TOP 6 PLATFORMS FOR CREATING MOBILE GAMES

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If you want to develop your mobile game you need a game engine or platform. We talk about the best platforms for game development in 2020.

Unity platform

Unity 3D interface

Unity is a powerful cross-platform engine for creating 2D and 3D games. The engine can be tried for free to create a prototype or even an alpha version. To publish a created game you have to buy a subscription for $25 or $125 per month. The cost of the license for companies is negotiated separately.

Unity has created games like this:

Lara Croft GO;
Angry Birds 2;
Pokemon GO;
Alto’s Adventure;
Hearthstone.

The Unity platform is best suited for 3D game development, but many developers make isometric platformers or 2D games on it.

Lara Croft GO screenshot

Pros of Unity:

component-oriented approach – the developer prescribes components to the object like the ability to control the object and the behavior model;
A large library of assets and plugins that can be used to create a prototype and finished game. For example, you can import an artificial intelligence model for enemies;
Unity supports the latest rendering technologies like ray tracing, you can make games with photorealistic graphics.

Unity’s minuses:

you have to do a lot of programming;
poor optimization “out of the box”, the game will have to be optimized manually to play it comfortably;
a large number of built-in components translates into a large amount of finished game. The simplest projects take 100 MB or more, and users of mobile platforms do not like to install large games.

The Unity platform is suitable for advanced developers who know how to code in C# and are willing to do optimization. Unity allows you to compile a game for any mobile platform, which will help reduce the budget for developing versions of the game for different platforms.

Unreal Engine to create a mobile game

Unreal Engine is the engine of Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite. Unreal Engine is free to use, but with a condition: if the game collects more than $3000 in revenue, Epic Games will receive a 5% royalty.

Creating Game Logic in Unreal Engine Blueprints

Popular mobile games on the Unreal Engine:

Fortnite Mobile;
Life is Strange;
Mortal Kombat;
Pro Evolution Soccer 2020;
Bright Memory.

Pros of Unreal Engine:

you can make games without programming. For this purpose, Unreal Engine has a visual editor called Blueprints, which can be used to write scripts and customize the behavior of game objects;
a large number of free assets to help with development;
built-in game optimization tool for mobile platforms.

Unreal Engine Minuses:

the engine is not perfectly optimized. If you add too many objects to the map or try to create a large seamless world, such a game will slow down. The fact is that the Unreal Engine counts all items regardless of whether they are in the player’s field of view;
the interface is designed for beginners, many shortcut buttons are poorly located;
When making big games, developers need to get serious about optimization.

Screenshot of Fortinte Mobile

The Unreal Engine platform is suitable for three-dimensional games with few detailed elements. The benchmark example is Mortal Kombat, in which the player sees two characters and a background. The engine is suitable for beginners, as it allows you to program with your mouse and get a good game out of it.

Corona SDK for making games

The Corona platform is an engine for creating 2D games: platformers, top-down shooters and isometric games. The platform is free, the developer can take all the profits from the game. The creators of the Corona SDK make money from selling plugins on the backend store.

Corona SDK interface

For development you need to know the scripting language Lua, the project can be compiled for iOS or Android with minimal changes.

Examples of games on Corona SDK:

Zip-Zap;
Gunman Taco Truck;
Fun Run 2;
PKTBALL;
I Love Hue.

Pros of the Corona SDK:

built-in Android and iOS emulator, the result can be checked directly on the platform;
platform allows you to quickly make a beautiful interface;
optimized compiler, games on Corona SDK run only slightly slower than native games.

Minuses of Corona SDK:

you need the internet to compile. The platform sends bytecode to Corona servers, which compile it into an executable file;
You cannot add third-party plugins or libraries, only buy them from the Corona store. For example, you’ll have to buy a plugin to display ads;
is only suitable for 2D game development.

Zip-Zap gameplay

Corona SDK is suitable for developers who love 2D graphics and platformers. You can make your own analog of Mario or Heroes of Sword and Magic, but no more. That’s why Corona SDK is often used by indie studios or lone developers.

Construct 3 game platform

The Construct 3 platform is an engine for simple 2D games. It is suitable for creative beginners without programming skills: every object in the game has standard properties that you need to enable and set a value for them. Construct 3 works in your browser, it doesn’t need to be downloaded and installed.

Construct 3 interface

Construct 3 is used to make runners, clickers, puzzlers, and other casual games. The developers also use the engine to run-in prototypes, as Construct 3 allows you to make a simple platformer in 1 hour and a more complex game in a week.

Examples of games on Construct 3:

Beast Attack;
Ignatius;
Lunar Mission;
Rescuers;
Artillerists Needs Your Help.

Screenshot of Ignatius

Pros of Construct 3:

easy to learn, you can make games without programming;
games on Construct 3 run fast even on older Android devices;
If you figure out sprite animation, you can design a game without a designer or artist.

Minuses of Construct 3:

works in a browser and needs a constant internet connection;
incomplete documentation, which users constantly complain about;
you can only make 2D games.
Construct 3 is suitable for beginners and pixel art enthusiasts. It’s difficult to make a game with complex unique mechanics on this platform, as you have to contend with the limitations of the Lua programming language.

Game Maker Studio 2 for mobile game development

The Game Maker Studio 2 platform is suitable for 2D games. To develop for mobile platforms, you need to buy a license starting at $400. The platform supports Drag and Drop programming, suitable for beginners. The platform has a clear and customizable interface, lots of tutorial videos and in-depth documentation. For programming, you can use ready-made properties or write code in the GML language.

Creating a Game in Game Maker Studio 2

Examples of games on Game Maker Studio 2:

Sudoku Scramble;
Bubbles the cat;
Downwell;
Crashlands;
Iron Snout.

Pros of Game Maker Studio 2:

simple interface, suitable for beginners;
optimized engine and compiler, games on GMS2 run fast;
Developed community, lots of informal tutorials and information on forums.

Minuses of Game Maker Studio 2:

GML’s own programming language, which is different from the commonly used Java and C;
a license to develop for mobile platforms costs $400;

Screenshot of Downwell

Game Maker Studio is suitable for indie developers as it allows you to make fast and beautiful retro games with easy controls. It won’t be suitable for game development alone: the license to export games to mobile stores is too expensive. Users also notice that once they have worked with the GML language, it is difficult to switch to more serious programming languages and work on other platforms.

LibGDX for mobile development

The LibGDX platform is an open source engine. It supports 2D and 3D game development. The platform is free, the finished game can be exported to Android or iOS without modifications. You need to know Java for programming – the engine is designed for professionals who need a powerful free tool.

LibGDX interface

A feature of the engine – in the game code you can prescribe access to the accelerometer, camera, light sensor or other modules of the device. There’s also a built-in library for interface creation, advanced physics work via Box2D, fonts, social networking and in-game purchase extensions. This can all be installed for free.

Examples of games on LibGDX:

Paperama;
Construction City;
Shipwrecked: Pearl Cove Island;
Stone Pillar;
Lovecraft Quest.

Screenshot of Paperama

LibGDX pros:

free and unlimited;
a minimum of built-in elements. Games on LibGDX take up little space and run fast on weak devices;
full control over the game by the developer, any mechanics can be implemented.

LibGDX Minuses:

difficult for beginners to master, as the game needs to be programmed, not dragged objects with the mouse;
developers are forced to build their own development tools, like a map editor, on LibGDX. In other engines, these tools come out of the box;
there may be difficulties publishing the game on iOS, as this platform does not support Java.

Results

Before choosing an engine you need to visualize the concept of the game. You can create a Cookie Clicker on the professional Unreal Engine, and a pseudo-three-dimensional game on Construct 3. But it is better not to hammer nails with a hammer, but to select a tool for a specific task.

For casual game development and prototyping you should choose Corona, Construct 3 or Game Maker Studio 2. They allow you to make a game even if you don’t know how to program.

To create 3D games, you need Unity or Unreal Engine, as these engines specialize in 3D games. They allow you to prescribe a realistic physics model, add beautiful graphics to the game and customize the interface.

But for creating games with unique mechanics LibGDX will do. It allows you to realize any programmer’s fantasy in the code and the game will not slow down. LibGDX is the most demanding on developer skills, but allows for interesting gameplay.

You can order mobile game development from KOLORO. Write to us!