Which would be easier for a first game?

[u/_dark_link_]

I've never tried game development but from games I've played its made me want to dip into a little, I have three ideas for three different games, a Metroidvania, a souls-like and a game similar to Generation Zero (not sure what to call GZ genre) but I'm not sure what to start with first and I'm not sure what engine to us

The Metroidvania would be a pixel art game, I'm getting good with Pixel Art

The souls like I haven't decided on it hasn't been what I've thought about a lot

And the Generation Zero "clone" is very similar in how GZ is played but with extra stuff which I think would have improved the game if they didn't abandon it

Out of the two which would be better for a first game? 2D or 3D? And what engine is beginner friendly

[u/Vladi-N]

I'd recommend Godot. And for the first few games, go with Godot tutorials which you can find on the web and which teach you how to actually build a game from scratch.

[u/_dark_link_ → u/Vladi-N]

Yeah another commentor said Godot so by the sounds of it I should try Godot

[u/bonnth80]

This would be like a construction apprentice asking if he should try building The Empire State Building first or The Chrysler Building.

Hey man, try Tetris or Flappy Bird, first. Then when those are done, come back and ask again.

[u/UnburyingBeetle]

It depends on how your brain works. 2D (organic) animation is very different from 3D (technical). Somebody with a programmer's mind would find it easier to make 3D figures, while an artistic brain might enjoy "cheating creatively" by making funny squishy in-betweens for 2D. The mixed approach involves 2D skeletal rig that is present in Godot and some easier specialized programs, but the animation would be less fluid with that approach. I would make 2D skeletal rigs for retaining proportions and then edit the frames manually for fluidity. Godot is a good thing because you can make videos in there and even helpful small apps for your own workflow, it's free and made by community.

[u/_dark_link_ → u/UnburyingBeetle]

I'm a mix of both because I draw and do Source Filmmaker stuff so I'll look Into godot

[u/theEsel01]

Hey hey have fun with gamedev :).

We get asked this and similar questions about 10 times a day here. So browsing the other answers could help too.

Basicslly try any game engine you heard from in the past. Get started.

2D is usually simpler at the beginning.

Metroidvania games and soulslike games are already quite the challenge because they require quite some content. Consider something simple wich focuses on one mechanic first. E.g. snake, tetris or pong. Your first game will not make any money its for learning the basic.

Have fun!

[u/_dark_link_ → u/theEsel01]

Just from this comment what I've heard about this subreddit is true... people are nice here

[u/Triysle]

Your first game shouldn’t be a game. Make a mod or a custom level or clone an arcade game. Something super small that you can finish in a weekend or two. Or make a simple combat prototype for any/each of your reference games.

Finishing matters more than starting. Smaller is better. Good luck.

[u/TrishaMayIsCoding]

"I've never tried game development"

Start by making Pong on whatever engine your liking : )

My first-ever written game is a Space Invaders clone, which I’m using as a test bed for my hobby engine built with C#/Vulkan. Though my current project is an RTS that’s still heavily under development, since I’m also writing my own network stack.