Gamemaker vs unity vs Unreal jumping from one hell to the next might seem unnecessary to most but though my suffering I have found a light at the end of the tunnel.
My Skill Level
I have been creating games now for about 6+ years I am currently a student of the University Canterbury in applied game design. So far, I have been pushed from one game engine to the next starting with game maker which I had many years of development with to unity then for my final year unreal. At first, I thought this was pointless that if I knew one engine it should trick maybe two at the most. However, the real reason for this torture was not to learn more skills in development but instead to learn one very important one, Adaptability.
Adaptability
Adaptability this is true power and when not know what is ahead in your development career, dealing with every hurdle that gets in your way is what makes or breaks you. Every game engine comes with quirks and reasons to use them understanding that power and when to use it is just as important as all the technical skills that comes alone with game development. All game engines are different but all roads lead to Rome and the technique to solve a problem normally is very much the same. This might mean different code but all in all the logic will be the same.
Getting Over The Hate
This might sound stupid, but you will deal with this when moving from something you know and love to something new and different. This will require time no getting around that as what you end up having to relearn how to build the wheel making your knowledge feel useless again. The best way for me to bite the bullet and get though it is to build something I understand well and make sure it’s simple. For me this might mean a simple 2D platformer, level design, shooter, or because I love some A.I Getting a hang of the A.I systems/nav mesh/A* grid/so on.
The Best Thing To Learn
Learning the tools is good, mastering the tools even better but, understanding the technique means you are ready to take on any problem and means you can be thrown at any project.