Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Unreal Engine vs pygame: What are the differences?
Introduction
In this Markdown document, we will discuss the key differences between Unreal Engine and pygame. Both Unreal Engine and pygame are game development frameworks, but they have several distinctions that set them apart from each other.
Programming Language: Unreal Engine primarily utilizes C++ as its programming language, whereas pygame is based on Python. This difference in programming languages affects the coding style and syntax used in these frameworks. C++ is a lower-level language, offering more control and efficiency, while Python is known for its simplicity and ease of use.
Complexity and Scalability: Unreal Engine is a robust and feature-rich game engine designed for developing high-end, complex games with stunning graphics and physics simulations. It includes a wide range of built-in tools and functionalities, which make it suitable for creating large-scale projects. On the other hand, pygame is a lightweight library that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It is ideal for small to medium-sized projects or beginner-level game development.
Visual Editor: Unreal Engine comes with a powerful visual editor called "Blueprints," which allows developers to create game logic and behaviors using a node-based interface. This visual scripting system enables designers and non-programmers to create complex interactions without writing code. pygame, on the other hand, does not provide a built-in visual editor and relies solely on coding to create game logic and behavior.
Platform Compatibility: Unreal Engine supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and more. It offers built-in cross-platform functionality, allowing developers to create games that can be deployed on various devices without significant modifications. On the contrary, pygame mainly focuses on desktop platforms and does not provide native support for mobile platforms like Android and iOS, although it can be ported to them with additional effort.
Community and Resources: Unreal Engine has a large and active community of developers, with extensive documentation, tutorials, and forums available. It also offers a marketplace where developers can buy and sell assets, plugins, and ready-to-use code snippets. pygame, although it has a supportive community, is comparatively smaller and may have limited resources and documentation available.
3D Capabilities: Unreal Engine is renowned for its advanced 3D rendering capabilities, providing realistic graphics, shaders, and lighting effects. It supports complex physics simulations, skeletal animation, and particle systems that can be used to create visually stunning games. pygame, however, is focused on 2D game development and lacks the advanced 3D rendering capabilities offered by Unreal Engine.
In summary, Unreal Engine is a feature-rich game development engine that excels in creating complex, visually stunning games with advanced 3D capabilities. It offers a visual editor, extensive platform compatibility, and a large community of developers. On the other hand, pygame is a lightweight library suitable for smaller projects or beginners, focusing on simplicity and ease of use with 2D game development in mind. It uses Python as its programming language and may have more limited resources and platform compatibility compared to Unreal Engine.
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 pygame
- Easy to install3
- Simple1
- Lightweigt by only being 12 mb1
Pros of Unreal Engine
- C++10
- Blueprints6
- PBR5
- Suitable for any projects4
- Source Available4
- Convenient and modern UI3
- Most Popular Game engine1
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of pygame
- Has only 2d2
- Slow1
Cons of Unreal Engine
- Heavy6
- A lot of "heaviness" myths around1
