Should people make up a team, or should they work alone?

[PrinceOfFunky]

I'm a very jealous person with everything I think, even with my information, like this thing I just said(that I'm a jealous person with everything). Anyway, I wanted say/ask something, hoping I'll not regret XD
For example, I'm jealous of my maps, codes, 3D models, 2D draws, IDEAS especially. My jealousy brought me to move away from any possible team, from music bands to programming teams and even from job offers. Why even from job offers? Well, I don't like the idea to work for someone, that's it. Why should he/she take all the merit of something he/she never did, never spent a second to create? Plus, as I said, I'm jealous of my work, and so, obviously I wouldn't like to give my creations to a "boss".
Anyway, there's another aspect of me, it is my "avoidance to the risk". This doesn't mean I don't like to risk, I rly would like it, but there's something(lot probably, for the way I grew up) that blocks me to even try to risk. This month I'm trying to get close to whatever risk/occasion I find. Most of the time I feel blocked. Fact is, I know I've rly great ideas but, I cannot find out a reason of why would it be worth to risk on them. Still... ...this doesn't mean it is not worth to risk on my ideas, I personally think that most of my ideas, if not all , would of be successful.
Where does this bring me to?
Well, it brings me to not to complete my works. Almost never!
An example: I've a lot of maps that I didn't publish but, not cause I'm jealous of them, but cause most of them are incomplete.
LOT of things I create are incomplete.
That's the reason why I'm here now, I don't think it's useless to start creating stuff and to not to complete anything, but cause, when I do it, I don't face the reason why I started that stuff. In the case of codes, maps etc, usually I start making that kind of stuff to SHARE it, and so, that's what's useless... ...Usually my "creator" routine is something like this:
[Day #1]

• "Cool another day, let me think at something rly nice."
  "Nice done! Now let me create it..."
  (Night/Morning comes and so I stop to work on it thinking to continue to work on it the day after)

[Day #2]

"Cool another day, let me think at something rly nice."
"Nice done! Now let me create it..."
(Night/Morning comes and so I stop to work on it thinking to continue to work on it the day after)

Etcetera Etcetera...

So, let's just say, I'm here today to break my own rules
I guess now I should of not to be so much jealous about my ideas for UT99 So, as Gustavo asked me if he could of work on the Pressure gametype: YEAH WHY NOT?!
Same with the race and with a lot of stuff I will post here, even if not complete u.u

What about you? Have you the same rules about your own stuff?

[papercoffee]

First off ...Bosses:
Their work, is to get this people (mostly customer or investors) to put money in his business and to keep things ticking over. He invest his money to pay you, so you owe him your working hours. With the product you make or things you sell in this working hours are you giving the customer what he desire. (the reason why he put money in your boss's business in the first place)

...So, you never was the owner of the "product".

btt:
Team work is something great for people who know that they know nothing.
For me it's the only way ...I'm very specialised in graphic, textures and drawing pictures... And therefore I need a team of people who knows stuff I don't know.

To be jealous about your ideas is very contra productive and will get you nowhere.
If you don't share your stuff ...is it like it never happened.

[UTX]

I find team work to be difficult because I do not like people and no one ever meets my expectations. Regarding UT, the only skill I lack now is mesh modeling so I guess I could team up with a modeler.

[Wises]

hmm not sure if jealous is the word.. youre looking for. Perhaps protective , kautious , possesive?

however , consider this... this engine is way ..................... past its 'use-by' date, as in (Decades.)

its hayday and not to mention audience is long................... since gone and dwindling fast.

so based on those 2 statements - what is the point of 'Copy Protecting' anything built using it?

re: Teams ... unless you have an active , passionate & open bunch of guys working together there is no such thing in this game.

sorry for being blunt , but thats my oppinion.

cheers.

[EvilGrins]

Sorta... I didn't release all the skins I've edited because I was hoping to host them in games I might get around to hosting someday.

Which is why I remain the only one to have the Hello Kitty Corps.

[PrinceOfFunky]

Spoiler

Sorta... I didn't release all the skins I've edited because I was hoping to host them in games I might get around to hosting someday.

Which is why I remain the only one to have the Hello Kitty Corps.

Lolol, it's rly cool I want use it XD
I've a model that's not rly a model, it's just...
...a Nali with tits!

Aaaand yes, there's actually a gibbed tit model on UT99 LOL

[MrLoathsome]

I find team work to be difficult because I do not like people and no one ever meets my expectations. Regarding UT, the only skill I lack now is mesh modeling so I guess I could team up with a modeler.

That's exactly what I was gonna say.

Learn modeling, and we can team up.

*Edit. You can do the maps also. I don't know nothing about no maps.

[editor Dave]

But here we are meeting in a forum, helping others out with wall of texts. Isn't that some kind of teamwork, too?

I'm with paper regarding teamwork. I am glad there are people helpful and kind enough to do simple tasks for me that I cannot. Working in a team also is a great source of encouragement: If you see progress of a team member, you probably are more motivated to build on your own map (even if your reasoning is selfish, such as surpassing the others). In addition to that, the team's overall progress will be faster compared to doing everything by yourself. And a team helps you to weigh up your ideas. If you trust only yourself, you might walk some time in an inefficient direction. Sure, you can learn from that experience, but prevention might be the better option on the long run.

Of course, I am well aware of the negatives: If you have people who aren't ready for a compromise, if one half primarily relies on the other half of the team members, if people just talk and don't do anything, etc. In the UT scene, working on the ut99.org CMP2 was a very pleasent experience, because most members were building constantly on their maps, or Ferali did an excellent job on the pickups, and Crev was a nice and persisting leader. Working on the ut99.org Community map was fun - until the very end, however, when nobody else seemed to be interested in working on it anymore but me (and paper for the story). On the other hand, working with other students for a presentation in my university, doesn't always meet my standards (or the standards I imagine them to be).

Regarding ideas in general: In my view it's presumptuos to think only one has a splendid idea about something and holds onto it. Someone else might already have had the same idea, abandoned it, just did a preview of, or released it on an unknown website. Because of that, I always merit the execution more than the idea itself. Let's face it: Every slightly creative person has tons of ideas. But turning them all to life is a completely different story. When I make maps my approach is like: Have I ever faced something like this before? If no: Awesome, let me do it! And if I did (or later find it out): Is my approach in a way better or at least different in certain elements? And if that is true, I do it anyway. Though, I do wanna provide unique experiences above all. In that regard, I am certainly limited in my tiny knowledge about all maps ever released, though

[UTX]

You can do the maps also. I don't know nothing about no maps.

I know only the basics, enough just to understand how maps work. Nothing that can't be changed with a little practice, of course. I do have a couple of ideas I would like to perform, but seeing how I won't be able to participate in the contest, I'm gonna focus on finishing my other projects before getting into mapping. I would love to work on a single player campaign though.

[Dr.Flay]

All of my own projects are released under a Creative Commons licence stating that "My work is free and you are encouraged to make derivative works based on it, as long as you also release it for free."

Jealousy over your stuff is born of not understanding how community and family work to create something greater than anything that any 1 of those individuals can do.
It is born of not seeing how you fit in the wider world around you.
As you have started to understand, it will hold you back. I also understand the gut-wrenching you feel when handing over something that is precious to you.
That is because you are only living in the moment, and are not thinking of the future and the possibilities it may yield.
Being a team-player always opens doors to better opportunities, as you get more and more good references from people that trust you.

Quite simply, the more sharing you are with others, the more people want to share with you and look after you. The better off you are, and you are never without the things you need.
My life lesson for you is this;
Years ago I was homeless for 6 years, but was only without somewhere to sleep for 1 night. I was always looked after by those that I had previously helped, and customers that I had gone the extra mile for.
I made myself useful wherever I was, by fully sharing in whatever was going on. Always giving what little I have means everyone gets a little more, and I get more in return.
I was wanted for my skills and my company, kept clean, safe and well fed.
The key thing for my soul was "I was wanted". Everything else was a luxury and the brotherly love I felt from people that I hardly knew, brought me to tears several times.

Some of the strangers I helped all those ago are now my closest friends and a major part of my life. They helped me turn my life around, so that I am now even more useful than I ever was.
They even make sure I get to the Doctors, or help me deal with banking and other official stuff, because I am weak at certain things and they are stronger.


RFlagg, the head of the Chaos project is not capable of creating the Chaos mod. No 1 member of the team (still scouting for more people ) is capable.
Weapon and relic design and building is even a split task, with currently 1 main designer and 2 builders.
We have another dev working only on audio.
However as a team, we all have equal rights to put ideas in the pot, and even Flaggs ideas may get poked holes in until they burst.
As a true leader he knows that to make the best product, only the best ideas that fit the theme and also pass deep criticism will do.
Like all the team, some of my ideas are in, and some are not.
Sometimes this is annoying, but sometimes it is because the idea was shared, then brainstormed into something better that we all love.
We all win in the long run because we have our eyes on the same goal, and a motivated task-master that keeps everyone concentrating on the individual things they need to finish.