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List of game frameworks, libraries to use in 2021 and beyond?
funlw65:
The best bet would be Godot engine, with a scripting language and GUI controls similar to Lazarus. Personally, I was interested in GUI ability and 2D lights (for a fancy user interface) ... I started to port one of my apps from Lazarus to Godot engine (see some screen shots here to see what you can achieve with it when a GUI is involved https://stm32vpc.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-remake-work-in-progress.html ), but you know immediately that you run a game engine by the noise the laptop fan is making. So, I dropped it for that reason (as a student that programs microcontrollers you don't want your laptop to shutdown in the middle of your project), but as a pure game engine is awesome (cross platform too).
Eugene Loza:
--- Quote ---I am developing on a Mac, so I would like to be able to build and test on macOS
--- End quote ---
About Castle Game Engine: Unfortunately I can't tell for sure about MAC - I see there are no ready binaries for MAC, so, you'll have to build those from sources, see https://castle-engine.io/macosx_requirements.php for details. But as far as I remember some users successfully managed to run it there - ask around Engine Discord channel if you run into any issues.
You can build a mobile executable (APK, AAB, XCode project -> IPA) out of the box, and of course Windows/Linux + also Nintendo Switch and a few more exotic platforms (I know about Raspberry Pi, AFAIR launching everything on BSD also was successful).
Also LGPL license allows you to make commercial games. E.g. those were made in Castle Game Engine: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/escape-from-the-universe-switch/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/746750/The_Unholy_Society/ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digitalkarabela.cge.colorpick
So it's definitely worth at least a try ;)
ddabrahim:
--- Quote ---The best bet would be Godot engine
--- End quote ---
Thank you for the recommendation, Godot is indeed looks very capable however the only Pascal binding I can find is no longer maintained:
https://github.com/BenediktMagnus/godot-object-pascal
Of course there are other languages I can use but at that point I could consider any engine. For now I am interested to see what options are out there for Pascal and Lazarus specifically that is worth even considering.
--- Quote ---About Castle Game Engine: Unfortunately I can't tell for sure about MAC
--- End quote ---
I have tried Castle Game Engine because it is seem the most robust option at the moment but unfortunately I am getting compile errors when I try to compile from source. The fact there is no binary for Mac suggest the developer either does not have a Mac or not interested in developing the engine for Mac. In either case, even if I can get it to compile with some help I am afraid down the line if I hit any Mac specific bugs the developer won't be able to fix it....
What I really would like to find is either an engine written entirely in Pascal that I can open in Lazarus and just compile and build as simply as it sounds or individual modules I can include in my project to create a window, render graphics and text in the window, playback audio, handle keyboard, mouse input and that's it. Or a package I can install in Lazarus and then simply able to create a game project right from Lazarus and then compile and build at least on the development platform which is a Mac in my case, I know if I want to target mobile I definitely need to install additional SDK's but for now I would like to find something simple to get started with.
So far Ray4Laz seems to be the most promising in this regard because I can install it from the Online Package Repository and after installation I get an option in Lazarus to create a Raylib project. After creating a project, I should in theory be able to compile and build games using Raylib at least for the Mac. However when I try to build the project, I am getting linking errors, most likely because Raylib itself is missing I guess but I can't find any info what to do about it.
If I go to the Raylib website I can download Raylib but I get no instruction what to do with it, where to put it. if I go to the Raylib documentation it does not mention anything about the lib I can download but explain how to install it from Homebrew and build from source.
If I go to the Ray4Laz page it is only mention that to download Raylib from the official page and that's it does not say what to do with it.
If I put the lib in to the Raylib project folder anywhere it does not work. Again I don't know what to put and where, how to include it in the project.
This is where lack of documentation (and lack of experience) comes in to play.
I did not have time to look at the other options yet or to register and post on the forums of the engines I am having trouble with but just wanted to provide some info what I have tried so far.
Thank you all!
Eugene Loza:
--- Quote ---The fact there is no binary for Mac suggest the developer either does not have a Mac or not interested in developing the engine for Mac. In either case, even if I can get it to compile with some help I am afraid down the line if I hit any Mac specific bugs the developer won't be able to fix it....
--- End quote ---
Not exactly :) As far as I know Michalis has his own (very old) MAC, and at work we're using a remote MAC to build Castle Game Engine projects every day. Indeed, I recall some of the users had problems with the Engine on MAC, but I remember they were solved.
--- Quote ---but unfortunately I am getting compile errors when I try to compile from source.
--- End quote ---
If you have any problems, you may simply ask in Discord (or in Forum - but in forum it's slower). I myself used Castle Game Engine on remote MAC - though I've already been working in a properly set up environment, and only command-line, so I don't consider myself an expert here - but I know it's perfectly possible.
If you have Lazarus running and building some basic apps (that's what I believe is the trickiest part, next one will be setting up cross-compilation) - then you most likely are very close to have everything working out of the box, at least to have local builds. Maybe you simply need to install some library or add some $PATH variable. - Fixing those settings will be much faster than learning a new programming language.
Unless you already gave up trying Pascal :D
Then of course you may just go with GoDot - AFAIK it's the most popular and easy-to-use FOSS engine out there. I don't know if it works properly on MAC, but I know that Unity does, even on remote one ;)
ddabrahim:
--- Quote ---If you have Lazarus running and building some basic apps.. then you most likely are very close to have everything working out of the box
--- End quote ---
I have no problem with that, Lazarus works great. It is only the game engines and frameworks throwing errors at me at the moment.
--- Quote ---at work we're using a remote MAC to build Castle Game Engine projects every day.
--- End quote ---
In that case, there is still hope :D I should try again and ask for some help on Discord.
--- Quote ---Unless you already gave up trying Pascal
--- End quote ---
Not at all, I certainly want to try Pascal and Lazarus to develop some desktop applications. Only need to find a solution for games.
Thanks.
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