The most flexible method is pay someone else to do it for you. That's what all the top companies use.

You might just be using the wrong language. You might want to try Python with Pygame.

Well, I can't say don't program. That would be the last resort. Never quit. What language exactly are you using? || what do you want to use.(TRANSLATION: Or what do you want to use). Are you using C++? Is it your first language? Try BASIC or Python first. I never have done Python, but it seems to me to be a good language. Pygame helps make the games if I understand right. I hope that helps. ;)

I agree. But do what you feel like doing. Although, if you don't learn to program in any language whatsoever, then don't say you are a programmer. Because if you can't make hello world in anything weather it be BASIC, Pascal, C++, or whatever else- you aren't a programmer. Just please, my suggesstion is, learn at least BASIC. Or Python, once again. I don't want to make this sound like I am insulting or whatever this post may seem to be, but I am just being honest. If you can't program a program, you aren't a programmer. Just please learn 1 language. If ya don't like it... then you don't like it. UNless, you can already program. You probably can. But anything you learn, there is no point in learning it, if you just never program with it.

If better free libraries existed, and if tying them together wasn't so much trouble, then you could get away with very little programming and write a game that was like what you imagine. I had a friend that for the longest time would simply not do "that typing crap" and his games on KlikAndPlay and Multimedia Fusion all kind of sucked. You really need the power that a real programming language provides in order to tell the computer how to do things that someone else hasn't though of yet. What I could do with concise code, he had to do with using many timers as counters and using some timer values as switches to turn events on and off. It was way more ugly than just writing the darned thing. However, I do agree with you, most compilers are a pain to set up, 3rd party libraries can be confusing for a newbie to figure out how to set up, and most of the core game code stuff like collisions/networking are either nonexistant or difficult to understand. I'm working on a 2D physics engine, AKA a 2D Havoc or something like that, and there is a library called Clanlib which kicks major butt, but even with those, a game is hardly plug this to that and insert game code *wham* a game.

http://www.clanlib.org
http://ptymn.hopto.org/dev/toybox%20v0.1.1.zip

:-\ Wait around til christmas and at least my 2D physics engine should be usable at that point. Then you could easily make a 2D game without networking...