Best Development Engines for Making Video Games

So you want to create your own video game, huh? When I first joined Associated Content, I wrote up a basic blueprint for the development process. It's good for those who who some sort of knowledge of programing and want to actually finish a project.

Game Maker
One of the more popular development engines in the indie scene, Game Maker lets you do a little bit of everything. You can make RPG, space shooters, platformers, puzzlers, etc. The community is active and very helpful.

Game Maker uses 2 methods of game development: Drag and drop, and GML(Game Maker programming Language). While it is possible to make your own video games without learning GML, it's recommended if you want to use the advanced features. Game Maker Pro costs $25.

RPG Maker/RMXP.
Like old school, turn based RPG's? RPG Maker allows you to create games with that style...And nothing more. Yeah, it's basically a niche development engine(You can't get nichier than role playing games). Users can make set up quests, special events that are activated in certain situations, etc.

FPS Creator.
Use a drag and drop system to create your own 3D first person shooter...If you shell out $50. the free demo gives you a good idea of what to expect. FPS Creator reminds me of level creators in games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. You can download model and object pacts from the FPS Creator site, so there isn't much hard work to do when putting together a shooter with this engine.

GameBlender.
GameBlender is a remix of the popular 3D graphics program, Blender. There are plenty of quality help documents for getting started with Blender. Unlike some other game development engines, It's open source. Which just also happens to mean free to use. Amazing how open and free seem to go hand and hand.

For those who have no idea how to program, you have more than a handful of options when it comes to getting assistance. You can seek the help of someone who knows a programing language, You can buy books and teach yourself at your own pace. If you are not interested in doing either, you can use a preconstructed game development engine.

I'm not going to tout one game engine above others. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses. What's good to one person may be horrid to others. Some may like Game Maker Pro better than the free Blender or easy to use FPS Creator. It's all about choosing the game engine capable of creating the game you envision.