Game Engines

What is a game engine?

A game engine is a software framework designed for the creation and development of a video game. Developers use them to create games for consoles, phones and PCs.

What are they used for?

The main functions of a game engine includes a rendering engine (renderer) for 2D and 3D graphics, physics engine or collision detection, sound, scripting, animation, AI, networking, memory management, threading, streaming, localization and a scene graph

Rendering Engines

A rendering engine is used for generating an image from a 2D or 3D model (or models in what collectively could be called a scene file.) A scene file contains object in a strictly defined language or data structure, it would contain viewpoint, texture, geometry, lighting and shading information as a description of the virtual scene.

3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of automatically converting 3D wire frame models into 2D images with 3D photo realistic effects on a computer. 

Some of the best 2D game engines:

• Construction 2
• Unity
• Clickteam Fusion 2.5
• LibGDX
• Monkey X

Some of the best 3D game engines:

• Unreal Engine 4
• Unity 3D
• Wave
• Esenthel
• UDK

Physics Engines

A physics engine is computer software that gives an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as fluid dynamics, soft body dynamics, rigid body dynamics (including collision detection.

Game Engines

KINGDOM HEARTS 2
Luminous game engine
A multi-platform game engine developed by Square Enix.
The engine was developed for eighth-generation hardware.

BATTLEFIELD 4
Frostbite

Developed by EA Digital Illusions CE.
The engine was first used by DICE to create FPS games.

BLACK OPS 3
IW engine

Developed by Infinity Ward for the Call of Duty series.
It uses id Tech 3 as its core.

STYX: MASTER OF SHADOWS
Unreal engine

Developed by Epic Games.
First used in the 1998 game Unreal.
Although is was developed for FPS games, it can be used in stealth, MMORPGs and other RPGs

COUNTER STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE
Source engine

Developed by Valve Corporation.
Debuted in 2004 with Counter Strike: Source.
Used to power FPS games, but can be used to create other genres.  

FAR CRY 4
Dunia engine

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal to create the Far Cry series.
it was based on CryEngine 1 and heavily modified for Far Cry 2 

MIRROR'S EDGE
Unreal engine
Developed by Epic Games.
First used in the 1998 game Unreal.
Although is was developed for FPS games, it can be used in stealth, MMORPGs and other RPGs

DAYZ
Real Virtuality: Enfusion

Developed by Bohemia Interactive