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[Pedrosanchau]

Hi,
I'm currently beggining to make a fighting game and i'm searching the best engine to use depending on my needs. I searched information and several websites and find two engine but i need more information to choose efficiently!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What i definitely need:
-HD definition
-online play
-easy controller installation

What i'd like (optional):
-lightning effects (to process shadows for example)

I narrowed my choice to two options:
-XNA
    pros:
        -versality in programming
        -more options
        -xbox compatibility
       
    cons:
        -more programming skills required (=more time to make)

-Game maker pro     
    pros:
        -easy to handle
        -programming skills needed really low
        -open source fighting game exist to learn really quickly

    cons:
        -less versatility (2d fighting doesn't nedd that much nonetheless)
        -doesn't really know how to handle online play


As for you, what is the best choice? Do you see another engine?

I'm not doing this professionally, so i'm not restricted by timing issue even if i'd like to be able to do it as fast as possible.

[DelishusCake]

As a programmer, I always highly suggest coding everything yourself, so I recommend XNA. C# isn't all that hard to learn, and it's perfect for game development with XNA taking care of most of the boring stuff.
That being said, I've also had a good experience with gamemaker. But, in the end, I vote XNA. If for no other reason than its free (as opposed to gamemaker pro).

P.S. Have you looked into love? Its a really good (and small) engine with everything you're looking for.

[baconman]

M.U.G.E.N. HD is a fine option too, unless you're looking to port the game/engine to consoles or something.

[Pedrosanchau]

Thx, i'll look into love but XNA gain one point.

Mugen is a no-go for me. It's more a character editor than a game creator.

[Dacke]

As a programmer, I always highly suggest coding everything yourself

As a programmer, I usually suggest using anything that will get you to your goal/vision faster. Using existing tools and libraries means that you make use of the experience and work of many other programmers. Which in turn gives you the ability to contribute something new and unique, instead of reinventing the wheel.

Unless you are looking for a learning experience, in which case creating everything from scratch is great fun and very rewarding. But it's usually not the fastest way to actually getting something done

I would also urge you to add cross-platform support to your considerations. Using libraries/tools that automatically support Linux/Mac/Windows is great for you, the users and the world    

[Moczan]

Mugen is a no-go for me. It's more a character editor than a game creator.

Still, people created awesome stuff like Card Saga Wars in it, I think it's perfectly viable.

[shig]

Ever tried Fighter Maker? Vanguard Princess was made on it and it's pretty good. Also that MLP fighting game is being made on it, too.

[Pedrosanchau]

Yup, i know mugen and fighter maker.

The fact is Mugen is not really a game creator things. It is very difficult to add your own creativity in the engine which is more a character collection program (there are always expection though)

Fighter maker is awesome. But it lack two thing for me.
-Online play is good but not versatile, only relying on a few protocol.
-Graphics: very low standard. 256 colors, no opacity processing, lighting and particle effects inexistent.

I know i can't make an awesome game but i'd like me to do the best i can and those two are too restrictive.

[Fallsburg]

Hi,
I'm currently beggining to make a fighting game and i'm searching the best engine to use depending on my needs. I searched information and several websites and find two engine but i need more information to choose efficiently!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What i definitely need:
-HD definition
-online play
-easy controller installation

What i'd like (optional):

I narrowed my choice to two options:
-XNA
    pros:
        -versality in programming
        -more options
        -xbox compatibility
       
    cons:
        -more programming skills required (=more time to make)

-Game maker pro     
    pros:
        -easy to handle
        -programming skills needed really low
        -open source fighting game exist to learn really quickly

    cons:
        -less versatility (2d fighting doesn't nedd that much nonetheless)
        -doesn't really know how to handle online play


As for you, what is the best choice? Do you see another engine?

I'm not doing this professionally, so i'm not restricted by timing issue even if i'd like to be able to do it as fast as possible.

Gotta be honest.  I'm not sure what you are looking for here.

-HD definition

A) you said high definition definition and B) means nothing, since just about any option you go with will be able to support an arbitrary resolution of your choice.

-lightning effects (to process shadows for example)

Not sure what you mean by this.  Is the game 2D? 3D but limited to a single plane (a la Tekken). 


And then your two options:

-XNA
    pros:
        -versality in programming
        -more options
        -xbox compatibility
       
    cons:
        -more programming skills required (=more time to make)

Going down the list:
-versality in programming --- sort of but not really.  I mean you are limited to C# and Windows. 
-more options             --- see above
-xbox compatibility       --- I'll give you this, but honestly, I'd say get the game working on PC's first.
 -more programming skills required (=more time to make) --- Maybe.  But the core code of your game is going to have to exist no matter what platform you choose.  And XNA is pretty forgiving in setting up the basics for you.

-Game maker pro     
    pros:
        -easy to handle
        -programming skills needed really low
        -open source fighting game exist to learn really quickly

    cons:
        -less versatility (2d fighting doesn't nedd that much nonetheless)
        -doesn't really know how to handle online play

-less versatility   --- I mean, essentially any 2d game you want to make, you can make in Game Maker. 

Personally, I'm not a fan of either of your options.  Why don't you take a look at Unity? 

[John Sandoval]

game maker has numerous dlls to handle online multiplayer interactivity

[Paul Eres]

yeah this post is a mess, almost everything the OP says about xna and game maker is wrong

i'd suggest actually *trying* the different languages/engines, and *then* deciding. don't decide *before* you try them. try them all, spend a week with each one, and use the one you like. that's how you should go about this, not ask for opinion and hearsay. and maybe if you tried them you wouldn't be making such ill-informed mistakes when describing their pros and cons

[Richard Kain]

Once again, I'm going to have to throw Unity out there as an option. If you are willing to consider a low-level solution like XNA, (which is more framework than engine) than you should definitely give Unity a look-see.

It has the collision detection you would need for a fighting game. It has camera controls, full support for 3D models and 2D sprites. You can set it to run at multiple resolutions, and you can export it to multiple platforms. If you think it's worth it, you can even contact the Unity team to get your game ported to the Wii, XBox 360, or PS3.

[rivon]

Tbh, the OP author seems to me as a programming newbie and fighting game is up there with MMOs, multiplayer FPS games etc. regarding the difficulty.

[Garlicguy]

Game Maker can do some neat things through DLL's. I've used XNA but simply making a game with XNA wont make it generally better, really it all boils down to which engine you yourself want to use.

also you can try Multimedia Fusion. again the end product is what you make it though.

EDIT: I Would Have said MUGEN but I'm not sure it has online play capabilities

[Pedrosanchau]

Once again, I'm going to have to throw Unity out there as an option. If you are willing to consider a low-level solution like XNA, (which is more framework than engine) than you should definitely give Unity a look-see.

It has the collision detection you would need for a fighting game. It has camera controls, full support for 3D models and 2D sprites. You can set it to run at multiple resolutions, and you can export it to multiple platforms. If you think it's worth it, you can even contact the Unity team to get your game ported to the Wii, XBox 360, or PS3.

totally agree

I'm a programming newbie too, i agree. I only know MATLAB, not a single program for gaming.