2D engines/frameworks
polycounter lvl 17
Does anyone have 2D engine recommendations to mess around with for someone relatively comfortable with scripting? I've been looking at a few, and flixel is looking quite nice for now, but I'm hoping to find something along the lines of Unity. In particular, I really like the fact that Unity combines a drag and drop interface with really easy access to scripting. I mean, everything's just beautifully-integrated. Add a variable in script, and boom, there it is in the gui.
I've tried Construct, and for what it is, it's not too bad. But more and more, I feel like I'm hacking in really basic functionality into it via the rather limited behaviors system. Also, it becomes incredibly click-heavy, taking me way more time than I would need if I were just to script a custom function, or even just simple conditional statements. Also, the interface is horribly inconsistent.
I've looked at pyGame and LOVE, and I'm messing with flixel now, and it seems really nice, but it's purely a framework, with no gui. I'm really looking for something halfway, even if it leans more towards the scripting side (I'd prefer that, actually).
I've used Torque2D in the past as an early adopter, but couldn't get my head around the later versions (after they rebranded it as Torque Game Builder). The interface just seemed daft.
But yeah, something along the lines of Unity would be great, especially if it supports a more general-purpose language than, say, TorqueScript.
Oh, and apologies if this belongs in Tech Talk. I wasn't really sure which of the two would be more suitable.
I've tried Construct, and for what it is, it's not too bad. But more and more, I feel like I'm hacking in really basic functionality into it via the rather limited behaviors system. Also, it becomes incredibly click-heavy, taking me way more time than I would need if I were just to script a custom function, or even just simple conditional statements. Also, the interface is horribly inconsistent.
I've looked at pyGame and LOVE, and I'm messing with flixel now, and it seems really nice, but it's purely a framework, with no gui. I'm really looking for something halfway, even if it leans more towards the scripting side (I'd prefer that, actually).
I've used Torque2D in the past as an early adopter, but couldn't get my head around the later versions (after they rebranded it as Torque Game Builder). The interface just seemed daft.
But yeah, something along the lines of Unity would be great, especially if it supports a more general-purpose language than, say, TorqueScript.
Oh, and apologies if this belongs in Tech Talk. I wasn't really sure which of the two would be more suitable.
Replies
You can use flash authoring tool to design levels/create assets etc
Learning actionscript is going to take some time, but it's worth it. You can transfer that knowledge to web development or other non-gamedev related fields.
Construct and other 2D engines are nice, but I find scripting and designing stuff myself more flexible and fun than messing with "visual programming" kind of stuff that gets really messy as your project starts getting bigger and bigger.
http://forum.unity3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=8451 (originated from here)
http://www.unifycommunity.com/wiki/index.php?title=SpriteManager
http://www.i3dgames.com/2009/08/09/unity-plugin-sprite-atlas-builder/
http://www.anbsoft.com/middleware/sm2/
http://forum.unity3d.com/viewtopic.php?p=207511#207511
That should get you started. But, if you are looking for more freedom and depth, i would recommend testing the following 2D-oriented engines:
http://www.love2d.org/
http://www.indielib.com/