Hi Fireside7, I appreciate your idea and while it is certainly worth considering as a backup plan, my plan is to put my 3D modeling skills from my Bachelors degree to work developing this game. While at the same time incorporating 2D elements as well. If I were to just create a 2D game alone, I'd feel as though I were not making full use of my skills.

Of course, you should do what you think is right, but I've been through this, and what I found was that the programming, especially in setting up the framework can take a very long time. So, basically, you are only working in one skill set. I think it's best to work on all of them a little at a time. Modeling, design, and story. I also think it's best to start on a small project. With a 2d point and click framework, you can just take snap shots of models and make sprites and backgrounds, and work on game design and story, while building a 3d interactive framework. The engines, like Unity, are very basic and take a lot of work to set up, and need a lot of development time concerning scripting. It tends to end up a horrible mess at first.

Hey Gian-Reto and Fireside7, I'll respond to your replies tomorrow evening (Sunday) or on Monday, as I work the weekends and don't have a lot of time for conversing right now. :)

Of course, you should do what you think is right, but I've been through this, and what I found was that the programming, especially in setting up the framework can take a very long time. So, basically, you are only working in one skill set. I think it's best to work on all of them a little at a time. Modeling, design, and story. I also think it's best to start on a small project. With a 2d point and click framework, you can just take snap shots of models and make sprites and backgrounds, and work on game design and story, while building a 3d interactive framework. The engines, like Unity, are very basic and take a lot of work to set up, and need a lot of development time concerning scripting. It tends to end up a horrible mess at first.

Point taken. If you take animation out of the equation, a 2D Game is extremly simple to do. And you can completly scratch the need for any kind of engine.

But, this assumes the TO has either the artistic skill to work in 2D, has access to an artist who has, or is ready to put in the time to learn it. Not everyone good in 3D Graphics creation is talented in 2D Drawing (just as true the other way around).

In the end, it all boild down to some basic advices:

- Start as small as you can.

- Be aware that your first few tries will most probably fail. The bigger your first try, the more this will hurt.

- Just get started and try it. You will waste time on going down the wrong path anyway even with the best advice you could have gotten.

Wow, you both have given me a lot to think about! I was thinking about explaining my rational for doing a 3D project versus a 2D project, but after re-reading the insight you both offered I think I should probably consider both options equally. Although similar to what Gian-Reto said, my education is in creating 3D assets, which may out-weight my skill with creating 2D assets.

How ever this turns out, I'm already thinking up the timeline and scope and have a good idea that it will be a long term commitment; especially since I'll be doing every part of the development myself.

As of right now I'm in the process of trying out UDK and Unity.

I'll respond more tomorrow.

Wow, you both have given me a lot to think about! I was thinking about explaining my rational for doing a 3D project versus a 2D project, but after re-reading the insight you both offered I think I should probably consider both options equally. Although similar to what Gian-Reto said, my education is in creating 3D assets, which may out-weight my skill with creating 2D assets.

How ever this turns out, I'm already thinking up the timeline and scope and have a good idea that it will be a long term commitment; especially since I'll be doing every part of the development myself.

As of right now I'm in the process of trying out UDK and Unity.

I'll respond more tomorrow.

Not to make your decision even harder, but there are actually some devs that went the "3D Assets to 2D Sprites" route. Its a very sensible one for people like you that have 3D expierience but no 2D talent.

Basically you create your assets in 3D, you prepare the animations in your 3D Package, and you render snaphots of the animation frames (or you just render the objects if you don't need the animations).

With the help of a 2D Tool you turn these renders into Sprites you can use for your 2D Game.

Very similar to how Donkey Kong was created back in the SNES days.

This might give you very good 3D Render looking Graphics without the complication of using a 3D Engine. And its certainly a style you don't see too often nowadays.

Wow, you both have given me a lot to think about! I was thinking about explaining my rational for doing a 3D project versus a 2D project, but after re-reading the insight you both offered I think I should probably consider both options equally. Although similar to what Gian-Reto said, my education is in creating 3D assets, which may out-weight my skill with creating 2D assets.

How ever this turns out, I'm already thinking up the timeline and scope and have a good idea that it will be a long term commitment; especially since I'll be doing every part of the development myself.

As of right now I'm in the process of trying out UDK and Unity.

I'll respond more tomorrow.

Not to make your decision even harder, but there are actually some devs that went the "3D Assets to 2D Sprites" route. Its a very sensible one for people like you that have 3D expierience but no 2D talent.

Basically you create your assets in 3D, you prepare the animations in your 3D Package, and you render snaphots of the animation frames (or you just render the objects if you don't need the animations).

With the help of a 2D Tool you turn these renders into Sprites you can use for your 2D Game.

Very similar to how Donkey Kong was created back in the SNES days.

This might give you very good 3D Render looking Graphics without the complication of using a 3D Engine. And its certainly a style you don't see too often nowadays.

I'm going to need to process that for a bit, I think I understand what you're saying, Gian-Reto...but my mind is going in several directions at once at the moment. So I'll need to think on it for a bit. At any rate, it sounds like a potential route!

In the mean time, I think I just came up with a "potential" way of solving my lack of programming knowledge. I found a visual scripting editor called, Kizmet, (while searching Youtube for Unreal scripting tutorials) which appears to be both a learning tool for UDK non-programmers as well as a true scripting editor program. I'm not sure if it's compatible with UE 4, but at least it will hopefully help me understand how to write programs. :)

The equivalent in Unreal Engine 4 is Blueprint.

Thank you, Lactose! I'm going to start learning Blueprint!