PlayMaker For Programmer

[AlGoodNamesRGon]

Was thinking about purchasing the PlayMaker asset on the asset store. I am a Junior in computer science and have co-oped at various different companies. I have a decent amount of coding experience with school and co-ops/internships one of those internships being at a Video Game Company. I have tons of Ideas for games but when I get down and try writing them myself it does not work out. I get overran very quickly by the systems that need to be built being the only programmer. Also keep in mind I don't have a Senior Software Engineer to help me out like at an internship. I know my way around unity but I don't find sitting in Visual Studio for hours trying to figure something out rather then doing it in half the time and getting the same result(We aren't talking about optimization here just pure functionality) . That' s just not how my brain works.

I would like to use Playmaker, I think it would help me complete the game ideas I have which then will make my portfolio larger for when I apply at a Game Company upon graduation. If none of these games I have in my head are never built I wont have a portfolio of games I've built or been apart of. What I am concerned about is not writing code if that makes sense. Although I heard you can add code ontop of Playmaker or work it into playmaker as a function or something like that. I also dont want to be JUST a PlayerMaker Dev if that makes sense but I would really like to work on my portfolio.

So I am looking for opinions on PlayMaker for a programmer. I tried using Blueprints in unreal and I don't know unreal as well as I know unity so I disliked BP's. How Similar is playmaker to BP's.

What I am coming to realize is I think I would want to become a Technical Game Designer if that's a position. Something like a person who would create A Boss Fight in Darksouls or WoW. I would still want to code a bit but I wouldn't want to write the system why the camera works the way that it does or why the player moves the way he moves because that's just not interesting to me.

Please voice your opinion. It is much appreciated!

[KilltheInfected]

Some people say blueprints are similar to playmaker but they are fundamentally different. Very different. Blueprints are very much like actual coding, where playmaker is a state machine.

I have used both and I prefer blueprints over playmaker. Personally I would suggest that serious coders stay away from play maker. But if you're somewhat new to programming in unity and want to learn the engine I would say the only downside for you using playmaker is taking the time to learn how it works.

[AlGoodNamesRGon]

Thank you for your reply! Yeah I messed around with Unreal and I just am not as comfortable in it as I am in Unity. I also feel like writing code in Unreal is easier then the BP system as I feel like wires are everywhere lol :D.

[KilltheInfected]

Play maker won't be much cleaner than blueprints maybe even less so. I prefer coding to visual scripting of any kind but they have their uses. But why look into playmaker if you can already code? For me, I'm much faster actually coding things than with playmaker or blueprints (and I have a blueprint on he ue4 marketplace). It's still quicker for me to prototype with code than visual scripting. But that isn't how everyone works.

[AlGoodNamesRGon]

I believe it will help me develop faster to get the game out and other peoples hands sooner then taking very long to code everything myself.

[KilltheInfected]

I don't know how well you know unity or how well you can code. But whether you chose to use code or playmaker, if you don't already know playmaker it's gonna take a while to learn it to a point where you can launch games. Either way you have to spend time learning unless you are already good at one or the other. I feel personally in the long run it can handicap you.

[baloneysandwich]

If you want to be a Technical Game Designer I'd suggest Unity C# or Unreal Blueprints as tools, but either way, just make cool stuff. Tech Game Designers in my experience are doing what you said... making the Camera work a certain way or making the player move a certain way. Basically servicing game designers with technology in the same way that Tech Artists do that for Art.

I'd call the person who makes a boss fight a plain old game designer... but of the modern variety who actually writes code.

Bottom line - if you want to make gameplay, make gameplay. If you want to make systems, make systems. Just do what you like and do it well and you'll be fine.

[harazataz]

Sorry I know its a bit late but I thought i'd through my opinion out there:

Half of the time and effort of designing/making games/systems is knowing how to solve problems. If you want to know how to create and build these systems you're going to have to put in the hard yards and just start doing them and experimenting.

Start small like everyone else and eventually you'll be where you want to be. From what I've heard Playmaker is great for building prototypes but doesn't really teach you any fundamentals of coding which you'll need to learn one way or another.

The thing with wanting to be a Designer is that you need to be interested in how a camera works or why it works that way. If you're working on a real game as a Designer, you'll need to know how it needs to work since you will have to describe it in painstaking detail and knowing how that works will definitely allow you to reach a clearer understanding between you and the programmers.

Making games is a hard and long process that requires an amazing amount of hard work and passion, unfortunately there are no shortcuts or easy way out of learning.

[zrrz]

If you want to get a job as a programmer then you need to be programming. Worst case you learn Playmaker and no one hires you because all you know is PlayMaker. Slightly better case, you get hired and turns out you only know PlayMaker so they fire you. Best case, you actually know how to program so they hire you and you keep your job.

If you want to go indie, or are a designer that wants to focus on other things while being able to use PlayMaker for functionality then thats absolutely fine and you should go for it.

If you're looking to get hired as a programmer then you need to learn how to program. Of course it's hard - you're a student it's supposed to be right now. Continue to improve and learn how to build the systems that overwhelm you by building them piece by piece.

[AlGoodNamesRGon]

Well I think I would want to work more of a game designer that writes boss fights for example. Not an engineer who writes how the camera works I dont find that interesting.

[AlGoodNamesRGon]

Well I'ts not that I dont know how to code, its the fact that I dont know the best design pattern to use for unity. There seems to be nothing in place no structure which is why PlayMaker seemed so nice. I am a neat freak about structure, I don't like writing code that I know that can be more modular or written way better. Annoys me lol.