This is my first time posting a topic in the roblox forum since I’ve never really tried to understand how to make one. Anyways a question has been on my mind and this is how to get better at scripting? I’m not meaning in a way where like how to learn how to make functions and things of that nature, but how to deeply understand it where you can program more complex scripts such as quest systems, inventory systems, combat systems and so on. I believe that I have been coding for around 1.5+ years I can make combat systems, and combat skills although they’re not so great. Do I get better at scripting through things like challenges or is there any alternative ways through getting better at scripting besides scripting because the “just script” advice is broad, what do I script and how?
A lot of professionals say “just script”, and while there is a lot of truth in that advice I believe they also forgot how they got to the place they are at, and if they really did “just script” they did so in an unoptimized way.
In no regards would I consider myself a professional, intermediate would be more than gracious as a title for me. However, I think you should do this:
-
Make a project you are passionate about
(without incentive to publish or monetize) -
Every time you make a script or part of the game, look up other people’s solutions, submit the code to peer review, and be completely open to rewriting the code from scratch.
Baby steps.
What do you recommend for places to submit my code for peer review?
This category on the forum:
Each category usually also has an About post telling you when to use the category and how to format a post. The About post for the Code Review category can be found here: About the Code Review category
I also really love doing so on discord servers! Casual advice is better for me.
[1] I highly suggest AI - a controversial take for some reason.
- many say AI and searching is a terrible way to learn, but I’d argue against this.
- AI often sticks to the literal simplest method. Things beginners will tend to remember / use after seeing many times.
- AI can answer questions whether or not they are on the devforum. Response time is instant.
Now, the only issue with AI is that it is flawed, there will be issues you can’t fix and AI will be persistent with a wrong solution.
[2] Youtube is a waste of time for full-on beginners
- unless you have a specific tutorial that is making EXACTLY what you want, then in most cases youtubers will never have a relatable video because everyone has their own insights.
- Most youtubers geniunely do not explain what they are teaching, because they need a short video that gets the job done. A majority are not working in your favor.
- Youtube videos can also be boring and its easy to zone out. Use this as a side tool to gain little bits of knowledge here and there
[3] Begin a project you want to create. Keep it short and sweet. I don’t suggest making a full-on game until you have at least a month of knowledge.
- An example I used to start was making a working elevator. Now, my code was absolutely terrible, but I started off not even knowing a thing about code.
- Within a week of coding, and tons of AI questions, I finally understood the fundamentals of luau; and I could also make an elevator.
- many things in coding are cross-compatible; meaning they apply for nearly any project.
- vectors, variables, luau’s various methods of typechecking, and many more.
[4] Just have fun. When you first start, you shouldn’t be anticipating generational wealth. Go in blind and come out educated.
- Learn strong basics
- Think about something cool you want to make, try to make it: you’ll face challenges and problems, things you don’t know how to realize → try to find a solution, try to understand that solution, try to implement that solution.
I know this sounds really cliché but really, scripting is the best way to get better at scripting, it may feel frustrating not to be able to do what you wanna do but at the end of the day, you’ll have learnt much from what you’ve tried to test.
I do not recommend Youtube and have not used it personally as it is extremely time consuming and something not so helpful…
The most important thing is to create something that actually motivates you, something you actually wanna work on. If the result sucks, try to look at what works to reuse this knowledge and what doesn’t work so you can try to make it work.
I am a diehard youtube fan. Yes, they often do not explain what they are doing. It is your responsibility as the viewer to dissect the code to figure it out.
Do what I did and reference and utilize various scripts by various users, rather than one singular one. You’ll learn different techniques and ways to go about problems / solutions that way. And yes, this includes older scripts, even the ones that utilized DePrEcAtEd methods.
The former
What type of ai questions should I ask to enhance my programming knowledge and should I take notes?
Do I find these scripts using roblox’s toolbox or are there alternative methods?
Pick projects that challenge you. If you don’t get stumped or have interesting realizations the stuff you are making is probably to easy to grow much from for your level.
Also branch out into different areas. Maybe try some procedural generation as a challenge since that seems a bit out of your typical projects. Doing stuff completely different from what you are used to makes it more clear what stuff carries over to different concepts a bit more clearly and often you can find inspiration from an area that seemed completely different than the problems you normally solve.
One thing I noticed that really shot up my abilities was I started answering others questions on the dev forums a lot. This lead me to encounter lot of new things and had me help solve problems that I likely wouldn’t have encountered on my own.
And as a final note I will advise against AI. It’s a nice tool and a fantastic spring board of you are totally lost. But it’s way, way to easy to over rely on AI. The best use of it is to quickly give you overviews and resources for a new problem or clarify areas you are confused about when studying from more traditional methods. (Though them being confidently incorrect has caused more than one useless conversation).
The type of questions you ask should be the ones youd ask to a person here.
Why isn’t my script moving, your solution didnt work, what does this do
anything that you dont know. Im not saying ask 3 questions for every one problem, but if youre geniunely lost just give in and ask.