Considering you have a low end pc i'd recommend trying godot. As someone who has been in the gamejam scenes for few years now I have seen it be used more and more. It is not the most powerful engine, especially compared to unity and unreal. It however is by far the easiest both on user experience and on computer resources. As a bonus it is fully free and open source, which is always nice. For the learning part I'd recommend just starting, being bad at something is the first step in being kinda good at something (this is a quote from somewhere, and i dont remember from where). Good luck!
this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
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thank you i will defintly look into godot also are there any beginner video tutorials also which version do i pick?
If you do end up going this way we have a nice little community forming over at [email protected] (direct link) fyi. I'm pretty new to the engine too and it's been a learning curve but ultimately anything you choose will be a learning curve.
I'd say take the latest stable one, which atm is 4.0.3. they released their major rewrite(version 4) a few months ago, but for now they still support version 3. Considering you are starting from scratch i'd say just go for 4. I have never used their tutorials myself (went about with only the public docs, and looking at other projects), but they have an entire page dedicated to it https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/community/tutorials.html. Feel free to take any one there.
Defitely Godot, especially having a low-end PC. The language, Gdscript is very python-esque, so the entry bar is low. Really, a couple of years ago I tried Unity and that thing wouldn't load even if my life depended on it haha, Godot's load times were pretty much instantaneous.
And there are tons of resources to learning either through YouTube or their official documentation :)
I recommend you start with the oficial documentation "Introduction to Godot" and their "Your first 2D game" sections, If you wanna see quick results you may start with the latter.
Some extra resources:
GDquest YouTube channel, extensive Godot resources
Miziziziz, a quite successful Godot solo developer, he shares guides and tips in a short format
Make an action-RPG in Godot, one of the most complete follow-throughs I've seen for beginners, while building a Zelda-esque game.
How to make a top-down shooter in Godot, same as the latter, but instead you are building a Hotline Miami clone.
If you don't mind some self-promotion, you could also give a look to a couple of FOSS games I've built using the engine, I made them for short game-james so all of them are pretty simple, feel free to use them however may be best to you :)
https://github.com/croobat/ClickerMiner
https://github.com/croobat/Farm-Defense
https://github.com/croobat/lacking-light
And most importantly, don't get discouraged, there are lots of things you may not know but that is fine! It's part of the process. You got this chief.
Python might be good. Really just pick a popular language and stick with it. I liked C++ for a sound foundation but it is HARD for a beginner.
I will second this. I really enjoyed learning core game dev concepts using pygame and Ursina engine for small 3d projects.
Might be worth considering Defold? It's component/object model is pretty simple, the programming language is Lua (which is compiled with LuaJIT, so it's fairly performant), the documentation is good and while the community isn't huge, it's very vibrant. Crucially, it's used to make very real commercial mobile games, so you know it's battle-tested.
It's 100% free, open source (although on its own license, not a standard one), actively maintained and maintained by the Defold foundation, which has full-time employees.
It also builds to absolutely EVERYTHING so no matter where you want to distribute your games, it's got you covered.
I'm personally very smitten by it, although I used to work with the devs back when they were part of King, so I'm slightly biased. They are an AWESOME group of people.
what languages/tools/engines have you tried in the past?
Python, love2d, unreal, unity but unity and unreal are too powerful for my pc and i barely tried godot, love2d, pyhton i just felt overwhelmed and such.
How much programming experience do you have? You might want to start extra small with some games that are just played in the terminal, like tic tac toe, battleship, and hangman to practice good object oriented programming in a small project before you move on to Unity or Godot. You really need to understand object oriented programming well because Unity has some very complex classes, you are expected to understand inheritance, and so on.
When you do start with Godot or Unity start with a Mario clone, keep it really simple and finish the project.
Overwhelmed in what way? Too much to learn, not enough coding knowledge, or something else?
And what types of games are you trying to make? Certain genres are harder or easier for beginners.
i feel like i have big ideas and im like yep thats good and then i try and give up, but i also get annoyed wheneve ri get a bug like a character cant stand untop of a platform or something like that, i tend to dream big and im not sure why.
I highly recommend, for a first project, to limit yourself to just one game mechanic.
Limit your scope
For example: It sounds like you want to make a platformer? Maybe limit yourself to just an endless runner type where the character has to jump over obstacles. A bit like flappy bird but your character is grounded instead of flying. This way, you can focus your effort on at least two major aspects of the game:
- Character movement
- Map generation
Game Design Document
Another thing to consider doing is putting together a game design document. Write down what kind of game you want to make, and break it down into their constituent mechanics. Then, maybe try ranking them from what you think could be the easiest to implement to the hardest. You may want to look up tutorials on how to implement those various mechanics and rank them that way if you're unsure.
Having a game design document can be helpful, especially if you remind yourself not to go beyond the scope you have set out for yourself. It may help you focus on what you need to do and not get distracted by new features you just thought up of. Not to say you should throw those new ideas out, but write them down under "future ideas" and worry about them after you have a minimum viable product.
To be fair, not everyone will agree on how helpful this can be, but I think having something written down can help act as a reminder, or a means of focusing yourself. Wouldn't hurt to try
Bugs
As for bugs, honestly, that's part and parcel of programming. One thing that I found works for me when I get too frustrated is to step away from the computer. Take a snack break, or go for a walk, or play a game. Come back with a clear head, and I usually figure out my issue.
I hope that helps provide some guidance on overcoming that overwhelming feeling. Best of luck to you!
/u/Mifuyne said it better than I can. "Big Ideas" almost never work for a first-time game. It's usually safe to assume, most big published games have taken teams of people multiple years to build. I have some experience, but big ideas are still always my downfall.
Your first game should be a learning experience, and you should aim to finish as fast as possible, while still doing good work. If you are set on a platformer, try an auto-runner like the other comment suggests, or look at arcade games. One level from Donkey Kong or Mario Bros (not Super Mario Bros) is about the limit of complexity I'd suggest for a new dev. Even NES games like Super Mario Bros are pretty complicated, and would take a new developer many months. And there's no shame in copying a classic game's mechanics for your first game.
Maybe Godot?
Depends how much coding you are comfortable with.
I made my first games in GameMaker: Studio, and it was very good for it, back then. Not sure if it's as good anymore with the 2.0 version, but it may be worth a shot. With it you can do as much or as little code as you want.
Godot and Unity never clicked with me, but both are good options. They have a steeper learning curve, though.
If you have some comfort with coding, TIC-80 and PICO-8 are great options, with a simple Lua API, big community, and built-in editing tools. Lets you have a lot of control over your game without needing to learn the strange things about major editors.
I'd suggest Löve, which uses Lua. It's a powerful language but equally easy to learn. You could also try Pico8, which is also a version of Lua. It's presented as if it's an old 8-bit microcomputer with a built in sprite and tile editor. I find Pico8 much more approachable for beginners. Python is another good starting point for low end hardware.
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