Sarcasm in "Freelance programming gig?"

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DRW
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Sarcasm in "Freelance programming gig?"

Post by DRW »

[Split from this post]

Wow, zero information about anything. I'm so thrilled to work on this NES project. Please, please, hire me, I want to do this so bad. I'm so excited to work on this project that I literally don't know anything about. :roll:
My game "City Trouble":
Gameplay video: https://youtu.be/Eee0yurkIW4
Download (ROM, manual, artworks): http://www.denny-r-walter.de/city.html
calima
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by calima »

Geez, friendly wording there DRW.

OP, providing more details publicly would be useful.
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DRW
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by DRW »

Yeah because I'm sick of that kind of crap. "I have an NES project, I'm looking for programmers."

Great! Could just as well have asked: "I want to do something. Anybody interested to collaborate?"

Why do these people not feel the necessity to even describe what their game is about at all? "A small project." This could be anything from a digital Christmas Greeting card to a "Super Mario Bros."-like game.

I mean, seriously: Is any of you interested in this project if literally all you hear is that it's an NES project? No genre, no actual complexity other than that it's "small", no time frame, no mention of payment.

Way to go, project leader.
My game "City Trouble":
Gameplay video: https://youtu.be/Eee0yurkIW4
Download (ROM, manual, artworks): http://www.denny-r-walter.de/city.html
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FrankenGraphics
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by FrankenGraphics »

to be fair, hawken says there's details to be disclosed via PM. I can understand that approach if the project is commercial in nature.

Edit:
For measure, here's a professional counterpart.
https://career4.successfactors.com/care ... ine=Indeed

It doesn't mention particular game details or pay (something i personally think gravitates towards reward for having a name, versus reward for showing ability when negotiating at the table, but it is what it is), but it does mention what an average day at the job looks like. Note that it's for a position, not a gig, so they really need to detail as much, but they would never leak product details this way.
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DRW
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by DRW »

So, the fact that he will not keep the project secret to people who want to work on it is something that needs to be emphasized in a positive way now?

The thing is: If you want people to write you, you need to make the project interesting to them. To make the project interesting to them, you need to tell something about it first. Otherwise, why should anybody write him if the project can literally be anything?

The mere mention of "small NES project" is nothing interesting in the first place.
My game is a small NES project as well. Hey, wow, I already finished a project that 100 % matches his description. Mission accomplished!
Does he want to buy my game? I'll sell him the distribution rights for $ 10000.


And what does this have to do with the project being commercial?

So, let's say he says:
"I want to do a sidescrolling run'n'gun game for the NES set in a futuristic setting with about five levels."

Man, I'd totally steal that idea, so keeping it secret from the public was a real clever decision. :roll:

Nevermind the fact that, if stealing ideas was even an issue in this case, everybody can simply write him and pretend to be interested.
He doesn't want to give out information in public, but he would give the information to any random person who asks him in private? Yeah, that would prevent people with malicious intentions.
WheelInventor wrote:Edit:
For measure, here's a professional counterpart.
https://career4.successfactors.com/care ... ine=Indeed
That's Electronic Arts. It's a real company. They don't need to tell you game details because you can check what they're generally doing.
Also, it's a career website. They're not random nobodies who personally ask in a forum if anybody is interested in a specific one-time game project for a niche market.
Totally different situation.


Edit: This is the text that I wrote when I was looking at the FamiTracker forum for a sound artist to do the music in my game:
Hello. I'm looking for someone who would be willing to create the sound for my homebrew NES game.

Here's a little description of the game:

The game plays on the rooftops of skyscrapers with an industrial city in the background. (Skyscrapers, factories, cranes etc.)
You play a 24 year old woman with a taser and you fight against a gang of thugs.
It has pieces of comic book stuff in it, like an enemy with rocket shoes who freely flies all over the place. But all in all, it's set in the real world. So, no turtles or aliens to fight, only regular human beings.
Also, it's not science fiction or supposed to play in the future. The game, if this even matters, will be set in the mid-80s, probably 1986.
The graphics are neither overly cartoony ("Mario"), nor totally serious and "realistic" ("Contra", "Castlevania"). Think of the characters from "Kung Fu", "Soccer" and suitless Samus from the NES "Metroid": No super deformed exaggerated chibi cartoon look. But the head is still recognizable enough that you can see the eyes and partly the mouth.

It's a really small and simple game. Maybe slightly more complex than "Kung Fu" and much less complex than "Super Mario Bros." So, the soundtrack could be equally simple. (Also, it has to fit into the remaining space of the 40 KB cartridge since I don't want the game to run on a bigger cartridge.) It is about 80 % finished.

For the sounds I'd need:
- One general soundtrack that plays in all levels.
- One jingle for the intro sequence.
- A soundtrack for boss battles. (Or maybe also just a jingle for the beginning of the fight.)
- Game ending jingle.
- Pause jingle.
- Jingle when you lose a life.
- Game over jingle.

[...]

So, would anybody be interested?

I'm of course happy to answer any questions that might arise.
My game "City Trouble":
Gameplay video: https://youtu.be/Eee0yurkIW4
Download (ROM, manual, artworks): http://www.denny-r-walter.de/city.html
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rainwarrior
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by rainwarrior »

LOL, not only do you ask for more information in the rudest way possible, but somehow you decided that wasn't rude enough so you wanted to flood this thread with a giant argument about whether or not you were right to be rude about it?
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mikejmoffitt
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by mikejmoffitt »

The sardonic response is not helping, DRW. f you genuinely want to know more, send him a PM like his first post asked, and if you're just going to criticize the post, do it tastefully.

Your follow-up barely fits on my screen, which is 1920 pixels tall. How did you manage to steer this towards discussion of your game?
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FrankenGraphics
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by FrankenGraphics »

The thing is: If you want people to write you, you need to make the project interesting to them.
Agreed, this is preferrable. But let's review what OP began with:
I'm not sure of the etiquette on asking here.


To hawken: People have recruited other people here before, and afaik there's no etiquette against recruitment ads.
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DRW
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by DRW »

rainwarrior wrote:LOL, not only do you ask for more information in the rudest way possible
I didn't ask for information because I never intend to ever work for this guy. I merely pointed out his mistakes because he asked for collaboration in the laziest way possible.
rainwarrior wrote:but somehow you decided that wasn't rude enough so you wanted to flood this thread with a giant argument about whether or not you were right to be rude about it?
And here we go again. :roll:
Alright, for the umpteenth time: My original reply was a two-liner. No big discussion, just a snarky remark.
If nobody had answered it, there wouldn't have been a "giant argument". The discussion is only kept alive by people like you who specifically answer me. So, you cannot resist the urge to object to my statements, but you expect me to remain silent about your objections. Hypocrite!

P.S.: Didn't you once apologize for being a dick to me (secretly and in private, of course, after chewing me out in public) when it was specifically about this kind of topic? And yet, here it starts all over again.
mikejmoffitt wrote:The sardonic response is not helping, DRW.
Well, next time he knows that he should better write some details, so yes, it is helping.
What really doesn't help: A meta discussion about the question whether my post was helpful.
mikejmoffitt wrote:f you genuinely want to know more, send him a PM like his first post asked
I don't want to know more.
mikejmoffitt wrote:and if you're just going to criticize the post, do it tastefully.
Unless I call somebody an asshole, my writing style is none of your business.
mikejmoffitt wrote:Your follow-up barely fits on my screen, which is 1920 pixels tall. How did you manage to steer this towards discussion of your game?
Where was my game ever discussed? I mentioned my game as a project that fits the description of "small NES project" to sarcastically tell him that, by his information, I already finished his request. The idea behind this was not my game, but the fact that any game fits this description.

And I wrote an example about how to ask for collaboration by taking my request from the FamiTracker forum to show the original poster how to do it right, a.k.a. helping him.

In no way did I discuss anything that's really about my game here.

And again: The reason why there was even a follow up to begin with is because you self-righteous guys just cannot stop criticising that I'm critical. If you all had just answered the original poster directly instead of replying to my posts, my reply would have been a small two-liner and nobody would have ever heard from me in this thread again.

"DRW, stop derailing the thread by answering our posts that derail the thread by criticising your original post."
My game "City Trouble":
Gameplay video: https://youtu.be/Eee0yurkIW4
Download (ROM, manual, artworks): http://www.denny-r-walter.de/city.html
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OmegaMax
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by OmegaMax »

DRW wrote:
"DRW, stop derailing the thread by answering our posts that derail the thread by criticising your original post."

:lol:
tepples
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by tepples »

Seriously guys, I think DRW's tone and the ensuing derailment are giving this newcomer a very wrong idea. It makes us look bad. This almost seems like grounds for a split, so that we can restart this discussion by summarizing the concerns brought up so far with more tact and more straightforward language.


And since May, that's saying something.
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mikejmoffitt
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by mikejmoffitt »

DRW wrote:
mikejmoffitt wrote:and if you're just going to criticize the post, do it tastefully.
Unless I call somebody an asshole, my writing style is none of your business.
If your writing style is coming off as a toxic attitude towards others, then it is absolutely everyone's business here.

I am in support of a split (or even a split and lock) so as not to destroy the original thread.
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FrankenGraphics
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by FrankenGraphics »

Split sounds good.
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koitsu
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Re: Freelance programming gig?

Post by koitsu »

DRW wrote:And again: The reason why there was even a follow up to begin with is because you self-righteous guys just cannot stop criticising that I'm critical. If you all had just answered the original poster directly instead of replying to my posts, my reply would have been a small two-liner and nobody would have ever heard from me in this thread again.
Pot-kettle-black, re: "you self-righteous guys". Be careful how you tread on that one.

I for one am completely fine with your criticism -- no matter if I agree or disagree, I think your criticism is perfectly valid. (Rephrased: I believe in the right for anyone to have an opinion, no matter if it's critical or supportive. I also believe strongly in the right to offend, within reason -- tact is important on this one).

I can't speak for everyone, but I believe the qualm here is that what you were trying to convey was done in a disparaging manner (i.e. maybe this upcoming NES developer won't be doing NES development any longer -- don't forget he/she even stated "I'm not sure of the etiquette of asking", which indicates they're already being humble and respectful). I'd like you to think about how this thread would have turned out had you just replied to the OP with something like this: "It would really help if you could at least post a synopsis of what your game is about and what it is you're looking for exactly (i.e. what the role of 'NES programmer' encompasses). People will likely be interested, but without any idea of what they could be getting involved with, I think many will avoid it. You can reach out to a bigger audience of potentials if you provide a summary of the game and list of needs/wants. Thanks!"
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rainwarrior
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Let's talk about DRW's behaviour.

Post by rainwarrior »

DRW wrote:P.S.: Didn't you once apologize for being a dick to me (secretly and in private, of course, after chewing me out in public) when it was specifically about this kind of topic? And yet, here it starts all over again.
I did apologize to you once for saying something I regretted. So what? This is at least the second time you've thought this was important to ask me, and I still don't understand the question.

I called you rude here because you treated hawken with hostility, then you treated his request with extreme disrespect by drastically escalating the volume of your incredibly petty argument at every turn. (1 line, 5 lines, 100 lines... many many more now that it's split.)

I called you rude because your behaviour makes this board a worse place.

I called you rude, because I'm not a mod. I don't have any power to, for example, give you a short temporary ban for this incident. All I have the power to do is say what I think of what you've done.

I'd even consider saying it privately if you hadn't already turned it into a big public argument, but you also seem to respond privately with just as much hostility as you do publicly, so I don't really know if that would have a point, either. (Is there anything you actually would rather discuss privately?)

Whenever somebody here steps on your giant eggshell of an ego, you flip the tables and make that thread about you.
tepples wrote:I think DRW's tone and the ensuing derailment are giving this newcomer a very wrong idea. It makes us look bad.
Exactly.
tepples wrote:This almost seems like grounds for a split
For once I actually appreciate a split. I definitely wasn't going to post another word about this in hawken's thread.
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