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[Derek]

Programming Languages and Compilers

Blitz Basic
Main Website: http://www.blitzbasic.com/
Community: Blitz Basic Forums
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: $80 US - $100 US
Programming Required: Some (BASIC)
Games of Note: Platypus

Keep in mind that there's different versions of Blitz. The $80 is BlitzMax, which is newer but lacks the 3D engine. The other version is Blitz3D for $100, which does 2D & 3D but is an older product.

Platypus was written with the much older, and now discontinued, first version of Blitz Basic, which was far less powerful than either Blitz 3d or Blitz Max. Also, Blitz Max is cross-platform and fully expandable and modable, whereas Blitz 3d is Windows-only and fixed. Both languages are very stable and fast, and both use 3d hardware (so, unlike Blitz Basic, Blitz Max lets you use alpha, scaling and rotation in its 2d engine). I'm currently using Blitz 3d but as soon as I'm done with my current project I'll be using Max (and Mac OS X).

Free Basic
Main Website: http://freebasic.net/
Community: Free Basic Forums
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: FREE!
Programming Required: BASIC
Games of Note: The Griffon Legend, Lynn's Legacy

It's a bit like Blitzbasic except (a) it's totally Free, (b) it's Windows/Linux cross platform, with a Mac port on the way, (c) it's designed to be compatible with Qbasic, so it's really easy to use and there's a lot of documentation out there, and finally (d) it supports all the standard C addons, like SDL, OpenGL, Allegro, and all that.

Processing
Main Website: http://processing.org/
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: FREE!
Games of Note: Processing Game

It gets no love and is perhaps not ideal for game development, but I really like Processing. Because its Java based it might not be quite as newb friendly as basic or python and definitely isn't as easy as the graphical game makers.

The API is very straightforward and there are libraries for about everything you'd want to do.  Even if an existing processing library doesn't work you can fall back on Java APIs. The IDE will easily export crossplatform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) applications and applets complete with a web page. Kenta Cho used it for a handful of web games, I'm sure that gets some mileage around here.

Processing is like Java for people who don't like Java! i.e me!

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's awesome. The cross-compatibility of Java, and the ability to make neat little Java applets but with an easy to use language. I've never got on well with Java in the past, so this was definetly a welcome suprise when I first used Processing.

Programming Engines, Frameworks, and Libraries

Allegro
Language: C/C++
Main Website: http://alleg.sourceforge.net/
Tutorials: Allegro Tutorials
Cost: FREE!
Games of Note: Basically anything from Free Lunch Design.

Allegro is a game programming library for C/C++ developers distributed freely, supporting the following platforms: DOS, Unix (Linux, FreeBSD, Irix, Solaris, Darwin), Windows, QNX, BeOS and MacOS X. It provides many functions for graphics, sounds, player input (keyboard, mouse and joystick) and timers. It also provides fixed and floating point mathematical functions, 3d functions, file management functions, compressed datafile and a GUI.

flixel
Main Website: http://flixel.org/
Faq: http://wiki.github.com/AdamAtomic/flixel/what-is-flixel
Community: http://flixel.org/forums
Tutorials: http://wiki.github.com/AdamAtomic/flixel/tutorial-hello-world-flex-builder-30-osx
Cost: FREE! & Open Source
Programming Required: Some

flixel is a completely free collection of Actionscript 3 files that helps organize, automate, and optimize Flash games; an object-oriented framework that lets anyone create original and complex games with thousands of objects on screen in just a few hours.

IndieLib
Main Website: http://indielib.com
Faq: http://www.indielib.com/wiki/index.php?title=IndieLib_FAQ
Community: http://indielib.com/forum
Tutorials: http://indielib.com/wiki
Screenshots: http://www.indielib.com/screenshots/
Cost: FREE! & Open Source
Programming Required: C++

IndieLib is a c++ 2.5d engine for game development and fast game prototyping in a really easy way. Internally it uses Direct3d for hardware acceleration, but doesn't use DirectDraw or ID3DXSprite, it directly draws textures on polygons. The engine is focused in fast 2d rendering, but also allows you to use 3d models. The main IndieLib features are...

Lightweight Java Game Library
Language: Java
Main Website: http://lwjgl.org
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: FREE!
Games of Note: Titan Attacks

A game framework for Java, with bindings to OpenGl, OpenAL and lots of game related goodies.

PopCap Framework
Language: C/C++
Main Website: http://developer.popcap.com/
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: FREE!
Games of Note: Pending.


PyGame

Language: Python
Main Website: http://www.pygame.org/news.html
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: FREE!
Games of Note: Galcon


Quest 3D
Language: C/C++
Main Website: http://www.quest3d.com/index.php?id=181
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: $1300
Games of Note: Check out Best Game Ever.

Quest is a high-level interface to DirectX9 where programming logic is created by organizing a tree of nodes instead of typing.  The main reason I like it is for experimenting.  You program in one window and play your game in another, so you're always doing both.

They've also released a c++ SDK to extend the engine by adding new nodes (DLLs) to the system.

I used Quest to built many 1-week games at bestgameever.com and have been using it for the last couple years on a much larger unannounced game.

Their forums are full of helpful people.  It's mostly europeans, but everyone speaks english.

Torque
Language: C/C++
Main Website: http://www.garagegames.com/
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: $100 US - $1495 US
Games of Note: Marble Blast, Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion

There are three version of the Torque Engine (originally used in the commercial game Tribes): Torque Game Builder for 2D games, Torque Game Engine for 3D games, and TGE Advanced, which has more features than TGE.  For each engine they have an indie version which costs MUCH less but you must display the logo at the top of the game and meet certain qualifications.

XNA
Language: C#
Main Website: http://creators.xna.com/
Tutorials: XNA Wiki
Cost: $99 Creator's Club Membership
TIGdb Games: Link


Game-Making Software (General)

Construct (2D)
Main Website: http://scirra.com/
Community: http://www.scirra.com/phpBB3/
Tutorials: http://scirra.com/learn.php
Cost: FREE!
Programming Required: Some

Construct is a free, powerful, and easy to use development environment for both DirectX 9-based games and applications. Utilizes an event based system for defining how the game or application will behave, in a visual, human-readable way.  Among other features it has hardware acceleration, pixel shader support, a bones animation system, and makes use of the Box2D physics engine.  Several built-in behaviors and plugins make rapid prototyping quick and easy, but the framework is robust enough for large projects as well.

Flash (2D)
Main Website: http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/flashpro/
Community: Pending.
Tutorials: www.cartoonsmart.com ($), www.gotoandplay.it, www.actionscript.com (free!)
Cost: $699 US
Programming Required: Some (ActionScript)
Games of Note: N, Dofus, Two Kingdoms, and also check out Newgrounds (Alien Hominid!).

Flash 8 is a complete development solution for 2D and even pseudo 3D (mode 7 / raycasting) games with all the tools for art creation and programming built into the software.  I found it to be as easy to learn as any of the Basics / Gamemaking software but has the added bonus of being able to export right to the web with the least number of plug-in or compatibility issues.  There's also growing support for Flash on mobile platforms and the ability to export to mobile (Flash Lite) is built-in.

The downside is that the price unfortunately will turn most people away but there is a 30 day demo and it shouldn't take longer than that to learn and start making games.

Game Maker (2D/Basic 3D)
Main Website: http://www.gamemaker.nl/
Community: Game Maker Games
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: $20 US
Programming Required: None
Games of Note: Seiklus


ika (2D, Simple 3D)
Main Website: http://ika.sf.net/
Community: ika.sf.net
Tutorials: http://ika.sourceforge.net/articles.php?view=26
Cost: FREE!
Programming Required: Python


Multimedia Fusion 2 (2D)
Main Website: http://www.clickteam.com/eng/mmf2.php
Community: Daily Click
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: $119 US
Programming Required: None
Games of Note: Knytt


Unity (3D)
Main Website: http://unity3d.com/
Community: http://www.unifycommunity.com
Tutorials: http://www.unifycommunity.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tutorials
Cost: $199 US (Indie)
Programming Required: Some
TIGdb Games: Link

Unity is a multiplatform game development tool, designed from the start to ease creation. A fully integrated professional application that just happens to contain the most powerful engine this side of a million dollars.

Verge (2D)
Main Website: http://www.verge-rpg.com/
Community: Verge-RPG.com
Tutorials: Exploring Verge 3, On the Verge of Verging, vx library tutorial.
Cost: FREE!
Programming Required: VergeC or Lua
Games of Note: Diver Down, Zeux World, Sully Chronicles (more notable for the fact it's one of the few indie games to actually have GameFAQs article)

I think that Verge is another worthy addition, as a fairly robust game engine with a friendly community. It was how I learned to make games when I was in grade school!

Game-Making Software (Specific)

Adventure Game Studio (Adventure Games)
Main Website: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk
Community: AGS Forums
Tutorials: Pending.
Cost: FREE!
Programming Required: Pending.
Games of Note: Reactor09, 5 Days a Stranger


M.U.G.E.N. (Fighting Games)
Wikipedia Entry:
How to obtain a legal English copy: [url=http://rw.rmxp.org/RPG_Maker_XP]http://rw.rmxp.org/RPG_Maker_XP
Community: RPGMaker.net
Tutorials: A M.U.G.E.N. Primer
Cost: Basically Free (the original developer went MIA)
Programming Required: None


RPG Maker (RPGs)
Main Website: http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/tkool/RPG_XP/eng/
How to obtain a legal English copy: http://rw.rmxp.org/RPG_Maker_XP
Community: RPGMaker.net
Tutorials: RPGMaker.net Tutorials
Cost: $60 US
Programming Required: Pending.
Games of Note: Barkley, Shut up and Jam: Gaiden


S.E.U.C.K. (Shoot 'Em Ups)
Main Website: http://www.glbasic.com/main.php?site=seuck

Community: RPGMaker.net
Tutorials: RPGMaker.net Tutorials
Cost: FREE!
Programming Required: Pending.

SEUCK for PC is a remake of the C64 "Shoot Em Up Contruction Kit" that can be used to make simple shooters.

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

Python with PyGame is often quoted as friendly to newbie game developers. It has a set of game tutorials out of which a few are aimed at people with no prior programming experience. The downside tough is that it's non-trivial to produce a Windows executable (but it's doable). Of course it's free and portable .

[lowpoly]

keep in mind that there's different versions of Blitz. The $80 is BlitzMax, which is newer but lacks the 3D engine. The other version is Blitz3D for $100, which does 2D & 3D but is an older product.

[Impossible]

It gets no love and is perhaps not ideal for game development, but I really like Processing. Because its Java based it might not be quite as newb friendly as basic or python and definitely isn't as easy as the graphical game makers.

The API is very straightforward and there are libraries for about everything you'd want to do.  Even if an existing processing library doesn't work you can fall back on Java APIs. The IDE will easily export crossplatform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) applications and applets complete with a web page. Kenta Cho used it for a handful of web games, I'm sure that gets some mileage around here.

Other not mentioned yet are the XNA framework and Flash, which I'm sure everyone knows about.

[ravuya]

Yeah, Processing is pretty sweet. I can hack up an 80-line application to texture-map the video from my webcam onto an OpenGL primitive.

[BenH]

Processing is like Java for people who don't like Java! i.e me!
I guess what I'm trying to say is it's awesome. The cross-compatability of Java, and the ability to make neat little java applets but with an easy to use language. I've never got on well with Java in the past, so this was definatly a welcome suprise when I first used processing.

[Dylan Fitterer]

I'm a big fan of Quest3D, but it's not cheap (about $1300).  The free demo has everything, but doesn't let you save:
http://www.quest3d.com/index.php?id=13

Quest is a high-level interface to DirectX9 where programming logic is created by organizing a tree of nodes instead of typing.  The main reason I like it is for experimenting.  You program in one window and play your game in another, so you're always doing both.

They've also released a c++ SDK to extend the engine by adding new nodes (DLLs) to the system.

Here's a game I built without any c++ (and very little typing):
Travis Must Die
http://www.bestgameever.com/comments.php?id=27_0_1_0_C

I used Quest to built many 1-week games at bestgameever.com and have been using it for the last couple years on a much larger unannounced game.

Their forums are full of helpful people.  It's mostly europeans, but everyone speaks english.

[Anthony Flack]

Also of note with Blitz:

Platypus was written with the much older, and now discontinued, first version of Blitz Basic, which was far less powerful than either Blitz 3d or Blitz Max. Also, Blitz Max is cross-platform and fully expandable and modable, whereas Blitz 3d is Windows-only and fixed. Both languages are very stable and fast, and both use 3d hardware (so, unlike Blitz Basic, Blitz Max lets you use alpha, scaling and rotation in its 2d engine). I'm currently using Blitz 3d but as soon as I'm done with my current project I'll be using Max (and Mac OS X).

[Derek]

Awesome!  More stuff added.

[ravuya]

I think Galcon is done in PyGame.

[Oddbob]

I absolutely love the Dave Bollinger processing stuff. Bloody lovely it is. Also got a fetish for jrc313's Processing Game even though I've long been unable to scrape back onto the scoreboard with it since my mate took it upon himself to trounce the high scores.

[BMcC]

I got my start with Klik & Play (Multimedia Fusion's great granddaddy) when I was in... second grade?  So yeah, quick to learn.  But a lifetime to master...

And by the time I switched over to C/C++, it was no problem.  Pushing the Click software so hard gave me an intimate understanding of the inner-workings of games, something that stays with you no matter how technology changes.

I'd say it's a great way to bridge the gap if you're intimidated by a programming language.  And it's also how Derek, Hamish, and a number of other great developers got their start.  (Though I don't know how many of them will admit it!)

[Oddbob]

As I said in the other thread I've been using Gamemaker for 4/5 years now, never felt the need to shift over to anything as my wants are generally 2d. Its not without its faults, tying the sound to the media player is probably the daftest thing I've come across but its easily worked around with a .dll to externalise stuff. Oh, and the documentation that comes with it whilst not as bad as the BlitzMAX docs, could certainly do with some sprucing up.

You can get a pretty reasonable game up and running using the drag and drop commands, but if you want to get the most out of it - there's the inbuilt scripting language GML which more than does the trick.

I'm still working on G-Force in it, and not hit any brick walls aside from my own lack of time. I've seen some great games written in it also, Clean Asia being a recent example, Pug Fuglys The Pyramid, Kairuga, Seiklus...

A lovely bit of kit all told, but understandably, not necessarily for everyone.

[Impossible]

Nice to see some processing fans.  I have a few processing games, but none of them are really "of note" (like any of my games.)  Another tool that looks really good is Unity 3D.  If you own a Mac you should definitely check this out.

[ravuya]

Yeah, Unity is pretty cool. I believe it's C#/Mono on the backend.

Novashell is getting some good press lately, I don't know if it's actually commercially released at this point.

[Terry]

Nice thread, but shouldn't both versions of basic go under programming languages rather than game makes?

Well, doesn't matter You should say something about the new RPG Maker as well - I haven't used it, but apparently it's super powerful. The whole thing is held together with Ruby scripts, so you can change around pretty much anything you want.

[Derek]

Well, doesn't matter You should say something about the new RPG Maker as well - I haven't used it, but apparently it's super powerful. The whole thing is held together with Ruby scripts, so you can change around pretty much anything you want.

Can I get a link for RPG Maker?  I keep getting the Japanese RPG Maker for consoles on Google.

[Terry]

Grand so, let's see...

Here we go:
Information on getting a legal copy of RPG Maker XP

By the way, you should write something up for OHRRPGCE while you're at it. It doesn't get the love it deserves, and interestingly it's made in FreeBasic Plus, it's free.

[Bebop]

What was cave story made with?

[Terry]

I don't know for sure, but according to some of the guys at the Cave Story Mod forum, it appears to use Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library.