Which to choose: 2D or 3D for java games

What should a small team choose for their first game when they are not punctual but ambitious? I am an experienced programmer, but I haven't done any game programming before My designer is very talented and artistic. He used 3D about a year ago, but he didn't do it because he may need some time to learn it. I'm not sure whether he can do it. Although his graphic design skills are excellent, he can finish it well

Our main concern is to finish the game as soon as possible or easily, because this is my first game programming project At the same time, we don't want any restrictions that may hinder our future progress, or make the game boring in some way

For example, I learned that some animations are impossible in 2D, such as rotation, etc I want to be able to transform the player's character into an animal, and must have the ability to shoot a monster (such as shooting an arrow, seeing it fly over and hit another person) Are these things feasible in 2D?

In the future, if we want to move from 3D to 2D, is it possible without completely rewriting the game?

Solution

You don't have to use 3D to achieve a "3D look" Things such as rotation, motion or transformation can be pre recorded or pre rendered into animation or image sequences and seamlessly integrated into 2D games

However, when deciding on 2D or 3D, the main concern should be game play Some games absolutely need 3D (shooting games, simulation games), while others are perfect without (adventure, puzzles...) So you don't actually have to decide, but choose a game concept that suits you better

Personally, if possible, I will avoid using 3D when I try the game for the first time to eliminate all the restrictions and troubles that come with it

When using 3D, you usually need to decide the 3D framework, which will seriously affect your software design, game appearance and overall performance For example, java3d brings a complex class structure that you have to adjust And it takes a lot of effort to complete the 3D work Simple things such as rotating squares evolve into matrix operations involving quaternions Each effect must be done in a complex 3D world, and in this way its 2D projection appearance is presented in the way you want Not to mention that 3D applications often suffer from very difficult to overcome stereotypes

In 2D, you actually avoid one dimension of complexity You can do everything as expected. You can use standard graphics applications and open file formats to simplify the workflow between designers and developers Many Pseudo 3D effects, such as parallax motion, depth of field and pre rendered works of art, can achieve amazing appearance in the 2D world