In my first 1-1 with Ross we discussed what I want to focus on during the independent tech sessions this year. The area I initially considered was Unreal Engine and Blueprints, this is because I wanted to hone in tech design skills such as being able to better implement systems. During my internship there were a few times were visual scripting was something I got to look into and it was always quite daunting.

In our discussion we came to the conclusion that while Blueprints would be useful to learn, it could potentially become too large of a scope for something like the final major project.

We also discussed Unity’s Visual Scripting. Ross pointed out that it is not as robust as Unreal’s Blueprint system, and, given my existing experience with scripting, learning visual scripting may not necessarily be the most valuable use of my time. This made me reconsider whether I should focus on learning a visual scripting system simply because it is commonly used, or whether I would benefit more from developing a different technical skill.

After discussing some of the benefits of Godot, I decided that this would be a better focus for my foreseeable independent tech sessions. I am interested in becoming familiar with another engine and understanding how its workflow differs from the engines I have already used, especially as I’ve unfortunately downplayed Godot previously. Rather than trying to learn everything at once, I want to use these sessions to gradually become comfortable with Godot through experimentation.

When I asked Ross where I should begin, he suggested creating a simple platformer. However, rather than following a YouTube tutorial exactly from beginning to end, he recommended using a tutorial as a starting point and then experimenting with it myself. This should allow me to learn through actually trying things, breaking them and figuring out how to change or expand what I have made.

Goals

For my upcoming independent tech sessions, I therefore want to:

• Learn the fundamentals of Godot and become comfortable navigating the engine.
• Create a simple platformer as an initial project.
• Use tutorials as a starting point rather than simply copying them.
• Experiment with and modify the tutorial’s systems to understand how they work.
• Gradually develop enough familiarity with Godot to begin creating my own small projects without relying heavily on tutorials.

The main takeaway from this session was that I should prioritise active experimentation over simply completing tutorials. I want to use Godot as an opportunity to develop my understanding through making, testing and problem-solving rather than focusing purely on completing a particular project.