It has always been my understanding that the freelance industry (not just games, mind) is run mainly by pieces and not hours because it is just so much of a hassle to try and track hours even for on-site work. Also, almost all of "them" (the non-freelancers i mean) either are salary employees (management) or by comission (company artists). I haven't heard of full-time employees in the industry who work hourly, though i wont pretend to know all the ins and outs.
When it comes to fine arts, hourly wages are nonexistant. You either name your price for a client or they make a bid, but it is always a fixed fee.
For long term projects, what i have seen is that the pieces get broken up fewer times. someone who is only doing a single character might have his contract broken down by animation set. Someone who is making an entire game might get payed per character, or if they are simple, may have a single entry that is just considered "characters." It is important to know exactly what each of these entries will entail as far as size, number, and detail of images so that you can make a proper estimate. Knowing your client well is a big tihng, too - redoing work
sucks especially if you didnt plan on it in your named price.
The big problem I have with hourly wages is that they scream "I am lowly! I am part-time! I am working class!" which is NOT the way most people would want to present themselves to a company they want to
negotiate with. To be treated fairly you need to come to the table as big boy who knows what's up and is ready to play the game. When they put you on a clock, they own you. They are the boss, you are the worker. You will always lose. In order to make the most of a buisiness deal, you need to tell them exactly what you will do and for what. You tell them what it will require. I dont mean be a bitch about things, but respectfully let the client know that you are the professional that they are contracting because you know how to get the job done. Impress them. If you are the best guy for the job you will get the job most of the time, and they will tell their friends about who they hired and how good your work is and how they found a very organized, professional freelancer - not one of those unreliable strangers who works by the hour could turn out anything under the sun. It really will make a difference in how you are seen by the people whose business you need.
none of this applies to people who know you well, becuase they know exactly what to expect from you and they will treat you fairly because they know you personally. If your client is also your friend, you are lucky. This will not happen for every job though - and it most likely
wont happen for most jobs.
Really, the best way to do things is the way the msot successful artists and businessmen do things - by pieces, not by hours.
Original topic - Invoices are extremely simple, especially if you already know what you have done, If the program can tell you how many hours you worked, you dont need it to automatically "export" an invoice, as im sure you already know based on the fact that you dont have one doing that for you. I mean seriously, what is it, a half line of text?
