How do you leverage cross-platform game development frameworks and libraries to speed up your workflow?

1 Choose a suitable framework

When selecting a framework for your game, you have a variety of options to choose from. Unity is a powerful and versatile engine that supports 2D and 3D games, and has an active community of developers and tutorials. Cocos2d-x specializes in 2D games and supports multiple languages. Unreal Engine is a high-end and robust engine that excels in 3D games, offering stunning graphics, physics, and audio. Corona is a simple and easy-to-use framework that focuses on 2D games with Lua as the main programming language and a live-reload feature that lets you see changes instantly on your device. Each framework has its own advantages and drawbacks, so consider your genre, style, and requirements before making your choice.

2 Use cross-platform libraries

In addition to the framework, you may also require certain libraries to provide additional functionality or features for your game, such as networking, analytics, monetization, or social media integration. However, not all libraries are compatible with every platform and some may require different configurations or code. To avoid these issues, it is best to use cross-platform libraries that work seamlessly across different devices and operating systems. Some of the more popular ones are Firebase, SDL, LibGDX, and AdMob. Firebase is a comprehensive and scalable platform that offers various services with a unified SDK for easy integration. SDL is a low-level library that handles the basic tasks of game development and supports many platforms. LibGDX is a Java-based library that provides a cross-platform API for game development with a modular design. AdMob is a reliable platform for monetizing your game with ads in various formats such as banners, interstitials, and rewarded videos.

3 Test and debug your game

The final step of game development is to test and debug your game on different platforms and devices. This is essential to guarantee a smooth and consistent user experience, free of errors or bugs. To make this stage more efficient, you can use emulators and simulators, debugging tools, and testing frameworks. Emulators and simulators are software applications that imitate the behavior of a device or platform, while debugging tools such as Visual Studio, Xcode, Android Studio, and Chrome DevTools allow you to inspect and modify the state of your game. Testing frameworks like Appium, Selenium, Espresso, and XCTest help automate the testing process. By utilizing these tools, you can increase your productivity when creating mobile games that can reach a larger audience.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?