Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

Pyxel VS BYOND

Compare Pyxel VS BYOND and see what are their differences

TimeLake.io
Improve team performance continuously with time tracking automation. featured
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Pyxel logo Pyxel

Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.

BYOND logo BYOND

BYOND is the premier community for making and playing online multiplayer games.
  • Pyxel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • BYOND Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

Pyxel features and specs

  • Simple API
    Pyxel offers an uncomplicated and straightforward API, which makes it easy for beginners to start creating games without getting bogged down by complex configurations and setups.
  • Cross-Platform
    Pyxel is designed to be cross-platform, functioning seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to create and distribute games across multiple platforms with ease.
  • Lightweight
    With a focus on minimalism, Pyxel is lightweight which ensures that it runs efficiently on most hardware, making it suitable for projects where resource consumption is a concern.
  • Pixel Art Focus
    The library is tailored for creating pixel art games, offering features and tools that specifically cater to the needs of pixel art creation and manipulation.
  • No Installation Required
    As a self-contained application, Pyxel doesn't require installation, allowing developers to quickly run it directly after download and start working on their game projects without additional setup steps.

Possible disadvantages of Pyxel

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Pyxel's simplicity can be a downside for experienced developers looking for advanced game development features or functionalities, as it lacks the depth found in more complex game engines.
  • 2D Only
    As a library focused on 2D pixel art games, Pyxel does not support 3D game development, limiting developers who are interested in creating anything beyond the 2D space.
  • Performance Limitations
    Because of its lightweight nature and simplicity, Pyxel might struggle with performance when developing resource-intensive games compared to more robust game engines.
  • Limited Community and Resources
    Pyxel has a smaller user base and community compared to larger game engines, which results in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available for learning and problem-solving.

BYOND features and specs

  • Community and Collaboration
    BYOND has a strong community of developers and players which encourages collaboration and sharing of resources, ideas, and feedback.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform provides a relatively easy-to-use development environment with its proprietary programming language, DM (Dream Maker), making it accessible to beginners.
  • Multiplayer Support
    Built-in multiplayer support simplifies the process of developing networked multiplayer games, which is often a complex task in game development.
  • Resource Library
    BYOND offers an extensive library of resources, including tutorials, assets, and code snippets that can accelerate the game development process.
  • Free to Use
    The platform is free to download and use, lowering the barrier to entry for aspiring game developers.

Possible disadvantages of BYOND

  • Limited Graphics Capabilities
    The graphics capabilities are relatively outdated compared to modern game engines, which can limit the visual appeal of games developed on the platform.
  • Proprietary Language
    The use of the proprietary programming language, DM, may be a barrier for developers familiar with more widely-used languages like C++ or JavaScript.
  • Performance Issues
    Performance may degrade with more complex or graphically intensive games, making BYOND less suitable for high-performance game projects.
  • Platform Dependency
    BYOND games typically need to be played through the BYOND client, which can limit the reach and accessibility compared to standalone game executables.
  • Niche User Base
    The user base, while supportive, is relatively small and niche compared to larger game development communities, which can limit exposure and potential player base.

Pyxel videos

+ Add

Aseprite vs Pyxel Edit - Pixel Art Animation & Tile Tool Comparison

BYOND videos

+ Add

My History with BYOND

More videos:

  • Review - Byond B63 unboxing and review - dual core handset

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pyxel and BYOND)

Pyxel

BYOND

Game Engine
40 40%
Game Engine
60% 60
Game Development
30 30%
Game Development
70% 70
Graph Databases
100 100%
Graph Databases
0% 0
3D Game Engine
0 0%
3D Game Engine
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Pyxel and BYOND. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pyxel seems to be a lot more popular than BYOND. While we know about 28 links to Pyxel, we've tracked only 1 mention of BYOND. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Pyxel mentions (28)

  • A (not so) small library for terminal based game development
    If pygamelib interests you, you might also be interested in Pyxel: https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • This Week In Python
    Pyxel – A retro game engine for Python – by @kitao. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Show HN: Driftmania – an open source PICO-8 racing game
    Nice work, gives me very Micro Machines vibes for the NES. The only thing I don't like about PICO-8 is that its completely closed source. An open source alternative that seems very promising is Pyxel. It has similar retro / pixel art limitations, a built-in sprite editor, music tracker, etc. https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • is python good for making games?
    There's also game engines which are fun to use in python, like pyxel. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Web App Generation Feature Added to Pyxel, a Retro Game Engine for Python
    A function to automatically generate an application launch URL has been added to Pyxel, a retro game engine for Python (https://github.com/kitao/pyxel please add your star to this repository!). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

BYOND mentions (1)

  • "I have a great idea"
    I fell for this when I was a kid on Byond. The idea guy thought he was J. R. R. Tolkien. My sprite artist friend joined me. He was vague about what he wanted and even though we had been making everything he asked of us he brought another coder in, a couple years younger than me, I was a teen and he was 13. When he was given my code he called me boring and started throwing together some stuff. He ended up writing... Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pyxel and BYOND, you can also consider the following products

PICO-8 - Lua-based fantasy console for making and playing tiny, computer games and programs.

ct.js - ct.js is a 2D game editor (desktop app) based on web technologies.

TIC-80 - TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games.

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

Bitsy - Bitsy is a small, fast, embeddable, durable in-memory graph database that implements the Blueprints API.

RPG Maker - Make your own PC game with RPG Maker. Our easy to use tools are simple enough for a child, and powerful enough for a developer. Try it free today!

Loading...