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PlayCanvas vs Unreal Engine: What are the differences?
Introduction
In this article, we will discuss the key differences between PlayCanvas and Unreal Engine, two popular game development platforms.
Performance and Optimization: PlayCanvas is a lightweight engine that focuses on web-based games, offering excellent performance and optimization for browser-based experiences. On the other hand, Unreal Engine is a powerful and feature-rich engine that provides high-quality graphics, advanced physics simulations, and extensive systems for game development across various platforms such as PC, consoles, and mobile devices.
Ease of Use and Learning Curve: PlayCanvas has a user-friendly interface and a simpler learning curve, making it an ideal choice for beginners or developers with limited experience. It provides intuitive tools and a visual programming interface, allowing for quick prototyping and development. In contrast, Unreal Engine has a steeper learning curve, but offers more advanced features and capabilities for experienced developers.
Platform Support: PlayCanvas primarily focuses on web-based games and supports HTML5 and WebGL technologies, which enable games to run on web browsers without the need for additional plugins. On the other hand, Unreal Engine supports a wide range of platforms, including PC, consoles (such as PlayStation and Xbox), virtual reality (VR) devices, and mobile devices (iOS and Android).
Customizability and Extensibility: PlayCanvas provides a relatively limited range of customization options, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. While it offers a solid set of features for web-based games, the level of customization is not as extensive compared to Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine, on the other hand, provides a highly customizable and extensible framework, allowing developers to create complex gameplay mechanics, advanced graphics, and custom plugins.
Asset Pipeline and Marketplace: PlayCanvas offers a streamlined asset pipeline and a built-in marketplace, making it easier for developers to find and integrate assets into their projects. It provides a library of ready-to-use assets and a collaborative workspace, enabling developers to share and collaborate on projects. Unreal Engine also provides a marketplace where developers can find and purchase assets, but its asset pipeline is more complex and requires additional steps for asset integration.
Community and Support: PlayCanvas has a smaller but active community of developers, with a dedicated forum for support and discussions. It provides documentation, tutorials, and sample projects to help developers get started. On the other hand, Unreal Engine has a larger community and a wealth of resources, including official documentation, forums, video tutorials, and live training sessions. The extensive community and support network of Unreal Engine can be beneficial for developers seeking assistance or learning resources.
In Summary, PlayCanvas is a lightweight engine suitable for web-based games, offering excellent performance, ease of use, and a streamlined asset pipeline. Unreal Engine, on the other hand, is a powerful and feature-rich engine, providing high-quality graphics, advanced customization options, extensive platform support, and a larger community and support network.
When I started to learn game development, I've tried to use Unity multiple times because it's the most popular option. But never get it worked because of the clunky UI which is very hard to understand for a new user. After some time, I've decided to try UE4 despite there was a lot of rumors that it's "heavy" or requires an AAA team. And suddenly it clicked, everything works as I expecting, UI is clear and much more powerfull, no need to build custom tools to work on the game itself. Blueprints are very helpful for beginners, C++ has a lot of "syntax-sugar" - macroses, a lot of convenient in-engine types for everything. Later while working with Unreal, I've realized it has very consistent roadmap with constant improvements and adding new features. At the same time, each major version update is painless so you can upgrade your project during development to get new features. UE4 is free to use with the full list of features and you only have to pay royalty after getting your first $1 million from the project (and that's just the default case, you can always discuss custom license with an upfront fee, if you want to).
I chose Unity over Unreal Engine because Unity has a more user friendly UI for beginners looking to learn game development. Additionally, as someone who uses a lot of online resources to learn new languages and tools, I found a lot of tutorials covering game development with Unity as the core engine. This doesn't mean Unreal is not a great choice for game development, I just personally found learning game development much smoother with the amount of resources available with Unity.
Pros of PlayCanvas
Pros of Unreal Engine
- C++11
- Blueprints6
- PBR5
- Suitable for any projects4
- Source Available4
- Convenient and modern UI3
- Most Popular Game engine1
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Cons of PlayCanvas
Cons of Unreal Engine
- Heavy6
- A lot of "heaviness" myths around1
