So I'm just getting started in game developing and i wanted to know what a good place to start is. I'm kinda starting from scratch as I don't have any previous experience in programming or modeling or anything of the sort, though it seems like im picking up modeling fairly fast. What's a good way to learn more of the basic skills like programming, sound editing, and modeling? Im currently using Unreal Engine and Blender by the why.

Also where is a good place to start idea wise? I already have an idea of what i want to make but i feel like it'll be quite advanced and i don't know if I should start with a basic idea or try to start on a bigger scale project.

Any advice at all would be appreciated.

@kornknot

I'll get to your last question first because it is more important. Don't jump into a big project straight away, make sure your first project is small and has a small scope of ideas crammed into it. If you start on a big project, you might find that you don't (yet) have the skill or knowledge to complete certain parts of it, and could become demotivated and give up.

When starting with a small project, think of an idea for a small game with a limited set of features that will help you learn more about the certain aspects of game design and development you want to learn. For example, if you want to learn more about platformers, make a basic platformer, and in the process of making it, you will learn more about platformers and what makes them fun, how to make them better, etc.

I understand you might be itching to make your dream game, we all are, but you need to take a step back to make some smaller things to gain knowledge and to share your designs with the world before taking a big commitment on-board.

To answer your main question, I could approach from 100 different angles about where to start, but I'll give you a few options to begin with:

Unreal Engine is a powerful engine, and has a great community surrounding it to support new developers such as yourself and even more experienced devs. Unreal uses the C++ programming language, which is a very robust, but very intimidating language. If you want to continue using Unreal Engine, I'd suggest using the ‘Blueprint’ system before jumping into raw programming, because it can be very difficult for newcomers and you might not be able to get into some of the designs you want to create. There are plenty of tutorials online and on YouTube for the blueprint system, so get stuck into it. Follow reddit.com/r/unrealengine for a great community, or sign up for the Unreal Engine forums!

Another option is the Unity engine, which is also free! You've probably heard of it, but this engine is very popular too and has plenty of supporting communities online and plenty of YouTube tutorials to help you get started. If you're adamant about getting stuck into programming, I'd give Unity a go before Unreal as the programming in Unity is a bit more approachable than Unreal as Unity uses the C#(C-Sharp) programming language.

My final recommendation would be to look into smaller engines such as GameMaker Studio 2, Godot, or Construct. These engines are quite a bit more simple, but they'll help you get some of your earlier projects done with a bit more ease and efficiency. GameMaker Studio 2 is what I use at the moment and uses its own language built into the engine called GML (GameMaker Language). The engine is very simple to use and has plenty of tutorials online, look for ‘Shaun Spalding’ on YouTube for some great tutorials and design videos.

With modelling, you sound like you're on the right track, look up ‘Blender Guru’ on YouTube for some really good tutorials for Blender, which range from beginner to advanced. Aside from that, look into character rigging and animation for your chosen engine, material design, etc.

Thank you so much! I'll look into Gamemaker Studio and might start there, I've been thinking about starting with blueprints too because im actually mildly used to the concept from the PS4 game Dreams. I think I'll take on smaller projects and in between ill work on small assets for my main project. I think I'll start downloading Gamemaker Studio tonight and hopefully get some time to work on it tomorrow.

@undefined Hi it is my game https://store.steampowered.com/app/1176440/Math_The_Question/ I try to write a program I learn from https://archive.org/ I suggest you try to find information if you want to learn programming and others. I use dev c ++ to create my games. you can do it.

@Kornknot I agree with Yoplez. If you go too hard, too fast, you can burn out and feel like you are getting nowhere. Unreal can have a steep learning curve. GameMaker is easier to pick up than Unity. Blender is cool, but look into a good 2D modelers/design platforms like Animate, Illustrator or Inkscape (Free).

I also would look into networking. You don't have to do it all. Getting around people who are pursuing game development will help you learn more, as well. You can do that here (enlist people into your project) or join something like IGDA.

Well at the moment I cant afford to have people help, im going to start with godot because its free and it seems like a good simple point to start off. Ill certainly look into those modeling programs, I've actually been looking for a 2D modeling system.

You'd be surprised who will work with you for free. You just have to find people like you who really want to make a game. The payoff for most games is later.