Cross-Platform Mobile Game Development – a Tool Comparison

Mobile game development has a world of its own. You will come across different set of programming languages which you would not have encountered elsewhere – Lua, Live Code, Unreal Script, Boo etc. Some of these tools are a derivative or an extension of what is available on other gaming platform while others have been explicitly developed for mobile. At least one of these platform may seize to become a game development platform and become an enterprise cross-platform mobile application development solution.

As I have mentioned earlier (here it is), there are five approaches to cross platform mobile application development and many tools are available under each category. They are:

(1)    Mobile Web (JavaScript-CSS library), (see this)

(2)    Visual Tool (No access to Code), (see this)

(3)    App Generator (Native application for multiple platforms), (see this)

(4)    Hybrid App (Leverages embedded browser control) (see this) and

(5)    Game Builder.

Here are 5 hybrid tools – the ordering is alphabetic.

1. Bedrock (Metismo)

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: Has been acquired by Software AG – rebranded as  webMethods Mobile Designer
• Language: Java & Cross compiler
• Version: -
• Licensing: detail not available
• Download: no
• Documentation: not available
• Sample application: not available
• Implementation: FinBlade, Xendex
• Wikipedia: Link

2. Corona (Ansca)

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: Started as iPhone game development platform on 2009
• Language: Lua – Compiles to native code
• Version: build 2012.767
• Licensing: Trial version available
• Download: Link
• Documentation: Index, API Reference
• Sample application: Sample code
• Implementation: Showcase, Video
• Wikipedia: Link
• Additional: About Lua programming language, Wikipedia
• Article on how to use:  Mobile Tuts+, Mobile Lua – iOS and Android apps with Corona
• Book: Mobile App Development with Corona

3. JUCE

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: JUCE (Jules’ Utility Class Extensions) is a C++ class library for developing cross-platform software
• Language: C++
• Version: 1.53
• Licensing: GPL or Commercial license
• Download: Link
• Documentation: API reference guide
• Sample application: Wiki
• Implementation: Index
• Wikipedia: Link
• Additional: Forum
• Article on how to use: Community driven trunk of the Juce Framework, Giving some Juce to cross-platform tools

4. LiveCode (RunRev)

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: Started in 1997 to promote natural-language technologies
• Language: LiveCode
• Version: 5.0
• Licensing: 30 day Trial, EULA
• Download: Link
• Documentation: Link
• Sample application: Tutorial
• Implementation: Only non-mobile case studies listed
• Wikipedia: Link
• Additional: Related sites
• Article on how to use: LiveCode journal, software know how

5. Marmalade

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: It is from Ideaworks3D which has been into cross-platform technology and games software since 1998
• Language: Visual C++
• Version: 5.2
• Licensing: Free evaluation – application cannot be distributed
• Download: Link
• Documentation: Index
• Sample application: Getting Started
• Implementation: Index
• Wikipedia: Link
• Additional: IwGame framework for marmalade
• Article on how to use: DrMop

6. Moai

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: It is a mobile game development platform from Zipline both on mobile devices and in the cloud
• Language: Lua
• Version: 0.95
• Licensing: CPAL 1.0
• Download: Git Hub
• Documentation: Wiki
• Sample application: Your First Game : Rocket Lobster
• Implementation: List of Games
• Wikipedia: No
• Article on how to use:  High On Coding

7. Unity 3

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: Multi-platform tool covering mobile, web, gaming console and PC based on Mono
• Language: JavaScript, C#, and a dialect of Python named Boo
• Version: 3.5
• Licensing: 30 day Trial
• Download: Link
• Documentation:  Link
• Sample application: Demo Projects
• Implementation: List of Games
• Wikipedia: Link
• Additional: Asset Store, How to
• Article on how to use:  Clever Martian’s Blog, Active Tuts, 3D Artist, Lesterbanks

8. Unreal

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: Started in 1998 for first-person shooter game Unreal
• Language: Unreal Script
• Version: Build 9505
• Licensing: Free for non-commercial use
• Download: Link
• Documentation: Index
• Sample application: Getting Started
• Implementation: Showcase
• Wikipedia: Link
• Additional: Unreal Scripting
• Article on how to use:  Unreal Wiki
• Book: Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design, Unreal Development Kit Game Programming with UnrealScript

9. XPower++

• Home page: Link
• Genesis: It has background in cross-compiler for grid computing
• Language: Basic++, C++, Java++, and Pascal++ language dialects
• Version: 2.0.2.990
• Licensing:
• Download: Link
• Documentation:  Index
• Sample application: (see documentation index)
• Implementation: ?
• Wikipedia: Link

Do let me know if there are any errors and omissions in the details I have provided.

More Tool Comparisons

Here are references to articles written by others comparing different cross-platform tools:

• 5 Cross-Platform Mobile Development Tools You Should Try
• Comparison: App Inventor, DroidDraw, Rhomobile, PhoneGap, Appcelerator, WebView, and AML
• Top 5 Tools for Multi-Platform Mobile App Development
• A Brief Comparison of Titanium and PhoneGap for Cross Platform Mobile Development
• Mobile Apps cross-platform development challenge: PhoneGap vs. Titanium vs. Rhodes
• A detailed primer on building cross platform mobile applications
• 6 Best Cross platform mobile development tools
• Cross-platform mobile development: Phonegap, Corona and Titanium
• 10 Useful Frameworks To Develop HTML-Based Webapps for Touch Devices
• First Time App Developer’s Experience with jQuery Mobile, XUI, PhoneGap and Objective-C
• 9 Mobile Framework to Kick Start Your Mobile Development Career

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