Why *NOBODY HELPS* You with Your GAME Project (in GODOT or Anywhere)

[@alicethetransdalek7333]

learning how to properly ask for help is by far one of the most important skills beginner devs need. I see so many people asking for help with just absurdly vague errors without giving any context and at some point even trying to be helpful starts to get exhausting because of stuff like that

[@majorpestplays]

💯

[@K4rmy]

It's worse when they commit The XY Problem. (which is asking for help with error for what they think is the solution to their original problem, instead of just asking about the original problem)

[@P434-m9u]

not really, i've been asking for help to people at any forum and with 20 question only 2 get the answer, and now i dont really hope to get answered lol, now i almost can do anything without asking someone, and i now always help anyone who get trouble if i see the question.. i think its always just the person not the question

[@klembokable]

The amount of effort it'd take to properly give context is more than the effort it'd take for them to try and understand their own issue

[@avreg_name]

Ew

[@nrwl23]

I've been a software engineer for close to 3 decades and I love to help ppl with questions. The best way to get great information out of someone like me is to try to help me stand in your shoes and see things from your eyes. Remember, I start with zero idea what you are doing, and I don't know what's in your head. I know a lot, but you showing me what you're trying to accomplish and what you've tried that didn't work, etc. Will help me narrow down to the exact thing you need. What assumptions you're making about a function or variable help too. Once I can see a good enough picture of YOUR MIND and the code that came from it, it is possible to pinpoint the issue. Without it, I can't decide what you need. BTW If you post game ideas in a chat or online asking for help, code snippets, videos and other things, it doesn't mean I will take your ideas or try to screw you over, in fact it is not useful for me to do that. I have plenty of my own ideas already that I'm working on (I don't have time to take yours tbh), but I do need to understand enough to see what direction you need to go, and I like to help you succeed if I can.

[@Gdquest]

That's a very good post! Thanks for writing it :)

[@computernerd8157]

I am not worried about good people like you. I am more worried about LLMs that Microsoft, Google and Apple might make that might steal my idea to be honest. I might be parnoid, because even if it were possible, a human still has to ask the the program to create my idea lol.

[@adventuretuna]

I have legitimately encountered someone who refused to post their code because they didn't want us to steal it. We told them no one is gonna steal code from them and was incredibly upset at us when we couldn't help them without showing their code.

[@Heulerado]

Ah yes, damn it! I was trying to steal their code that doesn't work, but they saw right through my ruse!

[@yipyipyipi]

The funniest part about this to me is, presumably, they're asking for help because the code doesn't work. So they're worried people are going to steal broken code. Like, you're asking for help because YOU want NEW code here. Why would you be worried if someone took it? Isn't replacing it the POINT of this question? Lol

[@ckorp666]

this is a top secret "velocity = dir * speed", we can't let this stuff get out there

[@eliederventura]

I know I may be repeating some of the comments, but understanding this is crucial for achieving better results when searching for answers, not just for game developers, but for developers of any kind.

[@WizardofWestmarch]

As someone who's been putting in time helping others learn Godot, the last part really is the most important. Concise context can let me answer your question in 30 seconds instead of a 30 minute back and forth. Thanks for making this video.

[@mimisaiko]

I almost refrain myself from asking questions, because most of them are possible to solve by myself. It's also an important skill to take a step back to analyze your problem, and search it with right keyword.

[@godotgamelab]

Thanks for making this video, it's such an important topic no one seems to talk about. Every beginner should see this. Asking good questions with enough context is one of the best skills you can have. It will make you a better gamedev and even a better person in general as I think this is applicable in all aspects of life and skills. On top of agreeing with all the points you made in the video, I would also recommend asking YOURSELF questions when you are learning, developing a game or just trying to solve a problem. Framing proper questions will get your brain thinking like nothing else!

[@gablanwheel3895]

Good advice. I sometimes answer Qs in the Godot Discord and these are the biggest reasons I see people not get answers! I’d also add: * Don’t ask “could someone help me?” before posting your question, just post the question * Be specific. I see a lot of questions like “how do I make a character move?” That is far too broad to answer. Instead, try to solve it on your own and ask a more pointed question when you get stuck like “why is my character moving in the wrong direction?” * Don’t be rude? I feel like this one should be obvious but I see people get upset w folks trying to help them all the time. If you do this, no one is going to want to help you! * Say “thank you” if you’ve been helped! If people are spending time out of their day to help a stranger on the internet, that is pretty cool of them and deserves to be recognized! People are more likely to help you again if you do this too.

[@zGoldenHawk]

where is discord

[@Gdquest]

Try the link in the description

[@Gdquest]

Excellent points

[@AJ213Probably]

Thank you is a much better alternative than "sorry" or "I'm stupid" which is common

[@caveirainvocada9438]

godette crying is adorable lmao

[@ThaetusZain]

I always have the weirdest problems (with anything) or don't know the correct terminology to search for them. The latter happens a lot more than I'd like to admit. I remember plenty of times I'd search for a problem and get answers to other problems because of the words I'd use. The most recent one (something about referencing dictionaries in other dictionaries, I can't quite remember) wasn't even a problem, I just kind of assumed it needed more steps than it did. But it took me so long to find that out because of what I was googling. It was honestly kinda funny in retrospect.

[@Gdquest]

:D That's understandable but you don't actually need to use specific terms. That's where the links come in. What you can't say, you can often show in your links: code, error message, video of the game. Then in your title and question, you can just focus on describing what outcome you expected versus what you got. In practical layman terms. That will be enough.

[@ThaetusZain]

​@@Gdquest yeah, I guess it goes to show I should ask more and not worry so much about searching. I didn't even ask anyone from the example I put I just poured over google as a resource. But I have been told before "a search would have answered that question", and it's like... I've been searching for hours. Though tbf I haven't had that problem with the godot community.

[@Gdquest]

Sure. It's not fun to ignore harsh comments. We notice them more because they sting. But they're rarely the majority. In my experience, people typically answer when they know something. It's not simply the rewarding nature of altruism at play, there's also the boost that comes from knowing something... The compulsion to fix or problem-solve if you know the answer, etc...

[@VanessaO-qn5mq]

didn't expect to see my question's thread in the vid, im flabbergasted XD

[@HypnoSpec]

On an unrelated note, I love the art style used in the thumbnail, the 3D art is awesome and I’m definitely aiming to get to a similar level someday.

[@jackmorton7406]

Brb sending this to every Godot beginner I know Actually just every beginner I know, regardless of discipline

[@thoaihoquang1578]

If no one help you out with Godot, do not feel bad. Because you are the pioneer who is up for the challenges. In fact, I am also struggle with Linux for daily driver, but I am okay right now, and also I will help you too.

[@kloa4219]

thank you for this, but there's a typo in the question tools page: "Copy and paste your Code If it's _above_ 5 lines, you can paste your codeblock here. If it's above 5 lines, paste it in pastebin (or other) and enter the link here:" should be "Copy and paste your Code If it's *below* 5 lines, you can paste your codeblock here. If it's above 5 lines, paste it in pastebin (or other) and enter the link here:"

[@Gdquest]

Oops! Great catch! Thanks a lot!

[@DigitalMetal]

The only thing I think I would say to do differently is don't just post a snippet of your code, post the whole projects. That way we can test out the project and see the problems and even push back some fixes. You don't need to know everything about GIT for use it, just push your code to come place (github, gitlab, etc) and give a link. This is not only a great way to get help, but it's a great way to not lose your code as revisions are kept and if you really screw something up on your local machine, you know you always have a backup you can revert too.

[@DUHRIZEO]

AI has been a godsend in this area. Chatting with bots has gotten me more results lately than any help forum ever has. No long winded lectures or being shit on by forum gatekeepers just because someone asked a similar question years ago, or you didn't follow their forum etiquette to a t. The useless "well, I didn't have that problem" responses. Never again.

[@vast634]

In contrast to Unity, Godot still has many unexpected behaviors due to bugs. Thats makes troubleshooting quite a bit harder, because its not always user error.

[@mangotronics_games]

💯it's all about framing your question properly, doing some research before asking, and knowing who and where to ask.

[@justredditthings7332]

Just when I'm about to search for "how to make menus in godot" this comes up. What a great timing!

[@Gdquest]

True. I too find it to be one of Godot's strong points.

[@justredditthings7332]

​@12feetup Any resources you'd like to recommend to get started with making UI? I'd really appreciate if you could.

[@implozia1360]

I am surprised how accurately did I anticipate the advice given! I guess because I only had vague concepts about how game dev works and understanding at the very least that is an extremely complex issue, so absolutely EVERYTHING was necessary when it came to... Bug reports! I remember only doing it twice in my life, one for a mobile game that automated the process like magic and for Temtem, where I had to do an extremely elaborate form filling and video taking for something as simple as a Tem frozen in animation. Even just quitting and reloading the game could destroy extremely valuble information! This is almost like getting tech support for your problems, so making sure to stay kind to people who do it for free is very important! Otherwise, it can feel as if you are the grandma asking their son for help with their computer.

[@addanbillis]

could you guys make a tutorial about the W4 cloud godot multiplayer options? (I want to see if its a good multiplayer option and if so how to use it).

[@computernerd8157]

I think reading the documentation on Godot and understanding how scenes actually work is vital. After that, I recommend learing as much math and physics as possible. You may not need it but its better to have the knowledge and not need it then to need it and not have it.

[@JuanMiguelCancanonMartin-zp4ii]

They are the best at explaining GD script, I am Latin and I had to adapt to enter the videos, it is a shame that they do not have a channel in Spanish

[@mincraft752]

Hey i love your videos u make everything so easy to understand . Can u please make a video about how to use this inventory plugin the documentation is quite hard to understand the plugin name is gloot v2.4.6 the latest version. i cannot send any links because my comments are being disappearing.

[@MOKOISHE]

So i got the secrets bundle you have on godot but i didn't know it wasn't for godot 4, could ypu possibly update it for those of us who can't use it due to the fact that a lot of the code doesn't work anymore

[@Gdquest]

You can write to [e-mail] and we'll give you a refund. The Godot 3 courses will not be updated to Godot 4. Different courses will be made for Godot 4 because Godot 3 is an LTS version so some people will keep learning it.

[@Melowave]

Hello, I suppose you've answered this question 12*54 times already, but for this video, which I find really well edited by the way, what software did you use?

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

I stopped asking for help long ago because the stuff I ask either gets ignored or I receive the same answers I already mentioned that didn't work in my question.

[@adelatorremothelet]

Now you can ask Claude.

[@Decoding_Master]

I asked problems in godot forums and a guy answers my question and solve my problem and then i asked help for few more times and he did he made me 10% of the mechanics of my game

[@jesusmora9379]

"my game doesn't work help" "what the title says" that's every post in the godot forums

[@JWAM]

Wohoo, a thread that I was the sole active helper flashed by. Not to brag or anything, but I am now famous.

[@Gdquest]

:D :D

[@tkg__]

Godot subreddit is absolutely awful right now. Dozens of entitled people posting a photo of their code and "HELP ONLY" in title. Absolute madness.

[@Gdquest]

We don't post our videos around because we don't promote our content, but if you think it could make a difference on reddit, feel free to post it there. Sounds like it's needed :)

[@JH-pe3ro]

I just uninstalled Reddit app a few minutes ago, not because of the Godot sub but because I realized that I was increasingly just using the site to answer questions from people who don't know how to ask them and getting frustrated. The final straw was the art thread where someone had a proportion problem, it turned out they had dysgraphia, they got mad at me because they had repeated this info to other people downthread and got to me after them and I had just made an lengthy analogy to writing letters(the fundamental intuition for proportion is the same between shapes and letters), and they also didn't know the word for dysgraphia.

[@Gdquest]

Understandable. Entitlement is frustrating. It's not something you ever really get used to. Still leaves me speechless, every time.

[@deod087]

are you still using blender vse for your videos?

[@shayneoneill1506]

sometimes I think its language difficulty. I noticed from other open source projects I've maintained that Id occasionally get a question like "Why program no work?" with no context or anything. They might even post that multiple time. What I noticed is they tended to be from non ESL backgrounds and its like, hmm OK this guy probably doesnt know how to ask it well. I'd usually try and infer their base language and suggest a resource or site in a language they can speak. Sometimes worked. Sometimes I'd just have to walk them through how to describe the problem more usefully.

[@WahyuDi-p1m]

I'm making a 3D player vs player fighting game, but don't know the steps, can you make a tutorial? please

[@SynthByte_]

I find when people ask for help they are learning how the engine works and don't know how the nodes work so they end up asking people how to do the most basic things instead of breaking down the problem and learning how the engine works on your own with the tutorials already out there explaining most of the questions they have for the engine

[@talanock]

How do I make a MMO FPS in godot? ... oMFG THIS COMMUNITY SUCK. NO ONE WILL HELP ME!

[@marc.silden]

Hot content! Thanks!

[@LumoPulse]

I am new to game dev and have went through the free course of learn gd script from zero, and gone through the tutorial where you have taught to nake that rouge like game after doing this much I found out that godot have visual scripting too so I want to know how can i go aound and learn visual scripting there isnt any new recouces to learn it on youtube

[@Gdquest]

Hello! Godot 4 does not have a visual script. Only Godot 3 does. There is a free and open source, third party plugin called "orchestrator" which you could try for visual scripting in Godot 4.

[@Surkk2960]

I kind of wish I understood code better (been trying for 8+ years) so I could ask for help properly, but until then I'll have to figure it out myself :\

[@vmarcelo49]

a little before godot 4 came out i remember trying to get help in mouse movement, probably because it was too simple got ignored, i tried searching a little more and found like 3 tutorials/implementations for the mouse movement i was looking for in forums none of them worked in the new version of godot i was using 😅

[@Gdquest]

Were you able to resolve it since then?

[@vmarcelo49]

@@Gdquest nah, after that ive been waiting for godot to have a more popular/stable release to look out for stuff later, that day it felt like it changed the basic stuff way too much, anything past 6 months having a high chance of being completly obsolete or abandoned

[@Gdquest]

We also waited a long time before officially teaching Godot 4 to give it some time to mature. Along the way, many of the edtech tools we created for learning had to be remended regularly until things settled down a bit.

[@DigitalCanineGamesStuff]

my suggestion would be don't ask anyone, I've been programming for years and I have never relied on anybody else to learn, I used google and the tools availble to me, which is much better if you're a beginner, don't rely on someone else helping you, I understand the godot community is very supportive and is ready to help, but you shouldn't rely on that if you want to become a better programmer

[@animated_sammyBoiii]

Ah I am sorry But it's okay to get help sometimes

[@DigitalCanineGamesStuff]

@@animated_sammyBoiii there's nothing wrong with getting help but my main point was don't let that be your primary source to solve a problem, every single time (probably could have been phrased better on my part)

[@BillyTheCat128]

I get what you're saying. For my game, I've never asked anyone for help (yet) but googled and read the documentation to find the answers I'm looking for. The only time I would post a question would be if I've exhausted all of my options and nothing I try would seem to work. So far I've been able to work out a lot of things on my own.

[@erniebeasley8521]

RULES OF NATURE!!

[@armanozer9335]

Hello, will you be offering regional discounts like you did with the Godot 3 courses. I couldn't pick up one before the transition and oh well I'm still in a third world country :D

[@Gdquest]

Yes! We already do but we haven't automated it yet. Just shoot us an email to [e-mail] and let us know where you are.

[@armanozer9335]

@@GdquestThanks, will do.

[@cycomkid]

I don't see multiplayer games dev cources or i missed anything. They can be great for learners.

[@Gdquest]

They're coming up later down the learning path as they require devs to be already fairly comfortable with the foundations.

[@Banditmax20]

What I have learn is everyone hates trying to help someone who knows nothing about code and complaining about your mess of a code you made. They don’t like to be a teacher for anothers project when they got there own to make

[@Gdquest]

That hasn't really been our experience. We see people helping beginners very often on our Discord server.

[@Banditmax20]

@@Gdquest my experience says otherwise

[@AliceErishech]

I think there's one flaw with what you're saying: If I'm having enough trouble that I need others to help me figure it out, then I'm unlikely to feel confident enough in my knowledge to be helping others. After all, giving bad help is only going to serve to frustrate the person you're trying to help out.

[@gamesbyzeta1434]

I'd disagree! for example, i'm still a relative newbie to godot, but there are many areas ive picked up that are outside of the wheelhouse of others that I can offer my help with, like how to setup isometric tilemaps, custom editor properties, etc. sure the scope is narrow, but you can provide your insight to others, just don't treat it as the only way to handle a problem :D

[@Gdquest]

Even just encouragement can sometimes help. Or sharing this video with someone who has no clue how to ask for support. You can find ways to help. It doesn't mean you have to help someone you're not confident about answering. But you can be on the lookout for opportunities to help with what you do know.

[@YuutoGaming]

And remember, answer those questions if you can.

[@keepyoursins]

This is true for ALL technical questions. Good advice!

[@celsladroma8048]

help me help you... well it make it think like a lot of work to do? do you think so?... anyway the right question is that the code itself is not free? its like an assets folder that you need to pay in order you get what you want... right? right?

[@Gdquest]

What code are you referring to? What folder?

[@celsladroma8048]

@@Gdquest sorry I'm just guessing.. you know I really love Godot engine more that unity.. and you know that I'm not perfect..

[@Gdquest]

No need to apologize at all. You're welcome here. I am asking to understand better what you mean in case there's a question I missed. Thanks for being around.

[@kovec681]

I feel like this video has a bit of a catch-22 problem.

[@DoctorMandible]

I've personally ignored questions I likely could have answered because it was unclear what was being asked. Don't expect free help to go out of its way to accommodate your lazy question writing.

[@YouSupPop]

I will upload about this same reality

[@tam_69420]

i thought this video discussed why noone helps you make your game, not why noone helps you when you get stuck or dont know whst to do. that title was slightly misleading lol

[@Gdquest]

Oh. I didn't mean for it to mislead you. It was just shorter than to say "your questions about your game project" and it seemed important to say what we're talking about.

[@s4uss]

This will become more obsolete as AI becomes better and cheaper. Almost everyone will ask AI first in a year or two, because AI will give much faster and often accurate answers. (even though AI still gets a lot of its info from these "forum" posts, but maybe in a couple years it will be able to provide more original answers by itself)

[@jesusmora9379]

AI will always be stupid

[@AlwaysStayGeeky]

Yes it is. The world is a jerk!

[@AdamScottPersonnel]

@GDQuest You're wrong at 6:36, by the way. It's pronounced GIF.

[@Samreen-f2y]

Chat gpt left the chat😂

[@Gdquest]

As long as you double check everything. Sometimes it gets creative and makes up stuff.

[@Jetway-Yefan]

@@Gdquestthey’re saying that ChatGPT can help in godot

[@Gdquest]

Thank you for explaining

[@dtaip]

I'm verry helpgull

[@RobertFletcherOBE]

i get the intent but i disagree that everyone should be trying to post education material. that just pollutes the information space and makes it harder to find good information

[@Gdquest]

This is an educational channel actually. People ask questions here related to learning material as well as on the GDQuest Discord server and on the learning platform.

[@imraan_alam]

Godot is full of bugs. I downloaded 4 times followed documentation and tutorials and every time something breaks. So I am learning unreal now.

[@vast634]

I just read about a bug, that was due to an optimization (reducing the refreshes for changes in the editor), where the dev implemented the change but stated "I did not test many combinations ..." No wonder it breaks then. The engine has a problem with moving ahead too fast without proper regression testing.

[@bad_programmer_bp]

L video

[@santicor3994]

I want to ask, why is the answer to a vague question just "ignore it" rather than actually try to help properly? I as a newbie, would like at least a "Sorry, can't help you there" or someone asking for further details. Maybe the newbie doesn't know how to explain the situation, maybe the situation itself is very niche, etc. What's stopping someone from helping anyway? To quote, you say "Don't take a picture with your phone" and I ask, why not? As long as the photo is legible, what's the problem? You just say it's bad, but *WHY* is it bad? The video doesn't tell us so I'm lost to assume, I don't get a clear answer. It would suck if I went to a forum, asked a question, and nobody answered even though in my head I followed all the steps correctly. Nobody is obligated to answer, obviously, but still. There's better ways to go about it.

[@Gdquest]

The reason you should not take a photo with your phone is mainly screen reflection, variable skills, lighting, etc... . What is legible is subjective and it may be more legible to you when you also know it and have stared at it for a while. A screenshot is more reliably legible. If you link your issue, even if you can't explain it, you might still get help. No matter how niche your issue is, you don't need to know any special terms to explain the practical difference between the outcome you expected and the outcome you got instead. Regardless of how you explain or fail to, showcasing your issue through the links would increase your chances to get help. You are not likely to get apologies if you haven't related your issue clearly but some people may still try to help you regardless, if they have time to ask you about it. Ideally, don't wait for them to ask and use a checklist if you need it to remember to share what you're getting.

[@alicethetransdalek7333]

if you post a specific question then i immediately know whether i can answer it well or not, and doing so is a matter of minutes. if you post a super vague then even just figuring out *what you actually need help with* can take ages, and by the time we do figure it out it might turn out that I can't answer it properly and it just wastes both of our time

[@santicor3994]

@@Gdquest "What is legible is subjective" What does that mean exactly? If it's subjective, it should not be a main point since our opinions will differ. "Some people may still try to help you regardless" Ok so hold that thought. Let's say I do everything you put forward in the video to a T. I get no answer but continue to wait. Still nothing. I just move along and ask another question unrelated to the first, still following your steps but still nothing. It's because your method is not a guarantee that an answer will pop up, so if all else fails, what do I do then? The engine is very accessible so why are questions about it **not** accessible either? You have made a good detailed checklist, but even by following it I may not get the answer.

[@santicor3994]

@@alicethetransdalek7333 It's not really a matter of a vague or specific question, it's more about getting an answer at all. Even if I am to post the most specific questions, I might just not be getting an answer. Are there roles in the forums tasked with helping people? If not, what did I do wrong to not get an answer despite following instructions?

[@Gdquest]

Don't worry about what you did wrong to warrant not getting answers. Just keep doing your best at providing context and not expecting anything. Post questions thinking: someone might be able to help, rather than someone should or will. No matter how well you ask, no one can guarantee you get an answer but most importantly no one owes anyone an answer. From that standpoint try to identify a pattern in the times you get answers versus not and use it to iterate and improve your chances. Good luck.

[@roundtabledetails3307]

Sure these are some good advice, buuuut.. sometimes people are jerks, or to stupid to understand, no matter how much context you give them.

[@DoctorMandible]

So you want answers from stupid people?

[@KettLovahr]

if they're "too stupid to understand," they're not the person who is going to be able to help you with your problem anyways.

[@AnesPro0]

Use Ai .

[@pastuh]

Maybe just train godot AI helper model :X

[@klembokable]

Not to sound like a snob but I've never really considered asking anyone for help coding. I literally would rather ask chat gpt and learn from the mostly functional usually outdated response it gives. I learned from coding games though so maybe I'm not far enough in the weeds to get why it'd make more sense to sit on a forum than to read the docs yourself

[@rushsiteb]

I do agree finding a lot of your answers through the docs is important, I think that sometimes you have been staring at lines of text for so long that you cant see the obvious problem and having someone with fresh eyes always helps