Game Development Overview

These days, game development is more popular than ever and there are many established and popular game development companies all over the world. Among these companies a variety of platforms for game development are in use and their popularity often comes down to the preferences of the programmers, according to their command of or fluency in a particular programming language. Languages vary across platforms and usually one particular programming language is best suited for a specific platform. Developers should consider some of the following when choosing a game development platform:

Select the right Programming Language – Select the programming language in which you have strong practical knowledge and experience.

Compare the documentation between languages – It is also important to consider whether there is enough quality documentation in a particular language. If there is, developers will have more flexibility and an easier time; if not, they will have to write more and more code.

Find a quality game engine – The game engine will control the events of the game, so the performance of a successful game greatly depends on it.

Find a quality editor – The platform should have an excellent and developed editor so that developers can work with ease and flexibility. If it has visual scripting control, it is also a plus.

What other developers are using – One should also consider whether other developers and freelancers are working with a particular platform. If very fewer people are using a platform, it may be best to avoided it as there will be little community support and user contributed documentation.

Set your goals and destination – Developers should know in advance exactly what his goals are as this will help determine which platform to use. For instance, he has to decide whether the game will be for desktop or mobile.

If it is a desktop, then consider whether you'll be developing for Windows, Mac, Linux or some combination of these. It is same for the mobile devices too, whether they will be for Android, IOS, Tizen, Blackberry, Windows, etc. Let's have a look at some game engines and their relevent information. Some of the popular platforms are:

Unity 3D

If we're discussing game development platforms, the first one that comes up in the discussion is Unity 3D. One great this about this platform is that the free provides almost all the advantages of the pro version. It has excellent support for 3D and provides a fantastic working environment.  It has many assets which are free of costs and available on the internet. If your programming language is C#, then Unity is definitely a strong contender for you. Keep in mind though that Unity requires a computer with good specs, and a lot of patience to learn. It can be used for desktop and mobile devices such as android, iOS, windows, Linux, Tizen, Blackberry and many things.

Construct 2

This is a fantastic game making platform. It requires no programming language so that anyone who has only an idea can learn it easily and make games using it. It has a comprehensive set of tools and built-in events; just assemble them according to the plan of the developer.

Unreal Engine

It is an incredible platform and uses C++ as its language. It has good 3D support and a robust set of tools. Its pricing system is very cheap and transparent. For programmers that know C++ it will be easy to learn.

Cocos Studio

Its IDE works together with Cocos2d-js 3.x and Cocos2d-x 3.x engines and is compatible with visual studio. It uses visual C++ as its language. You need the Facebook API Reference and SDK for Android and the correct version of Java JDK. It provides full 3D support and the suitable environment for its programmers. It has tools for the user interface, animation, data Cruncher, and scene editors that provide greater flexibility to develop games.

Moai

It is a free and open source platform. It uses C++ to write code and is based on LUA. It is machine independent and runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Corona SDK

It is very attractive for developing Android, IOS and Kindle games. It has many built-in APIs that can be used without any or little modifications. It has strong tool support for the developers. It is neither open source nor free but does offer a limited time free trial. It has a big community of experienced professionals who are always ready to help.

Gideros Mobile

It is a very good choice for beginners. It uses both C, C++ and Open GL. It has emulators where apps can be tested. Its output execution time is very fast. Its IDE is enriched of many tools, and it has a substantial documentation. It is cross-platform and supports Android, IOS, and Windows development. Many plugins are available on the internet.

Mono Game

It supports cross-platform mobile developments, including Android, Linux, Windows, IOS, Mac, Raspberry. It is a product of Microsoft, and it has visual scripting development tools and is free and open source. It requires Microsoft XNA 4 Framework.

Turbulenz

This platform is free now and uses HTML5 and JavaScript.  It has excellent management for sound, user interface, animations, and collision controls. It requires little programming compared to others.

Project Anarchy

It uses C++ for writing code and LUA for editor scripting. It is also a cross-platform environment and works very well for Android, IOS and Tizen mobiles. Here developers will find the opportunity to control physics, animation, and the UI. The Autodesk user control is available here as well. It is free.

Wwise

It is cross-platform and works well for Android, IOS, Tizen and Windows. It has strong scripting controls and more developer working environments. It also uses C++ for writing the code.

Haxe

Also cross-platform and can be used for Android, IOS, Blackberry and Windows. It uses Java, C++, PHP, C#, JavaScript for writing code and has a very dynamic compiler.

When we consider game development platforms, it is important to keep in mind the developer’s abilities in a given programming language. Some are difficult to learn and time-consuming, requiring much patience. Some come with hefty price tags while others promise to remain free to use. Some have excellent sets of resources and tutorials for learning while other have limited documentation. Just go ahead and compare between the advantages and disadvantages of the programming languages and the platforms and their IDEs. Once you feel like you found the best platform to suit your needs, why not go on and give it a try.