ok, I believe this will be my last “off-topic” question, I promise. my last “project” didn’t work out because I didn’t know how to organize my ideas. I would love to have some tips on how to organize things, instead of just going “unga bunga”. what should I do first, and what should I leave for last? my project is a simple JRPG with a combat system, just to do some testing, but I feel like I need to do the things in the right way this time.
You can check out my tutorial. It’s a bit longer and doesn’t exactly focus on JRPGs, but the basic principles are the same for all types of games.
2 Likes
whoa. that is really long, but it seems very comprehensive. I think I’ll have a bit of a hard time since english is not my first language, but it will definitely be worth it. I’m even going to get my popcorn, man. 
2 Likes
I’m getting close to finishing my first game, and for me the organizational foundation was my design docs.
Yeah, it can seem boring to start by writing things down, and it’s very tempting to ignore it and just get started, but the design docs allowed me to scope how much work was needed, prioritize where to start, and also descope things when I realised the project was bigger than I could handle.
If you’re really not keen on writing docs, then a brief concept doc, say 2-pages long, can at least outline the key aspects you want in the game, and then you can build from there.
Let me know if you want me to share my concept doc as an example.
2 Likes
even though it’s “boring” in a way, I believe that if it’s functional, that’s what matters.
but please, yes! I would love to see your example, bud.
Sorry for the absoutely atrocious format, but I can only upload images to the forum. Hopefully still readable though, but shout if not.
l
2 Likes
well, the format is no problem. but for that, I advise using other websites like Imgur or Pastebin and etc. to share files as links, depending on the need. I will keep your advice with me, bud!
also, I found the project super cute. I wish you success, and good luck with your project! 
the sky’s the limit.
You can also get a book if you prefer reading to watching. 
1 Like
I saw that you made a post on music earlier so I’ll describe it like this.
With music there are common elements like beats and melodies finding some emotion to express.
With game programming its systems and scripting. Yes there are creative aspects, but the mindset is a little different because you have to think like a computer, logically. conditions and actions. You have to describe the fictional world in very exact terms.
I want to make a leaf fall from a tree.
With music you would make calm passages with gently falling melodies as you imagine the leaf turning against the turbulences of and frictions with the air until it lands on the ground.
Programming you would have assets that represent the tree leaf and ground. You creat a scene with tree and ground in a lighted scene with a camera. You instantiate a leaf at a position in the tree canopy, You apply a systems of motion to move down and a system to move the leaf in random gentle motions left and right. You estimate the time for the leaf to reach the ground and create a timer system to delete the leaf once it should reach the ground. Or another system to detect it hit the ground and delete it then.
For learning, making mistakes is learnings too. Anyway all I’m trying to say is when you want to program effectively you need to think about the systems that describe your game and systems working together. If you make simple systems with a single responsibility, this will allow you to reuse those systems to build more complicated behaviors.
To get deeper into theory, Godot is object-oriented and SOLID principles are useful mindset to have. Godot docs also have a programming guide to help. These concepts are much like learning major and minor keys in music theory. They teach you how to play.
1 Like
well, the video version is much more “understandable” than I initially thought! thanks, but you don’t have to worry about it.
I totally get it, I see it now! But this isn’t my first time “coding”, I’ve had previous experiences with Python and Java, but not yet in depth due to problems with my college. but I’m not giving up this time. You brought up a point of view that I hadn’t thought of before. Thanks, bud!