My company Lets Design currently makes flash games. We are considering (when Unity 2.5 is released) to purchase and investigate Unity game development.
However, I have some questions about our current knowledge and how it can be applied to this new working environment.
We know ActionScript3, how much will things change when moving to Unity programming and what language should we learn?
Despite what would be best for us, what is the best (most supported) language to learn to make games in Unity? The best language and the one most likely to still be around in 5-10 years time.
Without having to download the trail, is the user interface easy to understand?
I employ 2 apprentices who have just started in the world web development. How clever do you have to be to make a great game in Unity? This is a hard questions to ask, but is it for MENSA people or could anyone learn it? I am particularly looking for an intelligence level.
How long does it take to master the software and make (say a racing game)?
I realise that some of these questions are very theoretical but I need to be careful in these (credit crunch) times, to move my business into an new field of work is very risky.
I thank anyone, in advance, who might post a reply to help me.
The only standard language in Unity is C# so if you are looking for the most supported language, that likely be C#
The user interface in game or the editor interface?
Thought the answer for both likely is yes if you ever worked with any kind of 2D / 3D development.
You mainly need to be dedicated and have a vision to create a game.
The cleverness is mainly needed for the programmer to solve problems they might struggle over depending on the type of game they are meant to develop.
As Unity even allows artists with no programming background to create game, I would say you can’t get into a much simpler environment for 3D game dev. That is also backed up by the experience with various other 3D technologies over the past years (Torque, Conitex A6, DarkBasicPro, Blitz3D, NeoAxis and a few others)
Depends on the complexity of your game, your 3D game development and math background and various other aspects that are related to the project. Because unity won’t take too much time too master on the major aspects but beeing able to use that knowledge efficientely within the specific situation will require that the person who tries to use it knows what he does in his field.
Also you don’t need to be a master to do large parts of the game. Master knowledge is required mainly if you want to get out the last percents of performance, get high tech features and alike.
Thank you so much for your answers, however, point 1, I thought javascript could be used, as Actionscript is similar to Javascript can this not be used in Unity?
That’s a tough one to answer. Many folks use either C# or JavaScript (our variant of it), coming from an AS3 background JavaScript is likely the easiest step to make. But with that in mind there is nothing stopping you from going with C# either, both are functional and performance equals.
There is no “best” or “most supported” choice within our product as we intend to move forward with all of our supported scripting languages going forward (the only one that conjures worry for me is Boo).
Yes, but it’s always best find out for yourself by looking at the trial.
MENSA membership not required, but it does help for folks to be clever and more importantly creative Quite often great games aren’t built on cutting edge coding skills so much as unique and intriguing game play. With that in mind proper scripting/coding skills will definitely be an asset.
Way too difficult to answer as it depends on your background.
He didn’t mention C at all, he mentioned C# which is entirely different. JavaScript can be used, dreamora’s answer (I think) was flavored by the fact that we don’t use the same bog-standard off-the-shelf JavaScript as you’ll find in the browser, but it is 90+% the same so you can definitely use it as per my answer above.
Right
I assumed that the meaning of the question was in the way of “which of the usable scripting languages is best supported globally / in a general programming context”, not in relation of which is the most powerfull language within Unity, where they are all equal
Put it this way
Unity is supposed to be an artist oriented engine
Absolutely false
Unity is a powerful but it is not a user friendly engine
You must have good programming background
Dont expect to leanr Unity just going trough the documentation, you will be lost
A good book is a must
The best one imo is “Holistic game development” which focus on the scrippting rather than the editor
