The 3D Gamemaker by Focus Multimedia Ltd

Description

The 3D Gamemaker's easy-to-use graphic interface introduces the world of game making to those without a background in programming–you simply choose from a series of options to produce the game you desire. Also available in a special edition lite version, this CD-ROM allows you to easily create your own game within minutes.

By selecting from a series of pre-made options (including character, weapon, environment and enemy) the user can produce, for example, a first-person shooter or a racing game. One nice option is the “magic game” in which the computer chooses a set of random options and you play the resulting game that can produce some really interesting results. Once familiar with the options you can start to play around with the different elements–graphics and sound can be added to the interface (helpfully, the sound can be in the popular MP3 format to save on space) meaning you can create all your characters and objects using a graphics package, and then insert them into the game and manipulate them if you wish. The environment can also be changed, and with the simple use of the editor you can create you own 3-D world, then place the objects you have created in it.

No game is complete without an array of weapons; your own personal selection can be created and given varying degrees of strength and impact damage. In all there are plenty of options to keep a gamer going for a while. Tidy up your game by creating some title screens, have a high-score display, set difficulty modes and so on. Once everything for the game has been set to your liking you can save it down into a single executable file for easy distribution to your friends.

The 3D Gamemaker interface used is easy and fun to use, though it is very much aimed at the novice game maker. There is often a feeling that there is a lack of control over different aspects of the game creation process, and experienced programmers could get frustrated with this controlled environment and the restriction over certain gaming elements. On the other hand, this package is an easy introduction to game making for those without programming knowledge. —Robert Hyde

Platforms

Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me