I haven`t been around 10 years but it looks like things have changed since then. If you`re new to gamedev you have to climb this steep wall called shaders before you can do even the most basic things. Of course you can use engines but thats like navigating through a narrow labyrinth with a spear. There is also frameworks like SDL for smaller projects but these come with a sharp learning curve as well/ require gamedev understanding as prerequisite. If I want to experiment I stand no chance. I have to learn Unreal the proper way before I can bend to unconventional.

Calin said:
If you`re new to gamedev you have to climb this steep wall called shaders before you can do even the most basic things.

What about the steep wall of learning a programming language? Are there ever questions about using Basic as a language to use cause it's so much easier? No, of course not. If there were, everyone would say, "Don't use Basic". Would you then say that that is unfriendly to beginners?

What about the steep wall of affording a computer that is modern enough to do gamedev. Take a 10 year old computer for example. Should one complain that a buying a newer computer costs a lot of money and is a steep wall? It very well could be. But that's life. You can sit around with an old computer and grumble about it or get down to brass tacks and do something about it.

People use engines because it is easier and faster that programming their own engine. If one chooses to go that route then they shouldn't think, “Hey, I'll use some antiquated API that doesn't require shaders cause it's not as hard”.

So no, gamedev hasn't become newbie unfriendly. It is (somewhat) unfriendly towards beginners that think they can take an old, easier way out that in the end, doesn't do them any good.

fleabay said:
Are there ever questions about using Basic as a language to use cause it's so much easier?

the difference between basic and c is minimal, 25 to 30 percent. I know the 30 % is critical and makes huge jump in quality, but he logic is the same. but that`s going sidetrack way. shaders aren`t critical its just a `nice feature to have`, they don`t affect in any way the rest of the game.

I think people tend to forget that the old SDL+OpenGL path still works just fine. You can build a game that way in the year 2020, and still address the entire PC market. In some ways it's even improved - wrappers like ANGLE allow you to avoid all the OpenGL driver issues of years past.

Shaders have been the norm for more than 15 years, so, yes, learning shaders is mandatory if you want to hand-code graphics. Even most SDL+OpenGL focussed tutorials have used shaders for at least a decade. On the other hand, you no longer need to hand-code graphics if you don't want to, since Unity and Unreal come with marketplaces full of ready-to-use materials.

Has it become harder for a lone developer to produce a AAA-quality 3D game? Absolutely - but it was never exactly easy either. Expectations around mesh and animation quality, texture resolution, material richness, lighting, etc have all increased dramatically - as have the expectations about the sheer scale of games. On the flip side, there has been something of an indie renaissance in 2D and pixelart games, helping balance out the complexity a little.

SyncViews said:
And then the difference to modern C++?

yeah the difference increases.

the wrong way to avoid shaders

I`m not dogging shaders, I have nothing against them, i could make use of them in the future however If the moment of using shaders came I`d rather use/learn them from the horses mouth. and not as part of some 20 years old technology (Unreal).

Calin said:
part of some 20 years old technology (Unreal)

This isn't quite fair - there has been more than one Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine 4 (the current major version) wasn't released to the public until 2014, and they've continuously iterated on the produce since that time.

Unity is also 15 years old if we are being pedantic, but it too doesn't look much like it did at launch (hell, it was a Mac exclusive back then).