Elysian Shadows

Now I am debating between using unity, torque , or just flat out building my own engine from scratch! Has anyone here made a 2d engine, are there any pitfalls that I should be wary of. What do you guys think , should I go the whole 9 yards and just build it myself or take easy way and use an existing?

That depends on what you want to acomplish. If your goal is to build a game, and what you like to do is game (elements and story) design, and you can get away with the limitations of an engine, you should use one.

But if you like the challenge of building an engine, you should go that way. But be wary that it's a gigantic task, and you have to go a long way before you get pretty much anything done. That may frustrate you, if you are more interested in making the actual game.

If you're looking at making a game that is fully customization-able build your own engine. It will be worth it all in the long run. There will be a lot of frustration and hard work but you can continue to use the same engine for multiple games.

+1 for building your own engine.

When it comes to building an engine from scratch, I usually find myself around here: http://scientificninja.com/blog/write-games-not-engines
Basically what that link is saying, make games first. Make games, and games, and you'll slowly find yourself with more and more re-usable code and be figuring out which things you end up "wanting" to keep that you may normally have noticed you re-write quite often. Not to mention the increase in your skill by the time you actually decide to get engine-tacular.
This is just coming from someone who's made neither a game or an engine! Read the article though and then decide, I suggest!

As for "using" a pre-built engine or not, well that sounds much more up to choice. I, personally, would probably end up going without one for the learning purposes since my goal isn't just to "make games" but to also "master programming", so any time spent refining my programming skills doesn't feel like a waste to me! Yet also, using an engine might let you think high-level enough to get a good sample of the kinds of functionality to expect if you were to later on make an engine or a game without an engine.

It depends on what kind of game you want to make, and how many games you are going to make in the future.

If you have a simple game in your mind, like 'Snake', and you won't be making lots of games in the future... Go for something pre-built.
You can make fancy Snake clone in 30 minutes in GameMaker, and it will run like a charm.

If you want to make a game with special features and functionality, go make your own engine. There is not a single engine that can make every type of games for you.
To be able to copy the game you have in your dreams at night and day, and you want to use something pre-build... The possibility that you will be forced to cut down 50% of your ideas are great.
Making your own engine will ensure you that you can make the best game you could ever imagine.

superLED wrote:It depends on what kind of game you want to make, and how many games you are going to make in the future.

^ Agreed

Nohbdy wrote:Basically what that link is saying, make games first. Make games, and games, and you'll slowly find yourself with more and more re-usable code and be figuring out which things you end up "wanting" to keep that you may normally have noticed you re-write quite often. Not to mention the increase in your skill by the time you actually decide to get engine-tacular.

That too.

Basically, I want to make old school RPGs with new functionalities and innovative game mechanics, the graphic style I'm going for Is similar to the old FF games or legend of Zelda , but high res, I'm not making turn based, it would be more action oriented like that of Zelda games. I'm probably gonna makes my engine, just trying to get any advice on the problems that I might run into

blackball2186 wrote:Basically, I want to make old school RPGs with new functionalities and innovative game mechanics, the graphic style I'm going for Is similar to the old FF games or legend of Zelda , but high res, I'm not making turn based, it would be more action oriented like that of Zelda games. I'm probably gonna makes my engine, just trying to get any advice on the problems that I might run into

Will you be making another games?

Can I just ask how experienced you are with game development? Your game proposal seems very optimistic, even if you were to use an engine and especially if you were to make your own.

blackball2186 wrote:Basically, I want to make old school RPGs with new functionalities and innovative game mechanics, the graphic style I'm going for Is similar to the old FF games or legend of Zelda , but high res, I'm not making turn based, it would be more action oriented like that of Zelda games. I'm probably gonna makes my engine, just trying to get any advice on the problems that I might run into

i really recomend you making your own engine, not only you wil be able to reuse it for making an other game, you can modify it exactly as you want your game, i remind you that making an engine is not an easy task, you may need to write a level editor as well, but after all is an awsome challenge, it really bores me using pre-built engines, you just need to design a level and thats it, also making your own engine its much more fun, a lot to code, without saing the experience you gain its amaizing
belive make your own, if you need help with something you can post it here in the forums i will be glad to help

thejahooli wrote:Can I just ask how experienced you are with game development? Your game proposal seems very optimistic, even if you were to use an engine and especially if you were to make your own.

What game proposal, I merely stated I was developing an action based rpg with a similar feel to the 2d Zelda games, don't see how that is being overly optimistic or over shooting my capabilities. Granted this will be the largest project I've ever worked on.

Yes I intend to make more games later on down the road, I have experience making simple games, and quite frankly I'm tired of doing simple, I want to do something new and innovative , yet familiar and nostalgic. I love RPGs of all types ( cept MMOs which are mindless drivel imo.

I'm not one of those little kids out there that have no idea what they are getting themselves into, and I'm definitely not afraid to do the work or spend a few years getting everything perfect, that's what ambition is all about, and If I'm not going to be ambitious then why bother at all imo

Taking all you've said in consideration, I think you should work on an engine. Start with graphics: take some code you already have and make it generic. Develop incrementaly: at each "step", produce something that can be used, even if it's not complete. Then, when you have some of these small "areas", integrate them.

Remember that engines (as with any library/framework) require much more thought than a game (/application). Always think "how is the game going to use this?". Also, plan ahead the changes you will make, to avoid rewriting everything (though you'll probably rewrite a lot).

Good luck!

You sound a little attitudey in your last post - please try to realize that everyone here is offering help and no one wants to make you feel like a "little kids out there that [has] no idea what they are getting themselves into".

Given all you've said, I think building your own engine from scratch sounds like a great idea! You sound confident that you are capable of doing it and its a great learning experience to see how everything comes together and will definitely make you even more proficient at using commercial engines in the future. Definitely go for it, and good luck!

blackball2186 wrote:
Yes I intend to make more games later on down the road

Then make your own engine. Point said

blackball2186 wrote: I'm not one of those little kids out there that have no idea what they are getting themselves into, and I'm definitely not afraid to do the work or spend a few years getting everything perfect, that's what ambition is all about, and If I'm not going to be ambitious then why bother at all imo

Try not to get so angry next time...

Also, Elvis said "Ambition is just a dream with a v8 engine.