5 replies to this topic

[Largo]

Hello, devmaster community!

I'm new here, and I wanted some opinion on which engine I should pick. I was never really good at low level stuff, and was wondering if there were really gameplay centric scripting engines out there. These are some features I am looking for:

-3D or 2D, don't care
-WYSIWYG editor is preferable, but not necessary...
-Really high-level, not really worried about language, but C-like or Java is good. Scripting should be centered around gameplay, not getting stuff on the screen.
-Crossplatform. Windows and Linux, but Android is good.
-Relatively modern graphics if 3D. Bloom, HDR, etc.
-Physics. Some of the major engines would be nice: Box2D, Bullet, PhysX, etc.
-Free, open source, or at least something that isn't going to break my wallet.

So that's about it. Really, thanks for your attention, and really thanks if you reply!

Thank you!

[fireside]

Unity uses Javascript or C# and has a lot of editors, etc. The free version doesn't do realtime shadows. Most engines are higher level script engines anymore so it's pretty hard to recommend any certain one.

[TheNut]

Unity is the more discussed engine, but Blender 3D is another. Blender uses Python for scripting and Bullet for physics. You export your 3D scenes and scripts to cross-platform executables Blender will create for you. If you know or learn python, Blender becomes your world editor and it's a very powerful one. IMO it's much better than most commercial editors I've used. Unity does give you Android and iOS support however, so that might be a deciding factor for you.

Another option is Torque 2D/3D. I believe it's free now and has support to get you up and running with your games. Their store might even contain assets you could use if you're willing to shell out a little cash for some professional grade art.

[Largo]

Thanks for all your replies! I have had a look at Unity, and I really didn't like the price tag, as I'm really tight.

As for Blender, I'm already very well acquainted with it, having used it to create models on it for almost 3 years now. However, I have always believed the game engine to be somewhat lacking. I might have another look at it though. If it really has improved, it would surely be one of my top choices.

Thanks guys! Any more suggestions?

[fireside]

I don't have any experience with these, but I think Maratis looks pretty cool. It has a Blender exporter, so would be good if you are familiar with Blender.
For Java, theres the JMonkeyEngine or JME.
There is also the UDK, which is free if you don't do a commercial project, and you can even sell a certain amount before the costs kick in. It's a little too hardware intensive in my book, but I have old hardware.

For 2d, I would look into an html5 engine. The best according to most is Impact, but it costs 100 dollars. There is also Crafty, which looks pretty good. With 2d, you kind of want physics and a tile editor included or easily accessible.

Probably your best bet is to look at the devdb tab above and check some of them out. There are quite a few.

[Largo]

I've had a look at Maratis, and though it looks very promising, it seems to be missing some features, which I might miss.

I've had a look at JME, and it looks extremely good, with a nice editor as well, which I like. I'm seriously considering this one, although I would have to try out a few games, to check for perfomance.

UDK looks really nice, but according to somewhat reliable annecdote, it seems to be a little more complicated for games that aren't FPS. Someone might have to argue for or against that though.

I've barely had a look at Crafty, but I'm interested.

I've had a look at that tab, loads of time too. However, I seem to have trouble finding exactly what I need.

At the moment, I might have a good look at OgreKit. Though it has been dormant for a bit, it'd be nice if it was really good.