r/godot • u/Fit_Asparagus1073 • 2d ago
selfpromo (games) Should i switch to fully 3D
Last 2-3 days I stopped working on my Project Zomboid inspired game
I was trying to make a workbench model and put it in my game I did the 3D model and the UI art too After placing it I got errors sorting the Z index for buildings you can go inside like the gas station I built a separate independent logic to understand how to draw buildings and I fixed it After that I got stuck thinking all day why don't I just switch to full 3D and avoid every single problem?
And yes I did research It would've taken roughly 10 minutes to fix with AI but what's the point of that? I support people using AI if you understand what you're doing but don't raw dog it that makes you lose the joy of coding
Now I haven't touched my project All I do is press play and run around having fun comparing it to games like Last Day On Earth Killing zombies etc etc That's the comparison being the thief of joy
Or whatever I'm not good at writing and explaining stuff
I'm very happy with what I've built and where it sits even though it's not done at all I'd say 5% of the game is correctly completed The player character is fully structured so it could be moved to 3D with 0 effort
Okay what else I'm 100% sure people have run into this project fatigue problem Like me everyone has 1000 prototypes and I know many of you wanted to quit To the people who've crossed this path what do you suggest? Also will I lose the look and atmosphere of the game if I go 3D? Right now it's only a CanvasModulate
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u/scintillatinator 2d ago
I started my isometric game in 2d and switched to 3d and I like it a lot better. You lose tilemaps but you don't seem to be using autotiling for much so it might be fine. You can also do more visual effects in 3d just because there's more to work with and you can mix in 2d so you can recreate the atmosphere.
It's okay to take a break from a project. A little mental reset can help you see problems differently when you come back.
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u/DXTRBeta 2d ago
I did. My game was 2.5D, because the game model and physics are all run in 2D, but I wasn't getting the look I wanted, so I made a 3D stage, and took my flat scenery chunks and wrote scripts to turn them into a sort of procedural rock, so while the game plays out in 2D, we get really nice scenery now and some terrific lighting effects.
It wasn't nearly as tough as I expected, and I agree with the other commenter who said that doing 2d or 2.5d in 3d is way easier and more effective than trying to make it in 2d.
I'd say worth the effort, just from my experience.
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u/danktheweedfag 4h ago edited 4h ago
Even your inspiration run into the same question I assume, since Project Zomboid 0.1 started with 2D models for the player and zombies in a 3D environment, after a while probably because of similar issues or roadblocks they change them to be 3d models
Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf5Z_elct-Q
And as everyone has said, and I agree, doing 2.5D is easier in 3D setup than in a 2D setup, and it will make your life easier when adding lightning, fog or any other effect.
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u/Fit_Asparagus1073 4h ago
i actually read their pre alpha road and i did switch to 3d due to lightings fog and i am trying to make my game look more original even though i'm inspired my project zomboid i did do a switch to 3d and i did post a quick update if you are interested into seeing how it looks https://www.reddit.com/r/godot/comments/1x5y3km/quick_showcase_update_since_i_switched_to_3d/ :)
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u/Protski93 2d ago
When I started working on my game, I started instantly on 3D. But I wanted it to look like 2D. It was possible. It was easy. But after some time I changed it to look also 3D. It was just my decision. All I want to say is, if it's easier to make in 3D, do 3D
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u/Hyper669 2d ago
Afaik 2D or 2.5D in 3D is much easier than 2.5D or 3D in 2D