Hello all!

I've coded a simple 2d board game in c++ using SDL, and I was thinking of moving on to a bigger project. I would like to eventually get into 3D game dev, but first I want to create a 2D game using an engine.

Is unreal engine 4 a good place for me to start making 2D games? I'm talking simple platformers and side scrollers, nothing too fancy.

Also, is it hard for one person to make a simple 3D game? I don't plan on drawing anything because I'm a terrible artist. This means all of the models would have to be bought from somewhere else.

Thanks

Depending on the game you want to make, it's feasible to make one on your own. Unreal (and Unity, and others) give you a sizeable toolbox out of the gate, and they have marketplaces where you can buy models, animations, sounds, and even code modules to do in the larger or more complex gaps that the engine didn't cover itself.

Making an original, interesting, or high-quality game is another story, but making something small and simple is totally reasonable.

I'd like to think that switching techs is an investment that needs to be considered.

For example, I'm currently used to Unity, which is a tech I've moved to from another where progress rate was much slower. Despite the learning curve, I consider I've got more done now as a result from switching tech.

Without prior experience as to your skillset and pipeline, etc. I'm going to assume that what you need to do first is make more games, and that's generally best achieved with a tech you are familiar with. Chances are, you still have a lot to learn about game development in general, so tackling 3D and a new tech all at once might be overkill.

Stick to 2d, stick to what you feel competent with, and revisit when you have a few completed titles under your belt, and learn something new.

By the time you reach that, UE4 might no longer be the 'hawt' thing anyway.

Also, is it hard for one person to make a simple 3D game? I don't plan on drawing anything because I'm a terrible artist. This means all of the models would have to be bought from somewhere else.

From my (fairly short but nonetheless existing) model buying experience, I can tell you that bought models are not a solution for all your content needs. You will have to modify the bought ones (scale, apply transformations, fix materials, subdivide/optimize, fix texture coords) and you will have to combine them using advanced modelling techniques (low-level vertex/edge/face editing, CSG) to create some of your own. Better be prepared by knowing how to make *everything* yourself and using bought assets *only* to save time.

As for UE4, from what I've heard - it's not that good for 2D games yet (not sure if it'll ever be - it's just too big). Some people that ship games have had luck with Unity, some use HTML5 "engines", some use Flash - but I guess that's going away and can't be recommended anymore.

Unreal 4 would be massively overkill

People use to tell me that I tend to use a toolbox when I only need a hammer.

But using UE4 as the next step for you would probably be like using an entire hardware store for just one nail.

Unity is better, but Godot is also great - and maybe more accessible (being open source) - that really depends on what your primary programming language is.

So, it seems I should just make more games with C++ and SDL rather than learn UE4. Sounds good.

If I eventually start using an engine, which one should I pick that would be the simplest to learn (given my skills in C++/SDL)?.

UE uses C++ so for you it would be easier to start with,

unity support web platform what gives you opportunity to make games for web portals or social networks.

but just read comparison ue4 and unity3d and choose what you need.

unity support web platform what gives you opportunity to make games for web portals or social networks.

UE4 supports HTML5.

Have no idea if it actually works of course.

Just keep in mind that right now everyone seems to think that the only two engines in our world is either Unity or UE.

That's understandable as they recently went affordable.

If you want to know what makes Unreal Engine tick, you need to spend years working with that tech.

Or you could choose something a lot simpler so that you don't have to spend loads of time getting comfortable with it :)