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Coding solutions for non-programmers?

Updated on April 16, 2016 in [A] Unity Scripting
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26 on March 5, 2016

Hello guys! I am very new to the Videogame creation scene and I have recently been using Unity. I have to admit, Unity is very straight forward and the UI is not cluttered, which is brilliant. I have had a go at adding custom objects, textures, material tweaking, experimenting with float values on pre-made prefabs, etc.

However I feel my coding knowledge is less than stellar. I am most enthusiastic about art and 3D modelling since there is something physical to work with but learning to program has been a complete chore to do. I will not deny that coding is probably the most important aspect of a game to ensure it plays well and is fun, but typing the lines of code feels tedious and just is not… fun, like drawing or modelling. I understand that the necessity of programming knowledge outweighs great-looking visuals but it simply does not register with me.

I have been taking a break from art and modelling for a while to focus my efforts on learning to write code in the C# syntax. The progress is very slow, which is to be expected. This question has been on my mind for a while:

Is there a method, program or add-on which gives artists the power of creating scripts with little or no programming knowledge?

I have heard there is visual programming with flow-graphs where you get boxes and connect them with nodes, which is the visual equivalent of writing code in the C# syntax but it takes a more, well, visual direction which people who have trouble coding can use. That way I can spend less time having to worry about being unable to write code efficiently and competently and be able to focus time and energy into creating artwork, models, sprites, GUI, etc.

Currently I am unable to buy anything since I do not have a paypal and some of the free software has limitations (which is to be expected), so I do not know what to do. :c

To those of you reading this, if you have any suggestions that you could give to me then I would be most grateful. Thank you for reading!

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Dion Dokter 1 on March 5, 2016

There is stuff like this for Unity: https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/14808 
Never tried it out though.

EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 5, 2016

I do not think I have seen this before. Unfortunately I do not have the means of buying this add-on though I will keep it in my wish-list.

Thank you for the recommendation!

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TrishaLynn 1 on March 7, 2016

Hey there,

I was literally just like you when I started. I had absolutely no knowledge of coding whatsoever (so you’re ahead of me there) and when I saw all the coding that people were doing, it was very discouraging. 

What I did was watch, and EXACTLY follow, what Brackeys did in his Make-A-Game tutorials (on youtube), and I created a little ball rolling game. I didn’t do anything different. That way I learned the basics (very basics) of what coding I’ll actually need to use, and all the other stuff that goes into making a game. 

Then, after that, I went on to making the game I actually wanted to make. I referenced Brackeys tutorials (again) whenever I needed to, and I googled videos about coding when I didn’t know how to make something work.

That was the way I learned. It was a lot more art-based and a lot more hands-on. If I had to sit down and try and learn all about coding first, I wouldn’t have been able to make a game. I would’ve got too bored, would’ve taken too long, I’m just not that kind of person, I’m not very patient. That would be my advice to you. go watch his tutorials, and start making your game. There are answers to the questions you will have, and we will be here to help. 

Good luck to you. Playing around and trying things out will be the best thing for you. And coding does get fun. Especially when you start with little knowledge. It is VERY rewarding when you make your first somewhat complicated working script all by yourself without tutorials. 

Here is the link:
Brackeys Make A Game

EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 8, 2016

Yeah, that is exactly how I feel. I envy their skills!
_
I too have been following tutorials, but I have been consistently hitting roadblocks due to videos being outdated by Unity consistently being updated. I tried to follow the 2D platformer one and got to 4b, but from there I could not get tiling to work; even with the pre-made script directly copied and pasted!
_
I began trying out JavaScript which is significantly easier. I had a go at writing some code with it such as printing text into the console and “if” statements. Not bad!
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What a coincidence; I like to get on with it, lol. I will continue doing so whilst referencing script. Hopefully I can get a pay-pal set up soon!
_
Thanks a bunch. 🙂

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zrk03 1 on March 7, 2016

I hope you find what your looking for! For me it’s i suck at art but am decent at programming!

EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 8, 2016

Thank you very much; I appreciate the comment!

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EmeraldEelEntertainment 0 on March 8, 2016

Just thought I would leave an update in regards to my current situation. I have managed to find a few of which look rather appealing:

  • PlayMaker. Looks very simple, but costs £65. Should not be too hard once I can afford it!
  • Uscript. Similar to PlayMaker though it seems rather sophisticated.
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Atik 8 on March 8, 2016

If you are able to change the Game Engine from unity to unreal then you can create games without scripting . In Unreal engine you can create blueprints visually without coding . Its really great for indie artists who want to make games. ( Its very handy , i have personally used it just month ago  )

EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 9, 2016

I recall trying Unreal Engine 4 and it is indeed brilliant, although I temporarily removed it from my PC to make myself more acquainted with Unity since it was a little simpler. I would like to reinstall it again but I do not have much room left on my  PC as of the moment. If I can get something pumped out, even if it is as simple as my interpretation of a popular game, then I can improve from their. Sounds lazy but I have to do something, haha.

I think Unreal also charge £5 a month or so if you do charge; I do not know if I like the sound of that. 🙁

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Atik on March 9, 2016

Unreal Engine used to cost before , the Unreal 4 release is free to use.

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EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

Is it? I’ll have to make another check just to be 100% positive!

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EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

The official Unreal Engine 4 website says that it is free to download but there are royalties you must pay once you reach a certain amount of income. The screen cap is in the link since pictures are disabled. :T

https://twitter.com/EEEnt_OFFICIAL/status/707987189725065216

The margin for publishing something free is significantly smaller than the limitation of Unity, which is $100,000. Still, UE4 looks great!

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Atik on March 10, 2016

Its when you start earning … Will you sell your first game in first release ? or provide any ingame secured purchases ?

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EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

I hope to sell it but also do a lite version with adverts. I thought it seemed reasonable.

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Atik on March 10, 2016

Well Think twice about reason.
You are making a game and wanna sell to let Players play ,
They are making Huge Game Engine and are letting You use free .

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EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

As of the moment Unity is working fine for me. If I follow some coding guidelines then there should hopefully be no problems.

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cosmickitty 3 on March 10, 2016

if you don’t like the coding aspect why not try to find a game making partner?  there are lots of people who have the opposite issue and are looking for an artist to work with

EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

That is a great suggestion but I wish to do it independently. I feel that while I am not the best artist out there my artistic skill will suffice for now. I feel programming is more important because while something may not look pretty you can make it function. Something may look nice but it might not function as it should.
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I appreciate the feedback but I would much rather do it by myself.

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cosmickitty on March 10, 2016

what type of game are you making?  I started out with RPG Maker… which has basically 0 coding…. if you happen to be making a 2d rpg

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EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

To be 100% blunt, it is a simple tapping game, much like Flappy Bird. It sounds quite bland but I hope it will improve my knowledge of using Unity professionally.

I recently bought RPG M MV after trying out a demo for a previous version. It is very nice!

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Atik 2 on March 10, 2016

Even other than Unreal Engine Blueprints , you can give a try for Game Maker .
I had started making my first game on Game Maker . Its easy to learn and you can make game visually and just add some modifications using Code . If you are really desparate to make a complete game within days then give a try for Unreal / Game Maker .

Other than scripting Construct 2 can be best option for making 2d flow games visually . 

EmeraldEelEntertainment on March 10, 2016

I remember trying Game Maker. It is okay although I was having problems with the coding. I think the video tutorial I was following at the time may have been outdated but I will try it again in the future.

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zrk03 on April 11, 2016

Game Maker is what i use! If your planning on making a 3D game then i don’t recommend it but 2D its just as good as unity!

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Deimantux 0 on April 16, 2016

To be honest scripting in unity is basically the same as visual tools once you learn how to use it.
And you don’t need to follow the whole of the series that youtubers are making, all you have to do is simply google everything separately, for example don’t google “how to make X game”, but rather google something simple like “how to make the character move” or “how to make “how to destroy a gameobject”
And by combining those elements yourself you will know when to use which one to use when and not just how use them for one specific game.

also although it’s your personal preference, i suggest you using c# as it’s way easier to find tutorials for that

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