Welcome to the world of R20 scripting! I think you'll find that everyone's answer to those questions will be different, depending on where they are in their development as coders when they try their hand at a script for the community... whether you're learning the javascript or whether you're used to javascript but now have to fly without access to the DOM while you learn the function hooks to the Roll20 backend. I think tracking down errors is universally difficult, given how the various scripts in your game are strung together and the line numbers are thrown off, but that's not anything you can't work through. I have only been on Roll20 a year and a bit, now, so I can also say that knowing what is already out in the scriptosphere is difficult, too. Am I recreating the wheel? Am I going the long way around to solve a problem someone else already cracked? The scripts don't just exist in the Roll20 Git Repo... they are in Gists, in personal Repos, and just in posts in the forums. There is a movement underway... slowly... to try to get arms around that to help both scripters and script-consumers find what they're looking for. If you're looking for a starter project, I would look for something that interests you and will hold your attention while you work out the kinks of coding for the API. Find a niche that matters to you and dive in. My first script was revamping and expanding an existing script (by GiGs) for a game system (Hero) that wasn't seeing a lot of other development, so I was fairly confident I wasn't duplicating another development path. Of course, it also means that it didn't see a lot of consumption, either. =D Good luck, and post with questions along the way. I think you'll find the community is super supportive.
