Is 3d is easier?

#1 2D = "X" and "Y"
3D = "X" and "Y" and "Z"

So, that's 50% more stuff to think about to start with.

#2
Generally, 2D is regarded as being simpler than 3D sort of thinking along the lines of "this only has to provide on single perspective after all". However, I think it largely depends on what 2D you are comparing to what 3D. High-end, state-of-the-art 3D graphics are extremely labor-intensive and take a lot of artistic as well as technical proficiency. Much the same goes for high-resolution, animated 2D content.

Still, 2D games tend to have less inherent technical complexity and given the right scope, tend to be more approachable.

#3 @Steve: It's more like X by Y by Z ;)

3D always has more options, and certain end results are easier…but learning 3D first is a bigger hurdle than learning 2D.

The halfway-point is 2D perspective in a 3D engine - you "only" have to come up with models :)

#4 In terms of the engines, however, 3D has a lot more built in stuff to assist. For example, making a multiplayer game in TGB is a lot harder than in T3D.

Neither is easier or harder on the whole. The complexities of designing a GOOD game have no bearing on dimension. The real thing to consider is what does YOUR game need?

And, I know you didn't ask, but I'll throw out my suggestion:

If you're new to games, don't work on your "Manifesto" first. Your first game should be a simple one you can COMPLETE. Make something that has 1 or 2 gameplay mechanics, maybe not even story, and if you're not an artist use placeholder graphics.

Take the time to look at the engine and see what each one does best and stick to those strengths. As a fledgling, don't try to build a game against the grain of the engine. Just get comfortable with it.

To give you an idea, T3D and it's line of 3D engines are best suited for FPS shooter games, constrained to maps/zones with simple death-match objectives. It can also handle racing games pretty well out of the box. That's the simplest and most built in mechanics the engine contains.

TGB is suited for puzzle games with drag and drop or click interactivity. It's also very adept at shooter/arcade style games like Arkanoid etc. - not a lot of physics, just projectiles and explosions.

Think of some small twist you can put on a simple game and start developing it with placeholder art. Even if the end result is a game that looks like the stock version of the engine with some gameplay elements - at least you've MADE something and have learned a lot about the engine.

Things to avoid (for your first game): Platforming games, MMOs, RPGs.

#5 @Ronny
Also, good old 2.5D like in the original Doom. *nostalgia*

As Rene rightly points out, high quality art ain't easy regardless of the number of dimensions it occupies.

#6

Quote:
2D = "X" and "Y"
3D = "X" and "Y" and "Z"

So, that's 50% more stuff to think about to start with.

I nearly spewed my tea when I read that. This might qualify as the best quote of the year.

#7 What kind of stuff should I be learning to get into making games...Im still in high school....

#8 "get into making games"
That's kind of a huge area, so let's cut it down into individual jobs.

Programmer - the "power behind the throne", what makes it all go, The Rules of the game set in stone.
Scripter - anything from making actual gameplay events to deciding how fast an apple falls by altering it's mass and gravity. Accesses code via script.

Art 3D
Modeler - making the models and taking care that they can be rigged, animated and UV textured easily/well
Animator - doing the rigging and animations of an object
Texturer - making a 2D image wrap around a 3D object and not look awful

Art 2D
GUI artist - making the Game User Interface, the buttons and HUD,etc
Sprite Maker - modeler and texture rolled into one for 2D games is also probably the
Sprite Animator - 2D animation

And there's probably a whole host more and various sublayers to everything I just said.

You might fancy being a "jack-of-all-trades", or decide to be a master of one. Either way, the internet is the place to read up and learn about it.

[insert_favoured_search_engine_here] is your friend.

#9 The best thing you can do is learn a little bit of programming. I'm primarily a 3d artist, but knowing a tiny bit of programming lets me figure out why some of the art stuff breaks.

There are a lot of things that go into making a game. If you want to make a game yourself, you will need to learn a lot about programming.

If you want to cooperate with someone, make sure one of you knows programming at least. Games don't get made without programming, and even as an artist I enjoy games with terrible art if they work and have good gameplay.

#10 Where do I go to start learning how to program?

#11 In general 2D is a little easier to approach (and I guess there is 0D if you count text based games like Muds). In general the more you go up the more time is spent dealing with visual aspects of the game from models to level design. 2D games don't have a very high expectation of high quality graphics so you can get away with a lot more there and on the flip side they have the largest market of potential players because just about any kind of computer can run it (why flash games are popular for example).

As mentioned, it is really hard to do any kind of project and modify it from whatever template you might be working from if you cannot do any programming. If you wish to start programming as you posted you really first need to pick a project. There are a few 2d projects out there that are single player and even multiplayer (MMO). Depending on what you are working with you then can pick what language to start learning and what technologies you need to get familiar with.

Might check out www.mmorpgmaker.com as there are some forums there with a list of mmo software if you are looking to go that route (both 2d/3d) or if you are looking to do a simple singler player well there are a variety of options as well both free and low cost.

#12
As a general introduction to programming How To Design Programs isn't a bad start. Its full text is available online and it uses the freely available DrScheme environment as its basis. Sure, Scheme already veers dangerously to the side of obscurity but programming is programming and what you learn here will be universally applicable.

Of course, you could also just head of to microsoft.com, pick any of their Visual Studio Express variants, get a book, and start hammering.

#13 My school counselor told me they are gonna C++ Programming Class for next semester is That what I should be learning ??? and right now im taking Game Design class and the software they using is Multimedia Fusion 2 ....

#14
C++ is slowly shifting to take the place of assembler, i.e. only an ever smaller group of specialists will be required to be acquainted with it. I wouldn't invest too much time in learning it. Instead, C# looks like a better, more future-proof choice today.

MF2 is a nice environment and has been used to make one of my favorite games: The Spirit Engine 2. I'd prefer Game Maker over it by any means for its easily available scripting and easy extensibility but still, probably not a bad (albeit somewhat obscure) choice for a Game Design class.

#15 Also, if you want to specifically get into GAME DESIGN, get into some slightly heavier math. Get intimate with Microsoft Excel. Most of the entry level positions to game design will involve editing and balancing spreadsheets ("All the Guns from Act 2 need prices and stats")

You need to know some decent algebra/calculus to make generating a bunch of numbers that are fair for the players/enemies. You won't get to design CONCEPTS until later in your career (if you don't go the indie route.)

#16 math gets alot more complex with 3d.

#17 Hi Abraham,

Well I am still a teenager at high school, and think that 3D can actually be more logical to work with at the start, because you are working with 3d dimensional objects, which is much like what we live is (3D).

And for getting the very basics, I found the book "Torque for Teens" a great place to start (for TGE). It goes through a bit of everything, and by the end, you will have your very own game made in TGE.

Now, TGE is no longer officialy supported, but learning TGE helps with going to Torque 3D, as the fundamentals are similar. So if i was you, i'd do the following:

1) Buy Torque for Teens book, and read through and complete

2) Using the game you made with Torque for Teens, have a go at adding in simple things based on what the books teches you (expand it to more advanced)

3) Pick up a copy of Torque 3D (probably just the Binary for the moment -> only $100)

4) Read through the Torque 3D docs

5) Try to make what you made in TGE in Torque 3D (the scripting will be different etc, but it will teach you alot)

6) Be happy, because you should have an understanding of Torque 3D by this point.

#18 2D is a lot easier.
You don't have to worry about poly count, math is very simple.
You don't have to worry about camera systems.
For example I spend 90% of my time with the camera system(3D).

The AI logic in 2D games is very simple.

#19 I think everything is down to your game design. You can easily make a very simple game in either 3D or 2D - and it's very difficult to make a complicated game, no matter how many dimensions it has. I think that less complicated games tend to be made in 2D, which is where the idea that '2D is easier' comes from.

About maths, I haven't found it to be too difficult to apply what I learned in high school to TGE. Since there are engine classes for things like vectors, you don't actually have to do any maths - you just need to know what maths you want the engine to do. This applies to both 2D and 3D games. In 2D you probably won't have to deal with the cross product, but a lot of other things will be the same - it's just that you're calling the functions on 2D vectors instead of 3D ones.

Similarly for things like AI - take combat AI in a 3D world and combat AI in a top-down 2D world. They're both making all of the same decisions about whether to fight or flee, where to take cover, which weapon to use, etc. However - however. 2D games come with less of an expectation of complicated AI or gameplay, so you don't have to put as much effort into it. That comes down to game design, however; it's nothing to do with 2D versus 3D. If you made the same game in 2D and 3D, just adding an extra dimension to vision checks and pathfinding is nearly trivial.