Hi all! I am not a programmer, but a designer. As any designer, I have an idea for a game but there are as many ideas in the industry as there are fishes in the sea. However, I would like to start building a team in order to bring my idea to life but in order to do so I would need more then just a theory to present to people imo, so I thought on focusing building a demo to show when recruiting people.

Since I know little about programming I decided it is a good idea to make a visual style demo, because the visuals are one of main features and play a big role in the gameplay. So my question is, given that I know little programming, but that I don't mind learning basics of it or scripting if it will let me achieve the desired effects, what engine would be my best shot to build the said art demo in?

What I want is a mix between Quel Selaars overall look (the blurry edges, mist, "dotted" color palette) and Borderlands shader (the black outline and comic style shadows). I don't aim for high polygon count, advanced or realistic graphics, but rather for the artistic ones. I have already looked into UDK, which is able to provide the said borderlands effects, but I would like to hear if there are any alternatives, and what methods should I research in order to achieve the desired effects.

Thanks!

I would give Unity a shot. It has a comprehensive scripting language and a lot of graphics settings are as easy as flicking a switch (of course you gotta set up the levels and animations manually). I haven't used it myself, but being free, powerful and cross-platform it looks to be a very good choice. You might find it similar to UDK.

When you say you are a designer, do you create art assets, or actually mean just game design?

When you say you are a designer, do you create art assets, or actually mean just game design?<br />

I am game designer, but now picking up 3D again (have some experience in maya from earlier) for the purpose of building the said demo and to broad my skills

Thanks for tip about unity. I heard thou that shaders there require complex coding, am I mistaking?

Look is all about visual design and nada to do with which engine - except for what limitations the engine inherently carries. In today's landscape, there are very few visual styles that couldn't be replicated in every major engine (Unity, UDK, CryEngine, etc) so it's a non-issue.

<br />Look is <i>all </i>about visual design and <i>nada </i>to do with which engine - <i>except </i>for what limitations the engine inherently carries. In today's landscape, there are very few visual styles that couldn't be replicated in every major engine (Unity, UDK, CryEngine, etc) so it's a non-issue.<br />

Well, the question is which one would be easiest to implement the said visuals in, given my lack of coding knowledge. I am aware that with effort you could make any engine work