Starting your first roblox lua script tutorial can feel a bit intimidating, but once you realize it's basically just giving the computer a set of instructions, everything starts to click. You don't need to be a math genius or a computer scientist to make things happen in Roblox Studio. You just need a bit of patience and a willingness to break things—because, trust me, you're going to break a lot of scripts before they actually work.
In this tutorial, we're going to skip the boring academic stuff and get right into making things move, change color, and actually interact with players.
Setting Up Your Workspace
Before we even touch a line of code, you need to know where the code lives. When you open Roblox Studio and hop into a Baseplate, you'll see the Explorer window on the right. If you don't see it, go to the "View" tab at the top and click on "Explorer" and "Properties." You'll be living in these two windows.
To start scripting, hover over ServerScriptService in the Explorer, click the little plus (+) button, and select Script. You'll see a new tab open up with the words print("Hello world!"). Go ahead and delete that. We've got better things to do.
The Absolute Basics: Variables and Parts
Think of a variable as a little box. You put something inside the box, give the box a name, and then whenever you call that name, you get what's inside. In Roblox Lua (or "Luau," as it's officially called), we usually start variables with the word local.
Let's say you want to change the properties of a part in your game. First, place a Part into the Workspace. Then, in your script, type this:
lua local myPart = game.Workspace.Part myPart.Transparency = 0.5 myPart.BrickColor = BrickColor.new("Bright red")
What just happened? We told the script to find a thing called "Part" inside the Workspace and name it myPart. Then, we told it to make that part semi-transparent and turn it red. It's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of the "dot" notation. Each dot is like saying "look inside of this."
Making Things Happen with Functions
A script that just runs once when the game starts is fine, but we want action. That's where functions come in. A function is a block of code that waits for you to tell it to run.
Imagine you want a part to change color only when you call for it. You'd write something like this:
```lua local myPart = game.Workspace.Part
local function changeMyColor() myPart.BrickColor = BrickColor.new("Electric blue") print("The color has been changed!") end
changeMyColor() ```
By putting the code inside local function, it doesn't run immediately until we "call" it at the bottom. This is the foundation of almost everything in game development.
Events: The "When" of Scripting
The real magic happens with Events. Events tell the script when to do something. For example, "When a player touches this part, make it explode."
The most common event for beginners is .Touched. Let's make a classic "Kill Part"—a lava brick that kills the player when they step on it.
- Create a part and name it "Lava".
- Create a new script inside that part.
- Type this out:
```lua local lavaPart = script.Parent
local function onTouch(otherPart) local character = otherPart.Parent local humanoid = character:FindFirstChild("Humanoid")
if humanoid then humanoid.Health = 0 end end
lavaPart.Touched:Connect(onTouch) ```
Here's the breakdown: script.Parent is a shortcut that tells the script to look at whatever object it's currently inside (in this case, the Lava part). The Connect line tells the game, "Every time someone touches this, run the onTouch function." The if humanoid then part is super important—it checks if the thing that touched the part is actually a player and not just a random falling brick.
Using Loops to Keep Things Moving
If you want something to happen over and over again, you'll use a loop. The most common one you'll use is the while true do loop. It's a "forever" loop.
Let's make a part that cycles through colors:
```lua local discoPart = script.Parent
while true do discoPart.BrickColor = BrickColor.random() task.wait(1) end ```
Pro tip: Always, always put a task.wait() inside a while true loop. If you don't, the script will try to run a million times a second, and your game (and possibly your computer) will crash. The task.wait(1) tells the script to chill for one second before changing the color again.
Understanding the Difference Between Server and Client
This is where things can get a little confusing for new scripters. Roblox splits work between the Server (the big computer running the game) and the Client (the player's computer or phone).
- Scripts: These run on the server. If a Script changes a part's color, every player in the game sees that change.
- LocalScripts: These run on the player's device. If a LocalScript changes a part's color, only that player will see it.
Usually, you'll use LocalScripts for things like UI (the buttons on your screen), player input (pressing the "E" key), and camera movements. You'll use regular Scripts for things like health, leaderboards, and game rules.
The Power of the Output Window
If your script isn't working, don't panic. Everyone's script breaks. The most important tool you have is the Output window. You can find it under the "View" tab.
If there's an error, the Output window will show you a big red line of text. It usually tells you exactly which line of code is broken and why. For example, it might say Expected 'end' to close 'function' at line 5. This is the game's way of saying, "Hey, you forgot to finish your thought."
Get in the habit of keeping the Output window open. It's like having a debugger sitting right next to you.
Organizing Your Code
As you get better, your scripts will get longer. It's a nightmare to read a 500-line script that has no notes. This is where comments come in. In Lua, if you type two dashes --, the script ignores everything after them on that line.
lua -- This function makes the player jump high local function boostJump(player) -- Insert jump logic here end
Use comments to remind yourself what a certain block of code does. Your future self will thank you when you come back to a project after a two-week break and have no idea what you were thinking.
Final Thoughts on Practicing
The best way to learn is to take a script that works and try to change it. Take that "Kill Part" script we made and try to turn it into a "Heal Part." Take the color-changing loop and try to make it change the part's size instead.
Don't feel like you have to memorize everything right away. Most professional developers spend half their time looking at documentation or forums to remember how a specific function works. The more you experiment, the more natural it becomes. Just keep building, keep breaking things, and keep checking that Output window. You'll be making complex game mechanics before you know it.