Struggling to get past the basics blocker

Hi all!

So I’ve been dipping in and out of Construct for a few years now. When that creative energy hits, I want to crack on and build something, but I always fall into the same trap, I do a bunch of tutorials, both official and ones I find on YouTube, build basic things like single level platformer, the top down shooter template etc… but I never seem to get past that point.

End goal here for me, is to make a decision making game, similar to REIGNS, now understand that REIGNS is something that looks deceptively simple on the surface but is incredibly deep underneath, that’s fine. My goal is make something more akin to a prototype / proof of concept that this style of game, is not looking to reinvent the wheel, but more to understand how to build this style of mechanic in Construct, but finding resources to help guide me through the process is light.

So then I waste about 4 days searching for guides, tutorials etc… that cover this style of game, but sadly they’re a bit thin to find.

This time round however I feel I am closer than ever to breaking through what would previously be me giving up for another 6months, and I want to persevere, more so now because my son has started showing a keen interest in Construct and this could be something great we do together.

So I guess what I’m putting out there is, how did you fine developers get through these blocking points yourself? Any advice or direction would be most appreciated. What tutorials, guides or other media do you suggest I get stuck into?

Much appreciated for the read, I appreciate it’s a bit longwinded. 😂

Define an external deadline and work towards that. Knowing the work required to build a feature only really comes from experience, and right now gaining experience should be your priority.

So find a game jam or anything with a hard deadline, decide "I'm going to make X", and work towards building that. Chances are you'll only be able to build half of X, or a quarter of it, and that's totally fine. Just make sure that you finish something by the deadline, even if it isn't what you envisioned. And when I say "finish", I just mean have a complete gameplay loop: start > play > succeed/fail > repeat.

You'll quickly discover stumbling blocks and will have to choose how to deal with them. Bash your head against the wall for a bit and then move on. Reduce scope until you have the simplest game you can possibly make. Just make sure that it works.

This way you are focusing on learning the tools, not mastering them. Build a few games with wildly different mechanics and before you know it, you'll find that the common elements like audio, UI, level management, player stats - whatever - become easier to handle and don't hold you back from doing the "fun stuff". Or maybe you'll find that you actually love doing UI and handling stats, and before you know it you've built a management game!

I also recommend that you create micro-projects to test a single thing you have in mind. Ask yourself "how do I implement a text popup that shows damage dealt?" and make only that.

Check out this thread;

construct.net/en/forum/construct-3/general-discussion-7/cant-learn-construct-160607

I posted an example some time ago.

This might sound kind of obvious, but if you already have some grasp of how Construct works, just start trying to do what you want.

Since you are trying to do something similar to something that already exists, look at it and decide what part you want to replicate first, this will likely be what you think is most important. Once you have decided were you want to start, it becomes much easier to find a solution for that particular problem.

Once the initial small problem is solved, you build upon it. Decide what is the next bit that you want to add and find the solution for that... then it becomes a matter of adding small individual pieces until you have everything you want. This process can take a while, so try not to get discouraged if you start to notice it's taking a long time. The good thing is that with each small problem you solve you become more familiar with the tool, so adding further things slowly becomes easier.

This approach will help you retain what you learn much better, because you will be solving problems you made up for yourself rather than the abstracts in a tutorial.

I have to agree with Geoffb -- build the smallest full loop game you can. You can have big goals, but pick a small subsection that you can finish. Making a small game fun is good practice too, so if you can make it fun and finished, that is a second goal.

yours

winkr7