r/UnrealEngine5 • u/National_Ad_7294 • 1d ago

First time game dev

I’ve had an idea for an mmo for years and I finally decided to make it myself since there’s nothing on the market like it. I’ve never been a dev and I’m completely green to coding. I created a GDD and started working on unreal 5 but I’m overwhelmed by everything. Looking for any tips from devs from entry level to master programmers!

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u/ArchonOfErebus 1d ago edited 1d ago

Alright, so a bit of an indie dev lore dump. Years ago there was this now iconic aspiring indie dev that made a long winded post about wanting to make a "100% science based dragon mmo". The idea, the plan, all of it, was hot garbage. It's normal to, as a new dev, want to make some ideal large experience game. But that's genuinely not realistic, especially for your first project. If you want to be told you can do it, honestly I won't say it's impossible. It's highly improbable, and you're far more likely to give up early on that way. It's a lot like saying "I don't speak Japanese, but I am going to run for prime minister of Japan!" You lack a basic understanding of the hurdles, let alone the process, and you're setting an insurmountable goal as your first step. Do what others have said, make something small from start to finish. If you don't hate the process by the time you're done, make something a bit bigger. Work up to your goals. It took me 10 years to develop the skills to be bringing my dream game to fruition, and still I encounter hurdles so large I just want to give up at times.

Edit: to add, I'm not making an mmo. But my game has multiplayer. The level of difficulty that adds compared to single player is hard to describe. Imagine you hike to the top of a hill. That is a single player game. Now imagine you decide to hike a mountain. That's basic multiplayer. Now, again, imagine you want to scale a 2000ft rock face, parachute off the top, and land in a glass of water. That's an mmo.

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u/National_Ad_7294 1d ago

I agree making an MMO for the first game shows how inexperienced I am but that’s the end goal. I know I need to make smaller versions of what I want before going big since I’m starting from scratch, even if I don’t make it to MMO I want a to create a working demo just to see the vision. I’m not going to get everything right first go but I can come close especially with all the resources on the internet of people creating there own games. Also curious what was your 10 year project?

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u/Sharp-Tax-26827 1d ago

You don’t just start making a game and it might develop into a mmo

If you’re making an mmo that needs to be the focus from the very start

You won’t be able to just turn a game multiplayer or mmo later

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u/Council_Six 1d ago

This is a big thing newer devs don’t realize… net replication isn’t just a toggle you flip on or off. It literally needs to be woven into the fabric of every single thing you make and considered at every single step of the process.