Question Regarding Indie Developing Programs

Greg DAlessandro

Does anyone know what programs are typically used for indie developing?

I'm making 2 lists right now:
- A list of programs for the long run (commercial licences of Maya, Zbrush, etc)
- A list of free program alternatives for starting off (while I save money towards the programs in the first list)

I was thinking of holding off on buying a Unreal Engine license until UE4 was released. But at the same time I don't know if most indie developers even use Unreal Engine, or if they just stick with Unity, or create their own 3d/2d engine.

I want to have the potential in the engine/programs be able to make visually outstanding games like Trine 2 (But I do understand that it was their own engine that they made)

I basically want to have a lot of visual potential in the engine and programs that I use.

unit187

Start with free Blender and Gimp for graphics and free licenses of UDK or Unity (it depends what game you want to create). It seems you are not really ready to pick a software package thoughtfully.

Also, at the end of the day, it is not software, but your personal skills that allow you create beautiful game like Trine 2. And it takes years to develop those skills.

Ark

As far as programs go, people will use what meets their needs and budget. You'll probably find more programs like Blender, Modo and Lightwave being used over the expensive Autodesk products.

You seem the use I a lot in your post suggesting your working on this alone, that is still quite a feat, most indies do have a few people in there teams. Also acquiring an Unreal license is also something beyond a lot of indies other than going the UDK route.

Take a look at Unity, UDK, Crryengine and there's the other lesser known engines like Phyre Engine and Vision Engine.

MikeF

all of these factors come down to personal preference in work flow and how much cash you have to drop on your tools.

i'm a huge fan of unity, its great for quick prototyping and has a lot of flexibility when it comes to expanding the toolset and visuals (not to mention unity 5 rite around the corner). Plus a pro license is very affordable (with no need for royalties after hitting a specific profit point)

No 3d package will be able to give you better quality art over the other, its all down to how you use it. That being said, you might find faster workflows with certain packages when paired with certain engines.

Maya, Photoshop, and unity are my personal bread and butter

Richard Kain

I'm a hobbyist developer, so I've limited myself to the cheap options for the moment.

I use...

Blender for 3D
GIMP for pixel graphics
Inkscape for vector graphics
Audacity for audio recording and editing
Unity as my primary game engine

This is fairly bare-bones, and definitely leans toward a budget-friendly development environment. But this makes sense, as I'm just dappling and not throwing myself into it full-time.