I'd suggest looking at Gamemaker if you're new to game development. Its how i made my first game way back in 2010 and the new release is a lot better and even easier to use if I am not mistaken. On top of that not a lot of programming is needed (although with more complex system you will need some).
I've also heard good things about GD Develop but I've never used it : https://gdevelop-app.com/ again no programming will be required for the most part. I'd suggest staying away from Unity unless you're happy with a lot of coding.
Either way , work on it with your nephew, its likely you could easily create a game with that layout using the above two engines with ease and then with a bit more work get traps/enemies working. Having your nephew working on it as well though will be a massive introduction to game design for him.
GDevelop is a great way to get started because you make something with very little game dev knowledge. This is important because positive feedback means you are more likely to stick with it and continue improving your skills. Good luck!
Stuff like this is why I'm wary of adopting a closed-source engine, you have to fully trust the developers to not do something of this nature.
For those looking for an open-source alternative to Construct 2, I'd highly recommend checking out GDevelop, which should be very similar.
Piece of advice?
You wrote:
> suitable books for my situation
Sounds like you are in a special situation, you say? Well, my piece of advice is: Stop believing your situation is special. Situation aside, this answer says nothing about you as a person, your values, your skills.
Instead, you will be able to free your mind to concentrate at the tasks at hand if you stop worrying about being in a situation. Because everyone is!
You choose the learning resources, the resources do not choose you.
And you shalt not wait for others to issue and appoint learning resources for you. Also, you cannot write books or record online courses for every single "situation" out there: One book for you, one for Margaret, one special online course for Jack and another book for Peter.
Having said that.
I use GDevelop because I have very limited programming skills but it still lets me do almost anything I can imagine (in 2D). It is also open-source and I enjoy contributing to something that everyone can benefit from.
Yep they are all example demos.
For example The cycling rush game being sold is the Downhill bike physics demo listed on the https://gdevelop-app.com/game-examples-starters/ page
You can do this in an easy 2D game engine. Look at GDevelop, it's completely free. Go through the platformer tutorial and in a couple hours you'll have a game with a little character running around the screen. Go through their other tutorials until you understand the events system (like when your character hits something, there's an event). It's really easy, kids 12 and up can do it. And then add in a bunch of sprites with letters on them. You can add as much stuff as you want. Go to kenney.nl for free sounds and graphics. even Letter TIles. And all the games you make can be run on any browser.
On point 1 above, if you don't want to spend any money it might be worth checking out GDevelop, assuming you are not on a Chromebook and can install software.
GDevelop is very similar to Construct 3 in that it uses an event system, rather than traditional coding. It's free and open source. Check it out: https://gdevelop-app.com/
​
Please don't be surprised that Construct 2 (one-time payment) and Construct 3 (yearly payment) are not free tools - that's why I added the dollar symbol 💲💵. I understand why some people cannot or do not want to pay for tools, especially as beginners. On the other hand I also understand why they have to ask for money: They're running a business. It's up to you, though. You can use the free but limited trial version; if you register a free account I think you get some higher limits for the free trial version. Nice thing: Construct 3 directly runs in your browser and thus can be used on different devices: From a full-blown PC or Mac, to an iPad or even on your smartphone. This is not an advertisment, I am not affiliated.
Here's a thing that some people call 'very similar':
> Have you heard about TyraanoBuilder?
Yes.
> If so, do you know if it's good for beginners?
I have no idea. Let me quote the Getting Started Guide I linked above:
Which engine / framework should you use?
> It does not matter. Does the word "Flixel" sound cooler than "Unity"? Do you think "AS3" is easier to say than "C#"? Do you think "Python" is a cool name for a programming language? Do you think "LÖVE" is a crazy name for a framework? Pick something. It doesn't matter which one you pick.
Hey Franco_Kun,
https://gdevelop-app.com/game-example/spatial-sound/ might be what you're looking for. It allows sounds to be 3D in a 2D environment.
The example has sounds played in a direction, or in your case left/right ear.
[I wrote this assuming you're a beginner or something idk]
I wouldn't really recommend using scratch for making games lol
Using a proper game engine makes it a lot easier and faster to make games, like unity, godot, or something really simple and easy to use like Gdevelop. We made our first games in school with Gdevelop and it was really fucking simple and easy to learn, as I already knew the scratch language wery fucking well. It's a 2D game engine and I really recommend trying it out if you want something more powerful that scratch and isn't confusing.
The editor can even run in your browser, just like scratch. And you don't need to know any programming language to use it, just like scratch. Very fucking beginner friendly.
>I've also heard Lua code is seldom used compared to C++ and C#
Lua is used in multiple frameworks and engines, such as Love2D and Valve's Source engine.
​
>For someone my age, any game engines / coding languages you'd recommend for beginners?
If you prefer to stick with javascript, there is GDevelop, Phaser, PlayCanvas. Otherwise, it doesn't matter which engine or framework you use. My recommendation is to pick the tool that best fits your needs. If you don't know which is better, install it and go through a tutorial or two to see if you like it.
​
>About robotics, what code do you recommend to practice that particular subject, python?I've also heard that Raspberry PIs are a good place to start. What's your opinions?
Robotics is different from gamedev. There is some overlap with robotic toys. Hobbyist electronic kits include the Raspberry Pi and Arduino. They are coded commonly with python and C.
​
>I'd like to know if there are efficient ways to compute calculus and arithmetic, especially graphs.
Most engines and frameworks come with math libraries to handle algebra, vectors, and trigonometry as that is what most games scripting utilizes. I'm unaware if any of them have libraries for calculus.
​
>Where do you think I can best get my feet off the ground, in terms of
coding languages, learning tools, game engines, robotics equipment, and
software to run code?
The answer is always the same:
How is that possible?
So what should you really use?
Ah. A pity. I would have loved to learn more about going cordless. Sounds like a great way to save on electricity bills each month.
video by u/ Serapth GDevelop 5 -- <strong>Ultimate Beginner Game Engine</strong>? gdevelop-app.com | u/ 4ian | GDevelop is an open-source, cross-platform game creator designed to be used by everyone - no programming skills required
Try this one, it's fun:
Special offer, only valid today ^1 : US $ 0.00 Use Promo CODE OPENSOURCE
^1 Once tomorrow is today, today's special offer will apply. Iterate from there.
I'm just kidding, use whatever you want to use. The secret is to embrace the grind, to keep goals in mind and not to give up. Whatever engine or language people propose to you doesn't matter. It's your choice, enjoy your freedom of choice.
It's actually an open-source game engine called GDevelop 5: https://gdevelop-app.com/
It's meant to be used to created simple 2D platformers, and the block-based coding and drag-and-drop interface make it extremely easy to use. That said, it's also got a built-in pixel art editor that's very easy to pick up, so, if I'm ever prototyping some artsy-fartsy digital stuff, I'll often hop into this program to get my ideas onto the screen as quickly as possible. It's pretty convoluted, but it works for me!
I would suggest starting with https://www.construct.net/en or https://gdevelop-app.com
Unity and libGDX (and many other engines) require quite a bit of dev experience to use. If you enjoy coding and working with complex build tools, cool, but if not they will be very frustrating.
Once you feel like you are hitting the wall with one of those tools, try https://www.yoyogames.com/en/gamemaker
… and only after you hit the wall with that - especially if you find yourself preferring the scripts for writing logic - would I switch to Unity, or libGDX.
FWIW I learned a lot about game dev from studying the libGDX source, which was a nice transition as a Java dev to then appreciate the (complex) features of Unity.
I was considering PixelMaker MV as well, and then I stumbled across a similar free program called Gdevelop. The reason I went looking for something else is because PixelMaker MV seems to only export to the .exe Windows format. Gdevelop does a wide variety of exports, including web and android (and definitely more than that). Just some extra info to consider :)
(Edit: saw someone else talk about using PixelMaker to export to Switch, so maybe I'm wrong. Found that info here.)
Agreed that Mark Copperman posted a low effort question.
But rather than using Google, instead try one of the privacy-preserving search engines such as DuckDuckGo.
And the question was helpful in that I'd forgotten all about gdevelop. This was my clue to go refamiliarize myself with it.
GDevelop might be a good option. It doesn't require any specific coding language knowledge, as it uses a sort of visual scripting language. It's supposed to be quite good for beginners.
>I just want to learn C# for Unity...
>
>I don't want to spend, y'know, money on something...
>
>I've never programmed a line of code in my life. Quite frankly, I don't want to and never want to.
Word? Maybe it's time to do some reading between the lines?
Look on the bright side, many game makers have said they now hate playing games because they know too much about the details and what goes into making one. They've seen how the sausage is made and now they hate sausage. Maybe just stick to playing games and search for something else to do that you actually like, or at least something that will allow you to do the things you like.
To answer your question, you can become proficient in the basics of C# in about a month (maybe more, maybe less) @ 1 hour per day. Now, to learn enough to be productive in Unity, based on what I've quoted you saying above? Well, I don't want to say never... Maybe you get into it and you start to really like it. Who knows? But, it takes real coding to make anything beyond a toy demo in Unity (really, in most game development software).
But, I did a quick google search for you. Maybe this is more what you're looking for? GDevelop. I've never used it. Shit, I've never even heard of it before 2 mins ago. But it's free, and they say you can make 2D games with it. Sounds like as good a place to start as any ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Take a look at Gdevelop
It's free, open source, and allows you to develop entire games using only a simple drag and drop system like Game Maker has.
Although as u/RegakakoBigMan pointed out, Godot is another excellent choice for a game engine. I highly recommend it if you are really serious about creating a feature rich game.
>So I began with Unreal but I want to get into Unity; so you have any tricks/tips/info on what it’s like with programming?
I barely have any experience at using unity, so I a afraid I don't have anything to tell you about it :( I have only been able to use it at school, becuse there were better laptops than the pc I can use at home... But idk, maybe use visual studio? I don't know if it is better for unity than Mono, or whatever it is, but I feel like mono did nothing when I used unity in school.
>I’m trying to get used to blender buty brain is still stuck in Substance Painter mode (and I’m not ready to sell my soul to the devil to afford it). How well does it work for you?
What do you exactly mean? Are you talking about how does substance painter work with me? I guess good, but only used it once, because of the piece of crap I use.
>Also, Gdevelop5? I haven’t heard of it, so what is it/how is it used?
It is a game engine that doesn't require much coding skills and supports 2D and is used to make web games and android and desktop games. It is free, and open source. More info here: https://gdevelop-app.com
While Unreal / Unity are the new hotness, there are lots of good engines to play with to get a feel for making games.
Godot is sort of like the blender of game engines. It will run on a toaster, but it does things completely differently than the industry standard for better or worse.
Love2d has been mentioned, it's good for tooling around with but you are going to need 3 windows open at any given time to get use out of it, your editor, the lua manual, and the api reference, since there is nothing to help you as far as autocomplete goes.
Pico 8 or Tic-80 - These are fantastic, but again, no real tooling support, you will need to have the API docs open at all times.
Game Maker 8.1 or Game Maker Studio 2 - Great engines with block based logic. You can have something up and running in no time.
https://gdevelop-app.com/ is an event driven game engine, extensible with javascript.
Yeah going solo you'll never be able to code as much as a full development team. Shortcuts are your friend and you could probably get away with using something like GDevelop
It supports drag and drop like the example you uploaded
http://wiki.compilgames.net/doku.php/gdevelop5/behaviors/draggable
I have to admit I don't know any of these games and I'm not going to google them. The answer would be the same:
Try the browser versions:
I don't know if they will work on your devices. But they're free, so please go ahead and try. I mean it: Try them and see if you like them.
There are desktop versions for both that are vastly more powerful and feature-rich, though. So beware.
Do you know how to code or are you willing to learn how to code? If one of your devices is a tablet and not just a phone, you might want to attach a mouse and a keyboard, but maybe you could run a browser code editor or a code editor from the appropriate app store. Or maybe you could even do that with a phone and a screen attached via HDMI (maybe USB-C, don't know if those will work out with iOS or Android).
But to be honest, any of the above "solutions" are often conceived very cumbersome. And some things never seem to work.
Depending on your budget and depending on where you live, you might find much better quality of life with one of these:
> I can't really code
This isn't just an attribute of yourself. That's a crazy thought, don't go down that rabbit hole. It's a skill that you learn, a skill that you work on. Let me repeat: It's crazy to think that "I can't code" is an accurate description of yourself.
Where your frustration comes from!
> a pirated version
Bad karma. That's where your frustration comes from. Try this instead:
A video game or any game? Like a board game?
> Should i study a language like c++ right now while I'm trying to make a game?
You have two weeks. The answer therefore is: No. At least try to use something you are a little familiar with like what you told us already: JavaScript or Java. Or maybe something very simple and easy to use: some visual scripting system like implemented in GDevelop or Construct 3 ($).
There are various JavaScript frameworks for game creation out there and there are but a few for Java. I think it's very pointless to recommend any more because you have so little time and those are all very easy to google. The above mentioned tools Construct 3 and GDevelop, in my opinion, feel smooth and easy to get you started, so I'll just stop right there.
/r/gamedev/wiki/getting_started
Similarly easy to use, but more focused on specific story-driven genres:
> Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.
If you're looking for some current examples for GD5, try this page. (You can also access them from the start page of the downloaded version.) They're .json files.
https://gdevelop-app.com/game-examples-starters/
On a separate note, I just finished a tutorial on the wiki (breakout) and now I'm casting about for my next project. Are there any specific things you wish you knew more about that you don't feel are covered well enough in the wiki? My current thinking is a bunch of little how-to guides about accomplishing specific tasks within a game, rather than tutorials covering entire games, may be more helpful in the long run - but I'd love to hear your thoughts as a new user coming in.
GDevelop should be able to handle this. It has internally all the things you need for advanced games: behaviors (that are a bit like entity-component architecture in Unity or other game engines), structures variables/JSON support, file system support, etc... if needed you can use JavaScript and make anything that is doable with an engine like Pixi.js (which is used by GDevelop for all the rendering) or Phaser.
A few things like texture packing or some optimizations might be missing - the more games are being made with GDevelop, the better we can optimize the game engine.
I personally made an Indie game that was successfully kickstarted: Lil Bub's HELLO EARTH. It's a game of a fair size in terms of complexity, with 10 worlds having all a platformer level and a space shooter.
It's 100% done using GDevelop, and with 0 line of JavaScript - all using the visual events.
Other games on the showcase might be quite advanced, like Hyperspace Dogfights, a game sold on Steam.
Try GDevelop for 2D browser games. It's free and easy, just go through the tutorials and you'll see how it works. And look at the wiki at /r/gamedev/ for a lot more things to try. Experiment with different stuff and see what you like best.
Hello there.
That's a very good question! Start here!
Hello there.
That's a very good question! Start here!
That's a very good question!
Find out what you want to do and then find out what you need to know to solve one particular task. Only if you know what you want to do, your tasks at hand will have a meaning to you. Without a sense of meaning, you will be emotionally detached in my opinion. Which might render your efforts of learning completely useless probably.
Right now you seem to be wanting to create a game, so start there. Start creating games or parts of games.
GDevelop 5 -- Ultimate Beginner Game Engine? - video by u/Serapth, an engine developed by u/4ian available here: https://gdevelop-app.com/
Uses some visual scripting system, but can also be used with JavaScript (and maybe C++, but I'm really not sure).
Worry not.
From the 1st link above:
> See which work for you and which don't. If you'd like to narrow the pool, see which have successfully been used to produce things in a similar vein to what you're looking to make.
I honestly do not think their DnD is easier to learn than their proprietary language GML. Even worse, their DnD system is very limited, you'll quickly outgrow DnD and learn their GML anyway. Also, it seems like a huge waste of screen space to me.
If you want to check out alternatives with less limited visual scripting capabilities:
Generally speaking:
Worry not!
You are not alone. And there are answers! You can learn how to code and / or you can use tools that let you go very far without coding.
> disadvantages some of them are the time it takes to compile and the time it takes to run the engine and mono behavior is just disgusting
Are you serious? What disadvantages are you talking about? What compile times? MonoBehaviour is disgusting in what way?
The largest project I was in was 100+ GB worth of assets and scripts -- it was a HEAVY project and our "compile times" as you put were seconds. Are you sure you know what you're doing? Or perhaps maybe you are running Unity with a heavy project on a low end PC?
If you dislike programming (reading one of your comments) then maybe something like Godot's visual scripter or GDevelop.
If you dislike art, then well, use place holders till you get an artist to do art for you.
I cannot magically create any more time for your endeavours for you. But maybe you appreciate this tool more than GameMaker?
Similar:
Why? Because you can make games without code, you can click everything and maybe you appreciate that.
Hola,para hacer un juago sigue estos pasos: