Game creation tools

[Mallaien]

I originally posted this question in my blog at gamasutra, it was fetured and led people to this site..

I have a few skills in level design, and art. The only "full" package I have for building a game is Half Life 2 SDK. But because im not very strong in the programming area, I find some of the learning curve on HL2 a bit hard. Tutorials are a bit hard to find, there were a bunch back in the beginning, but most of what I find is programming related.

I heard some of the Unreal tools can be easier to work with. I was also directed to other 3rd party platform programs but the cost is not in my budget.

My main goal is to use a engine and tools to build a level to show off my skills for a portfolio. I have skills in texture creation, normal and bump maps, and some shader creation. for modeling I use Maya and Zbrush.

I might keep going at HL2 when I find a plain English tutorial on preparing my model assets to be imported.

[jwalters]

Unless you have a strong desire to learn programming, the best way to show off your art might be to collaborate with a programmer or level designer. As long as you all agree you can use the work in your respective portfolios, it should be a win-win for everyone. Check out the collaboration forum here at GCG to get started!

[Mallaien]

When programmers take a stab at art and don't have the skill it shows. Same thing would happen if I tried to program something. Granted I have programming experience, my skill is just not up to par.