Hi all, I want to create a game that works in 2.5/pseudo 3d, think along the lines of Cannon Fodder, or Commando (going back even further). So there'll be people moving along and up the screen, firing projectiles up into the air.

I used to use Blitz Basic a few years ago, and my initial thought was to use BlitzMax, but I really do not to be honest fancy paying £60 for something that I don't even know I'm going to get on with. It does seem an awful lot of money when I'm new to all this. Much better to try something free first.

So I've been investigating other tools, and the more I read the more confused I am becoming. I'm working on a mac, so I got XCode, and I've been investigating the options for

a) building something from scratch using C++/Objective C and OpenGL

b) using Cocoa

c) using SpriteKit

the above seem to cover my options for XCode

I also downloaded Unity ages ago and thought it seemed geared towards 3D only, but I'm reading all sorts of things about the newer 2D capabilities it now has in 4.3, so that would definitely be something to consider.

Having spent the last few days looking at the options, I'm finding I'm getting further and further from being able to make an informed decision, so I'm throwing this open to you all.

Some more info:

- I'm not new to programming, my day job is currently as a SQL developer, in the past I've worked with Java and C#. So I think I could probably handle making something completely from scratch, though of course I'm keen to avoid creating extra, unnecessary work for myself.

- I want this game to be really fast, so whatever I use has to handle a good 10 or so sprites moving about with projectiles being fired around. I'm assuming this won't be a problem in this day and age for any of the tools/methods mentioned above.

- what concerns me most is handling the projectile physics in 2.5d if I'm using something built for 2D, which would be the best for doing this? And are there any good tutorials out there? I found one ages ago for making a 2.5d game in Unity but the 2.5D in that example was something more akin to LittleBigPlanet, which isn't exactly what I'm trying to do.

I have had a good google at this but I'm struggling to find any info that really helps me make an informed choice here. Hoping somebody can help.

Thanks for reading

I also downloaded Unity ages ago and thought it seemed geared towards 3D only, but I'm reading all sorts of things about the newer 2D capabilities it now has in 4.3, so that would definitely be something to consider.

I think unity is a great option for what you are looking for. I delved into 4.3 not to long ago, and I think that it did a lot of what people wanted from it. Im unsure, but I think c# is most recommended language for use with unity scripts. As far as im aware though, It may be the only one but i'm not completely positive. In the end though, with your C# exp, and unities tools being right there, I think it would be a great thing to work with as long as you enjoy it.

Hi all, I want to create a game that works in 2.5/pseudo 3d,

Do you want 2.5D or pseudo 3D. From my experiences 2.5D would be like little big planet/New Super Mario Bros, where as pseudo 3D would be a 3d effect made by 2d sprite, as in something like world runner, and that type of fake 3D. There is also Isometric, which is again kinda like a fake 3D, but still looks better in a 3D world than a pseudo 3D effect.

was something more akin to LittleBigPlanet, which isn't exactly what I'm trying to do.

Are you sure? because thats pretty much 2.5D physics for ya, In a 2.5D world, you can basically have 3 layers. your front, your middle, and your back. these in order done right will give you that 2.5D effect. Take a look at Beatbuddy:Tale of the Guardians. This game used unity and did so perfectly. This is the best example of basic 2.5D I could find. Once you really have a hard grasp on how you want it to look, decide whether or not unity would be best for you.

All in all, I think unity is the best option here, Im not trying to discourage you from starting from scratch, but unity is a very powerfull and time saving tool if you know what you are doing. And while 4.3's tools are still new, tutorials will come up eventually, and messing around with the ui on your own to see what does what will also help. there are some Unity made tutorials on their website related to these tools.

Many thanks for the reply. To clarify, we're talking pseudo 3d on the terms you have defined, although wikipedia lumped both those options under 2.5d, but no matter.
The more I read about unity 4.3 the more i tend to agree with you. I've found a couple more tutorials that seem to suggest I can do what I want to do relatively easily. That said, I feel like i have a lit more reading to do to get my head around it all and to do things correctly. So it is good to be able to make a confident decision before I make that commitment of time and effort.
Thanks again

I used BlitzMax.

I also used Leadwerks (with BlitzMax).

I now use Unity. I recommend it.

Because: -

c#

NavMeshes

2d + 3d stuff

Free version

Nice dev IDE