Hello, I’m Sukirise. Cutting right to the chase, my dev studio/group is struggling quite a bit. We haven’t completed a single game and most of the time we (or I) abandon almost every game. And if I’m being honest, I’m the one at fault here for starting a dev group without any knowledge on how to manage one.
My main questions are:
Aside from builders and scripters, what other jobs are essential for a dev group like mine?
What does the lead developer (me) oversee?
How do I motivate the developers (myself included)?
If you have any advice, please reply. Anything helps.
I notice this happens to a lot of developers and even myself have gotten trapped in this exact problem. Essentialy the problem your facing is that your trying to make a game with other people but because you have other people doing the work, you start to slack because you think other people will do your job, then the person who wasn’t slacking notices that you can do the work so he slacks, in the end everyone isn’t really doing anything thus giving less motivation.
To be completely honest, I now just work alone on projects instead of with other people. Too much of a hassle tbh… Wouldn’t recommend it, though if your still trying to know how to do it I’d recommend sitting down with them in a voice call and just talking, make sure that everyone knows what they’re doing, and they are all prepared to get there hands dirty!
Essentially over all operations, such as if your game is functioning correctly or if your other developers are doing their job efficiently. Making sure they are doing what they’re supposed to do will contribute to success in your game
Get to know them better and engage with them frequently. The more you know about them, the better you know their interests and can accommodate
Set constant, realistic goals. Saying “I want this game completed to these specifications in two months” is a much bigger goal and is much harder to attain than “This week, I would like these few assets made and this game mechanic functioning” or something.
There is a concept in management and fitness called “SMART goals.” This means a goal should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented. Achieving a few of these goals a week or even a day will leave you and your team feeling like you accomplished something and will even help to keep you motivated as well!
research how to manage teams for 1
2 maybe hire your team out to make some money
3 make a super easy game (obby, tycoon, or simulator) something that you can finish within 2-3 weeks so small chance of abandoning it
4 Set up a trello or other project management thing so you can manage your team more effectively and they always know what to do next
5 Good ways to motivate your team. Throughout development show them custom bought music or GFX when they seem a little down so they get more hype for the game
Fire anyone who isn’t doing their job correctly after a plan has been put in place, and use the money you would have paid for someone else. If you’re the Lead Developer, you’re the boss. You are the boss of the other developers, kind of like a CEO bossing around a normal employee.