Where do you start to make a game?

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#1

(Sorry about the category my topic is quite vague if you know a more suitable category please reply)

For that past 3 weeks or so, I have come up with a game idea I would love to pursue. I want to start scripting ASAP but procrastination is a big issue for me so I don’t know where to start without losing motivation. I could script some basic UI which is motivating as it looks nice when I click buttons and they glide across the screen but then I come to the realisation that I have done very little and I become instantly demotivated. What is the first thing to make (or hire someone to make) in a game without procrastination becoming an issue? I am also working on a budget so I don’t know what is worth hiring and what is worth changing after initial release.

I am not sure how clear I’m being so I will expand. I can’t build or design terrain or create professional UI or anything other than script. Do I hire a builder to build a map and some tools and then start scripting based off of the map or tools they build or do I script meshes and then ask the builder to build tools and import the mesh based off of my scripts? On top of that, do I build a crafting system or an inventory system or a map system or a cutscene or an animation pack or a viewmodel first???

My question boils down to what is the best place to start as a scripter if it matters at all and when should I hire someone to do what?

This is my first forum post so I apologise for any technical inaccuracies

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#2

Well, my steps of making a game are not detailed, since I don’t make a lot of games. But why? They use interesting mechanics, that take time to develop. Single dev too.

  1. Come up with the game idea (while gaming, thinking, etc.)
  2. Start making models and UI
  3. Start making scripts
  4. If the game is not fully done (meaning mechanics), add more
  5. Once the game is fully done, continue your strategy [Excepting 2-3 times, I never actually finished a game in my career (around 300 places made)]

May not be the best way to make a game, but it’s my way, and I love it.

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#3

It seems that you asked two conflicting questions.

Where to start when making a game?

And

What the best place to start as a scripter?

If your just beginning to get into scripting, I don’t think making an entire game is what you shoul be doing, unless it has rel-atively small scope you’ll get overwhelmed by the stuff you want/need to do but don’t know how to do it yet.

So my word of advice is that you should start scripting individual systems and get comfortable with what you can understand and are confident in coding then hone on those skills when you think your ready to start making a game.

For the question of where to start when making a game, well that is a difficult questions because not everyone starts creating a game the same way.
You said that procrastination is a big problem for you so, I would advise you too just jump straight in when you have a game idea and just start making the game because unlike someone who doesnt procrasinate they would to need to throughly plan out their game before just diving right into it, but again this is different depending on the person.

Hope I helped somewhat, good luck with your scripting and game development journey!

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#4

Schedule

  1. Think of a game idea
  2. Build the basic components
  3. Script the necessary components
  4. UI Design
  5. Audio and build design
  6. Playertest
  7. Advertise (optional)
    Hey, youre done!
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#5

Discipline > Autonomy > Motivation

Motivation will appears and reappears from time to time, therefore, you must plan out as fast as possible.
Autonomy is very difficult to keep, being alone is bad for development.
Dev Friends and coworkers are useful to keep discipline.

#6

Reflecting off of what everyone else has said here:

You should really focus on what you want from your game. What is the identity of it. A community based role play set in a specific time or fantasy? Maybe it’s some gamemode shooter set in the ol’ wild west! Regardless: having a clear vision of what you want your game to be is important. Once when you have that clear identity of your game, you start conceptualizing everything that you need.

Let’s hypothetically make a “Build to survive” game. In this kind of game, we know what we want. We build (objects) to survive (survive against what). So those two systems are your base of the game. From there you work around it. “okay so I need a building system… what is a building system comprised of?” (once again I note that this is after your conceptualization of the game’s main systems). You break down the game into more manageable steps instead of trying to take it in ALL at once!

A game is not just one big chunk of code, it several different subsets of chunks of subset code!! To make it without procrastinating, focus on what you need, and then make a list of what you need to do. Like what others have said before: you need assets first! Even if that asset may be a chunk of code that tells the player ‘hey, double tap w to dash/run!’

I’ve unironically asked somewhat a similar question to my friends recently. Their responses?:

“I’d lay out every class i was going to make beforehand, how many game modes there were going to be, how currency and experience would be gained and what it would be spent on”

and the other:

“Well, game wise there’s no just “one best way to start” it’s really more about what you think is most important to do first, for me I always start on core mechanics for the game like for example a “movement system”. others like to start on gui first and the main menus Cause that’s what they think is most important to do first you get the idea, remember game development isn’t linear. Now for a system I usually brainstorm what I want the system to do and what I want it to look like once I get something down that I like, then I will start on it(ps it never hurts too look it up online and see how other people made the same system just to get a feel for what you want). then comes programming I’m not gonna go in-depth about the programming part cause that is fully up to you, but i hoped this helped at least some.”

TLDR: There’s no best way to start. Just think about what systems you need and pick a system you know you are comfortable with doing first.

And on a final note: every little bit matters! Even if players use i once in their entire gaming career. A single line of dialogue, a small low poly wand. Every single small piece matters to make a game. There’s not “too little” in game development.

#7

Start with a simple game. Like a survival game, then you level up to the best game players will enjoy.