Android Game Development Top Frameworks – Choosing the Best

Android device sales are exploding and the demand for new games for these devices is increasing proportionately, so it’s no wonder that programmers are learning to adapt or apply their skills to Android game development. There are a number of development framework options where it comes to Android game development. This post will take a look at four of the most popular Android game development frameworks, what they offer the programmer in terms of their features and what skills are necessary for these frameworks.

Android of course offers a free SDK for programmers that can be used for the creation of Android apps and games. If you would like to learn to program in Android 4.0 then join the thousands of students who have mastered game development with the Learn Android 4.0 Programming in Java and learn to create interactive apps and games in Android. This course offers over ninety lessons that will teach you the nuts and bolts of Android programming including how to set up your system, how to create emulators and how to select and work with layouts. The course includes lessons on how to communicate with Android and how to download text and other elements from the internet. It will teach you about JSON, and Twitter and the course includes an entire section on how to create games and animation in Android.

GameSalad

If you are eager to create your own Android apps without the programming learning curve involved, then GameSalad is the right app framework for you. GameSalad is a game authoring tool aimed at non-programmers. It allows you to create games using a drag and drop interface and visual editors. It uses behavior-based logic systems to create the games and this platform is used by animators, graphic designers and programmers to create games and interactive media for a variety of gaming devices and platforms. GameSalad allows you to publish games to both iOS and Android. It allows for games to be published to the web via HTML5. You can publish to mac or windows and you can publish to Kindle or Nook. It has a built in physics engine and a simple drag and drop user interface to ensure game development is really as simple as possible.

If GameSalad sounds like the perfect game creation platform for you, then enroll in the Introduction to Mobile Games Development course now. The course will teach you how to set up and use the development environment; how to think like a gamer and it will teach you the key game elements you need to know. It includes lessons on sprites, behaviors and audio. It will show you how to set up different player interaction types like desktop controls and touchscreen controls. It will teach you the basics of physics in games and it will teach you how to publish the games you create. The course also includes instructions on how to create three different types of games.

Corona SDK

Corona SDK is a development framework for game development using Lua. The framework is based on C++ so some knowledge or C++ skill would be helpful, but not necessary, should you wish to design and develop games using this framework. Corona makes provision for games to be built for mobile devices including iPhones, iPads and Android devices. Corona does not charge a per app royalty or have any branding requirements.

There are a number of third party applications that make Corona SDK a very attractive game development framework. The Kwik plugin for Corona is a plugin designed for designers who use Photoshop for their designs. This plugin allows Photoshop elements to be converted to create mobile applications with a view to publishing them for iOS and Android devices. The Spriteloq plugin allows shockwave flash files to be exported for use in mobile applications. For great effects, developers can use the Particle Candy plugin to automatically create smoke, fire, explosions, trails, debris, dust, light rays, clouds, water and weather effects, simply for the games.

If you would like to learn to harness the power of Corona SDK to help you create awesome interactive games, Mobile Game Development Made Easy – Corona SDK Tutorial will teach you how to build games for iOS and Android using Corona. The course requires you have some knowledge of Corona. It will teach you to program using Lua and how to animate images. It includes lessons on controlling tap and touch events. It will show you how to add widgets, music and effects to your games. You will learn scene management and you will learn how to manage data sprites and sprite animation. The course includes tutorials on how to build a physics game, a space shooter and a puzzle game.

Unity 3D

Unity 3D is a cross platform game engine that is used to develop games for consoles, mobile devices, web plugins and desktops. The engine can be used to render 3D games for a number of devices and the platform supports graphics created in a number of different applications including Blender, Photoshop, Fireworks, Maya and 3ds Max. Scripting can be done in JavaScript, UnityScript, C# or Boo. Unity is one of the most versatile development frameworks, with games that can be deployed on various platforms including Blackberry, Windows 8, Android devices, PlayStation 3, Windows Phone 8, Xbox 360 and Wii devices. One of the benefits of Unity 3D is that the license is free for organizations whose gross annual income is less than $ 100 000.00. It is also free for educational and non-profit purposes.

If you think Unity 3D is the platform for you, then sign up for the Unity 3d Game Development – iOS, Android, & Web – Beginners course. This course will teach you how to download the Unity 3D and how to set up a new project. It will teach you the basics of Unity navigation and gravity. It will teach you to program in Unity using JavaScript. The game also includes a comprehensive tutorial on how to create a brick breaker type game.

LimeJS

Finally, if you are looking for the latest technology, then LimeJS offers a great platform for developing 2D games. LimeJS is free and there are no license fees when you publish your game. LimeJS makes provision for both keyboard and mouse support. HTML5 means that LimeJS supports canvas rendering. The framework offers support for images, sprites and other assets and allow for object interactions. LimeJS provides a robust and efficient environment for game development.

If you are interested in learning how to harness HTML5 to build your games, the HTML5 Mobile Game Development for Beginners may be just what you need. This course offers over fifty lectures that will teach you to create simple HTML5 games that run on Android, iOS, Windows 8 and the web. The course includes lessons on how to create a game that works on iPad, iPhone, Desktops and Android. It includes lessons on how to use the touchscreen in your games. It will show you how to create cool transitions and animations for your games and how to add sound to your games. It offers a tutorial on creating your first spaceship game and how to use 2D physics in your game. You will create a virtual pet game and a farming game from scratch, to make sure you know how to implement the lessons taught in the course. It will also show you how to sell your game in the App Store.