to create levels you can create half-life/quake-like maps using a very powerful editor called WorldCraft, but most game studios write their own (well now adays more and more are simply writing plugins for maya and max to generate their levels). Hopes that answer s your question!

Good luck in your long road to being a game developer.

Can valves WorldCraft aka Hammer editor be used commercially? For example I create a whole new engine, game, but I use hammer to create levels, can it be sold commercially?

C++ is used for the abse game code. C++ is sued to make the basic game engine, and control the APIs. DirectX is not a program but an SDK. An SDK is a Software Development Kit. It contains all you need to build a complete program. An API is an Application Programming Interface. It controls one aspect of the process, like graphics, input, or networking. You also use middleware. Middleware is software developed by other companies that simplifies the process of a part of development. For example, AI middleware allows a designer or programmer to easily build the AI. Maya, Blender, and 3D Studio Max are 3D modelers. These are pretty simple, but depend on which one you use. These create the game art. You also user 2D programs, like Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro to make 2D art assets and textures. You don''t have to use C. YOu may also use scripting languages such as Perl or Python to speed up development. Assembley is commonly used when something must be accomplished quickly. These are only the primary tools, but game development can take anything from servers to office suites.

Scott Simontis
Big Joke: C#