an engine is like using paint instead of going
pixel....R...G...B
0x0......2...1...24
0x1......2...1...24

Quote:Original post by bmxtricksta10
What does a game engine do? I just want to know if I need one and also which is the best?

Whether or not you need one is answered by how much work you want to do and how much background you already have in game development.

Sometimes, learning someone else's engine is about as much work as building one yourself. This is largely a result of how complex and different your game's design is.

Which engine is the "best" is a similarly complicated question. Different engines are built with different things in mind. If you're just going to build a run-of-the-mill first-person shooter, you can easily go with something like the Quake 2 engine (the source of which is available to the public) or something like that. But the Quake Engine is not as well-suited for building a Warcraft clone. The particulars of your game's design have a lot to do with whether or not an engine is "best" for you.