Game Dev jobs

[Amazin0]

Ok guys, I have a pretty good idea of what its going to take but I want to double check. Do any of you have an idea what kind of jobs I should make sure i fill to dev a game like bf2? Like graphic designers, programmers/software engineers, audio engineers, ect....
Im trying to get a specific list of jobs i will need to make this happen in a reasonable amount of time.

Any ideas would be great.

[Sir. TheHeartSmasher]

What is it that you want to do in game development?

As Game Development is the programming side of things, which is also the hardest of them all to do, due to the large amount of work and time that has to be put in.

Game Developer:
First learn C++, you can do this by picking up a good Visual C++ book which should incorporate learning the standard C++ and Microsoft's Visual C++ for the .NET Framework and this will move you from building console applications to windowed applications. You will also want to look into building distributed applications using client/server architecture and client/server/master server architecture.

Once you have basic software development down then you can move on to strengthening your math skills in Calculus, Trigonometry, Physics, 2D and 3D Geometry, Statistics, Accounting and Finance.

For graphics DirectX, OpenGL, Cuda and OpenCL which learning some C will need to be done on your part. Which should not be too hard after you have learned a large chunk of C++.

Once you are done with that or while you are working with it there is multi-platform development, engine development and optimization skills that you will need to learn which are different for each platform.

It's a very long road and will take you some time to get to the intermediate stage but if you go in somewhat of the order above you will eventually get there. During the process after you have C++ application development down and can almost do it with your eyes closed, I would recommend applying for a job as a C++ application developer once you feel confident and/or continue to start doing game prototypes and finish them up so you can build a game portfolio.

This would also prep you to create your own full fledged games while doing all of the work to learn C++ and game development you also learn many of the other aspects as you will need to know how to incorporate them within the game programming especially if you are an game engine developer.

Audio Engineer
You will want to enhance your skills in mixing, equalization, audio level/multiband compression/limiting, mastering techniques and audio recording. This normally involves a bit of money to purchase protools hardware and fl studio software and packs along with high quality monitors, sub woofer, mixing boards, sound dampening etc. for a home studio. You can normally do ok for around $2,000-$5,000 for a nice production quality home studio. Or you can use a nice workstation and BOSE headphones but monitor speakers help you feel your work.

Game Designer
This would be the individual that helps design the game flow, logic, maybe even do some coding and artistry work for the required concept art. Knowing applications like Softimage, 3D StudioMax, Maya, Modo, Photoshop, Zbrush and how to create very realistic work from them on the expert level quickly will help in the short and long run.

Executive/Assistant/Junior Producer
This involves some knowledge of all of the above, normally general but being an expert or intermediate in one or more really helps. You would need very good project management, people skills and know your general accounting and finance.

As you will be the one making scheduling projects to be completed and working with upper management (CEO/CTO/other department leads) on the status of the project and keeping within budget and meeting/setting deadlines for project completion.

You normally end up with your own office which is due to being a management role but with a management role comes great responsibility and long work hours just like the other roles above.

[Amazin0]

So for starters, I will thank you for your time you put into writing this for me. However, isnt it a little pretentious to think I dont know most of this already. It is a handy little guide to say the least. This is pretty much what I have come up with myself, my question if I may clarify by giving you a bit more background.

I have done all this, I am now working the finer details of my business plan to develop a new game. If price was no limit, what would you think would be a good start to a dev team. The game I have in works and where I would like it to be is a far cry from where I can see it. This is going to have to stem from me building a company, purchasing software, hardware, and hiring employees. I was thinking 20-40 people should make a pretty good dev team. Im just undecided because I dont want to figure to many employees in my projected financials, also I dont want to project to few to meet my production goal.

So my question is this, how many people should I look at hiring to develop a game similar to bf2. I have to figure out labor cost. I can do it myself, but I thought this could be an interesting conversation for some people on here.

Sure I could do this myself, but for what I want my finished product to be, it would take 5-7 years to finish this product myself; if I have everything I need. That is impractical to say the least.

So any ideas on how many of each I should be looking for?

[Sir. TheHeartSmasher]

I wasn't sure about your background so I posted the whole thing :). As from your first post it sounds like you are looking to get a game development job, not trying to start a development studio. So when you jobs trying to fill without adding the I want to start a company part it normally means what jobs would be good for me to have before I apply for a game developer job.

I would highly recommend pushing out your own game on your own if you are confident so you can go through the entire process from concept, development/design, production, maintenance and putting in work for the next game. This would give you the overall experience needed so you know what it really takes to develop a full game and all of the stages. As if you don't have the basic concepts, budgets, and knowledge of what you might need to complete the game you have in mind you might end up wasting a large amount of time and money.

As the team (if you chose to have one) does not have to be a large team it could be you and one other employee or business partner, you and five other employees, etc. but until you have pushed out multiple games I would not recommend trying to push over 10 people unless you have the time and money to do so. As you have to factor in the cost for office space, workstations, office bills, employee salaries, development and production servers and time you will spend in meetings with publishers. Which the meetings alone can take a large chunk of your time up and make traveling very expensive if you have to pay the airfare, hotel, etc.

So the big question is do you already have a working concept, project plan and budget available to you?

[Amazin0]

Yes, lets say I have owned every entire game possible and played it somewhat if not finished it. I rebuilt my first computer when I was 6, so you can imagine that I have been apart of this whole world since concept.

I have been learning everything about making them since I was 9. So I have the know how to direct a big budget game into full dev. My budget could be anywhere from 5-15 mil. There are alot of things that will be in this game, and everything used to develop one costs money , to make my money back in a reasonable amount of time and still be ahead of the curve so to speak; I need help.

Now I am trying to decide how many people this will take. Do you think 10 would be sufficient? I was thinking about budgeting for 20. Not sure what would be better. Now you kind of talked about why this question is so relevant. To work out the finer details is all based on how many people I should have space for. That effects my building cost, workstation cost, utilities, benefits, and a whole lot more.

Developing a game takes alot, so yes I understand I wont be able to be there to help all the time, so thats why I have this concern about double guessing on how many employees I should project. I know I can help in every area, but If I have to handle other things, I should be confident that things can get handled. I am not planning on working as one, I plan on making my own games and making it a business.

My professional background is pretty diverse already, and I dont plan on working for anyone. I have been a self employed network analyst for a few years, so I am thinking about making my own software company. I just dont want start myself to thin and fail my production deadline.

So being apart of this online world since before it was even common knowledge. I have ran across many groups on the net. You guys impress me on the type of people that you have in this group. So I figured if I could get an abstract thought from someone that has been apart of a group like this, it would help. I can pull the people together thats not the problem, im just trying to recheck my figures. So I am wondering if you were starting a software company, how big would you want your starting dev group to be? :)

I knew someone that could handle this question would be on here, and I dont like to blind myself with a purely biased opinion from myself.

So what do you think?
I was thinking 20?
-5 Software Engineers
-3 Audio Engineers
-4 Game Designers
-2 Graphic/3d Model Designers
-2 Animators
-2 Development Directors
-1 Special Effects Director
-1 Network Engineer

This is my base labor model for my dev team, I have another model that is about 40 people. I am having a hard time deciding which I should project, because I dont want to over work these guys.

Concept~Finished Product in 2 years.

[Sir. bzb]

Even hiring ten people you are going to need a pretty hefty wedge of money to see the project through.

What process of development are you planning on using, some are people and time heavy while others are less so, there are various options each with its own pros and cons but its a decision you have to make before you can decide what roles you need to fill.

[Sir. Crackerjam]

Time also depends on how you plan on building your game. Are you going to use someone else's engine, or make your own? If you're making your own, that'll increase the necessary time by a large amount, and you'll need more specialized programmers to do it.

[Sir. TheHeartSmasher]

Well with many things it's always good to start small but plan for growth if needed. As for your first game(s) the team doesn't need to be huge and shouldn't be until you have released a few successful games.

[Amazin0]

Whos the Leader of this clan?

[Sir. Crackerjam]

Sir. AAK625.

[Sir. TheHeartSmasher]

Whos the Leader of this clan?

This is not a clan, it is a community, "The Sir. Community" :)

[Amazin0]

Tomato - Tomahto lol....

[Sir. TheHeartSmasher]

Tomato - Tomahto lol....

There is a big difference between clan and community.
Clan's normally do scrims and focus on competitions and when the next scrim is going to be and what game it is going to be fore. Communities are more diverse and involve many more aspects e.g. people being able to give you in depth feedback for just about anything with a broader age and experience level between all of the members in the community.

Also for the project you are working on do not forget to sit down with an accountant, financial adviser and a lawyer to get NDA/AUP/TOS/etc., ironed out that might not be so apparent in which normally only they would be able to answer.

For your IT staff depending on how good things are going this might have to be raised to a small team of three one lead and other general admins to help with the IT infrastructure, cost analysis and planning for the future IT needs. As a bad IT budget and plans can be cause severe issues for the entire project. Nothing like the staff putting in tons of work and ready to render/processes it only to find out it's going to take 24-48 hours to see the outcome lol. So some heavy duty servers will need to be in stock to speed things up and a domain controller(s) to help keep things organized and secure.