What systems are people generally using to make indie games with nowadays? Thread

I've been toying with the idea of making a new game lately, as once again I have a bit more spare time that I have has for a few years.

I've previously used programming languages from 8Bit basic, 68A09 Assembler (MB Vectrex Home-brew) to XNA with C#, but haven't look at anything more recent in years!

So whats the best bet for making a 2D side scrolling platform adventure type game, or a SHMUP?

Personally, I'm using GameMaker to make my game. It is a game engine with a focus on 2D games and is easy to get into. Plus there are plenty of tutorials to learn it's features pretty fast. The downside to GameMaker is that you need to purchase license in order to create executables, so you can't share your work while trying out the free trial.

Since you have experience working with C#, Unity is also an option. As far as I know, it's free and if you look at 2D games made with Unity some of them are purely jaw-dropping.

I am using
Defold.com

Yet, there is no way I say this is the best one out there. Unlike Unity 3D, there are no fees to consider. And this is important to me, since I simply do not know if my own game will succeed.

Edited by: Taamalus

How much freedom do you have using Unity for a 2D game. Are there restrictions? I've never used an engine before, but was thinking of redoing, and com pleating, my 'One Day of Summer' game using something more modern basically just for the experience of using a new system. I originally started this years ago using XNA and C#.