In Trabant I don't think using 3D added more than a fraction of extra complexity. Normally that's not the case I find, as 3D and rigid body physics is almost always a nightmare to fiddle with in most API:s I've seen. But going 2D does not guarantee a simple API. Let's just look at some examples from the 2D world to see how I'm doing:
- LÖVE requires initialization, boilerplate, explicit drawing, verbose timer code and AABB if statements.
- pygame is not very different. Requires 76 lines of code for a snake game.
- XNA uses up a ton of code for nothing.
- Angel - ditto.
The rest of the game engines are no different, and I haven't even mentioned assets, portability and installation. These are top recommendations for 2D prototyping. When it comes to 3D it's of course similar or worse. Trabant really should have a niche here, but I'm afraid no-one is going to "get it."
To me 3D was a big leap; I've always felt like 2D games were extremely entertaining versions of crosswords, but it never became evident until I first set my eyes on a 3D game. I still remember it to this day. A friend was playing DOOM I in the computer room in my high school.
I must have been 16 or 17. We instantly commented on the use of sprites instead of proper models, but the environment! OMG! Of course it inspired a generation and the rest is history.
By the end of high school all boys in my class played Quake I several hours per day, facilitated by boring computer lessons. I was an over average player, but never near the Swedish elite who went on to be the first swedes to make a living playing games.
I haven't played online since, as I know the effect it has on me. But the last two weeks since I finished Trabant I've played Quake Live after the kiddies went to bed. And I still find it soooooo much fun. I guess I was conditioned at a young age, with a slight disposition for it. But I can't handle it so I need to quit. My heart races, the adrenalin is pumping and I can't go to bed for several hours after I've shut down the computer so Quake no more unfortunately. Or perhaps just a couple of times per year.
But omg it feels good to beat the kids half my age! Oh, it feels so damn good. Better than pizza and then some. Especially my age.
