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Game Maker or Construct 2?

Wes_MatthewsWes_Matthews
edited in Questions and Answers
Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere, in which case just point me to the relevant thread.

I wanna start making prototypes not so much to showcase my game mechanics and dev skills but rather my 2D art and animation, and I was hoping you guys could give me some pointers. The comparisons I've seen online aren't consistent, some say GM, some say C2, but you guys know what you're doing and I'd love your input. As I mentioned: emphasis on visuals is first priority, ease of use a close 2nd. If you've made a rigged character on both of these: which one wins?

Comments

  • FengolFengol
    I think this community is pretty biased towards GameMaker regardless of the task
  • AlphaSheepAlphaSheep
    When you see wildly varying opinions in reviews, it means that it all comes down to personal preferences, and the workflow you develop yourself. There's only one way to see which one is best for you...

    Game maker standard is available for free until the 2nd of march, so get it and try it for a week or so.

    A slightly limited Construct 2 is free to try. Get it and try it for a week or so.

    See which one you prefer to use, and stick with that.
    Thanked by 2edg3 Wes_Matthews
  • edg3edg3
    It is pretty much a thing of personal preference, so pick whichever feels best to you! As all these tools progress they are all competing with one another and want to give the best experience to you as a developer, so to be honest, find what you are comfortable using and build a game!
    Thanked by 1Wes_Matthews
  • dislekciadislekcia
    I don't know if either GM or C2 has any built in support for rigged characters... That said - get both, do tutorials, pick the one you like best.

    The friend of mine who originally got me started on GM years and years ago made something in C2 a while back, so I assume it's not like the two are crazy different.
    Thanked by 1Wes_Matthews
  • AntiVoidAntiVoid
    ...and I was hoping you guys could give me some pointers...
    0xbfebd5c0,
    0xbfebd5b6

    I couldn't resist :P
    Thanked by 2Rigormortis edg3
  • SkinnyBoySkinnyBoy
    If you don't want to pay anyone, use XNA or html5 canvas.
  • Wes_MatthewsWes_Matthews
    Oh, I'd rather pay. I work for a company that does casino displays and kiosk terminals. The interfaces and game graphics run on XNA. I've got such rigid constraints to work with that as an artist, there's little room left to explore. Granted, it might just be the hectic deadlines which doesn't leave much room for my coder to add functionality, but then these other platforms already have so much support.
  • Kobusvdwalt9Kobusvdwalt9
    I prefer C2 (especially if you are paying) and I have used both. just give me a shout if your struggling with c2
    Thanked by 1Wes_Matthews
  • DrDethDrDeth
    You could also have a look at Unity or Godot. Both have pretty decent and easy to use 2D capabilities.
  • Wes_MatthewsWes_Matthews
    Seriously? I kinda left Unity out because it intimidates me. Do I need to be proficient in coding though? I'd like to do Unity (because hey, you can do pretty much anything) but I don't know if I should use one of the others as a stepping stone first or just jump straight into Unity and see where I end up.
  • Kobusvdwalt9Kobusvdwalt9
    @Wes_Matthews You can start with unity but you need to know how to code to do anything useful.
  • ChippitChippit
    Your biggest benefit to using Unity may be with its 2D animation features, which, to my knowledge, outclass anything in GM and C2.

    But ultimately, I think @AlphaSheep's advice holds for that too. Try it. If it works for you, run with it. There is really no right answer. The old adage says that the best tool for the job is just the one you know best.
  • EvanGreenwoodEvanGreenwood
    edited
    You could look into Unity free + Playmaker ... Playmaker is a visual scripting tool much like the visual scriping that Game Maker allows.

    http://www.hutonggames.com/ (Of course Playmaker costs $100, but comes with what looks like decent documentation http://www.youtube.com/user/HutongGamesLLC)

    That said, I don't think anyone here uses Playmaker, but I've only heard good things about it. And Unity's 2D capabilities since 4.3 are bad ass.
  • konmankonman
    MonoGame... aaaah. Xna reborn. If you love C# and are a bit of a control freak. Try it out :P

    BTW I have bought GM Pro, RPG Maker VX Ace, Multimedia Fusion 2 and plan to look at Unity now that it has gone 2D. Aaaargh, why all these pesky options! Dammit! Construct 2? ooooh...
  • JediN1njaJediN1nja
    edited
    I love construct 2, and I feel that it's super fast to prototype with. But recently I'm been trying to work more with GameMaker because of it's coding side. Maybe it's just me but I feel more comfortable using code sometimes because I've gotten use to it with web design (JavaScript and such).

    GameMaker is probably a bit more powerful than construct, and there might be some performance advantages in favour of GameMaker over browser-based. That being said, give it all a try. Then stick with whichever one you feel you can express your creativity with the most, but still enjoy within your skill set :)
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