Need a coder quote

[Shapooda]

Hey! So I'm the head artist working on Mystfell, and currently the only fully active artist, but nearly all the art is done, there's just so much we want to tackle that we can't do on our own. We need a coder that's going to be able to help with the site and possibly with any future bugs. I'm not entirely sure how it works, just that I'm all in to make this happen. I'm a senior in college and this is my thesis, but it's also my baby, and I want it to exist.

Thus I'm planning on launching a kickstarter, but I have no idea how much it would cost to hire a coder, not even close, so any general quote range would be fantastic. Obviously we're using Mysidia, but given my limited knowledge, I don't know if what we want done can be tacked on or not.

http://www.rachelracanelli.com/mystfell.html

That link has nearly all the art I've done for Mystfell, and I'm adding to it daily. On my site I've explained some of the features I'd like on the finished site, and I can go into further detail with anyone that's interested.

Thanks for the interest~ Feel free to email me either on my site or reply to this post.

[squiggler]

Just in case you can't find a coder, 99 webs will install your site for free. You just have to earn credits on their forums. They might have coders who are willing to work for credits as well.
From Nemesis's signature:

http://99webs.org
Free Hosting for Mysidia Adopt Sites
Just join our forum and request your site to be set up
Earn points for each post collaborating with community
Offer your own services to Earn even more points
Spend your points to get goods & services from other members!

[Kyttias]

Yeah, Nem, but I think they want more than a clean install.

Still: Great hosting over at 99webs for a start up low on cash. The hosting is free, the only requirement is that you're active on the 99web forums every now and then. And even if you can't be, all you have to do is tell them - and don't worry at all, nothing will happen to your site if you can't be around.

Anyway, we've got some nice, friendly coders here... but maybe not the massively professional sort? Since it's a free framework, none of us are used to getting paid very much, or at all. I mean, we'd love to, we really just don't have a concept for it.

There are also, I believe, two distinct (but not necessarily exclusive) types of coders: Those who do visual design and templating for the user experience. . . and those who program in new features or modify what's already there. I'm more the former than the latter, but I've only been working with Mysidia's framework for the last month.

You may need both kinds? And to spread the work out a bit more to get it done faster, I'd definitely suggesting hiring more than one person, if you can.

-

ps: After looking over your art - wowza! Great job! You won't have any trouble inspiring coders to want to hop onboard your ship to crew it. (Is the layout/template of the site just a static mockup and something you were needing a coder for, too, to integrate with Mysidia? Or is that already done?)

[Shapooda]

Thanks for all the info! I'm not new to art, but this code stuff is like trying to tackle rocket science for me.

For something like making a collapsable nav bar, that would be 'visual design and templating', yeah? And then for the other stuff, like determining pet growth etc, would be uhh different. I don't know the word for it beyond "code". I guess my question is, do I need to find help through these forums or elsewhere? I'm completely at a loss on where to find someone(s) to help, paid or otherwise. I'd have no problem paying anyone, I just have to find them first, and then attempt a kickstarter. Any suggestions or guidance on where to start?

(Is the layout/template of the site just a static mockup and something you were needing a coder for, too, to integrate with Mysidia? Or is that already done?)

It's just me thinking about how I'd like it to look, so it's just a static photoshop mockup. I messed around in Dreamweaver for a bit, but the visual side doesn't glue together with the code side very well in my brain.

Also, thanks! I've been wanting to do this for awhile, and now I finally have the skills to back it up, but no coder. *Heavy sigh* I'm stubborn though, I want this frickin thing to work haha

[IntoRain]

Originally Posted by Shapooda

Thanks for all the info! I'm not new to art, but this code stuff is like trying to tackle rocket science for me.

For something like making a collapsable nav bar, that would be 'visual design and templating', yeah? And then for the other stuff, like determining pet growth etc, would be uhh different. I don't know the word for it beyond "code". I guess my question is, do I need to find help through these forums or elsewhere? I'm completely at a loss on where to find someone(s) to help, paid or otherwise. I'd have no problem paying anyone, I just have to find them first, and then attempt a kickstarter. Any suggestions or guidance on where to start?

(Is the layout/template of the site just a static mockup and something you were needing a coder for, too, to integrate with Mysidia? Or is that already done?)

It's just me thinking about how I'd like it to look, so it's just a static photoshop mockup. I messed around in Dreamweaver for a bit, but the visual side doesn't glue together with the code side very well in my brain.

Also, thanks! I've been wanting to do this for awhile, and now I finally have the skills to back it up, but no coder. *Heavy sigh* I'm stubborn though, I want this frickin thing to work haha

Once you start programming, it becomes fun rocket science! xD
Basically anyone that makes a software pretty is a designer. Anyone that makes a software work is a developer. Most web devs also know html/css but they don't design due to lack of creativity issues. So you will probably need both.

Before requesting a coder, And since there's money involved, I'd ask them for previous work examples.

Like Kyttias said, we don't have many professional programmers around here. Most are pretty new to coding and/or just do this for fun. I'd advise you look around here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/web_work
or http://www.reddit.com/r/forhire

Never actually tried to use those places, but they seem popular enough?

Anyway, I love your art and your ideas, it's a pretty sweet project!

[Kyttias]

As the old saying goes 'one who does many things does none of them well' -- I wish my art was as good as yours (it's only like 75% of yours, honestly, ahaha, I super need to take time to practice drawing scenery). Coding is sadly more of a hobby for me, but there can often be a huge gap between 'making things work' and 'making things look nice'.

Luckily, once given art assets, a programmer should be able to do a lot, even if they wouldn't do it for themselves. Mockups are great, in that respect. Personally, I'm running myself really thin trying to be my own artist, designer, and developer. I've got the first two down, but the third... eh...

Just because I can make this:


...it doesn't mean I know how to integrate it with the actual navigation system to dynamically add/remove links through the admin control panel. What I can do is done with just CSS and a little bit of jQuery, but trying to integrate it with the navigation system in place? I don't even know where to begin, because HTML that provides the links is being rendered with object oriented PHP and I'd only just begun to grasp ordinary PHP last year - both of which are developer tools, not design tools. I don't know how to do both, so even I get held up and have to ask for help.

I wish you lots of luck finding help with your site, especially because you'll need to find people who understand object oriented PHP and can work with an existing framework - but in the meanwhile, we're all here for you! If you do snatch up people to work with you from other sites, send them here if they've got specific questions about the Mysidia framework. It'll be nice to see some new faces.

People may be tempted to say it'd be easier for them if they programmed it all from scratch for you, and I'm not sure which would be more costly - paying them to play nice with a framework that already exists or paying them to reinvent the wheel.

*That said*: try getting in touch with Hall of Famer, the guy who made this framework. He's fairly active and around on the forums! Maybe he'd be interested in directly helping you for a bit of money, but I'm not even sure he has a concept of a pricetag.

[NobodysHero]

We already have the site installed. It's not a matter of installing it. We have it, for the most part, up and running as far as vanilla Mysidia can get. And have even updated the CSS on our own. What we need is a coder to help make the site our own. MystFell as it stands is in a beta run. I know a bit of HTML, Javascript, and CSS, but not enough to code this on my own. And the programmer friend that's helping us is only able to do the minimum right now. So, we need someone who can focus more on what we want/need to make our site awesome. Aesthetically and otherwise.

So, yes. We need a programmer and a designer. ^.^ I've been working with HoF off and on, but again, I don't know enough to be efficient in it. Plan on going back to school for it, but can't afford it yet.

[IntoRain]

Originally Posted by NobodysHero

I know a bit of HTML, Java, and CSS, but not enough to code this on my own.

Just a side-note, that is probably important if you are going to hire programmers or even become programmer yourself: Java is not Javascript. Since you mentioned html and css, I assume you meant Javascript. If you knew java, you'd understand mysidia's code well enough to modify it xD

Since you mentioned learning it yourself. Mysidia's coded in PHP, so that's the language you need to learn to program it. HTML and CSS are what structure the page and style it. Javascript is used to interact with the pages real time on the user's side.
Taking one of those small courses online for html and css would teach you enough of those languages. Learning PHP, I can't really tell you how it would go for you. Some people pick up programming rather fast, others take a long time to get it. Since it's for something you love, maybe the online tutorials wouldn't go that bad.

[NobodysHero]

Yeah, sorry. Not a morning person. Dog woke me up and my partner kinna flashbombed me with this page. XD I know what the page is coded with and I'm teaching myself some of it. Been on this forum more than a handful of times finding the lil add-ons people have offered. All the modifications on my site were done by me. So, I do know a decent bit. Just been years since I've been in the programming game, kind of lost sight of it all. Internet has changed a lot in 13 years. ^.^ Knew DOS as a kid, knew HTML through middle and high school, so... PHP shouldn't be so bad. I typically pick up on things. Still would like to hire someone who's actually good at all of it and has been around it this whole time to put my puzzle pieces together.

[squiggler]

Well, in case you want to learn yourself at some point, Codeacademy is wonderful for PHP...if you have time to do it everyday. (My mind is a sieve, it is! XD)
Edit, ah, here's the overview of their PHP course: http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/php