Burning Ambition Part 9-A: Managers, programmers and modellers, oh my

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Burning Ambition Part 9-A: Managers, programmers and modellers, oh my

by Christopher Buckner on Apr 23, 2008 at 11:00 AM

This week I will go over three things that are both a blessing and the biggest hardships that Burning Man Studios has faced to date: finding the right Project Manager and a number of skilled programmers (the blessings) and finding 3D modelers that are able to measure up to the artistic demands of production (the hardships).

First off, lets talk about one of the most underrated and overlooked members of your development team, the Production Manager (PM).

Project Manager

It is more than likely that most independent game developers will, in the beginning, overlook the role of PM. Often times the company CEO will take on this role but, really, any production needs someone that will be dedicated to the job around the clock since it is a job that seems to never end.

On paper, a PM doesn’t seem to really do that much. They oversee the basic goals and schedules of the team but don’t actually have much or any say in the general development of the game. They might look through all the job applications but don’t get to really be the person that decides on who gets hired or not. In the end, a PM does get to be the bad guy, as they must continuously nag all team members about getting work finished and in on time to meet deadlines. Having a person that is willing to take all the flack is key to any production.

Luckily for BMS, we managed to find Andreas Wieslander just when we began our restructuring phase at the end of 2007.

Since Andreas has joined the team, he has taken a lot of weight off of both my and Steven’s (the company director) shoulders as Andreas’ main job is to do a ton of research into various methods for funding, writing and maintaining job applications and corresponding with various team members and project leads.I only wish we had more for him to do, but already he is pulling his hair out (he now doesn’t have any) with all the paperwork. Better your PM does that than you, eh?

Programmers

To be honest, I know nothing about programming, nor do I want too. But what I do know is that having one great programmer over several okay programmers is key to development. While programmers might actually be one of the easier positions within your company to fill, as one programmer you might hire will probably have more programmer friends or acquaintance’s. Simple fact, you can never really have enough programmers on your project. While I can’t say that I know anything that they have to go through, I do know that the weight of the entire game is pretty much resting on their shoulders.

Programmers are normally pretty eager to join your gaming project, mainly because a lot of programmers need physical work in order to showcase their own talents in computer programing, AI, scripting and net-code. Without them, all of the art, story, sound and design in the world will mean nothing if you don’t have the people able to make things happen like they are suppose to in your game. If you are starting your own game or independent development company, then it is best that you understand programming to some degree. We at BMS have been fortunate so far to find some good ones. Why they are all German, we may never know.

3D Modeling

As I have already covered in Part Five, finding artists can and most likely will be the biggest headache for any independent development company. Luckily, finding 3D modelers is much easier as there are a number of popular web sites that you can request some 3D help with your project, such as but not limited too, Concept Art.org or Deviant Art. Both of these web sites have open forums where you can request help for your project. While you might not have any shortage of 3D modelers looking to join your team, finding those individuals that are capable of actually modeling what you are looking for, is the biggest pain we have faced to date.

About eight out of every ten people that apply to join our team are 3D modelers and for good reason. 3D applications are more available to users now than they have been in the past. You can’t have a game these days without having a full set of 3D models but, while many schools out there are teaching people how to use the various 3D programs now, they don’t really teach people how to make art with these programs. If you aren’t an artist with some 2D background, then just knowing how to model in 3D isn’t good enough.

Nearly everyone that has applied for our 3D positions are capable of modeling some objects and people, but only to a certain degree. While their models might be good, you’ll probably find that very few actually have the skills to model to the level of detail that is needed for a serious game project like Conquest of Heroes. Lets face it, no matter how good your game might sound, if it doesn’t have next generation graphics, it is more then likely that your title will be over looked by the public. Graphics are by no means the measure of a great game, but they are the main focus of the industry and what the consumer has come to expect. So, if you can’t find modelers that are capable to matching these basic requirements, then it will be a long and difficult uphill battle for your production in the realm of 3D development.

Read all 10 weeks of “Burning Ambition: How to make your mark on the videogame industry:”