This topic is about kits & tools for amateur game development.
I would appreciate it to read suggestions of yours. So mention all you know about tools, of which you think amateur developers can't do without.
By the way, the emphasis lies at stuff for beginners or intermediates, so preferably keep off mentioning advanced stuff (unless you think it's vital).
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Game Maker: A good programme* to learn the basics of (game) programming. It is based on the Delphi programming language and is working with sprite graphics. However, lastmentioned does not exclude advanced users from making 3D effects.
The more recent versions of the software have a good seperation between features for beginners and the more advanced stuff.
*Brittish spelling