⚔️ TCJSgame v3 vs Other JavaScript 2D Game Engines

If you're building 2D games in JavaScript, you've probably heard of engines like Phaser, PixiJS, MelonJS, or even Construct. But how does TCJSgame v3 stack up against these engines?

This article compares TCJSgame v3 with other JavaScript 2D engines in terms of features, ease of use, performance, and flexibility.

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🎯 Why Compare?

Every engine has trade-offs.

• Some focus on ease of use (Construct, PlayCanvas).
• Others maximize performance (PixiJS, Phaser).
• TCJSgame v3 aims to stay lightweight, vanilla, and educational.

Let's break it down.

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🕹️ TCJSgame v3 in a Nutshell

• Lightweight: ~1 file, no CDN/NPM yet.
• Core features: Display, Camera, Components, Sprites, TileMaps, Collision, Utilities.
• Performance ready: Can use requestAnimationFrame, delta-time, caching, and culling (via the tcjsgame-perf.js extension).
• Learning curve: Beginner-friendly, but not as fully documented as Phaser.

👉 Ideal for small–medium games, learning JavaScript game dev, or making lightweight projects without external dependencies.

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📊 Feature Comparison Table

Engine	Rendering	Tilemaps	Physics	Sprites & Anim	Input Support	Ecosystem	Learning Curve
TCJSgame v3	Canvas API	✅ Yes	Basic	✅ Yes	✅ Keyboard, Mouse, Touch	Small	Easy
Phaser 3	WebGL + Canvas	✅ Yes	✅ Arcade & Matter.js	✅ Yes	✅ Extensive	Huge	Medium
PixiJS	WebGL + Canvas	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes	❌ Minimal	Large	Medium
MelonJS	WebGL + Canvas	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Medium	Medium/Hard
Construct	WebGL + Canvas	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Large GUI	Very Easy

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⚡ Performance

• TCJSgame v3: Canvas-based. With requestAnimationFrame + culling, performs well for small–mid games.
• Phaser/Pixi: WebGL acceleration = faster for thousands of objects.
• Construct: Optimized but heavier, since it's editor-driven.

👉 If you need hundreds of sprites with shaders, Phaser or Pixi is stronger. If you want a small lightweight game that runs on any browser, TCJSgame v3 is great.

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💡 Ease of Use

• TCJSgame v3: Vanilla JS, no external build tools. Simple classes. Great for beginners.
• Phaser: Rich API but steep learning curve. Lots of boilerplate.
• PixiJS: Focuses on rendering, not game logic. You build your own systems.
• Construct: No coding needed — drag-and-drop logic.

👉 TCJSgame is best if you want to learn coding fundamentals without being overwhelmed.

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🔍 Code Comparison: Phaser vs TCJSgame

Let's look at how you'd create a red square player that moves right with the arrow key.

🔹 Phaser 3

class MyGame extends Phaser.Scene {
  preload() {}

  create() {
    this.player = this.add.rectangle(100, 100, 50, 50, 0xff0000);
    this.cursors = this.input.keyboard.createCursorKeys();
  }

  update() {
    if (this.cursors.right.isDown) {
      this.player.x += 5;
    }
  }
}

const config = {
  type: Phaser.AUTO,
  width: 800,
  height: 600,
  scene: MyGame
};

new Phaser.Game(config);

🔹 TCJSgame v3

const display = new Display();
display.start(800, 600);

let player = new Component(50, 50, "red", 100, 100, "rect");
display.add(player);

function update() {
  if (display.keys[39]) { // Right arrow
    player.x += 5;
  }
}

✅ With Phaser, you get a full framework (config, scenes, input system).
✅ With TCJSgame, you stay close to the raw canvas while still having helpers.

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🛠️ Flexibility

• TCJSgame v3: DIY-friendly. Extend with utilities (like the perf extension). No opinionated framework.
• Phaser: All-in-one solution (physics, tilemaps, audio, input).
• PixiJS: Rendering engine only; you provide physics/game logic.
• MelonJS: Full-featured but heavier.
• Construct: Great editor, less flexibility if you want custom JavaScript.

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🔢 Ratings (out of 100)

Engine	Features	Ease of Use	Performance	Final Score
TCJSgame v3	70	85	75	77/100
Phaser 3	95	70	90	85/100
PixiJS	80	65	95	80/100
MelonJS	85	60	85	77/100
Construct	90	95	80	88/100

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🧑‍💻 Who Should Use TCJSgame v3?

✅ Beginners who want to learn how a game engine works under the hood.
✅ Developers who need a lightweight engine for small web games.
✅ Hobbyists who want quick results without installing heavy frameworks.

❌ Not ideal if you need advanced physics, particle systems, or 3D — use Phaser or PlayCanvas for that.

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🎉 Conclusion

• TCJSgame v3 stands out for being lightweight, easy to use, and hackable.
• It won't replace Phaser or PixiJS for large-scale production games, but it's perfect for learning, prototyping, and indie projects.
• With the performance extension (tcjsgame-perf.js), TCJSgame v3 gets even closer to modern standards.

🚀 In short: if you want to learn and build games in pure JavaScript, TCJSgame v3 is one of the best places to start.