I want to learn how to script

I’ve always been familiar with things like Modeling, Animating, GFX of many sorts… But never have I really ever looked into the Scripting aspect of Roblox Studio.

I want to eventually learn how to script properly in Roblox Studio as I believe that I have enough of other things mentioned above, all I need is a good knowledge of scripting in order to independently make games, or to become a central developer in future projects.

But there’s one thing… I do not know how to script, at all…
I know absolutely nothing, not even some of the most basic functions in the scripting aspect of Roblox. Feels a little embarrassing to admit it.
I want to learn how to script in Roblox Studio as I have many passion projects that I eventually want to make.

It would be greatly appreciated if you were able to help in any ways.

4 Likes

My advice would be.
First, ignore youtube tutorials.
Start from zero with any idea you have, try to imagine a “game” and build each system from the start.
When you dont know what to do to achieve a system, search in Roblox Documentation, or ask in DevForum.
You should learn step by step/try and error, the programming logic
Learn the Lua syntax
Learn all different Instances in Roblox Engine
Learn capabilities of ServerSide and ClientSide, and how to communicate
To start, Learn whats variables, functions, different types of loops, statements, tables, dictionaries, etc.

If you are learning by yourself, I really suggest start with a project, no matter how basic it is, and do not depend on scripts/modules/tools you found somewhere else.

5 Likes

Hey, every other programmer has started from where you are. It’s okay if you have no idea. With a little bit of practice you’ll be able to do much awesome things.

Programming is one of the most difficult jobs, albeit most paid. Let’s not get into salary here, my point is that if you really want to learn programming, then you can’t leave your path that easily.

You want some tips on how to start, and how to learn, right? Well, let’s get into it, I guess.

Where should I start?

From the beginning.
Now, anyone who tries to learn something refers themselves to YouTube and searches “ehhh how to script roblox easy” nah don’t do that. My simple word of advice is, Tutorials guide you to do something, not how to master it. So keep that in mind.
The only video you will ever have to watch is a crash course. They’re very useful to get anyone into anything, and obviously programming included.

Are YouTube tutorials that bad?

Yeah, they actually are. I always like to use AlvinBlox as an example of “He knows but he sucks at explaining” which is actually true. Not only his explanation is horrible, but his code is actually terrible.
I’ve obviously seen other peoples tutorials and let’s say none satisfied me, when I look at them with beginners’ eyes.

To start leaning Lua you can head to the official Lua website, this linking to the documentation needed for 5.2, which is what Roblox uses. If I’m not mistaken.
A documentation contains essentially everything you need to know about something, so if you ever need it, refer to it.

For Roblox, you can always head to the Roblox Documentation page for all your Roblox needs.

To start scripting, learn the basics of the language (in this case Luau) you want to learn. Start with data types (I’ll leave it here below if you’d like), then basic statements. In no time you’ll be able to make something working!

Essential data types on Lua
  • String: A piece of text.
  • Number: An integer with a positive or negative value.
  • Boolean: Can be true or false.
  • Table: Contains arranged data.

Now I will not go over how they work because you’ll eventually learn that for yourself. However I’m just stating them so you’re familiar with them in the future.

What if I get stuck?

We’re always here to help. If you’re stuck on a roadblock, you can ask for help, or read the documentations if you forget how something works. Remember to not let people do the work for you!

Conclusion

All in all, it’s always best to carve your own path and shape it however you like it. Don’t depend on others, they have their own paths. You choose how you want to learn, and you choose what you want to do.

Oh! If you ever want to learn a new language, you have an advantage. It’s very hard to learn your first language, but as soon as you pick up the rhythm, other languages will start to look easier (obviously not meaning you can code with them already) to you.

Ah, another word of advice:
Don’t learn Java.

10 Likes

I started off with Python, which taught me all about syntaxes and how a computer handles code. I had a 4-hour online course 2 times a week through a video call and I made a lot of fun projects. Then a couple months passed and I decided to start learning Luau. I started off by watching YouTube tutorials, specifically ones made by TheDevKing. And it worked. I created my own testing place where I experimented a lot. Within each tutorial I watched, I asked myself - What did I learn from the tutorial? What am I able to code with it?

I suggest YouTube tutorials a lot. Many people fail but that’s because they are not focusing. You need to get rid of all distractions, enter fullscreen and watch the entire video. Then always experiment and try code things you come up with. It improves your coding skills and knowledge.

Now look at me, I’m an intermediate-advanced scripter. I am currently coding a plot-based building game and I have solved over 20 topics on DevForum. Plus, I have ADHD and if you’re gonna tell me that you can’t code because of ADHD, you’re wrong. You believe ADHD makes learning harder, but it does not. Just because you believe, it’s not hard to learn coding.

I should also let you know that the Roblox Documentation is a great learning source as well.

2 Likes

I appreciate everybody’s suggestion and advices on this topic. I’ll begin to learn scripting very carefully, very shortly. Thank you for your help.

4 Likes

I dont think that youtube tutorials are not working for me because “im not focusing”
But, youtube tutorials, just waste your time, in 20 minutes of watching how someone used a PlayerAdded event to give “tags” to a player, you could learn more in those 20 minutes by reading the documentation.
Plus, after that tutorial you only learned how to achieve a specific task, in the approach the youtuber was using, from there, I’ve seen lots of ppl get totally lost when the task is slightly different…

Personally I never used a youtube tutorial for learning scripting, kinda useless for me, its slow, its boring and lacks of information. The other side of things, I’ve learn a lot from youtube tutorials about 3d modeling blender/3ds max, UVmapping, and stuff related with using software like Photoshop, etc. For scripting, its better dig into the documentation and read, not watch, at least for me, if fits for someone else, cool

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.