Unity game engine

Unity - game engine, on which you can make games for PCs and smartphones. Is one of the most common engines in the world. On it made such projects as Outlast, Cuphead, Outer Wilds, Hollow Knight, etc.

Today let's break down what are the advantages of Unity.

Whichever platform for games you choose, there will surely be projects made on Unity.

Why has Unity become popular?

There are 5 reasons:

• The engine is relatively free. This is true for indie developers who are just starting to develop indie projects. There are paid plans, and if you sell a certain number of copies of the game, you'll have to pay a commission.
• It appeared quite early. It happened in 2005, since then the audience has grown to 4.5 million developers (as of 2015).
  
• Huge community support. A large number of guides and tips from other developers will give you the opportunity to create your own project.
  
• There are tutorials. This is a special section where everyone can learn the basics of Unity.
  

Also, Unity has a lot of small but pleasant chips. For example, when creating a large game, some elements can be lost. In this case, the game engine has a search box that allows you to find them. 

What about the threshold of entry?

It is low, you can create a simple game in a few months. The language of the unity engine is C#. The game will consist of components, the conditions for which will have to be written in this language. Now there are many tutorials and videos, here are a few options:

There is no exact time frame in mastering C#. But you should be able to understand the syntax, be able to fix errors that appear in the debugger, create a proper architecture, etc.

• Here's a curious tutorial with 27 chapters.
• Microsoft has documentation on C# as well. It is a useful guide, with chapters going by sections instead of numbering. Therefore, you can choose interesting topics on your own. Since C# is used for creating games, a special section was added for developers.
  
• On this site we are interested only in the basics. There is a complete and supplementary guide, algorithms are discussed, etc.
  

There are many books written on the topic of C#. The main thing is to look at the rating and popularity of the product. 

Then there are interface elements that you will need to memorize. These include such elements as:

• Scene. The game space is built there.
• Games. Shows the appearance of the future game.
  
• Hierarchy. There are many useful elements in this section.
  
• Console. This is something like a debugging window. When the project is ready, you need to check its operability. This is where the console helps.
  
• Project. It stores useful information about the game.
  
• Inspector. With its help you can quickly change the game elements.
  

You will quickly learn to navigate the interface after a few dozens of hours of practice. Only Godot will be easier than Unity in terms of mastering.

Features of Unity

The game engine has a few disadvantages, but they do not concern beginners. It is difficult to call them minuses, they are rather features. They look like this

• For a complex game, you will have to write hundreds or even thousands of scripts. If everything will be reorganized, it will be difficult to understand which script is responsible for what. But a good visual editor can help here.
• There may be performance and optimization problems. That's why some companies make their own game engines: they are easier to use for specific projects. But for indie games Unity is enough. Also, performance degradation is due to the cross-platform nature of the engine.
  
• When you get a job, it's not a fact that the project will be interesting. Now mobile gaming is in priority, so often develop projects like three-in-a-row and similar. However, there are still a lot of vacancies on Unity.

For large developers, the main disadvantage is the pricing policy. If a company has earned more than $200,000 on a game, it will have to pay Unity a commission.

Some people think that Unity is uncomfortable to work in. But it's a matter of habit - it's important to just get used to the new game engine. 

Specifications and installation

Download Unity is available on the official website of the company. After the transition, just follow the instructions, so you will download the launcher (Unity Hub). Next, you just need to choose the appropriate version of the project. There are free and paid versions of the engine. 

System specifications are as follows:

• Operating system: Windows 7, 8, 11.
• Minimum 4 GB of RAM.
  
• 4-core processor. Any variant starting from 2012 will do.
  
• Graphics card GT-1030 and above.
  

Note that the heavier the game will be, the more productive should be the machine. But this game engine will go without problems on most modern computers and laptops. 

Where to find 2D and 3D assemblies?

You can make them yourself, but it takes a lot of time. In large companies, special people (modelers, CG-artists, 3D-geneticists) work on their development. But there are different sites where you can find useful assets:

An asset is a graphic, sound, animation or code attached to an object.

• Unity Asset Store. There are a large number of free assets there. This is the official service from the creators of Unity.
• Itch.io. If you are going to create your own indie project. take a look at this site. There is a huge amount of game assets there. Also add that itch.io's audience gives you the opportunity to get good feedback on your indie game.
  
• Unreal Engine Marketplace. Another place where you can get a large number of free assets. There are free and paid options.
  
• Textures.com. This is a site with a large number of textures, also there you can pick up useful environment elements.
  

The strategy of punching in a search for "Download free assets and textures" can work too.

About the visual programming system or Bolt

Unity tries to be loyal to beginners, which is why they use the Bolt visual programming system. It is suitable for those who are not at all familiar with programming and resembles a puzzle or a constructor. 

Bolt helps to pick up the logic of a future project. It is very difficult to make a full-fledged game on it, but it simplifies the preparation of the future project.

Is it possible to develop a game on Unity by yourself?

Yes, it is possible, it all depends only on the amount of time spent. But remember that the first it is desirable to create a small project, not characterized by complexity. If briefly, you will encounter the following stages:

• Installing and customizing the game engine.
• Adding objects. This is done using the Import button.
  
• Working with scripts. If the object will not have scripts, you can only change its location, scale, etc. Scripts are certain components that add useful functions to the object.
  
• Trigger preparation. Trigger is when an object performs a certain action when it enters the right area.
  

After preparing a certain stage of the game, do not forget to use the debugger: it will allow you to get rid of bugs in the project. Also remember about manuals and guides.

Do you want your child not to spend too much time on using Unity? Sign him up for the course "Unity 3D Technology - Game Development for Beginners". There he will understand the game interface, familiarize himself with the C# programming language, be able to prepare his project and understand how game design works.

Read also:

1. How did creativity and Unity help indie games become popular?
2. The best games created on Unity. Part 1.
3. How to create games on Unity 3D? Beginner's Guide.