Freelancing - lack of job details?

Elisabet.YA

Hey guys, sorry for the obscure heading, I wasn't really sure what to name the thread without making it extremely long.

So my question to you all, my fellow polycounters:

For those who have worked as freelancers for games (models, textures, paintings, you name it), is it usual that you have to ask for more details on the job before you can give a proper estimate? Is it often that your first e-mail response to the possible client is actually a list of questions to detail out the actual work, so you can properly estimate the time you would put into it and the price you would charge?

I ask this because I am

#1: Inexperienced in the freelancing world and have very little idea of how to behave huehue.
#2: A possible client contacted me and gave pretty vague descriptions of what they would need, and asked for an estimate. But I didn't feel like I could give an estimate unless I knew more about what exactly was needed. So I sent out a response asking questions, rather than actually giving any estimate.

So, is this normal? Does this happen often? Does this happen more often with smaller clients, indie companies, rather than bigger clients with more experience? Am I doing it wrong? Amidoinitrite?

Any response to my question, and any discussion on this is welcome!

Jaco

Perfectly normal and in fact expected I'd say, you have to know what you're getting into before starting a job. I do find that 'bigger' clients tend to give a pretty thorough breakdown of what will be needed, often including documents with technical standards and even example models. If a client can't answer your questions or is very vague, I'd call that a cause for concern.

If you're not sure about something, ask!

skylebones

Yes, absolutely. When I did freelance for a year this was super common. We'd email back and forth a dozen times before I gave a price breakdown.

And like Jaco said, usually bigger companies that use lots of freelancers would send me all the info nicely packaged on the first or second email, but I found smaller or even one person operations would require a lot more back and forth discussion.

Sometimes they really didn't even know what they want. And you need to have things nailed down before you start, communication is key.

Torch

Something I found that helps in a situation where they don't know exactly what they want is if you ask them for references of a certain style they are going for, or if the visuals they want have similarities with a game that had been released previously, e.g. hand painted style like WoW, more realistic, etc.

Also, helps to create a small word file with bullet points of what they're asking for, for example triangle counts, texture sizes, etc. so you can keep referring back to it and stay focused

Elisabet.YA

Thanks for the advice guys! I will now move confidently forward. Good to know I'm on the right track here.

AlecMoody

A better solution is to bill for your time and give them examples of how long past assets have taken. Estimating how much to charge up front for an asset doesn't take into account how the client behaves (design changes, revisions, micro management...) and leaves them in a position to slow things down without consequences.