Moai

Moai

Moai is an open-source 2D and 3D game engine for mobile devices and browsers. It uses the Lua scripting language and C++ libraries to allow developers to publish iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, HTML5 and Flash games using a single code base.
Moai image
2d 3d mobile ios android windows macos linux html5 flash lua c

Moai: Open-Source 2D & 3D Game Engine for Mobile & Browsers

An open-source game engine supporting iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, HTML5 and Flash development with Lua scripting language and C++ libraries.

What is Moai?

Moai is an open-source 2D and 3D game engine designed for high-quality mobile games. It was created by Zipline Games in 2011 and then later released as open-source. Moai allows game developers to write the game logic in Lua scripting language and leverage Moai's built in libraries and APIs to access native device functionality.

Some key features of Moai include:

  • Single codebase that can publish to iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, HTML5, and Flash
  • Built-in physics engine, audio engine, and other tools
  • C++ libraries integrated with Lua allowing access to native APIs
  • OpenGL ES 2.0/3.0 rendering
  • Deploy and debug games directly on devices
  • Full source code available under simplified BSD license

Moai has been used by game developers to create 2D, 3D, augmented reality, virtual reality and multiplayer games. Notable games built with Moai include smoke and sacrifice and The Sequence by Tom Francis. With Moai's cross-platform abilities, small teams can deploy their games to multiple platforms easily.

Moai Features

Features

  1. 2D and 3D game engine
  2. Mobile and browser support
  3. Lua scripting
  4. C++ libraries
  5. Cross-platform publishing

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source

Single codebase for multiple platforms

Lua is easy to learn

Good performance

Cons

Limited documentation

Steep learning curve

Not as full-featured as some commercial engines


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