Amazon Lumberyard vs CryEngine – Breaking Down the Pros and Cons

If you’re a developer seeking robust, ready-to-use toolsets and favour photorealistic games, CryEngine is your go-to. However, if you need cloud scalability and intend to broadcast via Twitch, pick Amazon Lumberyard for its AWS integration and native Twitch support.

Key Differences Between Amazon Lumberyard and CryEngine

• Cloud Integration: Lumberyard integrates with AWS, providing cloud scalability. CryEngine lacks this feature.
• Twitch Support: Amazon Lumberyard natively supports Twitch, enabling in-chat game influence. CryEngine lacks this.
• Cost: Lumberyard is free but charges for AWS usage. CryEngine follows a royalty-free, $9.90 per month system with optional revenue-sharing.
• Product Philosophy: CryEngine excels in photorealism, specifically for open-world, nature-rich games. Lumberyard leverages modularity with components like Script Canvas Editor and Fur Shader.

What Is Amazon Lumberyard and Who’s It For?

Amazon Lumberyard is a free, cross-platform 3D game engine launched in 2016 by Amazon Game Tech. The engine was originally based on CryEngine but has since been superseded and turned into the Open 3D Engine. It’s geared towards game developers who want to harness the power of AWS and require integrated Twitch functionality for their creations.

With its powerful component entity system, audiokinetic WWise and a myriad of features like Fur Shader, Animation Editor and VR preview mode, Lumberyard has been used to produce several notable game titles such as Shatterline and Star Citizen.

Pros of Amazon Lumberyard

• Free and cross-platform compatibility
• Integration with AWS
• Twitch integration
• Advanced VR support
• No royalty charges excluding AWS usage

Cons of Amazon Lumberyard

• Charges $1.50 per 1,000 daily active users plus standard AWS fees
• Limitations on public release of its source code or for creating own game engine

What Is CryEngine and Who’s It For?

CryEngine is a robust, multi-platform game engine launched by German game developer Crytek. Utilised in all games starting with Far Cry, this engine is directed towards developers who wish to design polished-looking games with photorealistic graphics and dynamic open-world environments without the need for in-depth programming knowledge.

Developers have access to WYSIWYG on all platforms, a “Hot-update” feature, a Material Editor, and other tools for scripting, animation, and object creation. This engine is an asset for ideating unique games, provided through a royalty-free model.

Pros of CryEngine

• Robust out-of-the-box tools
• Access to source code
• $9.90 USD/EUR per month royalty-free system
• Multi-platform support

Cons of CryEngine

• Requires subscription fee

Code Examples for Amazon Lumberyard & CryEngine

Amazon Lumberyard

This Amazon Lumberyard code snippet showcases a time-delayed character movement script. Before running this script, C++ extension needs to be installed in the Lumberyard Editor. The code sets a basic functionality for your character to move in a predefined direction after a set time delay.

                    #include "StdAfx.h"
            #include "DelayedMovementComponent.h"

            void DelayedMovementComponent::Reflect(AZ::ReflectContext* context)
            {
                AZ::SerializeContext* serialize = azrtti_cast<az::serializecontext*>(context);
                if (serialize)
                {
                    serialize->Class<delayedmovementcomponent, az::component="">() //Reflect the current class into the serialize context.
                        ->Version(1)
                    ;
                }
            }
            
            void DelayedMovementComponent::Activate()
            {
                AZ::TickBus::Handler::BusConnect(); //Connect to the TickBus to receive tick events.
            }
            
            void DelayedMovementComponent::Deactivate()
            {
                AZ::TickBus::Handler::BusDisconnect(); //Disconnect from the TickBus if the component is deactivated.
            }
            
            void DelayedMovementComponent::OnTick(float deltaTime, AZ::ScriptTimePoint time)
            {
                // Keep in mind deltaTime is the time elapsed during the last frame.
                // Implement any logic here that is needed to happen every frame.
            </delayedmovementcomponent,></az::serializecontext*>
    

CryEngine

The following CryEngine script demonstrates how to create an object and apply basic physics to it, making it fall to the ground. For this snippet to work, you should have the latest version of CryEngine installed and initialized. The code will spawn a green sphere and apply gravity to it.

                #include "StdAfx.h"
        #include "PhysicsObject.h"

        void PhysicsObject::Spawn(const char* szObjectName, float radius)
        {   
            // Create new entity
            IEntity* pEntity = gEnv->pEntitySystem->SpawnEntity();
            if (!pEntity)
                throw std::runtime_error("Entity System failed to spawn an entity.");
            
            // Set up the entity geometry based on supplied object name and radius
            SEtityPhysicalizeParams physParams;
            physParams.mass = 10.f;
            physParams.density = 1000.f;
            physParams.nSlot = 0;

            pEntity->LoadGeometry(0, szObjectName);
            pEntity->Physicalize(physParams);
            
            // Set up the gravity on the new entity
            pe_action_move actionMove;
            actionMove.iJump = 1;
            pEntity->GetPhysicalEntity()->Action(&actionMove);
        } 
    

Which Game Engine Wins the Battle: Amazon Lumberyard vs CryEngine?

The face-off between Amazon Lumberyard and CryEngine ends here. Allow us to break down the verdict demographically.

Developers Seeking Versatility & Budget-Friendly Options

For developers desiring a cross-platform, economical engine offering robust support for VR, Amazon Lumberyard is the obvious choice—with no royalty charges excluding AWS usage, integrations with AWS and Twitch, and an enriched suite of modern tools.

Creators of Open World, Nature-Based Games

If you’re creating photorealistic shooters or open world games teeming with natural environments, CryEngine reigns supreme. With out-of-the-box tools, ease in achieving polished optics, and flexible pay models, it stands unrivalled in this genre.

Non-Commercial Game Developers

The CryEngine Free SDK caters to non-commercial developers brilliantly. It offers access to source code, robust in-house tools, and a fruitful platform on the CryEngine marketplace. The choice is clear: CryEngine.

In the duel between Amazon Lumberyard and CryEngine, Lumberyard is the winning pick for cross-platform, budget-friendly development with a broad toolset and comprehensive integration. However, CryEngine reigns supreme for natural, open world gaming aesthetics and non-commercial endeavors.