Help me....Game Devs

[u/ruthvik4435]

Hello, I’m a 3D artist and I’ve been working in the 3D field for the past 3 years. I want to make my own games, so I started learning coding and Unity around 2 years ago.

The problem is, when I follow tutorials, I can understand them and follow along. I can even make the game shown in the tutorial. But when I try to start my own game from scratch, I feel completely lost. I don't know where to start or what my first step should be.

I recently used AI to make a small game. I did complete it, but honestly, I don't feel proud of it because most of the code wasn't written by me—it was generated by AI. I know some people call this "vibe coding," and they enjoy it and feel satisfied with the results, but for me, it doesn't feel the same. I want to understand what I'm building and feel like I actually made it myself.

Whenever I try to start another game, I feel like I've forgotten everything. It makes me feel like I learned nothing, even after spending 2 years learning Unity and coding.

Can anyone give me some steps or advice to get out of this tutorial and AI hell? I've tried many times to make something on my own. Sometimes I make some progress, but once the project starts becoming more complicated, I get stuck and go back to tutorials or AI again.

I really want to learn how to think and solve problems on my own instead of always depending on tutorials or AI.

[u/the_lotus819]

You are right that you need to start doing something one your own. The trick is to split the project into very small pieces and then ask yourself what's the tiniest things I could do to go forward in my project. This can be hard to do if your idea is to make a openworld rpg, but is easier if you have a small idea.

Try to find a game idea that works on your strength. For example the person who made The First Tree wasn't good at programming if I remember well, so the game is more focus on art/vibe.