作者：Christopher Haag

在2012年我很愉快地同Meta3D Studios就我的手机游戏《Hamster Chase》美术工作一起合作。

找到合作工作室之前的注意事项

在你们首次接触之前，最好要准备好以下资料：

*部分游戏设计文件：至少要有点资料让该工作电脑知道你的游戏大致内容，以及游戏故事、角色、敌人和内容的规模大小。可以通过电子邮件用几句话来说明你的游戏，但要让对方知道你的游戏理念需要他们投入多少工作精力。

*提供所需资产列表：不仅仅包括游戏角色、武器、道具和关卡结构；你可能还需要一个用户界面、菜单设计、图标、启动画面、条幅、网站设计等等。你提前想得越多效果就越好，但如果你忘记了一些重要的东西，就要尽早让你在对方工作室的联系人知道这一点。

*视觉设计和草图：如果你提供的是MS Paint样本，以及扫描文件上的涂鸦内容也可以；美术工作室至少需要一些可能反映你基本理念的东西。

drawing cartoons(from ezcomics)

*参考图片或视频：草图可以让工作室知道你的需求，但参考图片则可让他们了解更详细的情况。你可以提供其他游戏的截图或视频，但不能要求他们直接复制他人设计。如果你条件允许，可以制作一个与自己游戏相关的无定形视频，这样也会对他们有所启发。

*预算：要清楚你将投入的成本，了解自己投入的硬界限是多少。要根据你所需的美术内容数量，获得工作室的报价。

*现实预期：你可能不是该工作室唯一的客户，所以如果他们没有及时回复你的邮件，也不要太生气。如果他们提供了报价，而你“真是大大超过我的预期！”，那也要摆正心态，不要轻易发怒。要知道该工作室也需要赚钱谋生，要支付税款，员工要养家糊口。他们需要时间和资源来制作美术内容。即便只是一个动画卡通仓鼠，它每帧画面也需要耗费好几小时的工作，以及纠错和改更过程。所谓专业人士只是让困难的工作看起来更容易罢了，但这并不能让人无视他们的付出。

*截止日期：让工作室事先知道你究竟是在赶工，还是在业余时间开发游戏。最好让工作室及其客户知道究竟谁需要在两个月内发布游戏。

*体验相似的游戏：这对我来说是个挑战，因为我觉得自己如果玩其他游戏，我就会不知不觉地挪用它们的游戏玩法理念，而看到这些做工精致的游戏又会让我羞于完成自己的项目。相反，我们应该从他人的游戏中借鉴经验，优化自己的游戏，令其绽放光彩。

如果你不知道自己的游戏应该呈现哪种面貌，那就究竟一下不同美术工作室的作品。如果你还是不确定，那就让工作室了解你需要制作哪类游戏，然后他们会同你分享其他案例。如果这样你还是无法确定，那就说明你真的还没准备好。此时就不应该让工作室浪费时间做你的免费美术顾问了。

刚开始合作

这里我们假设你已经找到满意的工作室了，他们很乐意为你效力，你们也就支付方案达成一致意见。那就要确保你确定了以下事项：

*分享资产的方法：通常工作室都会为你提供这些内容。我喜欢Basecamp，因为其中所有资产布置都很完善，其界面也很容易使用。Dropbox用起来也很顺手。

*假设性的时间线：简单用“它可能总共需要X小时”或者“我们应该Y到X周完成项目”来表述就可以了。毕竟没有人清楚这个项目究竟需要多长时间才能完成。

*确定该工作室的直接联系人：如果你的项目有一些需要额外注意的地方，找到该直接联系人就行了，不需要通知整个工作室的人。

*你团队中的主要联系人：让她/他同对方工作室打交道，原因同上。

*要保持联络：不要同一家工作室签约之后两三天都不回复对方的信息。这样你会给人留下糟糕的第一印象，他们会认为你对这个项目并不重视。所以要在项目一开工就积极同对方工作室沟通，让他们知道你何时有空，并找到与对方合拍的时间点。

与工作室共事

以下是同任何工作室开始合作过程时需要牢记的事项：

*沟通：你只有经常沟通才能推动项目进展。所以要保持流畅的沟通，如果有人要退出项目，就要让工作室知道情况。例如，Meta3D工作室推迟了一周提交了大量资产，这需要我耗费一整个周末更新游戏，而我本周的全职工作非常之忙。我就会告诉他们，我需要时间赶工，也会及时让他们知道我完成了。知道这些后，他们就会腾出更多时间在当周完成其他项目。

*灵活性：你所合作的工作室在美术设计上可能比你更有经验，所以不妨听听他们所提供的建设性意见。如果他们说有些东西无法实现，那可能是因为他们做不了。在这种情况下，就要同他们协商找到另一个可行的办法。在该资产完工之前，你们都不可能知道它会是什么面貌。

*项目突然变化：如果你发现自己忘了交待工作室一些重要的事情，让你要让你的主联系人立即知晓情况。要求他们制作新资产不但会影响他们的工作安排，还会增加他们的要价。所以一定要掂量清楚自己是否需要其他资产内容。如果你一次性针对项目进行重大调整也没关系，但如果你经常这样，你的团队最好还是先停下来想清楚究竟出了什么情况。

*了解你的产品：我发现自己经常逗留于游戏的基本玩法设计决策。我甚至直到合作中止之前都没有游戏的主要UI设计。如果我花更多时间玩其他相似的游戏，也许就能获得更多启发，也会更有准备了。由此也能让Meta3D Studios用更短的时间制作《Hamaster Puzzler》内容。

*可玩的样本：我使用Unity 3D开发游戏，网页部署让我更易于在游戏内部向工作室展示游戏资产。这可以令大家更容易合作及评估整个工作过程。

*耐心：在这一代游戏开发中，每天都有美术设计惊人，并且仅由一人或小型团队在数月时间内完成的新游戏横空出世。但不要据此认为美术工作室也能在很短时间内制作出超越它们的成果。定制美术内容需要时间和开发成本。要知道，那些成功的独立开发者可能使用了现成的资产。你可以看到经过润色的美术内容，但并不一定看得到支撑其发展的无数草图和概念图。

总结

要尊重与你共事之人，你们并不只是为了创建资产而合作，你们是在建立一种商业合作关系。如果你对某些事情不满，那就私下同主联系人沟通。如果联系人可以让双方都满意，开发者不但可获得高质量的美术资产，甚至还可能得到未来项目的优惠折扣。工作室也多了一名推荐者，并给自己的作品集再加筹码。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Tips for Working With an Art Studio

By Christopher Haag

In 2012 I had the pleasure to work with Meta3D Studios in developing artwork for my mobile game Hamster Chase, and I’d like to share some tips on getting the most out of working with an art studio.

Before Approaching a Studio

Before you make first contact, try to have as many of the following on-hand as possible:

A partial game design document. Have something to give the studio that at least tells them what your game is about, and how big (or small) it is with respect to story, characters, enemies, and content. It’s fine to explain your game in a few sentences over e-mail, but they need a good idea of how much work to expect based on your vision of the game.

A list of needed assets (works of art). Don’t just include the game characters, weapons, items and level textures; you may also need a user interface, menu art, an icon, a splash screen, box art, banners, art for your website…and the list goes on. The more you think of ahead of time, the better…but if you forget something really important, let your main contact at the studio know ASAP.

Visuals and sketches. It’s OK if you have a bunch of MS Paint mockups and scribbles on scanned documents; the art studio needs at least a basic idea of what you have in mind for everything.

Reference images or videos. Sketches tell a studio what you need, but references help them understand the finer details. There is no shame in taking screenshots or videos from other games; just don’t ask them to copy from them verbatim. If you can do it, making a video of a textureless demo of your game can be helpful, too.

A budget. Know how much you would like to spend, and know what your hard limit is on spending. Depending on how much art you need, you could get a quote from a studio for fifty or for five thousand dollars (That may as well be several million dollars for you younger Indies).

Realistic expectations. You may not be the studio’s only client, so don’t be offended if they don’t reply to your e-mails every five minutes. If they give you a quote, and you think “Wow, that’s way more than I expected to spend!” then at least put it in perspective. The studio needs to make its livelihood, taxes must be paid, and dinners put on tables. It takes time and resources to create art. Even if it’s an animated cartoon hamster, consider that every frame was created after hours of work, and a bit of trial and error. A professional is just that because they make the difficult look easy.

A deadline. Let the studio know up front whether you’re fighting a deadline, or just developing your game at a casual pace. It’s a courtesy to both the studio and its other clients who really need their games out the door in two months.

Experience playing similar games. This is a challenge for me because I feel like if I play other games, I’ll subconsciously steal their game play ideas, and seeing such well polished games makes me shy away from trying to compete. Really, the opposite attitude should prevail: You can learn an awful lot about how to make your game great by playing other games in the same genre, and even find ways to make it better!

If you have no idea how you want your game to look, then study the portfolios of various art studios. If you’re still not sure, let the studio know what kind of game you’re making, and they can share additional examples with you. If you’re still not sure, then you’re not ready yet. Please don’t ask a studio to devote their time to be your art consultant free of charge.

Getting Started With the Studio

Lets say you’ve found your dream studio, they’re happy to have you as a client, and that you’ve agreed on a payment plan. Make sure you get the following things established:

A way to share assets. Usually the studio provides you with this. I like Basecamp because all the assets were neatly organized, and the interface was easy to use. Dropbox is handy, too.

A tentative timeline. A simple “it will probably take x hours total” or “we may have it done in y-z weeks” will suffice. Nobody can know exactly how long a project will take before it’s done.

A direct line to your primary contact at the studio. If something comes up that requires special or sensitive attention, you don’t need to bullhorn it to the whole studio.

Someone on your team who is the primary contact for the studio for the same reason.

Availability. Don’t sign up with a studio, and then not reply to their messages for a day or two at a time. You will leave a terrible first impression, and they’ll think you’re not serious about the project. Be especially proactive in communicating with the studio at the beginning of the project. Let them know when you’re generally reachable, and find out the same from them.

Working With the studio

Here are things to keep in mind throughout the process of working with any studio:

Communication: The project only moves forward as fast and effectively as your messages do. Keep a flow of communication going. If someone is going to be out of the loop for a while, let the studio know. For example, Meta3D studios delivered a ton of assets to me late one week. It was going to take me the whole weekend to update my game with it, and I had a busy week ahead at my full time job. I told them I needed time to catch up, and I’d let them know as soon as I was done. Knowing that, they could safely budget more time toward other projects that week.

Flexibility: Chances are the studio you work with has more experience than you do with art development, so think about any constructive advice they give you. If they tell you they can’t do something, it’s because they can’t do it. In those cases, work with them to find another way to make the assets work. Neither you nor the studio will know exactly how an asset will look until it’s done.

Sudden project changes: If you realize you forgot to ask the studio for something important, let your main point of contact know immediately. Asking for new assets affects their schedule and how much you’re paying them. So does deciding that you don’t want other assets after all (and you’re still paying for the time they already invested). It’s OK if you make a significant change to the project once; but if it becomes a habit, then your team had better stop and figure things out real fast.

Know your product: I found myself waffling around some basic game play design decisions far into the project. I didn’t even have a design for the game’s main UI until near the end of the contract. If I had spent more time playing other games similar to mine in look and feel, I would have learned a lot, and had been more prepared to work with the studio. That would have enabled Meta3D Studios to make more Hamster Puzzler content in less time.

Playable demos: I use Unity3D to develop games, and the web deployment made it easy for me to show off the assets from within the game to the studio. There’s no substitute for collaborating and reviewing a work in progress than for the developer to produce intermediate builds for everybody!

Patience: In this generation of game development, it seems like every day a new game comes out with amazing art that was completely developed by one person or a small team over a few months. Don’t let this lead you to believe that art studios can do better than that in a fraction of the time. Custom art takes time and resources to develop; and for all you know, those developers may have used pre-existing assets. When you see a polished work of art, you don’t always see the sketches and rough drafts that came before it.

In a nutshell

Respect the people you work with. You’re not just working together to build assets, you’re also building a business relationship. If you’re unhappy with how things are going in general, take it up with your main contact in private. If the contract is finished with both sides happy, the developer gets quality art in their game along with the possibility of discounts on future projects. The studio gets another referral, and another star to add to their portfolio.

But enough reading, it’s time to get out there and make your imagination come to the screen! （source：gamedev）