Game Development Using Unity Platform

“Global gaming market will amount to USD 268.8 billion annually in 2025, up from USD 178 billion in 2021” - Statista

Since the first game was launched several decades ago, video games have always been popular among youth. However, the technology used to develop them has evolved significantly over the decades and keeps evolving. In this blog, we discuss how video games can be created using Unity, a gaming engine first launched in 2005. It has been further extended to support mobile, console, and Virtual Reality(VR) platforms. 

Unity is ideal for novice Game Developers and popular for iOS and Android game development. It can be used to develop both 2D & 3D video games. Unity is also being used in architecture, engineering, and films. The primary scripting API is in C# using Mono for both the Unity editor and games. 

Popular games created by Unity developers include Pokemon Go, Cuphead, Beat Saber, and Monument Valley. Approximately 50% of the games are powered by Unity across the world.

Why Go For The Unity Platform For Game Development? 

The reason is obvious; if you want to develop video games, there are just three options; Unreal, Unity, and GameMaker, as far as independent game development is concerned. Unity is highly flexible, extensible, and well documented to make any game genre. Many successful games have been built on Unity, including Escape from Tarkov, Monument Valley, and This War of Mine. Let’s look at 11 reasons why Unity is ideal for game development.

Reason#1 User Friendly

Unity is very user-friendly as compared to other game development platforms. They may appear straightforward but become tricky and complicated when being used.

Reason #2 Compatible With Several Platforms

Unity is compatible with several Operating Systems, including iOS, Macs, Android, and Steam. Thus, one can build games for different platforms and design multiple game stages. The vital elements can be shifted to the next phase, making the game more exceptional.

Reason #3 Online Tutorials 

Several online tutorials are available for Unity which can be used to learn the finer nuances of the gaming engine. These video tutorials are good enough to learn the basics and build small games to start with.

Reason #4 Supports Multi-player Gaming

Multi-player games are trending these days, and Unity supports multiplayer games. Some of the most popular multiplayer games have been developed using Unity. The platform provides many features to allow game developers to build high-end games for online players. 

More Reading: Game Development Trends

Reason #5 2D Game Development

Unity is meant for 3D game development, but it also has features for building 2D games. The platform allows developers to create 2D games for devices like gaming consoles, PCs, and mobiles.

Reason #6 Community Assistance

More than 2.5 million developers are currently using Unity for game development. The number of users is only increasing by the day, and code sharing can fix issues very quickly.

Reason #7 Rich Asset Store 

Unity has a rich asset base, providing developers with various textures, animations, pre-designed 3D models, scripting languages, scenic backdrops, etc. Developers can purchase these to save time, as there is no point in reinventing the wheel. Asset store also allows musical artists, craftsmen, and model makers to earn more money.

Reason #8 Both Free & Pro-version access

The unity gaming engine is available in both free and professional versions. If you are still a beginner, you can use the free version to hone your skills. Once you develop your game-building skills, you can purchase the pro version having additional features like a 3D composition booster, sound channel and feature playback, etc.

Reason #9 Top-notch Graphics

Unity is famous for its top-level graphics, using which developers can create seamless, natural motions of objects. The gaming engine has customizable technology and engaging tools to aid superb game development.

Reason #10 Less Coding

No coding experience is required to use the gaming engine. Unity does use JavaScript, Boo, and C#, but one can build a game without writing code.

Reason#11 Debugging

Debugging is easy in Unity, as you can see every game variable during gameplay. Unity helps the developers to debug the process at runtime. 

Reason#12 Good for Virtual Reality Developers

Unity is an ideal engine for Virtual Reality(VR) developers with new APIs, features, and paradigms that can be implemented faster. Although VR gaming is still in its nascent stages, it is expected to earn USD 2.4 billion annually by 2024. This will make the Unity game engine popular with VR game developers.
 

Unity Built-in Components

GameObjects are just containers, and to add functionality to them, components need to be added. Components are basically scripts written in either C# or JavaScript. Unity has an actor component model, which means GameObjects are actors and Components are the scripts. The approach is very similar to creating web apps wherein you create small reusable components like buttons, flexible layouts, and form elements. They have customizable properties and different directives and are assembled into larger web pages. This approach's most significant advantage is the reusability level and the clear communication channel between elements. A similar approach is needed in Game development to prevent minor bugs which can be extremely difficult to handle. Thus, creating small but reusable components becomes necessary.

Key Built-in Components of Unity

Creating Custom Components        

Built-in components basically control physics & visuals primarily, but in order to make a game, the user input should be accepted, and standard components and GameObjects should be manipulated. It is generally recommended that you should use JavaScript in Unity. 

Limitations of Unity Game Engine

No Link to External Code Libraries

As Unity does not have a link to external code libraries, and if you want to use a library, it must be copied manually instead of connecting to a shared folder. 

Expensive License

Developers must get licenses for using functionality improvements, graphics, and deployment, and they are very costly. Moreover, using stencil assistance, buffer support, rendering, etc., increases development expenses.

Consumes More Memory

Games built using Unity consume more memory as compared to games created using other platforms. 

Source Code

Unity has a search function to discover linked scripts, but you often need to browse all elements manually in a scene to get the related scripts. This is very time-consuming and should be avoided. 

Recent Developments in Unity

In November 2021, Unity launched Simulation Pro and SystemGraph, making powerful simulations faster and more cost-effective. Unity Simulation Pro is a product built from the ground up to deliver distributed rendering. This makes several GPUs to render the same project at the same time, either locally or on the cloud. The tool has a dedicated product team that is working on optimizing its use. Unity SystemGraph is a flexible node-based editor which is easy to use, simulating mechatronic systems. It can emulate any robotics and photosensors like lidar sensors and cameras. SystemGraph makes it easier to scale from smaller systems to more complex systems.

To End the Game…

The unity gaming engine is ideal for independent game developers who do not have the resources to match gaming studios to start building attractive games. If you are looking to outsource your game development requirement, Goodtal provides you with a list of companies specializing in Unity-based game development. Their hourly rates, number of employees, location, and the technologies they specialize in are also mentioned. Games are here to stay, and investing in game development can give you very high returns if the game becomes popular worldwide. So, join the bandwagon and build a fascinating game for the world!