Beginner to Pro: Game Programming

From Tuah of gaiaonline.com:


Unity 3D isn't a simple game-maker. It is a full-blown grade-A game engine. For those who don't understand what a game engine is, it is a data-handling system, a Rendering engine (for drawing things on the screen, an Audio engine (for playing sounds), and a Physics engine (handles all the physics). There are many more sub-topics in these, but this is the gist of it. There is a free version available with a couple of features locked, and a professional version.

The graphical power is better than many other engines, shown here, and supports all the major visual effects that games are using these days.

Game Makers of various sorts have you make the art and do light scripting, as most of the difficult parts are already handled in the maker itself. Unity is not a game maker in that you can't just open it up, put in a few models and call it a game.

That said, it is one of (if not) the easiest-to-use game engines out there, with its own advanced Editor and Prefab system. The editor automatically imports all your assets (models, textures, sound-effects) for you, so no time is lost. It also allows you to press a "play" button to see exactly how your stuff works instantly. No long waits for compiling like in other engines.
And Prefabs are basically objects that are already set up with everything needed to work. A model, physics components, and some scripts; no need to re-add everything every time you make a new object.
The component system also allows you to take your scripts (even free ones from online), slap 'em on an object, and watch 'em work. Much better than the older methods of inheriting behavior.

Now, while you might be able to assemble your stuff and have it work great, you still need to put a lot of work in to actually make the stuff.

Luckily, Unity's importing system allows for seamless input from Blender and 3D Studio Max, among others. Open your modeling program, make your object and save it, and Unity automatically imports any changes you've made.

The scripting languages Unity uses are C# and a custom dialect of Javascript (not Java). It also uses Boo, but that doesn't seem as popular.
If you're a newbie, go with Javascript. If you're fairly experienced, go with C#.

And the last thing I have to say about Unity 3D is the documentation and community. It far surpasses all the others I've seen out there. The documentation is freely available online (and automatically accessible by double-clicking on something in the editor), and incredibly well-organized. The Unity forums are also bustling with friendly Indie developers and hobbyists who all look out for one-another. If you need help, you're sure to be pointed in the right direction.


Unity 3D is a great tool for hobbyists or indie developers alike. Even EA is starting to use it. It's flexible, powerful, and easy.

As mentioned in my introduction, I've created a list of available game design platforms that require little to no programming knowledge. I will inevitably be testing as many of these that I can, and link a review to each.
List progresses from completely free to the most expensive.

Cost: Free, unless you plan to sell or distribute your game. Then you must purchase the upgrade. 

Difficulty: 2/10 Jumpcraft's engine is very easy to use and quite simple. It's just a matter of filling in your title name, choosing colors, and clicking wherever on the grid you want your dirt/water/ladder/tree to go.

Quality: 3/10 The graphics are very simple. It's a 2D side-scroller game (think Super Mario style) with very plain graphics and animation. It does the job, but I wouldn't use it for attempting any sort of story-oriented game designing. Works well for your typical level-based adventure game. The design has a Super NES nostalgic feel to it. 

           update this if the error is fixed.




3. Gamemaker 8

          
        Cost: From their site: "The Lite Edition is meant for those taking their first steps on the path of developing games. It can be used for free but is limited in its functionality. When you are using Game Maker regularly you are strongly recommended to upgrade it to the Pro Edition for $25."

        Difficulty: 3/10 Very easy to follow and simple to use. The tutorial is wonderful for basic introduction, yet the engine is powerful enough that a beginner could easily learn the operations of game development and triggers, objects, etcetera. A great tool for learning.

        Quality: 6/10 While true to your typical top-down 2D game, these graphics aren't bad, and you can add your own to make it even better. The interface is rich and easily capable of making a variety of games, to include story-based RPGs. I plan to play with these a bit more at a later time.

        Screenshots:  Interface (top) and gameplay (bottom)