The most crucial requirement for a new developer is the support community and learning curve.If a game engine has a good support community then it makes the learning more fun and interesting. Choosing an engine with steep learning curve might lead you to lose interest in game development. There are many online courses to help you learn both the game engines. So, no matter which game engine you choose learning them shouldn’t be difficult.
GODOT
Godot is considered the underdog in game engines. This is because it is powerful yet open source, meaning that the developer does not have to pay anything to use the tool. It is also older, and is geared mainly toward 2D game development. However, it supports 3D but is not the best at 3D game development and rendering. Because of how long ago it was started, Godot, unlike newer game engines is suited for people with programming knowledge. Every feature is accessible through code meaning that someone without coding knowledge cannot use it. However, among the coders, it is highly praised because of its well-arranged documentation and ease of coding.
Godot is an open source C++ based game engine with a superior editor loved by many coders. And like all other open source software, Godot is constantly updated and fixing bugs by their online community. This means if you have a question, there is a community to help you out when you’re stuck. Godot is a great choice for 2D game development but also works with 3D games. What makes Godot great for beginners however is the large set of documents it provides which allow the beginner to easily learn and develop a simple game.
Godot supports all major platforms including: Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and iOS, Android, PS3, HTML5, PS Vita and even the less popular Windows Phone. With Godot, it is easy for beginners to learn and make simple games without reinventing the wheel.
The key features for Godot game engine include the following.
Godot has a dedicated scripting language
Godot game engine comes with a uniquely written programming language called GDScript. GDScript was developed by the Godot team as a result of testing other languages and failing. GDScript came about as a result of mixing and iterating multiple programming languages such as Python and Lua. Since none of these languages worked for them how they wanted, they decided to merge the two. This is why GDScript is as readable as Python since it retains some of the features of Python language such as strict typing and more straightforward short codes. Through this, they were also able to create a better editor which is what Godot is mainly praised for. The language is quick to learn and this is why many developers love Godot.
GDScript also includes visual scripting. Visual scripting is important when it comes to developers who are into artsy stuff. It makes coding much more intuitive and allows easy making of prototypes. However, it is important to note that a game should not be created only through visual scripting.
Supports multiple programming languages
As we know by now, to use a game engine, you have to have some bit of coding knowledge. The problem comes in when you know a language that is not supported by your game engine. Godot ensures that whatever language you know is supported by it. It supports C++, C# and their own GDScript. Recently, they have been working on VisualScript which is a similar to Unreal’s Blueprint engine.
Supports both 2D and 3D development
Many games today are in 3D. However, for Indie developers, 2D game development is essential. Godot is great for Indie developers since it is especially tailored for 2D game models. Godot game engine provides a smooth and great workflow for these game models and this is why almost all Indie game developers use it. Unlike newer game engines that work in pseudo 2D where a 3D world is represented in two dimensions, Godot works in actual 2D that is expressed in pixels. This is the reason we say it is tailored especially for 2D game models. They plan on releasing 2.5D support soon.
It is an open source game engine
Godot is well known for being an open source software. All its features and tools are registered under the MIT license. This means that it is free and you own everything that you create from it. Because of its open source nature, it is very flexible. If you are a developer and find something that does not work for you the way you want, you can change it. Through its online community, more and more tools and features are added and availed freely to users. It therefore allows them to unique elements to their games.
It has a node system
To understand the node system, you have to first understand how game engines work. Game engines normally use scenes to represent a level in a game. In the scene, there are objects. These objects are what identify a scene. With newer game engines, the objects are called Actors.
For Godot however, scenes have a node. Each node is a single object and can inherit from any other node. Many nodes make a scene meaning that even scenes have the inheritance property as long as they have the same root node. Nodes can be difficult to master if you have never worked with them before. However, for people used to them, it is a very intuitive and great design tool
Godot has its own IDE
Godot comes with its own IDE or text editor. You are not bound to use this editor and can use any other editor you prefer. The inbuilt editor is definitely not as cool as other third party IDEs but is great for use in Godot.
It is light for systems
Godot does not consume a lot of memory in the system. In fact with just over 60MB, standard Godot is executable. It also does not need installation. After you download it, all you need to do it to unzip it and get started. It is preferred by many because on top of its small file size, the engine is perfect for lower powered systems. It is important to note however note that, the in engine performance of your system is directly linked to the performance of the finished product. This means that if your system’s engine is slow and buffery, the game will also be slow and jittery.
Godot is a cross platform
Godot supports all major operating systems in the world today. This list includes Windows, Mac and Linux among others. It can also be supported by either 32 or 64 bit machines which makes it every convenient for many. The only problem is that many alternative tools in Godot are tailored with only one OS in mind: Windows. This means that when using another operating system with such tools will cause problems.
Has a server
Godot game engine has an inbuilt server to support multiplayer game development. The server also allows games made by Godot to be suitable for multiple game environments such as Android, PS3, HTML5, PS Vita and even the less popular Windows Phone. They are currently working on a Raspberry Pi version.
Better documentation
Godot is open source and this means that the online community is involved in documentation. With around 100k active users, Godot has one of the best manuals. As time goes, Godot users will continue to grow and the manual will continue to get better and better.
Superb animations
Godot has one of the most diverse and powerful animations studio – better than most of the newer game engines. And as much as it is diverse, Godot has made it that it is also one of the easiest to use and learn. It does not go as deep as newer game engines meant for 3D models, but definitely offers ease of use.
Great for 2D games
As we’ve said before, Godot was tailored for 2D game models and until they released a new version, it was limited to only 2D creations. If you plan on developing a 2D game, then Godot is a great choice for you.
CRYENGINE GAME ENGINE
If you’re a gamer, then the Cryengine is not a new term for you. There are many games that have been made through this powerful game engine. It is designed by a German developer known as Crytek. Cryengine has been used to make many AAA games in the past and are constantly improving. If you are a gamer then you should have definitely come across cryengine logo when playing games in your PC or Console.
Cryengine is known for its aesthetically pleasing and high quality, high resolution games. Over time, they update their system so that new consoles are supported. Some of games made with Cryengine are: Sniper – Ghost Warrior 2 and Snow Warhorse. Such games are registered under a third party license. Large game companies such as Ubisoft also use this game engine. Ubisoft maintains an in-house, heavily modified version of CryEngine from the original Far Cry called the Dunia Engine, which is used in their later iterations of the Far Cry series.
The Cryengine like all other game engines has slowly been improved through the many versions it has starting from Cryengine 1 to V. The version 1 was used for the first release of Far Cry. It was the first version of the game engine to be released by Crytek and was demonstrated at Electronic Entertainment expo. After its great reception, it was quickly made into a game. Later, Crytek released an improved version 1.2 which included better graphics and controls. A 1.3 version was released soon after and improved on HDR lighting.
The Cryengine 2 was used in the worldwide popular game known as Crysis. It was released in 2008 by Crytek. This version was first licensed out to an urban communication company and the purpose of this was to create a program where clients would be able to model exactly how a building would look like before construction. This licensing was done in 2009 but later changed ownership in 2011 when another company, the Simpsons, took over. Later in 2012, it was licensed by Ringling College which became the first educational institution to license Cryengine 2 for educational purposes.
The Cryengine 3 was released in 2009 and was being used for development of Windows, PS3, Xbox360 and Wii games. Later that year, a demo of a 3D version of the Cryengine 3 was released. The Cryengine 3 was slowly modified to create custom maps and mods. Crytek used this version to bring back the original Crysis game to consoles as they were first only made for PCs. In 2011, a play station and Xbox version of the game was made available to the public
The Cryengine 3.6 to 4 is unique and has little similarities with its previous versions. It added a support for Linux operating system and increased their platforms to consoles such as the PS4, Xbox One and Wii U.
The final version of the Cryengine to be released is the Cryengine V. It was released in 2016. This game engine version was unique because it allowed the users to view the source code such after paying a certain amount of money. Later in 2017, a 504 version was released to make some improvements on the 5.0 such as a Vulkan API render engine as beta, substance integration and new C# palettes.
KEY FEATURES IF CRYENGINE
The Cryengine is a powerful game engine. It has the following key features.
CRYENGINE USES WYSIWYG EDITOR
It has a ‘what you see is what you get’ (WYSIWYG) editor which is very convenient and efficient for game developers since testing during development is made very easy.
IT USES C++,C# AND LUA FOR PROGRAMMING AND HAS A VISUAL EDITOR
As we know by now, to use a game engine, you have to have some bit of coding knowledge. The problem comes in when you know a language that is not supported by your game engine. Scripting in Cryengine can be done using C++ ,C # and lua. Therefore , game developers can use the language they prefer.
Flow Graph is a visual scripting system that is embedded in the CryENGINE Sandbox Editor. The main advantage of the Flow Graph Editor is that users do not need to have any scripting or programming knowledge
SUPPORTS BOTH 2D AND 3D DEVELOPMENT
Many games today are in 3D. However, for Indie developers, 2D game development is essential. Cryengine is great for Indie developers since it is especially tailored for 2D game models. Cryengine game engine provides a smooth and great workflow for these game models and this is why almost all Indie game developers use it. Unlike newer game engines that work in pseudo 2D where a 3D world is represented in two dimensions, Cryengine works in actual 2D that is expressed in pixels. This is the reason we say it is tailored for both 3D and 2D game models.
IT OFFERS OFFLINE RENDERING
This is a key feature since not many game engines have this option. In fact, only a few high end game engines have this feature. Offline rendering means that rendering can continue even when there is no internet connection. This is convenient as it protects the developer from losing progress in development.Learn Cryengine