hello, Im new on the GMC and I have seen (mainly in the graphics forum) people say things like:

"Thanks! +10 credit"

or

"Cool, thanks for the sprites +15"


Can someone please tell me what does this mean and how can I do it?
P.S. Sorry if I have posted in the wrong section, couldn't find a suitable one

mod edit: -25 credits to flexaplex

Real Mod Edit: -5000 Points to flexaplex for getting caught.

Many request topics tend to use an informal "credits" system to reward contributors. They might, for instance, give a single credit for every completed sprite a user gives them. These credits tend to grant rewards or other benefits (for example, somebody who has gathered more than 50 credits might be able to name an NPC).

In general, if you check the first post of a topic, you should be able to find information on any credits systems the topic creator is using.

ah comeon dont tease him.

Some people try to encourage others to post grapihcs for them with promises of rewards. in the firt post they usualy say

"
10 points name in credits
50 points name in credits under "graphics designer"
500+ name in credits under "lead graphic artists!"

"

or something like that. they dont actualy mean anything outside of the topic they were distributed in though

EDIT: frostblade beat me to it... im still right though!

It says you edited the post last..

o.k. thank you all - well, most of you

Personally, I wish these credit systems would stop. They make contributing to a project more complicated than it should be, and they only make the topic bumping worse than normal in the Graphics forum.

+9999 credits to make you keep quiet.

Haha, you'll need way more credits than that to bribe me.

In my experiance, topics with credit systems get WAY more views than those without them. Also, typicly, topics with credit systems are more organized than those without them. Example:
Topic without credit system:
"Hey can I have mario sprite plz! "
Topic with credit system:
"Zombie sprite:
size: 32x32
view: topdown
credits: 8"

You see the difference.

If adding imaginary "credits" to my topic makes it more views, I say: Why not?

Though if it just gets spam....

Generic units are always helpful. However if you're requesting 3 sprites, using a credit system is awfully pointless.

I see the difference, yes, as it is quite obvious. The first topic just asks for a Mario sprite, the other provide more info about size and style and is thus more likely to get a positive response. But I don't see how the credits have anything to do with the quality of the request. If anything it's worse because you don't get to know what you get for those credits besides... well, credit.

Actually, Katuko, at the end of the post there is usualy a thing that says
"CREDIT SYSTEM:"
1-10 Name in credits
10-20 Some kind of billboard in the game with your name on it.
20-30 Billboard with a link to your game.
30-40 etc..."

Thats just an example, credit systems vary in rewards, required credits, etc, etc.

They promote views, and that's good for most game creators. Personally, I used them once and it lengthened my grraphics topic by 3 pages in a day. I don't know when it was introduced, but it's pretty popular now.

-Schyler-

I tried the system, since I rarely get any help from anyone. It's not seeming to work for me for some reason in my request...

It depends on how good your credit system is(what rewards you get, etc).

I don't use them, because I dont want flashing banners and pictures of any random stuff littering my games, just crediting the name is enough for me, and people can take it or leave it.

That's because, like FredFredricson said, they produce more bumping than usual.

How?

like this :

I need a 32x32 ghost sprite with the 4 directions animations (35credits)
a 64x64 explosion must be in PNG with Alpha (10credits)
a 640x480 desert background (30credits)
a 640x480 doom backgroun (30credits)
and 32x32 player animation (4directions) (35credits)
10 credits = under thanks to
20-30 = Under "Sprites"
31-50 = Under "Useful Sprites"
51-60 = Your name under the help and credits with your color / font
61-70 = Your name shown sometimes in the game

/!\ This is only an example you can change the credit system and spr/bkgs

This can be simply explained without examples


Would you rather work for absolutely nothing or some kind of reward. Credit systems offer that reward.

Except it doesn't.
Crediting someone who did stuff for you is a matter of course, not a 'reward'.
This is why I find that whole 'make stuff for me and get CREDIT!!! omg'- culture kinda... stupid.

And fact is, if you help someone out in the graphics forum, you do it or absolutely nothing unless you find the possibility of your name appearing in a huge list of other names in some game that'll likely never be finished anyway extremely thrilling...

Why anyone would want their name some ugly font and color under "Useful Sprites," is beyond me. It looks unprofessional. The credits (which I doubt very many people even look at to begin with) is suppose to be informative, not a collage of people's favorite fonts and colors thrown on a black background with loads of uninformative titles like "Useful Sprites" when "Sprites" alone would suffice.


+1000

This ^^

Credit systems do little more than attract the attention of those looking for them. The majority of graphic developers on the site (that know what they're doing) either do requests because they are looking for something to practice with, or the request was created carefully with signs that the submitted art that meets the qualifications would potentially be actually used. Its late and maybe Im just babbling, but I would say credit systems just make a request look ... "artificial...cheap...not thought out" ...

credits should be a given, not a reward

You obviously fail to see the point in a credit system...

Inform me then, what is the point, to attract attention?

Yes, to attract attention. AND give the user better rewards then there name in a black room in plain white text that no one will ever read...

Personally, I feel that it is unprofessional to give such rewards away. And I wouldn't want someone making sprites for me if all he has in mind is "I'm gonna name an NPC Larry!" I want someone who has in mind "I want to make this game look good!"

Yeah, and how many people like that happen to find most graphics topics? In my experiance, none.

People like that search through each topic, looking for one thats well thought out, well organized, one that has potential, one that offers to be a part of something worthwhile, not one that offers your name in green and an npc named Larry

Maybe that says something about the graphics forum altogether.

Ahem. Have you seen any of my graphics topics get sprites without a credit system? I think that my topics are usualy well thought out... And my games are never completed due to a lack of sprites...


Like what?

You say you haven't seen any person browsing the graphics forum that want to make a game look good?

Then that.

Well, I am sure there is someone that wants to make a game look good, but I have yet to find him...

Try focusing on one project at a time, usually most artists who invest a lot of their time into such things check into the requesters history a bit. For example, you have several projects listed in your sig that states other projects your working on. It seems as if you are trying to take on too much at once and not finishing anything. Most people arent going to devote time to something that seems a be the spur of the moment whim of another.

I'll tell you a secret:
If you depend on other people to do everything in one sector (programming, sound, graphics) for you from scratch for free and all you have to show is 10 graphics request threads and 0 work in progress/finished games threads, you're boned.
And don't blame your failure in finishing a game on the lack of sprites, that's just pathetic.
Either use placeholder sprites or simple styled graphics like boxes or free sprites from some source or something. Or learn to help yourself.
You don't need others to help you to finish at least one simple game and you certainly don't need awesome graphics for a game to be finished.
Also those bars that show the progress of your 2 projects alone tell me that you'll probably never finish a game, I've never seen anyone who knows what they're doing using bars that show the percentage of how much of a project is done in their sig cause you just can't evaluate it like that.

Also in one topic you first whine about how no one ever does anything for you in your previous request topics, then you request 3d cutscenes, then whine about why no one has done anything yet.
So I'll tell you another secret: the more complex the request, the less likely will it be done, especially if you also whine about why no one helps you while not showing any sort of effort on your behalf (what game is this for? How much of it is done? Did you even start making the game? Info!).

So yeah I guess I can conclude that you not receiving much help probably has very little to nothing to do with credit systems at all.

Thanks for the tips. I just suck sooooooo badly at spriting that when I try to draw a platform game person I feel like puking. Also, I have decided to take a break from requesting sprites and I am going to try to work on my games even harder then before. Due to this, on some days I may not be active on the GMC. Anyway, back to the argument about credit systems...

What's the point of expecting any credit for helping people at all? In my opinion that's not a very good purpose for helping people.

And why is this topic still running? Wasn't it answered already?

The question was awnsered, but now its a discussion. A good one at that.

I concur, this thread now gives explanations of why certain people may not be getting the assistance they need, and how to go about achieving it. I think this has been needed for some time now

Tip: then don't use a platform person. Use a platform ball, or a platform block, or a platform blob, or whatever, anything you can get drawn is OK. As soon as everything in your game is drawn by the same person (you) using the same method (e.g. Paint), you're likely to have consistent graphics. Maybe they're bad sprites, but at least they fit together.

Yeah, but I cant realease a game with a blob as the main character(especialy if its supposed to be a zombie killing/serious game). Whats the point of making a game if the graphics suck so much that they make people want to puke?

Then make even simpler graphics, for example, my game. No more than two colors are used per sprite I made, but it doesn't make the game impossable to look at.


I suppose I don't have any help I can give you with that...Squares are so complicated.

Its not the coloring I have trouble with, its the shape I have trouble with. Honeslty, my platform view humans look like some kind of childish robot.

I've always wondered why more people got more help on the Graphics forum than me, because I've never used the "credit" system. I'll probably give it a try sometime though.

I just use the credit system to get more views. But I still get very little even though my last thread was previously asking for critique on the sprites and asking if I get some help with animations. Only one person helped. (linx )

Also,

Why don't you worry about graphics after the game is done? If you complete it then ask for graphics, you may even get more views.

On the other hand, if you complete it and never find graphics, your game that you spent a long time on could go unnoticed.

On the other other hand, if your finished game is good, you might not have to ask people for help, people might ask to help you.
Also it's certainly always easier to get graphics for a game already finished than just asking for graphics and not providing any sort of progress you already made for the game.
Then again it's more satisfying to tinker on a game that looks pretty already instead of having just blocks n circles but it's better to be able to help yourself than to depend on random people on the internet.


I don't know about others but if I feel like drawing anything and find a topic name that seems to correspond to what I'd want to draw, the first thing I check is the progress already made on the actual game this would be for.
If there is none (and it is almost never mentioned in any request topic, mind you), chances are the stuff I draw will never be in a finished game.
As a matter of fact, I've yet to see any of my stuff in a finished game so I usually only draw things I like and/or can possibly use for my own projects.
So rather than using credit systems of some sort, showing your progress on the actual game this is for would be far more effective imo (that and being specific about what you want and all the usual stuff) and if there is none, don't complain no one helps you.

And on a sidenote, I tend to skip topics with a subtitle a la 'credit will be given' or 'make/draw your own ___' (god, that was a silly fad, glad it's gone) cause that's just stupid but maybe that's just me.

That should be the case. Unfortunately, the Graphics Forum is the primary destination for many members -- not a "means to an end".

Ideally, graphics request topics should be short-lived and then lead to a WIP/Creations topic. But often, those topics themselves become the author's primary "creation".

Regarding the "credit system", I personally think it's just a "forum game". If members think it works for them, fine. But it seems like a pointless distraction from the real purpose of the GMC: game creation.