• Hey Guest! Ever feel like entering a Game Jam, but the time limit is always too much pressure? We get it... You lead a hectic life and dedicating 3 whole days to make a game just doesn't work for you! So, why not enter the GMC SLOW JAM? Take your time! Kick back and make your game over 4 months! Interested? Then just click here!

Graphics How do you feel about buying game art?

OnLashoc

Member
Just curious,
As I continue to learn GML and GMS 2 in general, and develop my own game, I find myself at a crossroad.

I have ALOT of near complete artwork, but as I continue development, I've realized I need so much more. So here I sit contemplating purchasing art assets to speed that side of the development along. Yes I know that as an indie I should do as much as I can on my own, but at what point does it become counter intuitive to believe you can do everything on your own in a reasonable time frame?

No I have nothing that says I have to have a. b. c. d.. and so on done by, but at some point in time I want to be able to proudly share my vision and game with others. I'm not even considering sales or anything like that, I just want to play this game with others at the least some time this year.

So for you personally, how do you feel about either buying the assets or playing a game with bought assets?

Onnie
 

kupo15

Member
I personally hate it and would never take that game very seriously. I could have some fun with it don't get me wrong but I wouldn't purchase a game that used assets not made specifically for that game.

If you want to purchase assets purely for development purposes to speed things along, no issues with that. However I think it would be more wise to put that money into an artist that can create custom things. You would be surprised how affordable it can be especially if your game uses things that are reused a lot...and you will get so much more value from your money than pre made assets imo

Lastly I don't think your statement that to be an indie you must or should do everything yourself. That is unrealistic and you are placing arbitrary roadblocks, pressures and unrealistic expectations against yourself for no reason. If you need help with art, hire someone to make a few assets for you.
 

OnLashoc

Member
Thank you, exactly what I needed to hear (read) lol.

As I look at a lot of these assets, nothing really fits my art style for what I've already done and have concept works for. I imagine buying said assets would take a lot of time just to incorporate into my project via modification (lots of art modules out there to mix and match as desired) to get close to my art style, but again I don't want to feel like I'm cheating if I did buy some.

I will see what an artist would cost me before re-considering the premade stuff. Thanks!

Onnie
 

kupo15

Member
Awesome, glad you found it helpful. Exactly, you will never find pre made assets that will speak to your vision of the game and if you need to heavily tweak what you pay for then that really isn't worth it. Not only that but anyone can buy the same assets as yours which automatically doesn't make your art or game unique or stand out. If someone comes out with a terrible game using the same paid assets as yours you will be associated instantly with that bad game or to that game. Even poor looking custom art is so much better than great looking universal premade art

If your budget isn't that big right now that is perfectly fine! Commission an artist within your budget to make your art look consistent and unique and show people what your vision is. It all depends on your game of course but for a pixel art game, even $100 can go a long way to overhauling your graphics. Then you can pay for more if that doesn't cover it later. Then once your art is upgraded your game has a better potential to attract even more skilled artists and people who might be willing to invest themselves in your game. Think of it about making progress and iteration...not what is the cheapest and quickest path I can get to my dream game because that isn't going work unfortunately
 

Ednei

Member
I'm in this dilemma.

In my case I'm developing a retro RPG and I'm using RPG Maker's graphical features to develop it.

I have the whole script of the game in my mind and the game engine is ready. However I realize that I am not good at creating maps.

My game is not for commercial purposes. What really interests me is that people know my story and my script.

In a classic RPG the game has houses, forests, castles, hotels and places that require a good mapping to make the game attractive.

Unfortunately I have no talent in the part of mapping the game.

I would be willing to pay for a package of maps and graphics where I can customize them according to my needs.

I agree that nothing beats an original game with unique graphics. However, the problem is that a game of this quality might not even leave the project because of the time it will take you to complete it.

At the pace at which I am developing my project, I wonder if it will ever be released.
 

Rayek

Member
I feel it depends on the game and situation. If you already have created your own art, and your game style depends on that art, then purchasing existing art is not going to be very helpful, just like Kupo states.

If, however, your game is made with certain pre-made assets right from the start, and the game fits the art, I see no issues. I've played some roguelikes that made use of the same commercial tiles, and I didn't mind it at all - better than ascii characters, after all.

But if a unique personality is a prerogative in your game, then steer well clear of pre-made assets, and either create your own, or hire someone (or a team) to take care of the game's look and feel.
 

Rayek

Member
I'm in this dilemma.

In my case I'm developing a retro RPG and I'm using RPG Maker's graphical features to develop it.

I have the whole script of the game in my mind and the game engine is ready. However I realize that I am not good at creating maps.

My game is not for commercial purposes. What really interests me is that people know my story and my script.

In a classic RPG the game has houses, forests, castles, hotels and places that require a good mapping to make the game attractive.

Unfortunately I have no talent in the part of mapping the game.

I would be willing to pay for a package of maps and graphics where I can customize them according to my needs.

I agree that nothing beats an original game with unique graphics. However, the problem is that a game of this quality might not even leave the project because of the time it will take you to complete it.

At the pace at which I am developing my project, I wonder if it will ever be released.
Those RPG classics of old had an entire team of artists working on the tile sets and graphics - you can't hope to match that on your own. You need to pick your battles. If a good story and narrative is your main goal, I'd just either use free or a commercial RPG tile set. And you could potentially hire an artist for your characters only, and tell him/her to work within the style of the existing tiles you use.

Consider which tiles, characters, and other assets should be unique, and create those yourself or have someone create those for you. The rest of the assets: off-the-shelf stuff.
 

Toque

Member
Buying art is perfectly cool too but it probably wonā€™t match what you have done.

Udemy has courses in pixel art to make a tile set. Something too consider.

An artist could probably help you out too. They could do what you find most difficult and match your style. Then you do the rest.

Lots of indi devs do zero art they are no worse than any other in my opinion.
 

OnLashoc

Member
Thank you! I have posted a request in the collaboration forum to see if I get any takers and provided some sample art.

In fact I am going to concentrate a bit more into the art side for a bit, who knows it might just be the motivation I need to do so ;)

Onnie
 
S

SpaceDragonForce909

Guest
I have the problem where I'm great at sound, music and graphics but have no idea what I am doing when it comes to programing. I guess I do some tutorials. lol
 

Rob

Member
On my first, big game (incomplete, of course) I paid $200 for an artist to make what I needed, and they did a great job. Ultimately it was money down the drain, at least for now, as I realized the game just wasn't fun and kinda beyond my abilities to make it playable. My avatar is actually one of the sprites from that artist so at least I'm getting some use out of them, lol.

On my released game, I came to GameMaker forums to find an artist who wanted to collaborate in shared revenue. Worked out great - mostly - and didn't cost me anything. He has some stuff going on that means I haven't talked to him for a long time though, so anything else that the game could benefit from graphics wise is left to me.

Going forward I'd like to find an artist who wants to make games with me so we can work together from scratch. I think an artist will do their best work when they really like what they're working on.
 
N

Nembo

Guest
Not being an artist I use temp programmer art for my own project, and then when I had a good idea of what I needed and the style I wanted I started contacting a few artists about doing the art. Just my two cents.
 
K

Kobold

Guest
...be aware of an upcoming rant (my apologies upfront):
I personally hate it and would never take that game very seriously. [...]I wouldn't purchase a game that used assets not made specifically for that game.[...]
...okay... fair enough...

[...]If you want to purchase assets purely for development purposes to speed things along, no issues with that.[...]
...no issues with that? What changed that all of a sudden?

[...] However I think it would be more wise to put that money into an artist that can create custom things. You would be surprised how affordable it can be especially if your game uses things that are reused a lot...and you will get so much more value from your money than pre made assets imo[...]
...let me throw something into consideration:

1) There is artists out there making and selling assets for a living... often times they sell the same model 100's or even 1000's of times making a lot more than someone that only creates one specific asset to one specific game. Supporting the industry that way makes it more attractive to graphics designer as they don't have to fight for a position somewhere that only requires an artists to be bound to use one particular software like super expensive Autodesk products. This is a chance for everyone.

2) I think as a developer to not spend 10 years on a game just by making every model themselves is quite a good option to have. I myself would love to get something done in time before it gets boring or things around me outdate ..or the platform has put out a new version that requires me to redo everything to match up the specs.

3) ...apparently you, my friend, have not hired an artist before to make assets for your project... even if they only charge $15 an hour they become ridiculously expensive... here an example:
I was in need of a highly detailed generator... which I purchased on TurboSquid... it cost me $5... the generator has HD Textures (all maps: Occlusion, Diffuse, Normal, Specular.. etc.) and around 750k vertices on structural detail (3d mesh)
the same work would have cost me $200 or more if someone "dirt cheap" would have created it especially for my project.

Here again, the artist selling their asset to everyone could have made $1000(+ even more)
and the hired artist would have been only getting $200

So... I am not quite sure where you are coming from by saying:
- ...a hired designer is surprisingly affordable
- ...their assets can be used over and over ( I can do the same thing with an asset on Royalty Free License)

edit: ...wow... I sound or read like if I would be a huge mean-arse... but honestly.. I am a bit disappointed to read people having thoughts like that over developers purchasing stock stuff...
 
Last edited:

WarpDogsVG

Member
As a solo dev who makes all their own art, I'd like to present a contrary opinion: more people should be buying art assets.

It used to be endearing to see an indie game where the art clearly comes from a non-pro, but we're well beyond that. If you enjoy doing art, or you have a good look, then that's one thing. But I think far too many people shirk the idea out of stubbornness.

It's true that bought assets can be off-putting, but that's true of nearly everything you do! You just need to buy either quality assets or - at minimum - assets that match your own style or the genre you're working in
 
I've never charged money for the games that use art or music assets, but many others have on Steam.

I buy assets for game jam stuff. Its caused issues when people feel my game art was stolen. Nope... store bought art. Keep that in mind. Not only that, but then when people know one game is art assets... some may assume all your games must be art assets. So I should probably get to erasing the games that used art assets.

Now I can just do my own art, but its a long process and others do it better, so I still end up hiring artists.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
I have bought many assets for my projects and have no fear of releasing them as finished products for sale. The game Skein was built upon the art assets of Orxy and has been selling fairly well on Steam regardless. I DO think that using assets "out of the box" is a bit of a problem, not from any moral or artistic point of view, but simply because if they are very recognisable as assets then it can be seen as a negative point for the project. However using the assets as a base and then editing them and building upon them means that they are less recognisable and also shows a willingness to do something different and work that little bit harder to make the game unique.

I would say though that one MASSIVE turn-off for me is seeing a game put together with assets that are obviously from multiple sources. This really lowers my opinion of a game, and I'd say that if you are buying assets, look for an artist with packs and sets that all fit together and cover as many of your requirements as possible, then edit those assets or copy their style to create your own assets to cover the "holes" in the game that the bought assets don't quite cover.

As for those that say "get an artist", hiring or partnering with an artist means there has to be a huge level of commitment to the project, not just from you but from the other person too, and that can be something hard to find. It also means that you are commiting to paying a wage or forfeiting a percentage of your game profits (if there are any) at the end, and to a certain extent you are giving up a portion of creative control over the project. It's also damn hard to find an artist that will share your vision and agree to your terms!

I openly admit to being a fickle and selfish dev who can't guarantee my own commitment to a project (I love jumping around between various, and rarely finish any of them!), so collaborating with an artist would mean I'd have to give up that freedom and actually buckle down 100% on the project, which in turn could frustrate me and make me even less enthusiastic. I recognise though that this is an attitude based on the luxury of not having to depend on the games I make for a living, and if it was my day job then my attitude would probably change.

so, yeah, tl;dr: I have no issue with games that use bought assets, and I have bought loads of assets myself. :)
 

Tsa05

Member
As freelance dev, I buy all assets. I commission them directly for the game I'm creating, though... I use free/paid generic assets to make demoes to give my artists a sense of the intended product, but they make the art for my finished work. Learned long ago that just because I *can* program and create art doesn't mean I should--I'd rather finish a project :D
 

kupo15

Member
No offense taken due to you framing your intent, thanks for that and my response is not aimed at being upset either :)
...no issues with that? What changed that all of a sudden?
The fact that one was used for development purposes as placeholders and the other strictly selling a game with generic, unmodified premade assets
your points about the mass distributing artist and their ability to make money
I think premade assets have their place and its great there are cheap options available, however I feel that its priced so competitively that now its even easier to take advantage of artists that want more meaningful projects. They feel like they have to massively undercut their value or work for exposure because its so easy to go elsewhere and purchase cheap generic assets instead.

This is a can of worms for another subject I realize but my point is it makes me sad to see people push the use of cheap $5 assets for every project when you could invest just a little more into a small collaboration and get something much better in return.
3) ...apparently you, my friend, have not hired an artist before to make assets for your project... even if they only charge $15 an hour they become ridiculously expensive... here an example:
I was in need of a highly detailed generator... which I purchased on TurboSquid... it cost me $5... the generator has HD Textures (all maps: Occlusion, Diffuse, Normal, Specular.. etc.) and around 750k vertices on structural detail (3d mesh)
the same work would have cost me $200 or more if someone "dirt cheap" would have created it especially for my project.
I wish you didn't make an assumption about me because its completely untrue, I have spent nearly $4,000 of my own money so far over the past several years on art for my current game. I'm not expecting others to follow suit and I realize everyone has different goals with their games by the way
So... I am not quite sure where you are coming from by saying:
- ...a hired designer is surprisingly affordable
- ...their assets can be used over and over ( I can do the same thing with an asset on Royalty Free License)
I said a hired designer CAN be more affordable than most realize. You seemed to have skipped over the part where I said it depends on your project of course. Your example clearly shows your game would require more investment. If you can buy an entire tilemap asset pack built to enable you to create your own puzzle game for $5-$10 then you certainly can hire an artist for $100 to make a custom tilemap asset pack.

I am a bit disappointed to read people having thoughts like that over developers purchasing stock stuff...
Likewise, I'm a bit disappointed to read what sounds like strongly discouraging hiring artists to collaborate on making one's game better and encouraging the easier and potentially lazier option.

Though after reading the other responses perhaps our stances are bit extreme. I agree a lot with what @Nocturne has said and didn't even consider the option to use premades as a base to alter and tweak. If you do that and it becomes unrecongizable from the premade asset then that certainly is great and acceptable by my standards. This is a pretty common thing to do in the Audio field where you manipulate library sfx. It would be a bit pretentious of me or anyone to expect you create your own folly for it to be "legitimate" and I guess the same goes for the art side. I can't help but immediately picture all the shamelessly bad generic, mismatched art purchases that have no thought or effort put into them like what Nocturne stated

Basically, if the developer's goal isn't to make something that serious and they only are willing to spend for cheap premade assets, that's completely fine. But if someone is more serious about their game I would encourage them to go the extra step and collaborate with an artist. Doing so really takes your game to new heights beyond what you imagined yourself. There are tons of skilled artists out there willing to work with and make things affordable for serious developers if you take the time to look for them. It would be a shame for people to think cheap premade assets are their only affordable option
 

jackrucel

Member
Hi, In my humble opinion, it depends, I would not mind or even notice small details like particle sound effects or even background art, but I believe that your game has to have its own personality, especially in its characters, it might be that I am on a bad way kkk, but look at this image:

The characters I do not know in this picture are probably from games I have not played yet, I even recognize game characters that I have not played, for example the octopus in a suit and the goat in the upper left corner.

What I'm trying to say is that I believe that your game needs to have something "unique", otherwise it's just another one in an ocean of games = /

But hey, I just completed my first game a week ago or so, that is, I can be tremendously mistaken and miss guided kkkk :D
 
K

Kobold

Guest
[...]I wish you didn't make an assumption about me because its completely untrue,[...]
...I agree... sorry bud.

Likewise, I'm a bit disappointed to read what sounds like strongly discouraging hiring artists to collaborate on making one's game better and encouraging the easier and potentially lazier option.
...the reason for me writing it this way is not directly meant to discourage... I was thinking about:
- Competition being pretty edgy
- Oversaturated Game-Software market
- Freelancers being standardized for AAA projects... people earn less and less.
- The slim chances of even getting the invested budget back in the long run.
...I mean as an indie being pushed into micromanaging stuff is no longer a reason to be ashamed... I don't want to push out a product with graphics that look like toast or spend a decade until release... so I have to point out that even hiring custom art for "affordable" is no longer feasible , thanks to the points listed above.
It's by any means not meant to discourage people.... but let's be fair to the ones budgeting for buying and using pre-made assets (which a lot of folks go like: "pffff.... lame." ...that is discouraging me.
 

kupo15

Member
...I agree... sorry bud.
No sweat, thanks! :)
...the reason for me writing it this way is not directly meant to discourage... I was thinking about:
- Competition being pretty edgy
- Oversaturated Game-Software market
- Freelancers being standardized for AAA projects... people earn less and less.
- The slim chances of even getting the invested budget back in the long run.
...I mean as an indie being pushed into micromanaging stuff is no longer a reason to be ashamed... I don't want to push out a product with graphics that look like toast or spend a decade until release... so I have to point out that even hiring custom art for "affordable" is no longer feasible , thanks to the points listed above.
It's by any means not meant to discourage people.... but let's be fair to the ones budgeting for buying and using pre-made assets (which a lot of folks go like: "pffff.... lame." ...that is discouraging me.
I see...fair point! :)
 
H

HammerOn

Guest
Some points from the other side (a freelance artist hired for years-long projects and also sell assets). Of course, these are from my own experience and workflow and I don't know about others.

It also means that you are commiting to paying a wage or forfeiting a percentage of your game profits (if there are any) at the end, and to a certain extent you are giving up a portion of creative control over the project. It's also damn hard to find an artist that will share your vision and agree to your terms!
These are only drawbacks if you see the artist as a factory worker that makes artworks instead of a thinking power.
I'm not sure why sharing creative control would be a problem. Most people contracting me have the ideas but not the time or skillset to materialize them so they leave the result for me to decide. In fact, too much interference and control over someone else's work in the team just slow down the project and don't give better results. Because of this, most contractors want me to be independent so I can work without pausing to consult about every detail.
As for vision and terms; everything comes down to communication. A short exchange of emails resolves almost everything. You can work with someone for years without any problem just be talking honestly from start to finish.

There is more to graphics work than just putting them in the game. They must be made so to fit technical aspects of the engine and gameplay, reuse, dynamic effects and or refined along with the project.
It's far more lucrative to hire people to think because they solve problems. For example, the first thing I do prior to starting the work is suggestion better methods of doing the artwork so to minimize time and resources. I go as far as using 5 different softwares and learn a new one only for the artwork if it means a better balance of quality and time. I also code extension throughout the project to automate tasks like exporting, variations, render previews, tests, etc. This is the difference that can turn a 3 years project in a single year one.
These are the advantages of a thinking person over a product or factory worker.

Nevertheless, pre-made assets are good for prototyping or things that are generic from the start. In animations and films, for example, nowadays things like vehicles and background people are pre-made or semi-customized models. The time we earn with this decrease costs or can be redirected to important things like the main characters animations.
Pre-made assets are a big thing in AAA production too! Even artists buy assets to speed up their own work. If you are making a 3D city for a short scene in a film, why would you spend 40 hours doing each vehicle if you can buy a dozen of them in a 3D store and quickly populate the scene? In this case, of course, the artist has the skills to end up with something original and fitting for the project even using these assets.

In short, this isn't about pre-made assets VS a hired artist, it's about best methods for specific cases within the project so to balance speed and quality.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
These are only drawbacks if you see the artist as a factory worker that makes artworks instead of a thinking power.
I'm not sure why sharing creative control would be a problem. Most people contracting me have the ideas but not the time or skillset to materialize them so they leave the result for me to decide. In fact, too much interference and control over someone else's work in the team just slow down the project and don't give better results. Because of this, most contractors want me to be independent so I can work without pausing to consult about every detail.
As for vision and terms; everything comes down to communication. A short exchange of emails resolves almost everything. You can work with someone for years without any problem just be talking honestly from start to finish.

There is more to graphics work than just putting them in the game. They must be made so to fit technical aspects of the engine and gameplay, reuse, dynamic effects and or refined along with the project.
It's far more lucrative to hire people to think because they solve problems. For example, the first thing I do prior to starting the work is suggestion better methods of doing the artwork so to minimize time and resources. I go as far as using 5 different softwares and learn a new one only for the artwork if it means a better balance of quality and time. I also code extension throughout the project to automate tasks like exporting, variations, render previews, tests, etc. This is the difference that can turn a 3 years project in a single year one.
These are the advantages of a thinking person over a product or factory worker.
I agree 100% with everything you say! :) My comments were about ME and my OWN feelings on things in relation to my own projects - I probably should have made that clearer! I do NOT think of them as "factory workers" at all, and I am fully aware of the work a good artist does and what it can do for a game.That's precisely my problem! I am a rugged individualist and I hate giving up creative control of any part of my babies... so for me, hiring an artist would be very, very difficult.
 
I.....
muscle pose
....do my own art, baby. ;D

I'll hire artists someday, but the game would have to be a huge project with a huge budget. It's not worth the time and aggravation of working with someone else otherwise, to me. If you want something done right, do it yourself, right? =)

As for premade assets... I'd never use them. I want my game's art to be completely unique.
 

Posh Indie

That Guy
I.....
muscle pose
....do my own art, baby. ;D

I'll hire artists someday, but the game would have to be a huge project with a huge budget. It's not worth the time and aggravation of working with someone else otherwise, to me. If you want something done right, do it yourself, right? =)

As for premade assets... I'd never use them. I want my game's art to be completely unique.
Depending on the artist, there may be no aggravation. I can do my own art, but it takes me a lot longer than someone who does art more professionally (And in some cases, for a living). I have a great pixel artist on deck that does great work for very reasonable prices.

Having dealt with a few artists before finding the right one, though, I can agree that there definitely can be aggravation. One such horror story was an artist taking on a project and telling me it would take a week to finish the needed assets (first batch of assets)... 3 months later he delivered 1 frame of 1 animation and asked me to pay the full batch cost immediately so he could pay his rent. Not only did he not deliver as agreed upon, but he made it sound like I was the reason he could not pay his rent 3 months later.

I agree with everyone on purchasing premade art, though. Even if it looks really good, not having exclusive rights can cause issues when you are not the only one using them. You lose uniqueness by settling on premade assets.
 
@Posh Indie: The aggravation I was referring to was mainly communicating with and paying any artist, as well as giving up the creative control for something I could (and would rather do) myself. I was talking about a best-case scenario in my example - the worst case scenario is the kind of unreliable artist you gave in your example, which is even worse, obviously! I'll hire other artists one day, but only because I'll need to for bigger projects. I like doing things myself when I can. =)
 

Posh Indie

That Guy
@Posh Indie: The aggravation I was referring to was mainly communicating with and paying any artist, as well as giving up the creative control for something I could (and would rather do) myself. I was talking about a best-case scenario in my example - the worst case scenario is the kind of unreliable artist you gave in your example, which is even worse, obviously! I'll hire other artists one day, but only because I'll need to for bigger projects. I like doing things myself when I can. =)
I will just caution people on the search for an artist. The "Trust Fall" phase of the relationship can be stressful, but if you find the right person you will never have to go back to that.

Even when I found the right person, our first interaction before work started was, "How do we handle the payment side?" See, the problem is both sides can get swindled (so in our case, we understood eachother's concerns)

We agreed on 50% up front, 50% when completed. I took the risk and paid 100% up front with the reasoning of saving him on PayPal transaction fees (his portfolio was impressive enough to take the risk). Ended up with no regrets, and he will be my first choice every single time from that day forward.

If you have the time to do it yourself, that is the way to go! I have too many current obligations to be a one man army at this time, unfortunately, but I do share the mindset of doing as much as I can by myself.
 
Last edited:
P

Poryg

Guest
I don't make game art, because in all honesty it's not my cup of tea. I have bought a pixel art course, but I'm unable to even focus on it.
Nevertheless, I can't afford to hire a long term artist, because I don't have the commitment to the game. Every once in a while I need a time off and sometimes I just decide to scrap whole project. So hiring an artist specifically would be a waste of time and money for me. Except of course for nearly finished projects, which is still something I have yet to reach.
So I have spent over $300 on generic resources out there. But I choose them carefully. Before buying them, I see if they are compatible with each other. The resources can't have a 100% identical style, but even 70% is often enough to confuse a regular player if you play well enough with lighting and stuff. And of course there's the possibility of resource editing or even resource combination. With music it's the same, you can play with the pitch, speed... And even mix together several tracks in certain cases.
 

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
@Poryg touches on a pretty important point: if you're somewhat competent at editing resources (lighting effects, sound mixing, etc), you've got a lot more options, and you can put resources to much better use even if they're not exactly what you were looking for... while still spending less time and effort than it would require to make them for scratch. I'd strongly recommend anyone that wants to get into game dev to dabble a bit in music and art on the side no matter what field they're into; you never know when you're gonna need it, but it's usually sooner than you'd expect.
 
O

Old School Ben

Guest
I am an artist and I am creating my own assets on top of coding and designing a hefty game as my first real GM project. Even as an artist who is trained in pen and ink animation, I struggle with digitizing and animating sprites. Bear in mind that art is my strength and coding is my weakness. I still have a difficult time tweaking both my art style and process in order to achieve the look/feel of the game I want to make. Even if the art assets were all I had to worry about, I am still going to be creating a huge chunk of the game without even writing a single line of code for it.

Using pre-existing assets and sprites that are free for anyone to use has crossed my mind. Stubbornly, I still choose to create my own art and I doubt I will use open-source assets or pay to use assets another artist had created.
 

NazGhuL

NazTaiL
Like @Nocturne, I worked and still work with Oryx asset. I saw those assets in many games(Like Skein ;) ), and as long as the game is good, I'll enjoy it.
However, I won't pay 50$ for...

For hobbyist, seriously, rip off any art and have fun! (FF, Mario, Zelda, Doom, etc...) For commercial, start small, buy some open art (like those of Oryx), sell a small amount, build a good game. On second project, invest a small amount of profit on better art. Personaly, I can't see myself working on a shared profit project with an artist. I will pay him for his work and I'll try to find an artist who can work with the style I want.
 
D

Deleted member 16767

Guest
$9 for about 20 long animation sequences on a detailed character. That's what you can expect from market places. That art pack would cost too much if you would hire an artist. You just don't want to collaborate with someone if you don't get something out of it and when you try you will only work on the project for a very short time and then move on. Then you, as a developer, will realise that collaboration made out of boths interest to only release a game, will just make you have to replace everything that was done. And everything you did together is lost. Then you start thinking... what if I hire someone. Sure, they are loyal and will start and finish the assets requested. But I'm not a millionare so I rather buy assets sold on the market. And even if I was one, I still like market places better. If someone doesn't like a not copyrighted character, there are others that do like it and will download and play the game.

Lets take Starcraft "MMO" made in Starcraft 2 Map Editor as an example. It's a game made on a games map editor with very popular copyrighted content. But what he managed to do with this was awesome boss encounters and enjoyable quests.
 
A

Alessio

Guest
Fortunately for me, i will NEVER buy art because it is my speciality, but if i knew someone truly trustworthy and willing to do the program part of my game, i wouldn't be bothered by teaming up with them at all, and even if i had to share the game's eventual revenue with this person and had to give up some creativity control as Nocturne said, i'd be more than glad to do that. But that's very hard and i doubt i'll even get to know someone like that, and i'd not even try to seek for them online, i like direct contact with people. You also should truly trust someone like that and be serious about what you're doing, else you would find yourself in a very difficult situation. Of course, one would find the "employer" approach, but i'm not a fan of that unless you're full of money, and you would need business skills as well, something that is very unlikely for a beginner.

Regarding the buying of art, i speak from my perspective, but i really couldn't see it for something truly serious, unless you use some sort of Wilhelm scream. I mean, the game ends up not being authentic at all. I would never do that. If you think my previous paragraph from a non-artist perspective, i think it's quite the same.

Lastly I don't think your statement that to be an indie you must or should do everything yourself. That is unrealistic and you are placing arbitrary roadblocks, pressures and unrealistic expectations against yourself for no reason.
Not sure about it, if you look at Cave Story. The guy behind that game has received some small help but he actually did stuff all by himself, graphics included. If you use a certain style for art, then you probably don't need someone making art for you, but when you start wanting very detailed artworks (like Iconoclasts or Owlboy), that's probably the time to call an artist.
 

ChuckM

Member
Just curious,
As I continue to learn GML and GMS 2 in general, and develop my own game, I find myself at a crossroad.

I have ALOT of near complete artwork, but as I continue development, I've realized I need so much more. So here I sit contemplating purchasing art assets to speed that side of the development along. Yes I know that as an indie I should do as much as I can on my own, but at what point does it become counter intuitive to believe you can do everything on your own in a reasonable time frame?

No I have nothing that says I have to have a. b. c. d.. and so on done by, but at some point in time I want to be able to proudly share my vision and game with others. I'm not even considering sales or anything like that, I just want to play this game with others at the least some time this year.

So for you personally, how do you feel about either buying the assets or playing a game with bought assets?

Onnie
Just my tuppence. For me it's always a build vs. buy decision based on:
  1. Do I have the skills/time to build what I need?
  2. Can I buy what I need at a reasonable price?
The decision itself is weighted by factors such as when do I need to complete the project. While I tend towards being a one-man army because I've built many skills over many years due to having to do everything myself, there are times that paying for a skilled worker to complete something in a fraction of the time makes it worthwhile for me. If you are aiming at a commercial release and are not a skilled artist or composer, you might want to see what it would cost to hire that work out if you have a particular release date in mind (and bear in mind that a non-released game generates no revenue). Ultimately it comes down to your needs and how much you want to learn how to do yourself.
 
Top