The Howdy Glossary

Marmalade is a game engine and app development platform that leverages C++ to create high-performance applications for various devices, including mobile phones, desktop computers, and smart devices. It allows developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms without major rewrites due to its cross-compilation system. Created by Marmalade Technologies Ltd., based in London, the engine provides robust tools for developing high-performance applications with native API access on each supported platform.

The unique features of Marmalade include its cross-compilation system that streamlines the development process by reducing the need for separate efforts tailored to specific operating systems or hardware architectures. This allows developers more control over their final products compared to engines relying heavily on abstraction layers or scripting languages. Despite these strengths, Marmalade faces stiff competition from popular game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, which offer comprehensive toolsets, user-friendly interfaces, advanced graphics capabilities, and have gained significant momentum in the industry.

Unity excels with its accessible interface and extensive asset store appealing to all skill levels of developers while Unreal Engine is recognized for its high visual fidelity and real-time rendering suited for advanced graphic projects. However, Marmalade's competitive edge lies in providing direct access to native APIs across platforms enabling higher customization levels than its competitors. While Unity and Unreal have surpassed Marmalade in popularity and modern game development features, Marmalade remains valuable particularly for developers aiming for efficient deployment across various platforms while maintaining quality standards through streamlined coding processes enabled by its cross-compilation system.