It has been just over four months since I made a resolution to start learning how to code. I slowly began to introduce myself to coding concepts using Chris DeLeon’s course ‘Code Your First Game’.
I am really enjoying coding! I can see its appeal and how it forces you to get to know how your own mind works. Errors and mistakes are a reflection of perception errors 99.9% of the time. I’m making a concerted effort to stay open and not get frustrated when things do not work.
The course had me build some very basic arcade games and culminated in a limited, simple puzzle demo demonstrating the first steps of Heropath. I am really pleased how having a project to work on has given me a focus that I did not have previously. I am now able to take the research and theorizing I’ve been doing and apply it to the roots and definitions of Heropath.
Now is the time to adopt a game development engine. I’ve done some research and listened to the feedback of some of my Twitter follows and I’ve come to a decision about which engine to work with. What I’m looking for is an engine that has:
- An easy on-board ramp to code
- Appealing features
- Positive momentum
- Visually beautiful output
The Unreal Engine is gorgeous, but it is 3D and requires highly skilled developers and is beyond me. Both Unity and Godot meet the above criteria, but my decision is… drum-roll… Godot.
Unity feels a bit unstable as a few Twitter developers have complained about things breaking in Unity, in contrast to the enthusiasm for Godot. I found a great YouTube evaluation of the different game engines which helped my decision. I am game-engine agnostic and if things do not work out with Godot then I will consider Unity. It is time to start tool-skill-development with one the engines and in light of this decision, I’ve updated my Skill Development Character Sheet.
It has been a very enjoyable four months developing these coding skills and can see this becoming an ongoing, potentially life-long hobby to adopt.
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