2013年1月8日火曜日

Game Engines for Android

With Google IO fast approaching and GDC just completed I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the game engines available for mobile devices, specifically for x86 based mobile devices. There are many game engine choices out there, all with a different set of features, pricing, maturity, etc. After conducting a search online, I found a wide variety of game engines that can be used for creating games for Android* based mobile devices. Some provide x86 support, while others can be ported to support x86 devices without too much effort. 

Here is the list of game engines I have come across; I have included some features and details about each engine and an example game on the Android Market if I could find one.

  • jPCT-AE- http://www.jpct.net/jpct-ae/
    • A java 3D engine optimized for Android.
    • Nice set of features including 3DS, OBJ and other file support, skeletal animations, shader support, texture compression, collision detection, various lighting modes, transparency, fog, and more.
    • An all java game engine that supports x86 Android devices.
    • Free for personal and commercial use.
    • Example: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mk.grami.max
  • Libgdx - http://code.google.com/p/libgdx/
    • Cross platform (Windows, Linux, OSX and Android) 2D/3D Android engine. Build, run and iterate on the PC before deploying to phone.
    • C++ and Java based engine that easily ports to x86.
    • Box2d physics, TMX tile map, shaders, 2D particle system, sprite support, camera apis, OBJ and MD5 model loaders.
    • Full source code available for free.
    • C++/Java based engine that with a few minor changes I was able to run on x86 Android devices.
    • https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tani.penguinattack
  • Papaya Social Game Engine - http://papayamobile.com/developer/engine



  • moai - http://getmoai.com/

    • A mobile platform for game developers
    • Lua scripting language based development engine that has integrated cloud services available.
    • Engine is open source and free to use, pay for cloud services.


  • Cuttlefish Engine - http://www.cuttlefishengine.com/

    • 2D cross platform (Windows Phone, Android, iPhone, Windows PC) game engine.
    • Create game in an editor using scripting language (C# variant).
    • Designer interface to build games, Tile support and Box2d physics engine.
    • License purchase required for the Designer, engine source available for free. Trial available.


  • Orx - http://orx-project.org/

    • 2d cross platform (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, Andrdoi) game engine.
    • Camera APIs, animations, sound, sprite rendering and data driven for fast and easy prototyping and development.
    • Free open source.
    • C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
    • Example: https://market.android.com/details?id=lyde.sik.gravity

  • Unigine - http://unigine.com/products/unigine/

    • 3D cross platform (Windows, Linux, Max, PS3, iOS, Android)
    • Physics, scripting, etc. Unclear what features are supported for mobile.
    • Evaluation available to companies working on commercial projects. License purchase required.
    • C++ based engine that should easily port to x86 Android devices.
    • Example: http://www.demolicious-game.com/


  • Gideros Studio - http://www.giderosmobile.com/

    • 2D cross platform (iPhone iPad, Android) game engine.
    • Write Lua code in provided IDE, iterate on PC with simulator.
    • Features include Box2d physics engine, fonts, sprites, tile maps and sensor integration.
    • Free version includes Gideros Splash screen, licensed version removes it.
    • iPhone example: http://itunes.apple.com/app/tim-the-timber/id417301495?mt=8


  • Candroidengine - http://code.google.com/p/candroidengine/

    • 2D Java engine.
    • Sprites, tile animation, background APIs, etc.
    • Dalvik only engine that should work on all architectures.
    • Full source code available for free.


  • Mages Engine - http://code.google.com/p/mages/

    • multiplayer client/server game engine
    • Java engine that should work on all architectures.
    • Full source code available for free.


  • Unreal Development kit - http://udk.com/

    • Android support coming at a future date.

  • Rokon - http://code.google.com/p/rokon/

    • 2D engine indicates it will soon start up again as Rokon 3 and will be built upon libgdx.


The great thing about Android on x86 is that it opens a new class of devices for all of the games built on these engines. Unfortunately not all these game engines have support for x86 native binaries but it's probably just a matter of time. x86 support is available in the latest Android NDK. Porting to x86 for some of these engines may simply be a recompile. We have created a couple of documents to guide you and have forums available to help along the way.


I hope this list helps those thinking about writing an Android game by providing some details of the choices available. Ideally I will try to update this article with the latest information as it develops, but please feel free to post comments about game engines I did not come across or any updated information you find.
投稿者 han 時刻: 18:16

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