Finding a Programmer
Im in need of some code that is far more advanced than the little scripting I have done in the past. and Im a little over my head when it comes to hiring someone.
Have any of you guys ever hired a programmer?
any things I should keep in mind or pay attention to?
good sites/companies to go through?
should I expect finished results the first time around(like with a model) or is it an iterative process.
how does fixing bugs work? do I pay or do they?
any help you guys might have would be great.
Have any of you guys ever hired a programmer?
any things I should keep in mind or pay attention to?
good sites/companies to go through?
should I expect finished results the first time around(like with a model) or is it an iterative process.
how does fixing bugs work? do I pay or do they?
any help you guys might have would be great.
Replies
Before you begin, draft up a contract that outlines what they are expected to deliver. Make sure it includes things like revisions and bug fixing.
The clearer you are with what you want going in, the more bang for your buck you'll get. It's about being efficient and clear with what you want the programmer to create. I find that it helps to create a rough draft, in your case, if I was commissioning code I could do a flow chart of the behaviors I am looking for them to program. You might be completely off from what they will deliver for you in the end, but doing this will allow you to answer two essential questions.
1 - What is the final result you are trying to achieve
2 - How do you think it should be achieved (Considering this will allow you to think about how you'll be using this code in the future.)
I hope this helps a little bit!
Perhaps I havent properly answered your questions.
My Apologies, please continue.
Playmaker + Unity = Win
Be as accurate as possible with your needs and requirements - describe how things work and the rules that they work by (this is so very important, and how much this is neglected by non-technicals when they seek work is not funny). It makes both your and their lives so much easier - vagueness or ambiguous description leads to mistakes and slows the whole process down.
Usually the community website for the toolset / engine you're using is the best place to go. For example, UDK users have a dedicated board for this at Epic Games' forums. GameDev.net is somewhere you can try, as is IndieDB.
For all but the smallest features, you should very much expect it to be an iterative development process.
That depends on your payment schedule. If you're paying by the hour, then bug fixing is just a part of the iteration process. If you're paying a flat fee, then it's usually expected that the programmer will take care of it (the fee should include iteration time) - a flat fee will usually be large enough to encompass the costs and may end up costing you more. This is something you will need in paper.