Game Making Software

I'm always on the lookout for various programs that can assist me in my game making dreams. I think it's best for beginners to start off on simple programs before advancing into the more complex ones. I still consider myself to be a beginner, although i've been exploring into some of the more complex programs used in the industry.

I started developing games using a program called Game Maker. It's an action based program that doesn't require any scripting knowledge, which is really good for beginners. You can create basic games on it like pac-man or space invaders etc. Although it doesn't require scripting knowledge you can use scripts if you have the skills to use them. It is capable of making 3D games as well as 2D games. The 3D games that i know of which it is capable of making are things like the original Doom.

After learning a bit about Game Maker and producing a few stand-alone games that were relatively simple I discovered another program that I favoured. RPG maker XP. It's a program that allows people to create Role-playing games, even if you're a beginner. The program itself is fairly straightforward and can be learned really easily. Using some of the basic scripting options you can enable all kinds of things.. like trades such as cooking or mining or blacksmithing etc. Overall its a really good program for producing 2D RPGs.

Another program I used more recently has been Eclipse Evolution. It is similar to RPG maker XP however in the same respect its a different program completely.. it just borrows the sprites from RPG maker XP.. so it has a similar look to it. Eclipse Evolution or EE is used for producing 2D MMORPG's. At first it can be a little difficult for beginners to set up, and i found it from then onwards to be like a puzzle.. having to work out through forums how to get different features to work. It's a pretty decent program and I'd recommend it to people wanting to make online RPG's however like many programs it has it's occasional bugs.

One of the programs I own that is used for more high-end game development is 3D studio max. Im pretty much a beginner at it, and don't know how to use alot of it's complex functions. but im hoping to learn more. 3D studio max is used to create 3D models and also create animations using the 3D models. I think if you can master how to use it with ease then you'll be able to create anything you want.

Anyways that's just a little bit about some of the programs i've used in the past and present. I haven't mentioned all of them, just a few that popped into my head.. or the more notable ones. I've used many programs which were rather horrible that i didn't mention above.

Ohwells let me know if you know any other good programs to use for game development.