[MUD-Dev] How Many Developers Does It take to Screw in a Lightbulb? [Poll]

[Lee Sheldon]

I'm in the first stages of preparing my tutorial for next year's
GDC, and trying to answer some investor questions that have been
directed my way recently (these two are totally separate, btw), and
I could use some help.  This is addressed to the commercial
developers among us, large and small.  I'm looking for two sets of
data here, one for each.  I don't have a precise cut-off point yet
for the difference between large and small, but by large I guess I
mean the highly publicized games being played by tens of thousands
to hundreds of thousands of players.  By small I mean the games that
can make their nut with only a few hundred to a few thousand
players.

  1.  How many professional programmers do you have on staff?

  2.  How many professional artists do you have on staff?

  3.  How many professional writers do you have on staff?

  4.  How many professional designers do you have on staff?

  5.  What's the salary range for professional programmers? (This
  can be for the industry, not necessarily your company.)

  6.  What's the salary range for professional artists? (This can be
  for the industry, not necessarily your company.)

  7.  What's the salary range for professional writers? (This can be
  for the industry, not necessarily your company.)

  8.  What's the salary range for professional designers (This can
  be for the industry, not necessarily your company.)

  9.  How many years of experience do you look for when hiring a
  professional programmer?

  10. How many years of experience do you look for when hiring a
  professional artist?

  11. How many years of experience do you look for when hiring a
  professional writer?

  12. How many years of experience do you look for when hiring a
  professional designer?

    Note: I'm defining professional as an individual who makes his
    or her living by primarily functioning in the given profession.
    I expect designers in particular to also be functioning in one
    or more of the other capacities.

    Note: Yes, I'm aware of the Gamasutra poll that covered some of
    this, but their ranges are so large as to be almost useless.
    And I'm concentrating on games covered by this list.

  13. What's the total budget range you'd say it takes to create a
  commercial MMORPG?

  14. What's the budget for ongoing service and new material?

  15. What is a reasonable expectation of initial development time?

I have my own opinions about most of these, but I need as much
additional feedback as I can get.

Thanks in advance,
Lee


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