Questions for Contract Programmers

[Darth Nader]

Hey guys,

Fairly soon I'm going to start searching for a programmer to work on a contract basis for our project, something that I was admittedly unprepared for..but that's another story :o

I did want to get a few views from members here that might have done/doing contract work, in part to get a better understanding of what to expect, if you're interested in sharing of course.


I'd like to know what you charge on average per hour, and if you consider that rate constant, or dependent on the project.
On average, how many hours of week do you contribute to a project. Do you require a minimum amount of hours before accepting a project?
Do you normally formalize a project with a contract, NDA or similar? Do you go by verbal agreements or a "handshake"?
Do you ever work for alternative forms of compensation, such as trading work on a project you might be working on?


I appreciate any answers you can provide regarding this. If you don't care to have you information displayed here, you can PM or email me alternatively. Thanks again and hope to hear back from you guys.

[Pyabo]

I'd like to know what you charge on average per hour, and if you consider that rate constant, or dependent on the project.


This is way too dependent on other factors to give an accurate answer: what kind of work? What geographical area? What's the job market like there? How many years of experience do you have? All sorts of things. For me, I generally use this rule of thumb: base salary / 2000 is an hourly rate to shoot for. Then add an additional 15-25% if you're working 1099 instead of W-2. (don't forget to pay quarterly estimated tax if you're 1099!)


On average, how many hours of week do you contribute to a project. Do you require a minimum amount of hours before accepting a project?


Forty is normal... you *should* be focusing on ONE project. But this is entirely dependent on the project and your agreement with your employer. Most *real* jobs are going to want you for 40 hrs/week... and you'll have to negotiate a lower number if that's what you want. I worked a job most of last year where I did about 25 hrs/week. I would not work a job where I wasn't GAURANTEED work. That's just asking for trouble... "Sure, I'll be your beck and call programmer when you've got work..." Bah. I don't recommend that, unless the hourly rate is *very* good, like twice your normal rate.

Do you normally formalize a project with a contract, NDA or similar? Do you go by verbal agreements or a "handshake"?


I have worked as a W-2 contractor where I am essentially an employee. It's no different from signing an employment contract for full-time work. My last 1099 contract gig, I signed an NDA when I interviewed, and then we had a very simple employment contract (provided by the employer) that covered hourly rate, hours expected, maximum compensation, and ownership of code. It was all very simple... it's OK to do work with a handshake or verbal agreement, but DON'T put in hours if there is ANY sign that you won't get paid. PERIOD!!! Cannot stress this enough. If you get burned badly, you will only have yourself to blame. Ask for an upfront advance (this is rare), or weekly payment based on hours. The first time that weekly payment doesn't come in... see ya! Missing one week of pay will suck, but it's not a big deal... working NET90 on a speculative project that doesn't pay out... That is disastrous!

Do you ever work for alternative forms of compensation, such as trading work on a project you might be working on?


Oh HELLs no. :) You'll just be asking for trouble. Approach it like a professional and look for professional employers. Don't waste your time on non-serious endeavors, amateurs, or empty promises.

Hope this helps.

[TimS]

I'd like to know what you charge on average per hour, and if you consider that rate constant, or dependent on the project.

$25/hr, depends entirely on the project. Some I'd work on for free (for instance if the team making Fallout 3 wanted to let me borrow a broom closet, I'd code for free during my waking hours). Others would need to pay much more (if your 'game' is secretly or overtly a database application for tax information...)

On average, how many hours of week do you contribute to a project. Do you require a minimum amount of hours before accepting a project?

On average maybe 20... but it could be anywhere from 1 hour to 60, depending on the project and the rate. I'm not at all opposed to taking on small-time-commitment gigs as long as they're interesting and paying reasonably.

Do you normally formalize a project with a contract, NDA or similar?

Always. When contracting OUT work I'm ok with a wink-n'-a-nod-n'-a reputation-to-uphold type of agreement if they are, but only in the case of highly recommended / regarded work. If I'm the contractor, I'd rather get everything properly in writing even if I'm the one who has to throw together the contract itself.

Do you ever work for alternative forms of compensation

I haven't to date, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. The trade offer would have to be good though... as in work offered from someone who's work I would pay for anyway. Like say, if Pixar wanted me to code them some tools in exchange for doing the art in my next game... :D Yay! Most 'realistic' trade scenarios wouldn't be very appealing to me unless I knew the people on a personal level and liked / trusted them.

Random info! Hope any of it helps in your quest.

-Tim

[MrPhil]

You should probably qualify what type of programmer you are looking for. More experienced programmers charge more but can do jobs faster and with fewer bugs. The big difference will come from your technical requirements. A C++ programmer with SDL experience is going to be cheaper and easier to find than a Certified C++ programmer with Granny 3D experience.

Also I’d use 1920 hours (52 weeks – 4 vacation/sick weeks * 40 hrs) instead of 2000 when calculating salary per hour values. Professional C++ developers in DC area with 8-10 years experience make between $70k and $110k. That translates roughly to $35 to $60 an hour. Problem of course is that number does take into account things like health benefits. So as a general guideline you should probably expect to double hourly rates calculated from a salary.

You also might find it interesting to look at the GSA schedule (http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/home.do?tabId=0) and see what kind of rates government contractors in your area are charging the government.

[lennard]

I read a note like that and worry that somebody is going to get an expensive education.

If you are looking to build a complete game then I would strongly suggest building a good design doc. (complete with mock ups for all screens) and then get a fixed bid based upon that design.

I'm presuming things here, my apologies if I'm way off base. Assuming you haven't done a lot of finished game designs and that you are designing the game... it's way cheaper to look at a screen you have designed in photoshop and figure out the hard UI problems than it is to have a programmer build stuff and then start changing things. Depending upon your game you may then want to mock up with a programmer or start with an art director/lead artist to do screen mockups before proceeding to full production.

[Donavon Keithley]

Do you normally formalize a project with a contract, NDA or similar? Do you go by verbal agreements or a "handshake"?


Under U.S. law you must have a written work-for-hire agreement (e-mail counts as written). If the agreement is purely verbal, at the end of the day you will not own the code, the contractor will.

A written contract is a good idea anyway. Not everyone is as honorable as they first appear, and there's always the possibility of honest disagreement and faulty memory.

EDIT: You might take a look at Nolo's Consultant and Independent Contractor Agreements (http://www.nolo.com/product.cfm/objectID/20DDE01A-5F87-4255-93CAE7397066ECB7/111/159/). Has a variety of contracts and forms, good deal for ~$25.

[Applewood]

1) Make sure that that your guy doesn't abuse 2) by being a shark

2) Find the most experienced programmer you can, and pay him whatever he wants, within reason.

You'll save money in the long run by paying for quality as you'll end up getting a quality deliverable. If you don't pay for quality, chances are you'll end up paying a lot less, but for nothing at all.

IME, all programmers want to work on their own stuff. They won't deliver if they're either not interested or not being paid a proper wage for doing work-for-hire. Find a way to make both these things happen and you'll be okay.

The net is littered with half-finished stuff. Don't let it happen to you. Here in the UK, a decent programmer will want upwards of 2K a month and a good one will be heading towards 3 or 4. Little companies like mine charge 5-8 based on royalty share and other factors (like project duration).

(That's all in UKP btw, not sure about the US market, but they used to be slightly better paid than us on average, at least in the mainstream)

[Applewood]

A written contract is a good idea anyway. Not everyone is as honorable as they first appear, and there's always the possibility of honest disagreement and faulty memory.
I strongly back that up too. Thankfully we've not found any purely dishonourable people so far, but we've fallen foul of both the other options more than once and in both directions - it happens a lot.

You'll probably never end up waving these things around in court, but what they do do is focus the mind and make sure everything else also gets written down. The contract itself becomes the arbitrator of any disagreements, so both parties to it can just look it up, settle the matter there and then, and more importantly, no tempers are lost and no reputations get called into question.

Also, a nod and a wink is no damn good at all when the winker leaves and gets replaced by a wanker. We got caught like this once and we'll never let it happen again.

[Pyabo]

Whoops, I answered all the questions as if you were looking for work, not programmers... But it still gives you an idea of how a professional contractor works. You can come up with any zany rate/hours/compensation/agreement you can think of and find someone willing to work that way... there's a lot of amateurs looking to break into the games market. Getting good results from them will be a crapshoot at best.

[Darth Nader]

Hey Guys,

I really appreciate the replys and information given, it really has been helpful.

@Pyabo: lol, it was still very helpful, even from that point of view :D

@Lennard: Actually, we're pretty well on to being done (I have design docs up the rear, about to update for a shakedown).

@Donavon Keithley: Really appreciate that link. I created my own contracts, and always felt a bit uneasy that I might not have gotten the aspects of the agreement right (in an iron-clad, own your firstborn kind of way)

One of the reasons we're looking at another programmer is mainly due to "real life blues" affecting our current coders...day jobs, wives, kids, etc. Our team has endured for a long time, but the outside forces have started to take their toll. We're all working on the 'sales percentage' agreement (and organizing into an official company), but I'm hoping to be able to afford a contract programmer to help finish up all the loose ends. I'm not certain I can afford more than $15-20/hr, for not much more than 10 hrs a week (althought I should be getting help with one of my team members), so I am looking for additionally incentives (% of sales), or even alternative forms of compensation if the situation presents itself.

Well, again thanks a lot for the replies. Ultimately I'm hoping I don't have to go this route, but this info will help me much more.

Thanks

[arcadetown]

I was a business contract programmer (aka software slut) for many years. Some tips...

- Found clients were hesitant to sign contract, even if said nothing else other than your pay rate and was hired at will (fire any time). Don't push it, getting paid and them reporting it correctly is only things that really matter.

- Pay rate should normally be 1.5 - 2x and sometimes up to 3x what you could get at a fulltime job. The client is taking much less risk than on employee basis and on 1099 basis is paying no payroll taxes, benefits, etc.

- I was typically able to get $40 - $60 / hr at start then $60 - $125 / hr towards end depending on the project, how desperate I was for work, how desperate the client was to get it done, term of contract, how hot the market was, etc.

[lennard]

Can you post a link to something that would describe the current state of things?

[Darth Nader]

Can you post a link to something that would describe the current state of things?

These shots are a few months old, but pretty much show the most current state of how it looks:

http://sovereign-studios.com/eventalpha/images/EA_shot01.png
http://sovereign-studios.com/eventalpha/images/EA_shot02.png
http://sovereign-studios.com/eventalpha/images/EA_shot04.png
http://sovereign-studios.com/eventalpha/images/shido_inven.png
http://sovereign-studios.com/eventalpha/images/EA_shot08.png
http://sovereign-studios.com/eventalpha/images/EA_shot09.png

I actually posted a few of these a while back on this site :D

We're using the Torque Shader Engine for the game. We originally were using TGE (and honestly might have already been done if we statyed with it), but the improvements with TSE were a little too good to pass up we thought. A lot of the background work for the game is done, with the last two major areas to be aded being AI and vehicles. One of the things that's been keeping us back is that TSE is still not complete in terms of development (still in the Early Adopter stage). As I said earlier, I'm doing a shakedown at this time to fully assess the state of what is complete, what isn't, what needs to be added and left out. This is in part to help determine what we'll require from a new programmer (experience with Torque, how long the work will take, how much we can afford for an experienced coder). I've been hesitant to being anyone on board at this stage, the time associated with getting a new programmer up to speed, but we're approaching a fifth year, and its tiem to knock this thing out.

@Arcadetown: lol software slut...I was prone to using code monkey, but I think that might be just as appropriate :)

[dmikesell]

I'm not certain I can afford more than $15-20/hr


You realize that one can make more than that (maybe twice) cleaning houses?

[lennard]

he pays that much to finish his game he could easily lose money?

The screenshots look OK but will it compete well for dollars against other titles in that genre?

[Ricardo C]

You realize that one can make more than that (maybe twice) cleaning houses?

You realize that for programmers in certain parts of the world $15-20 an hour is perfectly acceptable?