i am competent in general computing(at least i like to think so) and have used 3D software like solid edge auto cad(stuff use in engineering) but zero knowledge programming, zero music and art composing talent.

what i want to create is something like Ico/shadow of colossal's world(yes i know, but i am not aiming to create anything near to that level ). basicall i just create one single character running around in a Hugh abandoned world , no enemy, no fighting, no anime, no level up or any kind of gameplay atleast not in the near feature.

what program should i use to achieve this? is there anything simple like that require little programming language that i can use with existing assets? for example if i want a tree, i can just drag and drop a pre existing model from library onto the world map, and provide simple animation like running and texture like skin, rocks and stuff?

basically what i want is a easy to use program/engine that provide a big library of assets i can use to create a 3D open world map with single character( looking to add 1 more character or some anime later if it goes well)

sorry if my post is confusing since i dont really know how to express it well

My system

Window 7 64 bit

8G ram

Nvidia 560ti

Just use Unity or UDK

which engine has the most free assets available? should i use UDK or unreal 4?

i frequently visit kotaku and looked at some cry-engine post and they seem quite impressive especially foliage and weather effect. its looks very pretty and easy to use(at least in this video for terrain

so how is cryengine compare to above 2 engine? should i stick to unity as a beginner?

@Tutorial Doctor

haha nice! how is your project going?

btw those program are for creating 3D models which is then used in a game engine? is there

+1 for Unity. Use it myself and I found it good to get started 5 years ago.

If you want to pick Unreal over Unity (and there is a good reason to do that, as the free version of Unity has some features cut which might hamper your ability if you aim for high graphic fidelity in your game), be aware that...

- UDK is outdated, while UE4 is the newest version of the engine, so with UE4 you get the latest and greatest tech, while UDK might not even get bugfixes anymore.

- UDK is free to download, for UE4 you have to spend at least 20$ to get the engine

Unity has a huge amount of assets in its asset store. Most of them are not for free though. Unity also has some standart asset packages on their page.

Be aware that most free 3D Assets will be usable in most engines, as most of them import multiple different format.

Unity and UDK/Unreal 4 will most probably have the biggest community and documentation available, something important when you start out.

That does not mean that some of the smaller engines are not beginner friendly or don't have very helpful communities. It's just nummerically, both are hard to beat.

+1 to Blender. Its NOT Beginner friendly, but its the most powerful 3D Package you can get for free (there are actually not many free or even opensource ones available). So you will have little choice than come to grips with the rather cryptic way the Blender GUI is navigated.

Forget about the "Big library of assets".... you will get that, but not for free. You can get small packages for free for all the engines, you might build up a big library by going through the list of Game Engines on devmaster.net, visiting their page and downloading all the asset packs they provide. 99% of the assets will be in a format that all the engines can open (besides specialities like trees made in Unitys tree creator).

There is a lot laying around on the internet, but you will have to do the legwork to collect it all (and beware the licensing, some people but stuff up for free but as soon as you use it in aproduct you want to sell you get into a licensing nightmare)

Gona try Unity first since it seem to be number one choice for indie and beginner but it seem quite a number of feature is nurtured, but most importantly the LOD feature is missing in free version , will that make a big open world map be impossible?

No, it would just run slower. That said, the terrain is not what slows you down as much as all the game objects (like trees, grass, rocks, buildings, etc).

You should be able to upgrade Unity to the pro version when your project is further along to get access to those features, but you would still be locking yourself into buying that at some point if you ever want to have access to all those features. If I were you though I'd still go for Unity. Being free at this stage gives you the option to try it out and learn without worry. Later on when you have learned more and progressed in your development more, start a kickstarter or something similar and raise the $1500 to get pro.

Also be aware that missing the built in LOD Feature does not mean you cannot do LODs.... maybe not for the Terrain, but swapping out the Meshes for the other objects can be done with crafty coding by yourself. And the LOD System does not much else.

Also, you can work around it by creating your big open world map in a way that makes it easier to control the amount of visible objects onscreen all the time. You will have to do this to an extent anyway even with the LOD System. Without you just have to lower the amount of objects visible.

Can be done with valleys or line of sight blocking objects hiding a lower viewrange for example.

You can also give UDK / Unreal 4 a try. As far as I can see, the unreal engine comes close in popularity to Unity thanks to UDK first and the very Indie-friendly UE4 license, the Editor looks pretty easy to start with too and you will not face any of the limitations of Unity free with their free UDK / 20$ UE4 Engine. As long as you do not have a problem with royalities for everyone making more than 50k$ with their product, it might be the better solution.

On the other hand, I would not think too much about optimizations for now. Just because the free version will limit your options to optimize down the line does not mean you can't built exactly what you imagine right now. You will have to take a hit in FPS.... but for screenies and even youtube vids that might not be too much of a problem.