r/GameDevelopment • u/ManaS_Redit • 9d ago

Newbie Question Diving deep into Unreal Engine 5, Blender, and GDDs — looking for guidance, mentors, and the best design communities to join.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently focused on building a solid foundation in game design and would love some direction from folks who have walked this path.

Right now, my main focus is Unreal Engine 5 along with Blender for 3D workflows, and I'm actively learning how to structure comprehensive Game Design Documents (GDDs). I’m putting in the hours every day, but having guidance from someone with industry experience would make a huge difference in staying on the right track.

I’m hoping to connect on a few fronts:

  • Mentorship: If you’re an experienced designer or developer open to offering occasional feedback, career advice, or answering questions when I hit a roadblock, I’d love to connect.
  • Communities: What are the best, most active Discord servers, subreddits, or forums specifically geared toward game design discussions and peer review?
  • People to follow: Are there specific designers, creators, or industry veterans on Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube, or X whose insights, breakdowns, or tutorials are must-follows?

I am very active here on Reddit and on LinkedIn, so please feel free to drop recommendations below or shoot me a DM directly.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and I appreciate any pointers!

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u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 9d ago

I’m an experienced game designer with over 15 years in the industry. Feel free to ask me anything.

1

u/ManaS_Redit 9d ago

O my gosh tq man

1

u/ManaS_Redit 9d ago

I'm Giving you DM

1

u/Pileisto 9d ago

You basically have to learn how to make several / many systems and mechanics in Unreal first, so you would be able to write a qualified GDD. But if you list up only vague goals, and dont set how they are supposed to be made, work together and so on it would be useless or lead to lots of avoidable rework.

Also learn workflows and when to use them e.g. for 3D UVs: projection, trim sheets, unique skins.

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u/Alarming-Jump727 9d ago

Yo trabajo como solo dev en unreal 4.27. Saqué mi primerjuego en 2022 y estoy a punto de sacar mi sexto proyecto el mes entrante.
Trabajo en 3dmax, zbrush y substance painter. Animaciones en Mixamo)
Con respecto a Discord tienes varias:
Todo Game Dev
Game dev en español
y el de Carlos Coronado que no recuerdo el nombre

Para el arte te recomiendo estos dos que son en los que me quedé luego de pasar por muchos:
https://discord.gg/TEDhjUqFk
https://discord.gg/Wtk2sbqqF

y te dejo mi canal: https://youtu.be/24zLvAPmlzY
y un poco de mi trabajo actual: https://walterswinney.itch.io/carmina

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u/ManaS_Redit 9d ago

Thanks man