Edit: Unity seems to use tactics targeted usually targeted at gamers which is clever because, as Jason mentioned, many devs are gamers and are highly susceptible to them. For example, to a beginner, Unity might feel like pay2win because of its embarrassing personal version splash screen (though this is much better than the limited features of pre-5.0). Another example: there’s a “hook” like in many video games. Unity is notably easy to pick up which is no problem except for the fact that this encourages bad coding habits and structure. Also, the asset store is littered with shiny stuff and sales happen every other day.
I feel kind of bitter sweet about Unity’s tactics because it did keep me on the line and brought together an awesome community :). But at the end of the day, many of us are more consumer than developer.
Just that a large audience of Unity (me included) seems to have played a bunch of video games and thought it would be cool to make a video game so they tried a bunch of engines, thought they were too difficult or boring, and finally met Unity which supplied an early dopamine hit with its relatively fast content creation. Then there’s the asset store…
Unity is easily accessible. I never worked with Unreal (which I assume is also more or less easily accessible), but talking about Unity vs. writing your own engine, doing everything from scratch I would say this is like comparing trees, a saw and a hammer vs. Lego. Yes it could be a toy, yea everyone knows how to stack 3 or 4 bricks on top of each other, but you CAN do more and more and more. You could get a 3D printer and make your custom bricks. You could build a spaceship. 1:1. You don’t have to, but you could. Well… a kid (hobbyist, gamer.???.) wouldn’t…
So “who” do you mean, when you say gamer? Show me someone who is working with Unity and never played a video game before
Does not having time to play games count? The only time I play games anymore is when I go to visit my old roommate and her 8 year old son. Which I need to do soon, it’s been too long since I played BombSquad.
Meh, I think I understand what you’re kind of getting at. Not sure what you intended to stem from such a vague topic body though. This could easily derail without a clear discussion direction.
Anyway Unity has a low entry barrier and lots of tutorials. “Made for gamers?” No… That is not the target audience. A gamer could indeed pick it up, learn some basics and fundamentals of game development, then try to make something simple but that does not assert that the target audience is gamers. The same could be said of anyone that is a non-gamer, so there isn’t any weight behind the statement.
It can appear that way though, since the entry barrier is so low and the Asset Store makes things even easier. I think a large chunk of users are gamers that want to try to make a fun little game, maybe something they can show their friends. Does that make it a dumbed down tool? No. Neither does it mean more advanced developers would be put off by it. In fact, the things that appeal to those beginners that make things very simple and straightforward are very appealing to developers so really, its for everybody.
I think that’s a bit of a weird statement to make, i don’t see how this is any more “pro-gamer” than something like Unreal Engine, Source Engine or CryEngine, with Unreal Engine having played a major role in not how we only play, but how we engage communities to extend our work as developers by encouraging map creation and modding.
Unity is many things and is therefore used in a very wide array of product types, if anything Unity probably has the biggest ratio of non-game applications compared to other real time rendering engines.
If anything, i would say that Unity is made to empower non-programmers and programmers alike to achieve a broad variation of things like games, simulations, architecture, mobile apps and much much more.
At the end of the day, a lot people who use these tools also play games
I’ll believe that when they produce something that rivals the blueprint system. Nothing enables non-devs more than having blueprints so you can work out the basics. And on a team, an experienced programmer can write custom blueprints for you.
My excuse is that Im at work and cant work on my game
Despite having Unity on my PC and some code I need to do that doesnt require any more of my project
Totally. I just didn’t want to get destroyed for explicitly criticizing Unity but going the subtler route isn’t the best. Editing in a better explanation of the topic into the first post.
You have to remember many of the best level designers in the industry started by modding games. And game modder is often synonym to ‘really hardcore gamer’
