So, I’ve followed 3 Unity tutorials (Roll-A-Ball, Space Shooter and 2D Roguelike), and I was able to expand massively on Space Shooter. However, while I know I can program by myself, I don’t know how to start, if that makes any sense?
I just get a sense of dread when I open up Unity and stare at the empty game window.
So does anyone have any tips to share on how to start with your first game? Or maybe any personal experiences?
Thanks,
-Tom01098
You should first get an idea of what you want to do. The rest usually falls into place automatically.
What is the part of starting that has you stymied? Once you identify that, we can give specific advice about that issue.
For example, is it simply that you don’t know how to implement a project from scratch, only knowing how to work with pre-made assets? In that case, create a couple Cube primitives (look under Game Object > 3D Object) and start building your game with those. You can replace them with better art later.
On the other hand, you could be talking about a sort of “writer’s block” where you don’t know what game to build. In that case, I would suggest just make an object move around and usually the action of actually building something will get the ball rolling on ideas.
It’s not a specific ‘part’, per se, more of a way game developers think when they’re starting a new game, if that makes any sense?
From a pure technical standpoint, it’s just another program.
hm that’s pretty vague, but I think you’re getting at the “writer’s block” sort of issue I brought up. Generally you want to break down your project into the smallest possible chunk you can work on (eg. just a guy moving around a blank space). Trying to tackle something big will generally just make you intimidated by the task; starting with the smallest possible chunk gets the ball rolling.
You might want to get my book because readers are finding it really helpful for getting used to thinking like a game developer, but frankly if you’ve already done multiple full-game tutorials then you probably just need to power through this “writer’s block”.
If you have a general idea for a game in mind, focus on your core mechanic and prototype it. Forget all the flashy graphics, sounds, animations… Just get the core game you had in mind working using primitives and placeholders.
If your game still seems like it will be fun, explore some other features, but never go so far that you’re not willing to throw it all away.
Then start over, and this time, try to keep things clean and scalable. Copy sections of your code that were good and refactor the parts that you knew were sloppy as you made them.
From this point, you’ve got the core of your game started, and can build out features as you like.
Thanks everyone!
Why not go back to what you made in the tutorials & add or change something? A small change may alter it enough that you could get an idea to turn it into a small game. Because you would be starting from something that is working you will also be an,e to debug issues a bit easier as you can start straight at the bit you added.
I would not start by opening Unity. I would grab a notebook and a pen, sit down and start writing or sketching down ideas. Think for a while, try to visualize a simple game you’d think it’d be fun to play. (Again I emphasize SIMPLE) and then try to draw and write out how you think it would play out. How does the level look like? How do the game mechanics work? Make a list of the actual objects in your game. Maybe make little thumbnails of what they look like. Think about the logic of your game. Object A is going to need to do X.
ONLY after you’ve done this would I open up Unity and start doing anything. When you open something like Unity or Maya or any other complex program that entales creativity, if you haven’t thought about what it is that you want to make, then it’s almost inevitable that you’re gonna be hit with that sense of ‘now what!?’
Go get that notebook and get started!!
If you prefer something online, look at mind maps as well. They let you link all the elements & group them, put in secondary & tertiary links etc. once you are satisfied you have everything you need to get started then start making it using coloured spheres, capsules, cubes etc so you can test the mechanics are fun. If it is then polish it up by replacing the placeholder items with better art assets, put in sound etc.