Stuck, and I'm not sure where to start.

Question

I'm using visual script, because I thought it'd give me an easier time learning godot. Unfortunately for me, every tutorial I find is either for the normal gdscript, or doesn't sufficiently cover the part that I'm confused about.

Right now I'm trying to make a tactical rpg, think like xcom or final fantasy tactics. I'm trying to nail down a turn system, but everything I come up with can't handle a variable amount of enemies.
I can't just hard code each combat with a set number of enemies though, as I want to incorporate reinforcement mechanics and general randomness when it comes to encounters.
Not to mention, I don't even know how to spawn in additional enemies without just duplicating the nodes of the ones I already have. I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to use instancing for this, but I can't quite wrap my head around it.

I'll mention that I am somewhat of a beginner. It's not my first rodeo with game development, but this is certainly my first attempt at using godot as well as my first attempt at a turn-based rpg.
Thanks for your time!

Answer 1

First of all, visual scripting is not a good place to start, and it will not make it easier to learn Godot. The visual scripting system is not intended as a beginner path into Godot - it is a system that can allow developers to build scripting interfaces that non-programmers on their team, such as artists and designers, can use to set up and modify game systems.

The reason you mostly find GDScript tutorials is that GDScript is the best way to both use and get started with Godot.

I would recommend going through the official tutorial first. It includes building an example game, including important concepts such as instancing enemies and using signals. You can find it here:
https://docs.godotengine.org/en/3.2/getting_started/step_by_step/index.html

Comments

Thanks for the help, kinda disappointing that I'll have to actually type now, but this is probably for the best.

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This is how programming is done. The typing isn't the hard part anyway. Coding is coding. Even in a "perfect" visual paradigm, which doesn't exist in my opinion, it's figuring out the logic of how to do what you want to do that's hard.

On top of that, if you need help, it's far easier to copy and paste some code between people than it is to take screenshots of spaghetti-laden visual scripts. As someone who spends a lot of time helping people, that's something that would turn me away.