Looking for a language for minimum effort/maximum payoff.

[Active Stormer]

So, I'm not a technical person so my productivity time regarding coding is limited to 2-3 hours per day. If I do more, I get exhausted and things get bad.
I'm currently learning C++ but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be learning some other language.
I suddenly remembered Thomas Biskop mentioning switching from C to Java massively increasing his productivity. So, yeah, I wouldn't like to be stuck with something that is holding me back, especially that I can't afford to waste time.

Like what language would be good for developing a commercial roguelike with complex combat mechanics with least time/effort? Like it must be time-effective but can't be too limiting.

[AgingMinotaur]

There's no final answer to the question "which language should I learn?" but I'll offer you my two cents anyway. If development speed is of the essence, you may be better off trying a scripting language rather than C. I heard good things about Lua, but use Python for my own project, and have been happy with that. It has stuff like memory handling built-in, so you can pretty much get straight to business. On the down side, Python is not good at heavy lifting, but it's sufficient for a typical, turn-based Roguelike. If graphics rendering becomes a bottleneck, it's usually because the programmer is doing something wrong. Bits of code I have had to optimize include world generation (although a few seconds of load time when the game starts isn't a huge catastrophe) and AI routines (when you have hundreds of actors looping over detailed calculations). For graphics rendering and other handy tools, it's worth checking out Pygame or libtcod (which is tailored to Roguelikes in particular).

Another option for you might be to consider using a full-fledged game engine. The most popular one is arguably Unity, although I like Godot myself. It's open source, in active development, and uses a scripting language quite similar to Python. I only tried it briefly, but it was quick to pick up (I had a playable framework for a Pooyan clone after a few hours), and it seemed versatile enough for a variety of projects.

As always,
Minotauros

[ekolis]

Maybe I'm biased, but I would recommend C#. It's similar to C++ in terms of syntax, but you don't have to worry about memory management and pointers; instead, there's a garbage collector which automatically deletes unused objects. There are a number of game engines out there which you can use with C#, such as Unity and Godot. There's also some functional programming features such as LINQ which can save you some time, if you're into that (if you like arrow functions in JavaScript, C# has something similar which I think JavaScript borrowed the idea from). The main downside of C# is that it is still somewhat tied to Windows, depending on which UI framework you want to use. Unity should be able to run on just about anything, but if you want to use legacy stuff like Windows Forms then that will only run on Windows.

[mekaerwin]

I'd say I highly recommend using any language that does garbage collection and other things like ekolis suggested. There are just too many messes you'll make yourself without having to deal with the additional overhead. I also second Unity as long as you are comfortable with component based architecture and I was surprised that I actually liked going from a loosely typed language to one that is strongly typed. It simplifies a lot of things and helps a lot with avoiding errors. I just don't see a lot of gain from the having things loosely typed. I'm sure there are well thought out arguments to the contrary though.

If you want to really simplify it and don't mind paying for an engine, GameMaker Studio can be pretty effective for 2d games (I wouldn't bother with 3d even though I've seen people push it). They've added structs recently so you can do a bit more with it than you used to. The only problem there is that you are learning a proprietary language that can't be used elsewhere, but I found it similar enough to Java that the transition was very quick (coming from Java, not sure how well the other way would be). When I prototype I like to use it, but I find that C# and visual studio are much more robust.

[gulshan212]

Hello this is Gulshan Negi
Well, as this topic is too much old but I want to share my experience on this. If anyone is looking for such language where you have to give less input and produce maximum output then you have to choose Python.
Thanks

[Neilwade]

So, I'm not a technical person so my productivity time regarding coding is limited to 2-3 hours per day. If I do more, I get exhausted and things get bad.
I'm currently learning C++ but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be learning some other language.
I suddenly remembered Thomas Biskop mentioning switching from C to Java massively increasing his productivity. So, yeah, I wouldn't like to be stuck with something that is holding me back, especially that I can't afford to waste time.

Like what language would be good for developing a commercial roguelike with complex combat mechanics with least time/effort? Like it must be time-effective but can't be too limiting.

Given your limited coding time and need for efficiency, Python is a strong choice for developing a commercial roguelike with complex combat mechanics. Python's simplicity and readability can significantly speed up your development process compared to C++. Additionally, libraries like Pygame and tools such as Godot (with GDScript, which is similar to Python) offer robust support for game development. These tools can help you implement complex mechanics without the steep learning curve of lower-level languages. However, if you need higher performance, consider using C# with the Unity engine, which balances ease of use and performance well.

[asterqua]

I completely agree with your points