Seeking Programmer(s)? (and a cost quote)

[mara]

Hello all you programmers out there, I've been planning out a pet site since about December of last year and think it's about time I start at least figuring out how much my little project might wind up costing.
It'd be kind of like a mix between Neopets, Khimeros and Wajas.

Main features:
-Different Species
-Customization
-Breeding

Other features I'd like to have:
-Aging
-Different statuses (Like how on neo, pets change when they're sick/sad)
-RPG Aspect (onsite or offsite)
-User Art Galleries (Like a mini dA 8D)
-Joint accounts

[Ardy]

Are you looking for ONLY these features to be quoted or the entire making of the site?

[SpunkiSpirou]

Are you looking for ONLY these features to be quoted or the entire making of the site?

Ditto

[Sim]

Posting to subscribe

[Toxic Rainbow Kisses]

That's funny @Sim I was just going to ping you..

[mara]

Mainly the entire site, but both would be nice since it's good to know why the entire cost would be x amount. By knowing the different prices I can decide which features I can pay for now and which I might be able to wait on until I have some more money saved up. I'm not familiar with coding costs, so I'm not sure what's easier/harder to do.

[tldr]

Those details are a bit sparse, the definition of an "entire site," are quite different to different people xD

[mara]

@tldr
Valid point! Lets see if I can expand upon that a bit


-hosting the website
-data storage/backing up user data
-login/logout scripts
-Forums
-Private messaging

Other stuff
-Restocking/Item related things (Auctions, Shops, Trades, Direct item/money transfers, quick stock, deposit box)
-Customizable user profiles (similar to aywas/subeta)
-Pet profiles
-Customizable toolbar
-Different currencies (paid/earned)

And how much does it cost in general to staff admins and possibly other artists (I'm planning on doing most of the art, but having help would help a lot lol)

I've probably missed a few things to make a site "complete" but this is what comes to mind at the moment.

[mara]

Oh and it might be worth it to mention that my idea for customization might be a bit hard to pull off.
There would be certain things on pets which could be changed (clothing, accessories, hair style, eye color etc.)
Then there'd be certain constants that would require items to change. This would include things like base color, hair type/length, age, etc.
And clothing would change depending on which bases they're placed on, while some bases couldn't wear certain articles of clothing (I'd prefer it weren't flash based but either way works if it gets the job done)

[Ardy]

Well I'm no programmer but I can tell you some prices I've normally seen.
First off complex paper doll system has run upwards to 1000$ or more to make.
Some programmers charge by the hour, which is usually 10$ - 20$+ an hour. Generally from what I've heard sites can take around 300 hours to code in EVERYTHING, though ofcourse some programmers have said that they've coded a basic site in a few weeks. But obviously those coders will charge more per hour.

Ageing will also cost alot of money, but mostly from an art stand point. I worked for a site that had 5 age stages. If you're lucky to get each pet image for 10$, then you'll be spending alot per species. And if you want to have clothing for them you'll have to draw each peice of clothing for each different age for each different pet. The more age stages you have will only multiply your costs, and of course will also make the cost of the paper doll system more expensive.

And an rpg system is a game within itself. From all the features you want will cost thousands in term of coding. I expect to spend 3000$ on my own site in terms of coding and it doesn't have the complex features that you're planning to have. I'd warn against getting free programmers. When you have 4 or 5 people mucking around in your coding for a few years, you'll eventually have to have everything redone. So the cost will come sooner or later.

Thats the advice that I have, some people will probably argue with me. But that's the best idea that I can give you since the information needs more details.