I Don’t Know How to Code. I only know Basic, and that’s just because I used it as a kid. If someone had asked me a few years ago to create a video game, I would have said no without hesitation—there’s just too much involved. You need so many different skills: coding, graphics, music.
I have a basic understanding of digital graphics, photography, and electronic music, but I know nothing about HTML, JavaScript, or anything like that. Plus, the gaming market is brutal: sometimes a single negative review can ruin even the best projects.
But Life Is Unpredictable
But life is unpredictable. During the pandemic, a friend asked me to create a simple escape room game with a few videos, so I tried Twine—a fantastic tool for building complex interactive stories. The problem? Designing the user interface was nearly impossible for a beginner.
I’ve Always Been Skeptical of Simple Software
I have to admit, I’ve always been skeptical of simple game-making software, and I was especially wary of free programs. Over the years, I’ve downloaded tons of them, and it was always the same story: as soon as I needed a slightly more advanced feature, I’d hit the program’s limitations.
I used to think of these tools like knowing only a few basic phrases in a foreign language. Sure, you can ask someone’s name or what time it is, but you can’t really say much more. That’s why I approached GDevelop with a lot of skepticism. But hey, it was free—maybe it could do something.
As Soon as the Key Touched the Chest, the Popup Would Open
My first experiment was to create a simple drag-and-drop interface: a key, a chest, and a popup that appeared when the key was dragged onto the chest. It didn’t take me long, maybe an hour or so, and I was pretty pleased with myself… until I ran some tests and everything crashed.
As soon as the key touched the chest, the popup would open, but the text wouldn’t display. It just confirmed what I thought: free software always has too many bugs and limitations. I was seriously annoyed at the time I’d wasted. I tried for another couple of hours, but nothing—GDevelop just didn’t work.
Coffee Is One of the Best Inventions Ever
It was a shame because the interface seemed solid and intuitive. So, I left the PC running with the game preview on and took a break. Honestly, I think coffee is one of the best inventions ever for creatives—it gives you a break and helps you see problems from a fresh perspective.
When I got back to my desk, something strange was happening on the screen. The text was appearing, one letter at a time, exactly as I had set it up, but super slowly. So, it was working! But why so slow? Maybe it was my old PC (from 2014!), but it was probably GDevelop’s fault.
My Code Was Wrong from the Start
So, I did some research. I have to admit, whenever I try new software, I almost never look at guides or tutorials. I’m impatient and I like to figure things out on my own. Of course, that leads to some big mistakes. I had no idea GDevelop used the Trigger Once condition!
When the key collided with the chest, my code was creating a popup and a text box… infinitely, 60 times per second! It wasn’t GDevelop’s fault—my code was wrong from the start.
I Had Found a Great Tool—But for What?
That’s when I started to really like GDevelop. I had judged it too quickly, and that “bug” was a well-deserved lesson. So, over the next few days, I took a deep dive into its features and realized its true potential.
Okay, I had found a great tool. But for what? I didn’t know how to code, but I’ve always had plenty of ideas. I just needed to find the right one…
To be continued…
SPHEREBALL – Play for Free Now!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sphereball.saiber
