So, I’ve got this flowchart/decision tree built, and I want to develop a game based on it. Basically it’s just text on the screen, presenting you with 2 or 3 options. You click the button of your choice, and it takes you to the next branch (or sometimes it rolls a virtual die to take you to a randomized outcome). It’s just text and buttons, beginning to end.
I started to just go at it with no training, and it actually works. But… I think I might be doing it in the dumbest way possible.
My approach has been to create a new scene for each decision. (Click the button of your choice, and it loads the appropriate scene.) This approach will inevitably lead to hundreds of new scenes, and hundreds of identical buttons that take you to those scenes. (Like I said… I already suspect this is dumb).
I’m assuming this is a simple matter of knowing how to organize everything efficiently, re-using the same button object every time, and storing all the decisions and text…“somewhere” (but I have no idea where), and pulling them into the scene as needed. (Is this what json is for? If not, ignore the question…I don’t mean to open an irrelevant can of worms).
Ok…enough babbling. Is anyone aware of a tutotial that will teach me to build a game like this efficiently? If so, much appreciated.
When I have moments like this I will generally try to determine the following;
Is my current way of doing things working?
Is there any major problems with what I am doing that will cause players issues (ie performance)?
Is what I’m doing making the creation process for myself too tedious or difficult?
If it works, it works. You can always try to make things simpler, or more complex, but the only thing that matters in the end is the experience you have making the game, and what the end user will see. And the player will not care how it was made as long as it works to their expectation.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t try a different approach, but if what you’re doing is working, and there’s no obvious issues with performance, etc, there’s probably not a need to remake what you’re doing.
What I might suggest however, is when you finish your game, brainstorm what hurdles you had along the way and then try to determine what you could have done to make the process easier for youself. I give this suggestion because I will endlessly refactor my games and NEVER FINISH THEM. Because I’m just wired that way
Others may feel differently to this, but this is my 2 cents.
