GameMaker vs Unity vs other?

[prolow]

I'm pretty new to programming, and game design for that mater, and I'd like to work out some prototypes for a few game ideas I've had rolling around, some 3d some 2d, though all the 3d ones could be initially done in 2d to get the concepts worked out assuming it's faster to work in 2d, from a programming perspective.
All that being said, what would you all suggest as a quick and easy format for a code novice to use to work out game ideas? -GameMaker, Unity, or something else?

[PlasticOstrich]

How new is new? If you are just learning, perhaps start with an engine like GameMaker, or AGS (for adventures, and hidden object games if you can script), or RPGMaker (RPGs). You can do 3D in Gamemaker. If you use 2D renders, you can get a passable 3D effect with the others.

[Scurvy Lobster]

2D is much faster than 3D design :) I have experienced that what takes an hour to paper prototype - takes a day to 2D prototype - takes a month to 3D prototype. It is based on my personal experience since some 3D maniac could probably prove that wrong.

I have some experience with Game Maker (check out my tutorial site in my signature) but lately I have been hearing a lot of good stuff about Scirra Construct.

[schizoslayer]

The learning curve with 3D is generally steeper even if you dealing with a package like Unity or UDK - not because you have to do any 3D render programming but because they often have far more features and complexity in their scripting to learn.

I'd recommend GameMaker purely on the strength of it's community however. You can probably find tutorials to guide you through making just about any game you would want to make with it on the forums.

[93interactive]

with 3d engines you usually end up in struggling with file formats and getting the data from your artist in the engine, for prototyping purposes 2d is sure the way to go.

Also have a look at the following, which might be what you are looking for:
LÖVE (free)
Torque 2D (used for a number of commercial games but not free

and if you decide to go for 3d, do not forget to have a look at shiva, i used unity pro for some games, but i now ended up with shiva, as the company support of unity is bad, whereas stonetrips is unmatched, these guys take their customers serious, no matter how big you are.

[dumbmanex]

GameMaker is great learning tool. You can get a great understanding of how a project all comes together and is organized. You can pull off some good stuff if you learn how to script in it too.

[prolow]

thanks guys, sounds like Gamemaker WTF

[Andrej Vojtas]

I would go with Unity: good for prototyping, easy to learn, + has future value for potential larger projects being cross platform and all that.

2D can be done with a 3rd party script called Script Manager 2. And you have all the 3d stuff right there if you need it.

[prolow]

at the game jam i helped host last weekend there were 3 teams using unity, and 2 using gamemaker, both where able to get what they wanted from the platform, but the unity teams had real programmers at the the helm, where as the game maker teams had technically minded artist. I would put myself the the later category since i'm pretty comfortable , in mel script, and have done some minor c++, xml, & vbscript. I really like the idea of going straight to 3d games, but i get the feeling it's going to more effort then it's worth to just work out some game designs.

[richtaur]

I'd also suggest focusing on ONE prototype. We've all probably made a dozen prototypes that never were really playable; those are worthless. Even if you make ONE playable prototype, that's something you can show people and be proud of.

[prolow]

probly good advice rich,
any thoughts on any of the fallowing as game ideas?

edit: had some game design ideas posted here, but moved them to the game design thread

[cyodine]

I don't have any experience with GameMaker but I always thought of GM as something for amateur prototype work - not to take seriously. That Great White Destroyer game on the feedback category has made me re-evaluate that impression.. It was apparently made with it, and I'm impressed. And I wonder how much time was saved.. or whether to do that much details ends up taking as much time as for conventional methods such as C++ in using a library such as SDL.

[potan]

Game Maker only for making game for Windows though, right ?

I couldn't find information about it on their site,
this is the only info i can find about it:

http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/buy

[Scurvy Lobster]

GM for Mac is actually in development. I believe beta releases are available for testing.

[jrjellybeans]

Game Maker is only for the PC. Apparently, the planned mac version was cancelled some time ago. Plus, that version was the older 7.0 version. Version 8 isn't much different, but it fixes some of the speed problems of GM.

Long story short, I wouldn't expect a mac version any time soon.

[Scurvy Lobster]

jrjellybeans: If you followed the link I posted you would know that GM for Mac is not cancelled but currently in development and can be considered to be in the final stages of development. The current version 8 of Game Maker is actually for Windows PC, not for Mac, as you imply in your first sentence.

[electronicStar]

Originally Posted by Scurvy Lobster

that GM for Mac is not cancelled but currently in development and can be considered to be in the final stages of development.

It has been for years!

[jrjellybeans]

Originally Posted by Scurvy Lobster

jrjellybeans: If you followed the link I posted you would know that GM for Mac is not cancelled but currently in development and can be considered to be in the final stages of development. The current version 8 of Game Maker is actually for Windows PC, not for Mac, as you imply in your first sentence.

Aah, I meant to say Windows PC, not Mac. I need to read my posts before I hit submit... I'll fix that typo in a second.

But, I agree with electronic - the Mac version has been in development for years. I really can't expect it to come out anytime soon...

[Scurvy Lobster]

I can't in any way prove that GM for Mac will be out soon. But it has been in open beta some time and as Yoyogames state: "We should hopefully have a release candidate ready in a month or two".

We will just have to wait and see.