Here are some powerful game creating tools you can use.
Introduction
Haven't you ever played Halo, Super Mario, etc. and ever wondered “Hmm… I wonder how I can make games like these…” Well in this article, I will show you a few programs that will allow you to make 2D, as well as 3D games!! Some require a lot of programming skills, and other none!! First off, I will introduce you to Game Maker.
Game Maker
Game maker is a program which you can make games with Drag & Drop, so it is very, very easy. If you don't know what Drag & Drop is, its when you for example, move a file from one place to another using your mouse. You can make games basically doing that. Isn't that wonderful!! First off you have to get the actual program here . That site is the now, official site of Game Maker. Game Maker was created by Mark Overmar.
Later on, I will be using this program and I will go through the steps on making a simple game XD.
C/C++
This is the programming language most of the commercial games are made out of today. This programming language is completely intense, so if you never programmed before, I don't recommend you using this. On the other hand if you have before (even small things such as turtle drawing), this is a very strong language. I prefer you use the Irrlicht Graphics engine, because it is a very powerful engine, and it is easy to make 3D games with.
Blitz Basic/3d
This, like C++, is also a programming language, but way easier. Blitz Basic is the program to make 2D games, while Blitz 3D is… self explanatory. You can get these programs at: http://www.blitzbasic.com
Sploder.com
Haven't you ever wanted to create those games on website? You don't even have to download them; just play them when you are on the site. If you go to Sploder.com, you can create you own flash games. It's not as powerful as the above tools, but you don't have to download it, just create an account and make games.
Game Maker Tutorial
Ok, those were the coolest game making tools that I have found and use. I will go through the steps on making a simple game where you move around, in game maker.
Open up game maker and click “new game” you can save it if you want to, but not required
Click on the red packman looking image at the top, then click edit sprite, and you will see a green box. Click it and you will be in a place that is like the program Paint. Fill the green up with any color, unless you want to keep it that way, and draw a simple picture. It can be a ball, box or anything. Make sure that its not the same color as the background (the green part if you didn't change the color),or else it will be transparent when you play the game. After you drew something, click save, and ok till you go back
Click on the blue ball at the top for creating a new object. This part may look a little confusing but its simple. Where it says “sprite” click it and pick the picture you drew eilier. Make sure “visible is checked”. Now click “Add Event” and click “keyboard” then click “”. Repeat this for all 4 arrow keys (left, right, up, down). Now go to left, and on the right hand side you will see a bunch of button looking stuff. You will see a red icon with a lot of arrows sticking out. Drag that icon into the white space next to it. When you drop it, A menu will pop up. You will see arrows, and a box that says “speed”. Click on the arrow that is pointing left and set speed to a speed desired, I recommend 5. Now do the same thing for all the rest of the keys, ex. In the up event, click on the arrow that is pointing up and set speed to 5. After you set the direction and speed for every arrow key, save the object by clicking “Ok”.
click on the icon next to the blue ball that looks like a white box to create a room. When you are in the room property, you should see a big grey spot with a grid on it. On the left side, the “object” tab should be selected, and the object you made should be there. Click anywhere on the grey spot and click the check mark at top.
Now click on the green arrow at the top and play your game. All you can do is move around, but hey, don't you think that was easy?
Conclusion
Game Maker is free and it is a great tool to make games, but if you want to make 3D games, you will need to pay $20. If you need any help, or have any question, post a comment here, or e-mail me at crazy_kennypu@hotmail.com. I hope you enjoyed my article!!
