if it were up to you to decide the price (a guess would have been fine).

I also already do commissions so I also full well know the prices I charge for my time and work. I'm just curious (as well as other scripters I talk to) about what kind of prices different communities settle on for similar works. And of course their views on different types of compensation.
I wouldn't want to pay per hour for this kind of thing. Bugs would end up being cash bombs heh

I don't have much experience with rgss and I would want to learn a little about it to understand the difficulty of scripting certain things. Menu stuff seems easier than a battle system. Amount of lines of code and difficulty would be the main factor. I would expect that any further time be compensated but not with much. Fixing bugs or plain mistakes. A little more for something I think of after the fact and is a simple addition.

I would probably pay more for coding than for music/art.

Btw, I'm already intent on making a kickstarter but only after I have a fair amount of work done on the game and a demo. I may make a game or two in Ace so I will keep you in mind for any work I need done.
Well, if you have any RGSS questions or would like to learn how to make simple scripts feel free to ask. I can't promise you'll make a battle system in a day, but I've found it's not that hard to explain the basics in an hour.

I'll also try and use the IRC for live questions.
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