So, I want to start being a game dev. Now. I know alot of people just say hey. Look at the guide for unreal engine. Which is great and all. But I’m talking about from game dev as a WHOLE. like where should I start.
I do have a drawing board like, what I roughly would like in my game, and I do know that game dev never goes to plan.
But like, where should I start and what should I be focusing on? Cause looking at the actual guide for unreal just makes me overwhelmed and I find myself constantly bouncing back and forth between thing I want to add. for example.
I make a project, and I’m like. oki, time to get the basic character movement implimented. oki, I can move, jump and look around. Cool. Then I’ll start working on the menu for the game. Then midway through that, I’ll go back to working on the character movement making it way more advanced than I need it. then I’ll start working on the inventory system. Then I’ll start working on something else. and nothing will ever get done.
So, what should I be focusing on? its so overwhelming and I keep making new projects and stalling my progress, never actually moving anywhere.
Probably the main thing I would advise ( which goes against all formal guidelines ) is,
DON’T TRY AND DO THINGS IN ORDER
Sticking to a plan is all well and good when you’re on a team of people who have a brief, and have written many games before, but you’re working from the ground up. So you need to apply all steps that you’ve ever read about ( or will read about ), but in a ‘cyclic’ order. The main disciplines to know are:
1 Storyboarding, sketching, writing down ideas, jamming, getting creative
2 Level design, blockout, areas of importance, game concept logic
3 Understanding the engine, writing good code, keeping things efficient
Of course, 3 is huge. Don’t try and get things perfect. You will be ripping out systems many times, and remaking them.
Try to use these steps to keep things fresh. So when you’re getting really bogged down in 3, do some more 1 or 2. Like that.
As you go round and round with these steps, you will get better at all of them. Keep going…
Yea, I think step 3 is gonna be my main problem. I try and make things perfect. but then I never get around to finishing them.
I’m just so lost with my game right now. I think I’ve starting like 8 different projects so far in the past 2 years. and I always get to the point of having a a movement system, a menu, and SOMETIMES a semi working inventory system. then I make a new project. I’m not even sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m a solo dev? or that I can’t find anyone to bounce ideas of? not sure.
Maybe you can send some vids of the movement or inventory system, but unless you have a highly specialized system, I’m guessing there won’t be much to see. I could be totally wrong, of course.
I see a pattern though, from what you’re saying. You know that you can make these systems ( movement, menu, inventory ), and that’s what keeps you doing that. You feel like a successful game dev when you’re doing these things. But when you move out of these areas it gets more difficult. There’s friction.
You might have a block on moving into unknown areas. New skill areas put you right up against a brick wall, because you have to be crap at it to start with But that’s what dev work is like. You’re crap at it, then a bit better, a bit more… then eventually good at it.
Doing more 2 ( level planning ) will get you out of this rut, because when you have to make the levels, what you think about the movement, menus and inventory changes. It has to to accommodate your new knowledge.
2 is good, because you’re still in the engine, but there’s no problem getting anything working.