Patrick Avella

Programmer, Web Developer, Blogger

Top three game engines I wish I had time for

6/21/2011 -- Patrick

I'm busy most the day doing things that I perceive to be more important, such as working, doing chores, and pretending to be doing chores. So without further ado, here is my list of the top three game engines I wish I had time for.

1. ImpactJS ( http://impactjs.com ) to my knowledge this is the first commercial javascript game engine available. For about a hundred dollars you get both the javascript libraries and what looks to be a really cool 2d level editor. ImpactJS looks like it could be a lot of fun after the learning curve. The price feels a little steep, but it supports the development of a new age of online game development.

2. A8 / 3dgamestudio ( http://3dgamestudio.com ) this thing has been around forever. I've downloaded demos from time to time. The "C lite" language it comes with is nothing to write home about, but it comes with a fantastic set of tools for both level design and general modelling. What's nice about 3dgamestudio is that it's very easy to use. It lets someone with no 3d modelling skills make rudimentary models.

3. Unity3d ( http://unity3d.com ) is a very cool browser plugin based 3d engine that lets you write games for desktop, web, and mobile all with the same codebase. The best part, at least for me, is that you can write Unity games using Javascript. The only real gripe I have with Unity's plugin methodology is that there is no linux version.

We all wish we had more time in a day to work on our pet projects, what are some cool game libraries that you've been wanting to try? Tell me in the comments!