Apps To Program Video Games: Playing to Create Your Own Game
These days, you don’t need to work in a studio to create your video games. Anyone with a passion, knowledge and skills in game design can do it. If you are interested in game development, you can find apps to program video games and start your career.
Gaming is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and is also finding more and more new talent.
Construct: Start Without Any Knowledge
It is one of the best apps to program video games because it is one of the few that does not require any programming knowledge to get started.
In other words, most of its tools are drag and drop based. On the downside, is that its interface prevents you from creating lines of code and lets the app handle everything.
The free version allows your creations to be compatible with all browsers, be it an app on the Microsoft Store, a Facebook or Google Chrome game.
The paid version extends compatibility to Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux. In addition, a wide range of learning materials are available in written or video training format.
Unity: Not So Simple, but With a Lot of Tutorials
It is one of the best apps to program video games in 3D, although it also works for 2D games. In the past, the performance of 2D games was not that great compared to other game creation tools. However, today it can be considered one of the best 2D game development engines on the market.
Although it requires some programming knowledge to use, especially C#, the app has extensive material, tutorials, and a great community that shares tips and tricks to maximize usage.
The main advantage of Unity over other apps to program video games is its good compatibility with almost all available platforms: Android, iOS, Facebook, HTML5, Windows, and Mac are just a few examples, which also include video game consoles and even real games.
Unity has three plans:
- Personal: Free plan, as long as your income does not exceed $100,000 per year, your games can be created and sold royalty-free;
- Plus: 40 US dollars per month; this plan gives more opportunities to create your own game. Annual income should not exceed 200,000 US dollars;
- Pro: The largest plan, costs $150 per month and frees up the source code of the platform for more complex changes. There is no limit to the income from the sale of games.
Gamemaker Studio 2: Creating 2D Games
The best game maker app if you are a beginner. Unlike Unity, GameMaker Studio’s appeal lies in 2D gaming, so it’s the way to go if you want to work in that perspective.
The platform makes it easy to import animations, models, and fonts, and lets you build games to be compatible with Windows, HTML5, Android, iOS, and consoles like Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Each edition has different costs depending on the platform you want to distribute your game on. There is a free trial version of GameMaker Studio 2, but the game can only be published for Windows.
Stencyl: Simple and With Access to Modify Codes
Using a similar approach to Construct, Stencyl also allows you to start developing games without becoming a programming expert.
Unlike Construct, however, this platform allows you to modify the game’s code. The app has a world and level editor to create the game environment, and it also has a character creator and editor to complete the game. The app allows you to create Flash games for the web, iOS, and Android for an annual fee of $199.
Unreal Engine 4: One of The Most Professional Apps
Independent developers and large video game studios have used Unreal Engine 4, one of the most important apps to program video games on the market. Created by the biggest names in the industry, the program is one of the most professional apps to program video games out there.
However, it also allows you to develop games without using known lines of code.
Unreal Engine 4 offers a series of tutorials to teach game developers how to get the most out of its features, including a YouTube channel with thousands of videos.
Best of all, it’s completely free and charges a 5% royalty per game if you hit $3,000 per quarter.
Apps To Program Video Games: Where to Start?
Like any creative process, video game design starts with an idea, some details about how the game will be developed, and where we want to take it. This idea is the first step in the general process of creating a video game.
A good idea doesn’t always make a good game, and on the contrary, a bad idea doesn’t always make a bad game. And in the process, game design can change a lot.
The original concept is not always what ends up on the screens. Game development is a complex process with many factors to consider. When you have an idea, write it down and make small sketches of how the game will evolve in all aspects: gameplay, storytelling, and art.
Create a base from which to start working on a key element of the process: the design document. From this document everything is created and all the elements that will be included in the final game are defined, how the player interacts with the environment, the NPCs, the game modes, the prizes or currencies, the world, and the environment; even what programmers and artists should work on, and complement the idea of the game designer.
Apps To Program Video Games: Video Game Design
Transfer all the elements of a video game to paper. The job of a game designer is to put everything the game needs on paper. From character design, narrative design, playable systems and scenery; down to the smallest and most trivial detail of how each element interacts to achieve the ultimate goal.
The files produced by game designers are the foundation upon which programmers, artists, and modelators build the final product.
Apps To Program Video Games: The First Thing Is to Know Who You Are Aiming To
To create a video game, and facilitate the work of the team members, follow some specific steps.
- Set a goal
The first step is to define the objectives of the project to be developed. What do you want with the game? What story do you want to tell, and how do you want to tell it? Also, What kind of experience do you plan to give players?
- Identify the target group
Once you’ve determined your goals, it’s time to determine what kind of audience might be interested in the game. Developing a Legend of Souls game is not the same as developing a Super Mario game. A section of the audience may fit in, but some games only appeal to a certain niche of players.
- Think about what device it will be developed on
Before you can begin to describe anything about the action, systems, or world of the game, you must define which platform the game will be developed for. This is important for the work of other members of the game development team.
- Consider the type of game.
Another important step in the development of a video game is to consider its genre. Thinking about shooter mechanics is not the same as thinking about RPG systems.
Apps To Program Video Games: The Game World and Its Levels
The game world is one of the most important aspects of video game design. What does the world offer to the player? Does the detail have to be rich?
- Design mechanics
The playing experience is where video games really set themselves apart from other cultural and artistic media. Game interactivity design is complex and requires a lot of upfront work. And the game needs to be played a lot to get suggestions for changes, combinations, or additions.
- Design levels
Another important aspect of game design is level design. This is something related to the design of the game world. Will it be an open world or a level structured game? If it is built on different levels, will they be connected to each other?
- The characters design
Character design is everything. Who is the main character in the game, what do they look like, how do they walk, etc.? Is it an empty avatar or do they have their own personality? Also, we discuss secondary and temporary roles in the game. Many times, NPCs feel like part of a collection, but a good game will give them their own personality.
The character design also takes enemy design into account if necessary.
- Design content
There are many factors to consider in the game development process. One of them is the content of the game.
By this we mean the design of objects where the player can interact with other characters that are not avatars or heroes of the game, or elements of the game world, whether they destroy or build them.
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