What % of game revenue, upfront payment, and/or other forms of payment should I offer when trying to hire a good permanent scripter for a complex game? (Estimation)
I myself cannot program well, and my friends and I all are passionate about developing which has led to us thinking about creating a well-done successful game. Scripting is a mandatory and key component that can’t be avoided when trying to do this so this is why I’m asking.
I’ll be doing building, UI design, 3D modeling, and of course managing all this while my other peers have work split doing animating, clothing design, and graphic design.
By a “complex game” I mean games that involve upgrading systems, in-game asset buying systems, level up systems, and etc. I’m probably not being too clear about this, and there’s probably LOTS of components that need to be thought about when deciding payment, but I would like to find an estimation. The point is that me and my friends have the pursuit to develop a well-done games like the ones on the front page currently.
If you really want a well-done game that is rich and complex like you describe, and one capable of bringing and retaining players, a very experienced and good scripter is required. There are not many scripters that meet this requirement that are willing to work for free or even for only a percentage. I would say that a good scripter capable of your requirements should take at least 50-65% of game revenue (especially if the scripter is permanent), and the upfront payment depends. If the game is big, the upfront payment should also be quite large, somewhere upwards of at least 50-100K Robux.
Technically this is correct however there’s a lot to take into consideration before proceeding with the payment.
Can you trust the programmer you’ve selected.
Can you afford to risk x amount knowing that amount isn’t guaranteed to be 100% compensated either due to poor marketing or your partner abandoning you throughout production.
Are you fully aware of how all your ideas, and potential contributions to the project can either be parodied or stolen without your consent by your partner?
You should be 100% confident in your decision before deciding who you’ll be working with long term. Once the payment is received there’s 0 further obligation of the programmer, there’s many programmers with poor work ethic yet high skillset.
My personal checklist:
Does the programmer claim he/she is available for a long term commitment ? If so, make sure they’re not occupied with other projects. Minimum you should tolerate is 1 alternative project however 2+ alternative projects is a red flag.
Is the programmer presently capable of fulfilling all the tasks given? If not, is the programmer willing to invest x amount of time into learning the necessary criteria.
Is the programmer financially stable? The reasoning as to why this is important is how those who aren’t financially stable are 50% likely to claim valid excuses as to why they’re incapable of contributing to the project on a daily, weekly, or even a monthly rate.
Has the programmer had any previous altercations with other developers? If so, how was the altercation addressed? Any developer with previous acts of theft, or slander should be avoided unless it’s out of desperation and should be contracted work only.