I'm looking for an engine/framework to make a 2d "RPG" (no leveling, etc, akin to Link to the Past).
I actually went to University for games programming, so I understand how games work, how to code them, etc etc. I work as a Test Automation programmer for websites, and I am doing some development on JS as well on a music toy. I am experienced with C#, C++, Java and JS.
The problem I've had in the past is that the frameworks promise the world, but everything I want to start working on is hidden beneath folders and folders of stuff, and the entry point to customize the correct parts seems obscured. Or, working on OpenGL etc are too basic with basically nothing out of the box.
I just want something that will say : here's your main, here's your player character, we've taken care of the collision detection and inputs and rendering, there's no gravity. Paint the tiles on this screen, and get going.
Like the level of expertise, customisation and entry point needs to be clear (or at least there is a guide to get started that I don't have to spend hours and hours on) and the business side is cut and dry and won't cost me to start deveoping. (flat X% after $Y in sales)
I don't mind having to learn a new scripting language as long as it's not drastically different to the object oriented languages I know already. (ie : nothing in Lisp)
From my perspective it's a matter of scale. I've worked with "things" that are bare bones like OpenGL and Direct X, and complete (but old) like Unreal 2.5. I'm using the terms interchangably to mean "something that has covered the nuts and bolts of game development so I can focus on customizations and the actual game development, and leverages my skills as a programmer, while being as quick to get started on as possible"
So any solution, from a generic project in eclipse/vs code using pre defined libraries (as long as when I hit compile there is a player character I can move about) to a custom program that shows me a level editor with scripts I can attach to "pawns" are acceptable levels of soutions.
Unreal 2.5 is so old, your perception of engines is probably way outdated. Things are so much easier and more cohesive now, you'll definitely enjoy modern gamedev tools. Since you're already an experienced programmer you should be up and running with Godot in only an hour, there's a tutorial in the official documentation that you can skim. You can probably look into a Godot crash course video on youtube too for a quick overview.
Hey, I also had a look at Unity in 2015, which is where my opinion comes from.
Oh god, I'm old. You might as well have said
... that metalocalypse reference is almost 20 years old.
Good thing I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to learn more about my borderline glaucoma and how it might relate to my blood pressure issues.
I'm fucking old man 👴😭