CuriosityKills

My next project will begin (and possibly end) as a personal project, with an overhead view of 3D actors/objects in space, and limited server interactions. I want to have a prototype within a couple weeks and a rough but polishable product within three months. I want to focus on the AI and have as much computing power as possible to bring to bear on that within these constraints. I need PC support. I'd like Mac support. I'm an experienced programmer and am confortable using any mainstream language--especially Java, C#, or Python etc. I know C/C++ and have done assembly. I'm allergic to learning "special languages" that nobody else uses, but I could make do.

The last time I was paid to program an indie game was years ago. At the time, I surveyed Torque and evaluated Unity and C4. I decided Unity was the go-to if one wanted to actually ship a professional iOS app in under six months with a team of a half-dozen.

Any suggestions I should consider this time around besides Unity? Cost is a factor, but I'm okay spending a bit of money, if it saves weeks of development time. Especially in the case that I've made the decision that publishing the product would be in my best interest!