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App Marketing Networks 2014

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Android Game
Development
Tools Guide
To make a good mobile game, youll need the right
development tools, and theres plenty out there. In this
guide we look at the top game development tools for
creating an Android-based game.
 Android Game Development Tools Guide

Android Game Development

Tools Guide

As the old saying goes, everybody has at least one good game in them. To make a good mo-
bile game, youll need the right development tools, and theres plenty out there. In this arti-
cle we look at the top game development tools for creating an Android-based game. Weve
covered a few engines, from the larger ones like Unity to more niche products like Moai. Not
everyone has the time to learn C++, or their game might be simple enough to not need that
kind of detail and control. Then again, the larger game engines, and those that allow you to
change the source code, might be just what you need to create precisely the game you want,
and in 3D no less. So weve covered a range of tools to make sure theres something there
for all game developers and game types.

Weve divided the list below according to the size and scope of the platforms: Big Hitters
arethe biggest engines out there with the highest amount of tools, Mid-Level are for rel-
atively experienced developers who want to improve, and Entry Level are for those just
.
starting out and looking to make their first game.

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 Android Game Development Tools Guide

Big Hitters

Unity 3D

Unity 3D has to top the list: fully supporting 3D game development, it is the most polished
tool out there (together with Unreal Engine), offering plenty of monetisation tools on top
of its dev suite, and is free if your game makes less than $100,000 yearly revenue. Its been
used to create some of the most popular games out there, including Monument Valley, and
although it does not let you dig into the source code, youll probably never need to.

Pros: Free up to $100,000, the most polished engine out there, massive community
and support network
Cons: Gets expensive with extra features and add ons. No source code access unless
you pay. BIG.
Example Games: N.O.V.A, ChronoBlade, Monument Valley

Unreal Engine 4

Unreal Engine 4 is one of the big-hitters in the list, offering an extremely sophisticated set
of tools, complete access to its C++ source code and full 3D support. Its pricing plan costs
nothing until your game reaches $3000/quarter, at which point 5% of royalties go to Unre-
al, though one-off payments without royalties can also be organised. Its community is also
extremely active, and it has a large knowledge base available online, with tutorial videos and
extensive documentation.

Pros: Complete source C++ access, visual scripting, good UI

Cons: Few extensions, hard to make your own workflows or effects, not
great for collaboration
Example Games: Shadowgun: Deadzone, Epic Citadel, Wild Blood

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 Android Game Development Tools Guide

Marmalade

Marmalade markets itself as the quickest cross-platform development engine, and its
low-level language does indeed make its apps run very fast further to that, one of its major
upsides is write once, run anywhere. All of its five pricing plans (the cheapest being free)
give you access to the SDK, and the lowest tier starts at $15 dollars/month. The engine offers
great physics support and can produce 3d games, but it does feature a lot of coding instead
of visual scripting, so is perhaps best avoided by beginners.

Pros: No Mac required to compile iOS code, very good performance, low-level language
Cons: Low-level language, can require extension-making, slower to make apps
Example Games: Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled Blitz

Mid-Level

GameMaker Studio

GameMaker Studio has been featured a number of times in the Humble Bundle, which alone
is a testament to how good the tool is. Released in 1999, it was used to create notable hits
like Hotline Miami and Spelunky. Using the GML language, it creates games by using a library
of pre-set events which then trigger in-game actions, making for an intuitive game-building
experience. Also note that it only supports Android 2.3 onwards, and given the level of com-
plexity if can offer, is best suited for junior developers (as opposed to total beginners).

Pros: Simple to use, wide support base

Cons: Some 3d Support, clunky language
Example Games: Tiamat X, Savant Ascent, Default Dan

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 Android Game Development Tools Guide

Appypie

Appypie is a fairly new player to the game-making-platform business, but the entire company
is geared towards providing tools for non-coders to make applications and games. With var-
ious price plans available, it offers a lot of flexibility for those starting out, as well as ready-
made templates of games and a drag-and-drop user interface. The upside of having its own
app marketplace is that publishing to it is extremely easy, but there is no support to publish
to the App Store or Google Play thats up to you.

Pros: Out-the-box templates, whitelabel projects available, very easy to use

Cons: Manual submission to app stores, very recent means few user reviews
Games Made: NA

Moai

Moais main advantage is there are no frills attached: it is free, open source and will create
games for every platform under the sun, and works with Linux as well as Mac and Windows.
The platform is Lua based and uses C++ and writes games with clean code and gives the
developer a lot of flexibility in how to do things: this can be a curse for a beginner or someone
who wants to get on with game design without too much coding.

Pros: Open source means you can change the engine as you wish
Cons: Little documentation, not easy for beginners
Games Made: Freedom Falls, Lost in Paradise, Invisible Inc.

Corona

Corona is the highly polished, extremely popular game development tool made by Corona
Labs, and despite being so polished and with extensive API documentation, it comes with
three price plans, starting at Free. Its cross platform, covering iOS, Android and Kindle, and

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 Android Game Development Tools Guide

has a strong focus on good-looking games with various media and easy monetisation. Coro-
na does not have a visual scripting tool, so it is best for people who have some experience in
coding, though being based on Lua, it is very easy for a developer to pick the language up.

Pros: Strong community support, emulator functions well for testing, no IDE, write once;
run anywhere
Cons: Some key add-ons have to be paid for, limited plug-ins.
Games Made: Streetfood Tycoon, Gravity Maze

Entry-Level

Gideros Mobile

Gideros Mobile recently became a free engine, and being open source means it is highly
customisable and efficient. Based on C/C++ and OpenGL, it makes your apps run at native
speeds on devices, and while the IDE has everything you need to develop out-the-box (tex-
ture packer, font creator), there is also a large market of third-party plugins. Also features a
very active and friendly community on its forums.

Pros: Very quick to test apps, easy learning curve, OOP supports iOS, Windows and An-
droid
Cons: No visual scripting, no publishing support
Games Made: Galactic Blaster, Miner Z

Made with Gideros Mobile: Galactic Blaster Screenshots

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 Android Game Development Tools Guide

Fusion 2.5

Fusion 2.5 is a great visual scripting tool to start working on simple 2D games, and particular-
ly apt for side-scrolling shooters and point-and-click games. Its modular price plan mean you
can pay for either Android or iOS exports, as well as choosing between the basic and devel-
oper versions: the developer version adds a number of monetization features like integra-
tion with admob and in-app purchases. Its also on Steam, so you can always wait for a sale
and develop a pen-and-paper concept in the meantime

Pros: Visual programming, pay only for what you want, easy learning curve
Cons: Pay extra to publish for iOS, extra modules can cost money
Example Games: Lost Jelly, Dead of Day, Megacity

GameSalad

GameSalad, a very intuitive platform, uses a clear drag-and-drop interface to build games
and is often a gateway to learn game creation concepts. It covers all major platforms (in-
cluding the Kindle) without any extra coding, however it does not feature 3d support. One of
its main upsides is the in-app testing tool which allows you see how your game will function
on each platform- some would say thats all you need, as 80+ apps developed with it reached
the top 100 games in the App Store, with 3 number ones.

Pros: Simple to use, two price plans, good prototyping

Cons: Limited in its graphical assets, no full 3d support
Example Game Volty

Stencyl

Stencyl is a cross-platform game engine suited for complete beginners. It only supports tile-
based 2D games and while it starts off free for web publishing, it has additional pricing plans
if you want to publish in Android. This effectively means you can have a free trial to test its

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 Android Game Development Tools Guide

drag-and-drop interface and multiple tools before deciding to export to another platform. As
Stencyl itself puts it, it features a high level Lego block style of development, but the engine
also gives you the chance to change the code behind the visuals.

Pros: Behaviour-based programming ideal for beginners, very good visual tools (texture
and sprite creators included)
Cons: Little collaboration support, all documentation online (no offline help), weak de-
bugging
Example Game: Ghost Song, Mibiblis Quest

Final Thoughts:
We know, we know: you cant wait to make that game a reality now. We hope weve provided
you some good recommendations as to the best development tools for your idea, now pick
your favourite and get developing. Most of all, have fun creating your game.

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 FIND OUT MORE

hello@appindex.com | www.appindex.com | @appindexhq

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