Since I don’t understand English very well, I’m using a translation app, so my expressions might not be accurate. Please forgive me if that’s the case.
The genre I want to create is a horror game, but I’ve encountered some issues along the way, and I’m feeling quite discouraged. I really need help. Here are some of the problems I’m facing:
I’m not good at creating 3D models. I use free models from the Asset Store, but I’m struggling to make the scripts work well. Do you have any advice for this?
I can’t get the door-opening and closing mechanics to work properly. When I use multiple assets, some objects end up with the same name or won’t respond because they’re different objects with identical names.
I feel that my knowledge is lacking overall. Since I’m learning as I go, I end up having to go through trial and error, which makes self-study feel inefficient.
These are the main issues troubling me right now.
If there’s a kind person who could offer some guidance, I’d be incredibly grateful.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this.
Hi! Thanks for opening yourself up and trusting the community. Don’t worry, I can understand the translation quiet OK.
I study game design at school. I cannot even count how many project files I have opened, did some work, and feels absolutely horrible about the product – and never to open it again. I have years of feeling like I made absolutely no satisfying works. But that’s ok. All the unsatisfied product taught me what I am good at, and what games I want to make. To exaggerate, I once heard someone saying at least the first 20 games anyone ever made will be disastrous. Some even says 100. The number is up to debate, but I fully agree. Game making is a craft that takes a ton of failure, attempt, and practice.
I have an art background and I am a terrible programmer. In fact, I come across the post while spend the last hour debugging a single button…but that’s ok! My games leans more heavy on visuals. My code is terrible, but it runs most of times.
Keep trying! You will get there!
When I don’t want to make games sometimes, I go play videogames haha. It reminds me why I love games. Sometimes I feel tired on my project, then take break for weeks, months, coming back ready to start again.
I hope this helps.
Take it slow and take all that you learn on board. Learning C# on its own won’t hurt as well, as getting to grips with the syntax is definitely hard when starting.
That’s a bad one… assets should be within their own namespaces… (new guidelines say they must, rejoyce!)
Game dev should be an hobby, it needs to be fun to create, or motivation will die off.
Since you are in the early stages, don’t aim for a complete game, aim for milestones.
Everyone sais that you should finish a project, so you get the experience from start to release. true, but seeing it as milestones instead i believe is of better value. Until you know enough to do the full run.
What could be a milestone, as you mentioned, a door. a milestone could be a door script that has all the requirements you require for a door, garage door, large door, any door for your game. it’s not just about open and close there is it? how does it open, button press? hold/drag? animations? instant? Can enemy open? what happens if… and list goes on.
Completing smaller milestones gives earlier satisfaction of completion, and keeps motivation up.
In my opinion.
Don’t be scared to scrap a project to start anew, you do not have to hold on to one, often is it better to start new, to apply what one learns.
Utilize ChatGPT, not as a place to copy paste code, but as a teacher.
“How do i rotate a 3d model”
… this is how…
“Explain…”
Looks like a “cheer up mate” is not enough, so let me show you some really good examples of horror games worth highlighting, made by people like you and me:
What are your strengths or areas of interest? You should focus on those first. Game development is a slow process, especially when your doing it alone. If your not good at 3D models, do everything with simple shapes until the rest of the game comes together. Then you can set aside time to learn how to create or modify assets from the asset store to fit.
Number one tip, make a plan.
Use something like Notion or other project management solutions, layout everything you have in you mind, setup tasks, organize it, then start working one piece at a time. It helps by forcing you to focus on smaller pieces and gives a feeling of success when you complete a task. It also gives you the opportunity to think about a problem and identify potential challenges before you actually start trying to make it work.
I’m experiencing repeated failures and disappointments, going through trial and error with technology. But as long as I find it enjoyable, I believe I can keep going. Receiving your message has motivated me to try even harder. Let’s both do our best to create something wonderful.
I’m using GPT to study syntax explanations and learning from beginner-friendly videos and documents. I’ll keep doing my best. Thank you for your message.
I’m currently reviewing the overall plan and moving forward. I’m setting clear goals and progressing step-by-step, almost like leveling up in an RPG. As you mentioned, there was indeed a specific purpose and requirements even for actions like opening and closing.
Rather than relying entirely on GPT, I want to use it as a teacher—a partner that helps me grow. Lastly, thank you for your kind and encouraging message.
I’m truly happy to receive a message that not only lifts my spirits but also gives me courage. I, too, want to create a game that can bring joy to others in the same way.
My strength lies in the knowledge of presentation that I’ve gained through playing many horror games. While it’s challenging to recreate that now, as you suggested, using Notion to organize my ideas, visualize my plans, and write down a clear roadmap has helped me feel more accomplished. It has allowed me to say, “I made it this far” and “I was able to do it myself,” making the process enjoyable.
I don’t know if chat GPT is a particularly good way to learn. In my experience it often gets things wrong, even fundamental things.
A proper course in C# - even ones not specific to Unity - will do you more good than learning from ChatGPT. I’m sure there are ones out there in Japanese.