cocos2D or IwGame

Question

I started developing a game application for Android, but as I progress I decided to switch to cross-platform environment. Performance is very important as there is some complex audio processing on the background. After few days researching the subject I came to conclusion that the most successful option is Marmalade SDK.

Now I need to decide if to use IwGame or Cocos2D-X or both for development. Both looks great and interesting. Have anyone used these and can share experience?

Thanks.

Snowwhite

Answer 1

It depends on how much your game is dependent on the game engine. Cocos2D-x is more feature reach and heavy duty game engine, contributed by many open source developers, while IwGame engine is build by an individual (or may be a team of individuals) just for marmalade.

I've used Iwgame engine for 3D game camera rotation only and it was too easy to set it up and within a day I could make my game running fine. So if your needs are not high, just use IwGame .

Physics engine like Box2D and Chipmunks are said to be better linked with Cocos2D-x, however I've used them separately in marmalade project and faced no problems at all. So it's not a big deal to have a better linked physics engine.

To work on Cocos2D-x, you'll need to learn it first, while IwGame is not too complex to start. But once you worked with Cocos2D-x, it'll be easier for you to work on serious projects and you'll want to use only this.

Cellist

All this experience is with iOS development using Marmalade, but I guess it doesn't matter even if you use it for Android. – Cellist

Answer 2

IwGame offers a very powerful built-in mark-up language (XOML) that can make laying out game levels, designing animations, creating user interfaces very easy. IwGame also allows you to host your content on remote server and download it on demand. Oh, it also has built in support for ads and in-app purchasing.

Cocos2D is the more mature engine but I believe IwGame is more feature rich and easier to use.

Seacock

Answer 3

I only use cocos2d-x (without Marmalade). I think it is pretty handy when making games, but the setup process and getting your first game to work aren't that easy.

I didn't try IwGame, so I cannot say much about it.

You can get a feel of what cocos2d-x games look like in my profile.

Nadeen