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[DArtagnan]

Looks good. I like the more "realistic" flair to the visuals.
Creating monsters which are artistically consistent with it will probably be a challenge.

Yeah, I kinda dread those monsties….

Still, I think it will be feasible to hire some eager amateur and pay him/her a reasonable amount pr. monster. Shouldn't be out of the question for me.

But I'll try my hand at it first - and I expect to spend quite a while learning about modelling/rigging/animating.

 

[RampantCoyote]

Good luck! I think it's looking pretty sharp. I've found that finding and hiring amateurs is hit-and-miss... mostly miss. They usually either lack skill, lack professionalism, or both. And when you do find a good one, it's not long before they are snatched up by a company somewhere. It's probably good for you to learn some of those skills yourself anyhow, so you'll at least understand what the artists are talking about.

 

[GothicGothicness]

And when you do find a good one, it's not long before they are snatched up by a company somewhere.

So you also had that problem..... it is so annoying!

 

[DArtagnan]

That's why my plan is to do it "freelance". I've checked many 3D art sites with very talented individuals without a job.

I have no doubt that if I were to offer, say, 100-200$ pr. monster - many would be interested.

It's not important that they stay, just as long as they provide what I need.

Of course, if they want more than that - I'll just have to do it myself.

 

[GothicGothicness]

I think you can probably get a better price than that.

 

[RampantCoyote]

The problems usually arrive when they've failed to meet your specifications in some way. In 3D, there are problems like forgetting about an animation or not sequencing it properly, not naming nodes or animations correctly, badly exceeding your polygon budget, overdoing the rigging, or just plain quality issues that need to be fixed. And then suddenly the artist becomes unresponsive, you can't get the source data from them, etc.

There are similar problems with 2D as well, though often they are less technical and less dependent upon having the source data to do later touch-up work with a different artist.

Anyway, just stuff to bear in mind, so you can take learn from other developers' mistakes.

 

[DArtagnan]

Good advice

But since I'm doing a 2D game - many of those issues are relatively minimal.

Also, I drive a pretty hard bargain - as I'm a rather uncompromising type of person. I will set some kind of standard that will meet my demands with 100% certainty - and then I'll make sure the standard is met before I pay anyone anything.

But but, it's too soon for that kind of thing. I'll see when I get closer to a stage where I'm ready to spend real money.

 

[GothicGothicness]

Rule number one don't pay anything until you have all sources files and 100% satisfied. If artist don't agree at least use an escrow.