Renault on 5/6/2012 at 19:48
Just wanted to get some opinions from the TTLG faithful - I've been looking around for some game creation software to just mess around with, and I wanted to see what others use. Here are some things I'm looking for:
1. Easy interface - I have no interest in learning basic/C++/assembly, I want some type of graphical interface. Some scripting commands and syntax is fine.
2. Ability to make 3D levels is preferable. I'm open to 2D too though.
3. Cost=low. Free is nice, but I'd spend a few bucks on something good.
4. Standalone - I don't want to just make a Thief FM or a Half Life mod.
5. Game types - Fairly open here, but I would like the ability for item/characters interactions for puzzles, adventure type games, RPG lite, etc. I'm much more interested in making a Myst/Riven or Penumbra type game than some Modern Warfare clone.
6. Graphics - not that important, I don't need some cutting edge Crysis type engine with all the latest bells and whistles. That said though I don't want to revert back to the NES era anytime soon.
In case it isn't obvious - I have no intention of making a commercial game and selling it, I just want to mess around, make some basic games, and possibly distribute them to friends/family.
One program I've been messing around with is FPSC, which has some potential but is also quite limited in certain areas. I've also heard some good things about Sandbox, but haven't tried it yet.
Briareos H on 5/6/2012 at 19:59
The(
http://udk.com/) Unreal Development Kit is flexible enough to tick all your boxes, I think. UnrealScript is very object-oriented, Java-like, so if you're not into programming it might be a bit arduous to approach at first. However there is also a graphical layer for visual scripting (Kismet), and all scripting languages require to learn how to think like a programmer anyway. The whole development kit is also relatively well documented, which is always a good thing.
It might be a bit more difficult to learn than terrible, terrible solutions like FPS Creator (because there are next to no templates or stock content), but what you can do with it is incomparably superior and more flexible.
Renault on 5/6/2012 at 21:25
I found FPSC after seeing this project ((
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f0BFl8FWzA) Euthanasia), which I thought was pretty cool for just a small hobbyist type game made on the cheap. That's all I'm really looking for. The thought of making a game with UDK is pretty daunting for an amateur non-technical one man show like myself. I'm trying to keep it pretty simple here, remember.
demagogue on 6/6/2012 at 00:39
Unity: (
http://unity3d.com/)
IMO there's no real competition here, especially if standalone is your goal.
The community is massive and helpful, and there are so many templates out there that you can pretty much make any kind of 3D game you like and have half of it already there in templates for you to tweak to your liking -- especially if you're not going the FPS route (where UDK might have an edge), but for some alt types in 3D, platformers, RPGs, adventure game types, Unity takes the edge back IMO. And the interface is dreamy. You want a model? Drag it in and it pops in the world. You want a texture? Drag it in and slap it on a wall. Couldn't be easier. I love playing with it.
SubJeff on 6/6/2012 at 01:38
How about a 2d puzzle/ logic game? What would be the thing for that?
Renault on 6/6/2012 at 01:55
Quote Posted by demagogue
Unity: (
http://unity3d.com/)
IMO there's no real competition here, especially if standalone is your goal.
Obviously there's no way I'm shelling out 1500 bucks for the Pro version. Besides the graphical flashes, anything major I'm missing in using the Free version vs. Pro?
demagogue on 6/6/2012 at 03:09
Nope, really nothing. Even the graphical flourishes aren't all that... bloom & water reflectivity, meh... Oh, and they let you make games for all the major mobile devices, but that's not a terrible loss. Maybe you get the customer support, but like I said the community is massive. They got you covered.
The free version has basically everything else the pro version has and is more than enough to make anything you'd want, especially considering all the fan-made templates out there now.
Quote Posted by SE
How about a 2d puzzle/ logic game? What would be the thing for that?
Now for 2D the options really open up. But I'd say (
http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/windows) Game Maker is best & most user friendly all-around thing. It's what Nifflas's games are made on (Knytt, Within a Deep Forest, etc). But it's like $40. Edit: Sorry there is a free version. Looking at their checklist, looks like they only big thing missing is AI pathfinding, so if your AI are pretty simple the free version should be fine.
For something else free ... hmm, I made a list of this stuff a while ago but it's on my other computer which I can't access now. A trick I remember using though is looking at the homebrew games I like and seeing what systems they were made on. The two leading things IIRC tend to be Gamemaker or just straight up Java.
Koki on 6/6/2012 at 05:24
Quote Posted by Briareos H
The(
http://udk.com/) Unreal Development Kit is flexible enough to tick all your boxes, I think.
Too bad UE3 sucks balls
Yakoob on 6/6/2012 at 05:39
Another word for unity, seems to fit your bill best in terms of flexibility. You may need to do some degree of coding, tho.
Volitions Advocate on 6/6/2012 at 06:02
In unity you're not programming anything, although you are writing scripts.
Disadvantages of Unity is that there are no primitives in the map editor (unless that's been added since i last screwed around with it) meaning that if you're going to do anything other than out door terrain, you need to be proficient in a 3D modelling program of some kind, and the importing of models into Unity is a confusing affair, because its scaling system is different from the major software suites. Bottom line is... if you compromise in what you're willing to learn, you also compromise flexibility. Unity is flexible to a degree, but just writing scripts for an engine that is closed doesn't give you much ability to really make the game yours. I've played a few FPS's made with Unity, and they are all very samey, because, as mentioned previously, they have a template readily available.
Torque is another good one that, among these small time engines probably has the most commercial titles out there. All the telltale games use torque, and frozen synapse is done in torque as well. You get full source code along with the editors and what not. I've never used it personally (honestly I pirated it to check it out about a year and a half ago, and didn't end up buying the engine, and yes I deleted what I downloaded) And it is probably the cheapest of the bunch too.
Personally I use C4. But thats a bit more of a learning curve, because it's a programmers engine. The source code is available, and the lead programmer (and CEO) of the company is constantly on the forums answering questions and helping the licensees. It's also updated several times a year, and we're talking major updates. Something I haven't seen in Unity or Torque. Although UDK releases a new beta every few months it seems.
When i licensed the engine 14 months ago it was at version 2.5.2, now its at 2.9.1 with 2.10 right around the corner, and you get all the updates for free forever. And these are big updates. The latest one added Linux support, which was huge for some of the people developing with the engine. They also keep track of how much money you spent on your license, so if you want to upgrade from the Standard version to the Pro version, they take into account the money you already paid and put that toward your purchase.
I know you didn't want to spend any money, but finding the right mix of features, ease of use, and freedom with your product once you finish is a tough one.
I might be a C4 fanboy, but I did my research quite thoroughly before I settled on it.
There's a few open source engines that might suit you as well. Cube and Cube2/Sauerbraten, BlendElf, and Blender Game engine, as in the Blender 3D modelling program. It has a game logic feature that lets you write scripts that use the Blender renderer as a game engine.
Lots of options.
head to Devmaster.net and read up on some reviews.
These are the ones I mentioned anyway:
C4
Unity
UDK
Torque
Cube
Cube2 / Sauerbraten
BlendElf
Blender Game Engine
