Us developers hate percent deals

[Badger]

Spoiler

[2:51:09 PM] [Redacted]: I didn't ask for you to code for "percent deals" I said would you like to "sponsor" us in development.
[2:51:20 PM] Badger (Jared): How so?
[2:51:31 PM] Badger (Jared): Is it not the same thing?
[2:51:53 PM] [Redacted]: As stated, coding plugins. We will negotiate a price for the plugins that you code then once we get the money in donations you will slowly be paid, like an investment.
[2:52:14 PM] Badger (Jared): There's a reason I don't do investments
[2:52:21 PM] Badger (Jared): Too risky
[2:52:36 PM] Badger (Jared): I wish you both luck with the server though
[2:52:52 PM] [Redacted]: My previous server made $1.5k in donations and around $300 in the first month and many of the players from there want to come on my new server. But do as you wish.
[2:53:28 PM] Badger (Jared): If you made 1.5K in donations, why don't you have enough to pay developers?
[2:53:36 PM] [Redacted]: Did I say that?
[2:53:42 PM] [Redacted]: Did I say I don't have enough?
[2:53:56 PM] [Redacted]: I said would you like to "sponsor" the server. Previous servers has nothing to do with this.
[2:54:06 PM] Badger (Jared): So you do? Why pay via donation money that's not there?
[2:54:29 PM] [Redacted]: This has nothing to do with my initial question.

I redacted the name because it's not right to give that way if they don't want to be outted. However, here is one thing I'm sure most developers (any of the good ones I mean, sorry nubs) and I can agree on. We hate percent deals. We hate hate hate them. Sure you have proof/statistics your last server was so great and big. If it was so successful, how come you don't have the money to pay me. How come you need to pay me via the donations that haven't came yet and may not even come?... I'm not guaranteed my pay, so why would I create plugins if I'm not guaranteed getting paid for them... Why did the builder get paid for his work, but us developers are working to get our money once you get the donations? Why are we that down low on the totem pole, yet you all want us.

So tl:dr - If you want a developer for your server, actually pay them. Your "you'll get a percent of the donations we make" is just an excuse for saying you don't have money, but want free plugins.

Apologize to all my friends for this rant.

 

[Fire]

I know myself it’s a lot more motivating to work on a project knowing exactly what I am being paid and when. A percentage could, however, yield a far higher return than just doing it for a set price, or all those hours of work could amount to nothing. If I wanted to gamble, I wouldn’t really be betting on someone’s MC server, given the low percentage of servers that get anywhere. The vast majority don’t even get above a 20 player base.

That’s providing you do actually get that %. It’s easier to negotiate with someone, getting them to pay 50% up front, and not giving them their product before the full amount is paid. With a percentage, the owner could just block you, and it isn’t much you can do. If the owner now has a large player base for his server and is making loads of money from that. I can’t see him being bothered about getting banned from MCM.

 

[Badger]

I know myself it’s a lot more motivating to work on a project knowing exactly what I am being paid and when. A percentage could, however, yield a far higher return than just doing it for a set price, or all those hours of work could amount to nothing. If I wanted to gamble, I wouldn’t really be betting on someone’s MC server, given the low percentage of servers that get anywhere. The vast majority don’t even get above a 20 player base.

That’s providing you do actually get that %. It’s easier to negotiate with someone, getting them to pay 50% up front, and not giving them their product before the full amount is paid. With a percentage, the owner could just block you, and it isn’t much you can do. If the owner now has a large player base for his server and is making loads of money from that. I can’t see him being bothered about getting banned from MCM.

The fact that they claimed to make $1500 with their old server killed any chance of me developing for them. If you made $1500, how do you not have that money to pay me to develop you plugins?... Sounds sketchy

 

[Errota]

It's such a fucking joke. Anyone who asks me to do that I will and have told them to go fuck themselves. Period.

 

[Badger]

It's such a fucking joke. Anyone who asks me to do that I will and have told them to go fuck themselves. Period.

It's hysterical how many of them I still get from users...

 

[Ivain]

Expand that to pretty much any freelancer in the Minecraft field. Percent deals are a major gamble. If the project fails, all your work will have been for nothing (unless you can somehow reuse it). If its mildly successful you're underpaid as fuck. If it's hugely successful you might get more than you would normally ask, but the chances of that are astronomically low.

Only situation I'd accept a percentage deal is if I got a basic payment that's a bit lower than I would normally ask, and was promised a percentage by a certain date. And only if it was by someone I had reason to trust, and it was written down in a signed contract.

otherwise, it's just a slower scam.