Getting Started Service - What would you like to see from such a service?

Hello everybody,

I am planning to make a service for people coming new to game development and especially for making their first game in Unity. While there are many resources to start of, I often see people struggling planning their first game and / or coming up with something they never finish because they lose motivation.
I’ll show them the basics of the engine, while the focus is on asking what they want and help them to get their first prototype done including setting up source control (either on their computer, a paid service or I'll provide it) and making a game design document.
This will be offered for FREE in the beginning phase and later on I'll move to paid services.

Now my question to you guys is, what would you like to see in such a service? Is there something you think it should be specially mentioned or explained, or do you want to know more about techniques?
Comments from everybody are welcome, even if you just started with Unity or are a professional since years.

Hope to get some feedback.

Greetz,

 

Scope cutting. This is probably the biggest thing beginners need to learn. Figure out a gentle way to say "You can't make and FPSRTSMMO by yourself as your first game"

 

That's what I meant with first prototype and making the GDD. I would get the persons idea and then there are two options:

1. Tell him this is too big as first project.
2. Strip down the idea so far to make a first protype (e.g. replace characters with cubes, only basic functions etc. to get a first working version)

 

If to sum up your so called new "service", it's kinda of personnel tutor... That's it. But how long you will last, to respond to everyone one by one. You will need to hire some experts, and they will ask for money. And at the end it will be the same thing as the personnel tutor sections in this Unity's forum.....

As a beginner, I can say, that I didn't find much of high quality tutorials, where it shows you development of some game from beginning to the end, (not with some bullshit cubes, and some test half done scenes). What you could do, is to create a real complete game from start to finish (from cubes to real chars), with multilevel, UI, score, achievments, ads and etc... all in one. So, someone could really continue developing their own levels, or own games. What I find hard, is to combine all that separate tutorials for beginners.. because each of them shows something specific and only half of it.. but they don't mention how to combine and interact with those "aspect" in Unity

And you can sell it... I would buy one.

 

I would only take a few people for the start, since, as you said, I am just one person and the service is free by now.

Thing is, people can decide how it should work.
1. Go for prototyping. So, as previously explained, taking the idea, stripping it down to a very basic version first and then build from that.
2. We build one feature and completely finish it first and then go for the next one (I would not really recommended that, but some people may prefer this).

 

Cool. If the service is free as of now, I'll be glad to participate in your experiment, if you are willing to consider me.

P.S. Can't promise $$$, but I would pay if I will have positive results at the end.

 

I don't expect money by now, I just search for feedback by now. Also ideas, what people would like to have.

I will continue collecting ideas and meanwhile set up a page where people can request a quote. You basically complete a quick survey and I'll get that mailed so I know what you want and can prepare better.

 

You could prepare them to keep developing on their own. I mean explain how to find things and solve their problems. Point them to the Learn section, show them how to use the Manual/Scripting Reference, introduce them to Unity Answers if they don't know about it. Share your experiences on how you learnt. If they have questions, show them how you would find the answer if you were in their place.

For example, if you were to explain how to move an object using physics, you could also point them to a good tutorial on the Learn section, and if they had a question about a function not included in a tutorial, you could point them to the Manual/Script Reference where that function's behavior/use is explained. I don't mean just to tell them to watch that tutorial or read the manual. I mean explain it your own way with your words, but show them where they could learn it if it wasn't for you. This way, if they forget something after your services, they will know where to find it by themselves.

 

Sounds great,thanks.