Questions on building a Zelda-Spelunky game

Started by jmanshaman, July 10, 2017, 07:41:02 PM

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So as my title suggests, I want to make a Zelda-like game with random-generated dungeons like Spelunky. Sadly I have absolutely no coding experience. So I wonder if Solarus would be the best place to start. I'm wanting to make/edit my own assets (probably more like the Oracle Games/Link's Awakening), however I'd really like it if I didn't have to write my own Zelda-engine.

Does Solarus include the core mechanics of a Zelda-like game? And how user-friendly is the interface for Solarus? Would I be better off using something more basic such as Game Maker/RPG Maker for a coding newb like me?

Quote from: jmanshaman on July 10, 2017, 07:41:02 PM
So as my title suggests, I want to make a Zelda-like game with random-generated dungeons like Spelunky. Sadly I have absolutely no coding experience. So I wonder if Solarus would be the best place to start. I'm wanting to make/edit my own assets (probably more like the Oracle Games/Link's Awakening), however I'd really like it if I didn't have to write my own Zelda-engine.

Does Solarus include the core mechanics of a Zelda-like game? And how user-friendly is the interface for Solarus? Would I be better off using something more basic such as Game Maker/RPG Maker for a coding newb like me?

If you want to make a Zelda game, RPG Maker is for sure the worst option of all of them. It has too many limitations, and the hero walks over the grid of 16x16 tiles like in pokémon games (which is very annoying for a Zelda game). Both Solarus and Game Maker are good options for your purposes, but I have never tested Game Maker. Solarus is free as in freedom, specialized in Zelda games (which makes it perfect for you), and probably a bit easier to learn than Game Maker. Game Maker probably has more tools for other different types of games (I have never tried it), but if you want to do a Zelda game you should not need most of them. Note that there is already a game called "Tunics!", made with Solarus, which creates randomly-generated dungeons, so you could try to study its Lua code if you choose to use Solarus. If you don't know programming, you should start to learn to program (there are many forums, books and course notes to learn); without the programming skill you cannot make a game like the one you want to do. In any case, making a Zelda game takes a lot of time, mental strength, and a ton of work, so good luck!
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