Creating lookup tables that can be assigned in the inspector.

Unity Engine
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2

This looks like a job tailor made for ScriptableObjects!

ScriptableObjects are basically structured blobs of predefined data to help you create content for your game.

For instance if I had a ScriptableObject called Weapon, it might have these properties:

  • name
  • detailed name
  • description
  • damage
  • toughness
  • weight
  • what it looks like in the inventory
  • what model it uses in game
  • what animations the player uses to swing it

I would create many of these Weapons, each one a file on disk (also called an “asset”), with different properties. I might have Sword, Longsword, Shortword, Dagger, Knife, etc.

Could also break it into EdgedWeapons and RangedWeapons for instance.

And tell you what, just because it’s a Wednesday night, I am giving away a brand-new ScriptableObject just for you:

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;

[CreateAssetMenu]
public class MeleeWeapon : ScriptableObject
{
    public string Description;    // such as "Longsword"

    // how much it deals per hit
    public int damage;            // such as 4hp

    // or perhaps:
    public string damageDice;    // such as 2d6+4

    public Sprite inventorySprite;

    public GameObject Prefab;    // what gets attached to the player's hand

    // add any other attributes here... magic, durability, weight, etc
    // level requirements, attack speed, etc.
}

Make a script called MeleeWeapon.cs and stick the above code into it.

When Unity finishes compiling, make a folder and then inside that folder right-click and Create → Melee Weapon.

Congratulations, you just made your first ScriptableObject, fully editable in Unity. Now go nuts!

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