choosing a game engine is easy, actually

Summary

This video provides guidance on choosing the right game engine based on ease of use, community support, and platform requirements. It covers popular options like Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, and Game Maker, outlining their strengths and weaknesses for 2D, 3D, and multiplayer projects. The speaker emphasizes trying different engines to find the best fit for your needs and discusses visual scripting options for those who don't want to code. The importance of community and the pros and cons of pricing and feature availability are also highlighted, helping viewers make an informed decision.

Takeaways

• 😀 Choosing a game engine can feel overwhelming, especially if you're new or unsure which one suits your project best.
• 🤔 It's important to try different engines and see which one resonates with you, based on features, pricing, and community support.
• 💻 If you don't know how to code, it's crucial to either learn or find someone who does. Visual scripting options like Unreal Engine's Blueprint system can help avoid coding.
• 🌍 Community size is vital; the bigger the community, the more tutorials and help you'll get when issues arise.
• 🎮 Unity is the best for 2D games, with a large asset store and resources, while Unreal Engine 5 dominates 3D game development.
• 🚀 For multiplayer games, Unreal Engine is the best due to built-in multiplayer support, followed by Unity.
• 🛠 Each engine has pros, cons, and a learning curve—don't expect to make complex games in your first week.
• 💸 Unity has had recent controversies, especially with its pricing model and runtime fees, but it remains a popular engine with flexibility and extensive resources.
• 🆓 GDevelop and Godot are open-source alternatives that are growing in popularity, especially for 2D development.
• 🎯 The best way to choose an engine is to start small, experiment with a few, and find the one that best aligns with your project goals and skills.

Q & A

What factors should be considered when choosing a game engine?

When choosing a game engine, consider ease of use, community size, platform requirements, pricing, programming language, and the type of game you want to create (2D, 3D, multiplayer, etc.).

Why is community support important when selecting a game engine?

Community support is important because a larger community means more tutorials and resources are available. This can help developers find solutions to problems more easily, which can prevent frustration and maintain motivation.

Which game engine is considered best for 2D game development?

Unity is considered the best game engine for 2D development, offering features such as tile maps, sprite editors, animation physics, and a robust asset store. GameMaker and Godot are also strong contenders for 2D games.

What makes Unreal Engine 5 particularly suited for 3D game development?

Unreal Engine 5 is particularly suited for 3D games because it has built-in features like first- and third-person controllers, visual coding with Blueprints, excellent optimization for open-world games, and performance insight tools.

How does Unity's multiplayer development feature compare to Unreal Engine?

Unreal Engine has built-in multiplayer support and benefits from Fortnite's development expertise. Unity recently introduced the Netcode multiplayer package and offers Unity Gaming Services for hosting and managing servers, but Unreal's multiplayer is more integrated.

What is Unity’s runtime fee, and why was it controversial?

Unity’s runtime fee is a charge applied after a game reaches a certain level of engagement and revenue. It was controversial because Unity changed its pricing model unexpectedly, causing many developers to switch to other engines like Godot. The fee is now capped at 2.5% of a game's revenue.

Why might some developers prefer Godot over Unity or Unreal?

Developers might prefer Godot because it's open-source, has a growing community, is lightweight, and offers good 2D support. Many switched to it due to dissatisfaction with Unity’s pricing model. However, Godot’s 3D and physics capabilities are less advanced compared to Unity and Unreal.

What are some limitations of GameMaker when compared to other engines?

GameMaker is limited in its 3D support and lacks some built-in features like a UI editor. Its community is smaller than Unreal and Unity, and it requires more manual coding for certain features, which can slow down development for more complex projects.

What is visual scripting, and which engine is best for it?

Visual scripting allows developers to create games without traditional coding by using a graphical interface. Unreal Engine is considered the best for visual scripting, with its Blueprints system being the most advanced option available.

Why is it important to match the game engine to the type of game you want to make?

Matching the game engine to your project is important because each engine excels in different areas. For example, Unity is great for 2D games, Unreal for 3D, and Godot for open-source projects. Using an engine that doesn't align with your game type could lead to more development time and effort.