INTRODUCTION

Hello there, I'm John David! Do you enjoy creating amazing mission packs and storylines, finishing them 100% like I do, and showing people how much effort you've dedicated to your craft? Believe it or not, most designers around here remain amateurs. Some abandon their projects completely, some disappear entirely, and others pop up with news only to vanish again because they don't know how to use DYOM productively. Many are just stuck in an endless loop of a hobby. If that sounds familiar, you've come to the right place. This guide is going to help you break that cycle.

Before we dive into the main course of this tutorial, I strongly encourage you to watch Andrej's DYOM tutorial from start to finish to get familiar with how DYOM works. Or, if you are not interested in watching his video, you can experiment with it yourself. Just make sure you have DYOM installed first before you begin. If you're concerned about which version of DYOM you need, I suggest using DYOM v8.1—officially made by the original creators, Dutchy3010 and PatrickW—for better stability and longer replayability.

BASICS



Now that you're familiar with the basics, don't jump to conclusions and try to make a massive project right away like I do. If you're a beginner, I strongly encourage you to start by designing a single mission first. It doesn't matter what genre you choose—whether it's stupid, a troll mission, a comedy, a puzzle, or anything else. What matters here is that you study the basics and analyze those design methods. Ask yourself questions, take notes, and analyze the mechanics after you test them:

• Why is Actor 02 late to spawn after I touch Objective 05?
• Why does Pickup 01 spawn too early after I touch Objective 01?

If you're asking me, I can't give you the exact questions and answers because the DYOM tool is full of mysteries. The only way to truly understand them is to experience them and see the results for yourself. Keep practicing your design. Whether it's a short or a long mission, there's no need to be ashamed or shy away. It's normal to make mistakes; I still make mistakes too! Sometimes, those mistakes just end up making people laugh instead which is a great thing than being too serious.

One more thing: Please DO NOT USE any AI tools in DYOM. I know designers nowadays rely on AI a lot, but I have never used it and I don't care to. When you use it, you're letting your efforts be dictated by an AI rather than using your own raw skills and experience. That means you'll be prone to overthinking, laziness, boredom, or worse—inflating your ego. We'll tackle the mental health side of creating later.

ADVANCED

After you've mastered the basics, it's time to talk about tackling a big project. Many designers look at the project table list on my DYOM profile—with everything sitting at 100% completed—with envy or awe. I understand that feeling, and I get the frustration of wanting to compare your progress to mine. So, I’m going to share a crucial secret with everyone reading this.



The key to creating big projects is to keep it simple by focusing on developing the vital components first. Take notes, or ask yourself these essential questions before you lay down a single marker:

• What is the overarching story?
• Who is the protagonist?
• What are the backstories for all of these characters?
• When does the story take place? Are there prequel events?
• Will there be side missions available before the main missions?
• Does the story have multiple endings?
• Are custom skins required?
• Will it require custom sound effects and background music?

Once you have mapped out all of these ideas, you can finally begin designing your project with patience and dedication. About soundtracks: Carefully pick appropriate soundtracks. A lot of music can trigger copyright strikes if you—or someone else—attempts to record a playthrough and upload the video to YouTube or other social media platforms."

HANDLING FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS

This is the most crucial, yet saddest reality we face. The DYOM community nowadays is small compared to the 2014 era when I first joined. Today, we often see no one praising us, rating our projects, or offering compliments. On the rare occasion someone does speak up, it’s usually to complain or mock us. It deeply hurts when you don't get the validation you deserve after putting in so much hard work. On the bright side, having no one comment on your work is actually much better than dealing with toxic noise. You are at peace, and no one is disrupting your workflow. You should be proud of that—and I am proud of that too. I feel absolutely no pressure from the outside world anymore.

If you're wondering how I handled this—I didn't give up when that validation disappeared. I continued to push forward and create more. Today, I don't care about the feedback, the comments, or the lack of attention. What matters is that you completed something. Shift your motivation inward. Design your projects for yourself and for your own vision. Let those ideas out of your mind so they can live, rather than letting them consume you from the inside.

PROTECTING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

As I mentioned earlier regarding why you shouldn't use AI in DYOM, I want to tackle the most crucial part of our lives as designers: our well-being. Before we dive further, I have a personal confession to share with everyone reading this.

"My vision is permanently blurred today due to severe computer addiction during my teenage and young adult years. I failed to protect my eyes back then because I didn't recognize the danger. My mental health also felt like it was in shackles after the COVID-19 pandemic. Please, I don't want you to repeat the same mistake I made and I hope you take this personal warning to heart."

Now, let's talk about protecting your mental health. On numerous occasions, we tend to get psychologically exhausted when designing because it takes so much time and effort to finish even a single mission, whether short or long. Overdoing it can severely harm your overall well-being. To avoid creative burnout, here is everything I have learned:

• Avoid doomscrolling: Stay off social media and internet distractions; they are the most harmful things to your mental peace.
• Limit information overload: Avoid consuming too much negative news, as it drains your energy and leads to laziness, boredom and ego-driven.
• Set screen boundaries: Don't spend the entire day glued to a computer chair or staring at your phone.
• Stop comparing yourself to others: Never measure your progress against anyone else's journey.
• Prioritize massive breaks: Step away from designing for days or weeks if you need to.
• Reconnect with nature: Spend time outside, walk, and let your mind relax.
• Start your day right: Exercise and meditate first thing in the morning when you wake up.
• Guard your body: Take care of your physical well-being, especially your eyes and posture.

By practicing these habits, you will protect your health and, ironically, find yourself staying much more productive every day. Remember: Your health is always more important than designing.

OUTRODUCTION:

This is all I have to say for now. Thank you so much for reading my tutorial. I hope it helps you. Good luck on your future designing.

• Let us respect each other's work without ego.
• Be collaborative, not competitive.