Choosing a Game Engine
ZGameEditor
Website: http://www.zgameeditor.org/
This game builder is created using Delphi and its game scripting language is very similar to Pascal (a simplified version of Pascal). Pascal lovers should check this one first. I managed to create a simple vertical scrolling spaceship game in the first few hours of my trying it.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Multi platform support: Windows, Linux, macOS, Android | The editor runs on Windows only |
| Can create both 2D and 3D games | Requires some programming skills |
| Can create Windows screensavers | |
| Easy to use built-in audio synthesizer | |
| The generated stand-alone executable is very small | |
| Its scripting language is very similar to Pascal |
Castle Game Engine
Website: https://castle-engine.io/
A powerful Pascal game engine for FPC/Lazarus and Delphi.
- For 3D and 2D games.
- Supports a lot of model formats, like glTF, X3D, Spine, sprite sheets etc.
- The engine has a visual editor for games and command-line build tool.
- Editor allows to start making games from easy templates (click "New Project" in the editor and you will have a working 3D or 2D game, that instantly builds for all platforms).
- A lot of examples, documentation, videos.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Multi platform support: Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch | Requires good programming skills in Pascal |
| Import models form many formats, graphics effects, physics, AI, etc | |
| Can create both 2D and 3D games | |
| Good demos and documentation |
GLScene
Website: http://glscene.sourceforge.net/wikka/
This 3D graphics library is very powerful. I thought I'd build some cool 3D games and applications using it. Unfortunately their development focus is mainly on Windows. I monitored it for years but there was not much progress for Linux. It didn't run well on my Linux computer so I abandoned it.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Multi platform support: Windows, Linux, macOS | Focus is mainly on Windows |
| Full featured 3D graphics engine | Does not run well on Linux |
| Good demos | Where is the documentation? |
| Zero deployment setup | Requires good programming skills in Pascal |
Allegro.pas
Website: FPC and Allegro
Allegro.pas is a wrapper for the Allegro game framework. Learning a game framework is hard, luckily the official website of Allegro provides detailed documentation so learning it is relatively easy. After only a few days learning it, I managed to create my demo game Furious Paladin.
Furious Paladin's binary: http://graphicslearning.com/furious-paladin-tutorials/
And this is the source code: https://sourceforge.net/p/allegro-pas/code/HEAD/tree/TRUNK/demos/
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Multi platform support: Windows, Linux, macOS, iPhone, Android | Relies on OpenGL or Direct3D to create full 3D games |
| Audio, font, video playback, some 3D basic drawing, joystick, keyboard, physics | How do you use Allegro.pas to create Android games? |
| Detailed documentation | Requires good programming skills in Pascal |
Simple Directmedia Library
Website: FPC and SDL
I never really tried it. But I know a kid (who was a member here) created a simple 2D horizontal scrolling game using FPC + SDL only weeks of learning it. Read more about SDL here
nxPascal
Website: nxPascal
Not as famous as the others and it lacks of documentation. But it has potential. Read more in the Forums: https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,35313.msg253463.html#msg253463
BGRABitmap or TCanvas
If you want to create simple 2D games like Tetris, Snake, Pong, Arkanoid, TCanvas and BGRABitmap is totally capable of doing it. I wrote a 2D scrolling spaceship game using only TCanvas line drawing and it's working well. I then tried to switch the graphics library to use BGRABitmap, it works. Any TCanvas program can easily switch to using BGRABitmap, which offers more graphics features. Read more:
- https://lazarus-ccr.sourceforge.io/docs/lcl/graphics/tcanvas.html
- TCanvas
- BGRABitmap
- BGRABitmap_tutorial
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Multi platform support: Windows, Linux. macOS | |
| Relatively simple and easy to learn than the others | They handle graphics only |
| BGRABitmap can draw simple 3D objects | Not suitable for graphics intensive games |
| Zero deployment setup | Requires good programming skills in Pascal |
LAMW + jCanvasES2
I am now exploring the possibility of creating Android games using LAMW + jCanvasES2. I already managed to create my Windows/Linux 2D graphics engine using OpenGL. Maybe I'm too ambitious, I want it to also run on Android. LAMW + jCanvasES2 is the combination to make Lazarus produce Android binaries that allow us to use OpenGL ES2. Unfortunately, it crashes too often. I'm examining it, hope I can fix the crashes.
Acknowledgement
This content was extracted from Handoko's post in the Games sub-forum. Some minor grammar edits have been made and formatting added.
Note: Castle Game Engine section have been edited by Michalis (talk), because the original content was outdated IMHO. It was praising the engine but also saying CGE is only a game framework. Since the original post was written, CGE got visual editor, new templates that build out-of-the-box for all platforms, lots of videos and introductory documentation... I feel CGE is now a great game engine, suitable also for beginners, too. You're welcome to challenge me on this, just try CGE :)
