Hello i am Anub1s, I am new to this forum and I am having difficulty choosing an engine to use for a game i plan to develop in the near future. I am new to game development and I am inexperienced at coding, however I am very driven to create this game as I believe it is the type of game that I would love to play.

The game is a strategy game set in space with top down shoot-em-up, and RPG influences. I plan for the game to be high quality (high quality textures, art, backgrounds, gameplay mechanics, sound effects, music, story etc...) but made with minimum investment. I have considered both 2D and 3D engines and i am unsure of which would be most efficient. I am looking for a robust engine capable of supporting my rather lofty goals and would value your input and assistance.

My questions are:

1. What would be the best* free/open source engine (Preferably 2D, i will be working alone on this project and i wish to keep it as simple as possible) for my game.**

2. What would be the best overall engine (regardless of price or 3D/2D) for my game.

*Best meaning the most capable, easy to use, robust engine that best fits the goals and specifications i have for my game stated above.
**I realize the information i provided is possibly insufficient, i will gladly provide more upon request.

Additionally, any other assistance and "tips" would be gladly welcomed.

Engines i have considered are: Unity (Though i am reluctant to use this one on the small chance that my game will become publishable and perhaps generate profit) Torque 2D (I would need a strong argument in favor of using this engine because 100$ is a significant amount) and DX Studio (I have not found any impressive examples of games made with this engine and am generally not impressed with it.)

As stated above i wish to minimize monetary investment, as such i would prefer to use a free/open source engine. I am sure as the development of this game progresses i will require an increasing amount of assistance, but i will strive to personally research and to thoroughly search these forums for answers before posting.

Thanks in advance!
Anub1s

Game Maker. It has superb 2d graphics and amazing 3d graphics. It's very easy to learn, and it's very powerful. Go to yoyogames.com (i think that's the link) to download it.

I have had a bit of experience with Unity as well and from the description of the game you want to make I think it would be a very good option to use, especially for a person new to the world of game design.

If you want o have high end graphics you may have to think about hiring an artist (unless of course you are a good artist yourself).

Its good to see a dedicated person setting themselves an achievable project. Go for it and do your best!

I would recommend you just to learn C# and use XNA. That would definitely be a minimum investment, since they're free. I know you want a game engine, but I think you should look into XNA. I've just started to use it since yesterday and I would have to say it's pretty easy if your making a 2D game, haven't tried 3D yet.