Strategy game advice

[cauta]

I am new to game programming. I have read this post http://www.devmaster.net/forums/showthread.php?t=13176 to get me started.

I know C++ and C#. I would like to develop a professional strategy game 2D, 2.5D (similar to Red Alert 1) that I could sell on Windows platform (98, XP & Vista). There is no time limitation and my budget is really small. I would prefer Open Source software.

I need some advice on what engines (game, graphics) to use. Please list some that you think might fit the listed criteria. I would like to have a starting point for evaluating these engines.

Thank you very much,

[fireside]

Your odds of making money on something like that are pretty small. You could probably consider a Flash type game and possibly make some money from ads or selling it to a casual game site. SDL is a pretty good 2d open source library for c++ if you want to make it down loadable. Ogre or Panda3d are pretty good graphics engines if you want to use 3d characters, or any of the engines listed in the top 5 open source.

[cauta]

Thank you for your reply. I have found this post http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=449303 in which the authors use OpenGL & SDL & FMOD. Does this seem like a good match?

Any ideas on programming techniques to be used and the books that go along with them? (AI, Unit Management, etc.)

All ideas and suggestions are welcome. Thank you,

[alphadog]

I know C++ and C#. I would like to develop a professional strategy game 2D, 2.5D (similar to Red Alert 1) that I could sell on Windows platform (98, XP & Vista). There is no time limitation and my budget is really small. I would prefer Open Source software.

Why "open source"? And, do you realize you can have "open source" but still restrictive licensing, depending on your goals and needs?

Ironically, there aren't a lot of choices in the 2D field in .NET/C#. I guess because XNA just sucks the oxygen out of that space.

For your needs, 2/2.5D engines choices are:
- XNA
- FlatRedBall
- SDL
- PTK
- Haaf's

[vrnunes]

Not to start a flame, but why in the heck does XNA suck?

I personally experimented a bit with it and found that to be quick to develop for, and (for my surprise) relatively well structured. XNA is not just a game engine, but a nice C# middleware for Direct3D, and what is cool about that is that you can run your things under Windows and XBOX 360 (and even generate some revenue, THAT is very nice).

Considering that XBOX Live is the (AFAIK) ONLY console level industry opportunity for independent developers... guy, I like XNA just because that.

I wrote some engines before (both using pure-software, opengl and d3d), and I've done a first prototype with XNA. Using C# was elegant, quick, stable, and why not tell... fast!

I will be happy to hear more from people who are against XNA, but my current opinion is that XNA does not suck...

[vrnunes]

Alphadog: humm, I think I misunderstood you, but I'll keep my questioning above, because... yeah.

[Reedbeta]

I think by "sucks the oxygen out of that space" he meant that XNA has a very large share of the 2D .NET market, and there isn't much room for competitors. Not an aspersion on XNA's quality. :)

[alphadog]

Correct, Reedbeta. I was using "suck" in the classic sense of the word. Maybe I should have used "aspirated"? :blush:

XNA does not aspirate. However, one problem common to most Microsoft products is the user base is so big, there's usually a low signal-to-noise ratio, and finding good signal is more likely, but more difficult.