If you are considering trying your hand at game development or you have been at it for a while but don’t really like the current software that you are using, today is your lucky day. We are going to discuss, in brief, some of the best game development engines available that you can get started on right away. Many of them vary quite a lot in complexity and ease of use, and some charge a fee whilst others are free. One thing that they all have in common, however, is that they have been used to create AAA titles that have helped the developers earn plenty of money.

Real Engine 4

The first game development engine that we would like to discuss is Real Engine 4. This engine has been around for a while now and the number of resources that have been developed for it is astounding. Using this engine you would never have to do any of your own coding because all the elements that you could possibly ever want already exist! Another reason to choose this engine is that to use it in its entirety is completely free while you experiment and learn. The catch is that you pay a royalty when and if your game goes into production, but the fee is quite fair.

CryEngine

CryEngine is another one that deserves plenty of attention. The company is now on version V and has long been at the forefront of the industry. CryEngine is a tool that we have used ourselves and we can attest to the user-friendly interface. Like Real Engine, CryEngine also has more resources that have been created for it than you could ever want. Not only would you never have to code to get the perfect game going for yourself, but there are no royalties to pay, making this a perfect platform for you if you are expecting to make any considerable amount of money from a project.

Unity3D

Unity3D is probably one of our favourites as it makes game development possible for pretty much any type of device you can imagine. This is one engine that almost every developer in the industry would be familiar with on some level, and that is largely due to the fact that there is a fully functional free version that makes learning the ropes a little easier.

When it comes to designing games, it is a lot more complicated than a lot of people think. The interesting thing about that, though, is that game development is difficult for very different reasons than most people consider. Creating the character that runs around in the 3D world might be hard, and making it rain in the level that you have your character running through might present its fair share of challenges. However, what is really difficult about the entire process, and this is something that can make or break a game, is the story behind the game. The story and the playability, of course, are the two most important things that you should be thinking about before anything else.

The Story

The first thing that you should do is write a story. Think for a moment that you are an author of whatever type of game you are trying to create, and to write your best-selling book you need to come up with great characters, a good setting, believable problems and solutions (i.e. the plot), and a theme and style that draws the reader in.Writers struggle with these questions almost constantly because getting readers involved with the story is the only way to get them to stick with the story. The same goes for games as well. We have all played games that were visually impressive but still ended up being incredibly boring because the story just wasn’t right. To avoid failure before you begin, therefore, it is imperative that you know what kind of game you are trying to create and what kind of story you are trying to tell.

The Levels

The next step is to break your story up into chapters which are solvable. These will be your levels later on, so it is a good idea to make them evenly spaced and progressively harder. Not impossible, mind you, but a little harder with each new tier.Once you have the story worked out as well as the progression that the players will take through your game, you are more than 70% done with the process. There are many game engines and other services available for free and some for a fee that takes care of all the actual coding for you, so all you are left with is a puzzle that needs to be put together.