A successful game development project requires the use of the right game engine. Unity is one of the best platforms for game development and helps develop games for various platforms and devices.
Unity has been a popular choice among developers looking to create simple and economical 2D and 3D games because of its powerful capabilities. According to the survey conducted by Unity among game developers, the engine was the choice of about 61% of users. (2021 Game Report by Unity) Many resources are available in the game engine, including quick assets, an IDE, online community support, and free tutorials. Additionally, Unity enables game creation across industries like film, architecture, engineering, and manufacturing. The number of games developed using Unity Game Engine has reached 500+ million gamers worldwide. This figure is steadily increasing with each passing year, according to the Unity case study in 2020.
Let’s go over a few features why people regard Unity as the best platform for game development:
1. Unity has a wide asset store
Game developers enjoy and prefer the Unity Asset Store because it contains many pre-designed components. There is one-click access to 3D models, 2D and 3D animation renders, tutorials, how-to-do’s, and other resources. In addition, developers and designers can customise and enhance assets to meet their needs. Compared to other platforms like Unreal Engine, the assets available in Unity Game Engine are more in number and, if not restricted, can be used in other engines. In addition, unity has more range in terms of textures and animations and tutorials and editor extensions compared to the Unreal gaming engine. Unity’s asset store offers about 65k assets, while Unreal marketplace offers over 16k assets.
2. Short learning curve
Online tools and materials, including the multilingual texts and video forums, make Unity a platform that is easy to learn with a short learning curve.
The fact that you don’t require a lot of coding knowledge or experience is really beneficial for individuals who are just getting started in the game development industry or are looking to start it as a hobby. For example, Unity uses C#, JavaScript, and Boo, yet you can create a game from beginning to end without writing a single code.
The beginner-friendly nature of the platform has also been powered by the inclusion of Bolt in it. This scripting tool has made it easier for developers to create advanced games. However, the Unreal gaming engine uses C++, which is more difficult to learn and is not considered beginner-friendly. While comparing Unity and Unreal Game Engine, Abinash Mishra, engineering leader at a MNC, stated, ‘’It all comes down to your previous experience and environment you’re working in. Do you have lots of experience with C++ programming? Unreal is the way to go.’’
According to Jayasurya A., senior Unity developer stated, ‘’Often for designers and developers who know Unreal, it’s quite an easy transition to Unity, mostly because of its simpler interface compared to Unreal. But with Unity knowledge, it really is a mountain climb to learn Unreal.’’ (Source: LinkedIn)
3. It enables graphic rendering and game creation
Unity 3D enables the creation of different projects for many platforms. PC, console (PS4 or Xbox), mobile devices, and AR/VR experiences. Unity supports all major platforms. As a result, developers can easily create and port their games from one platform to another. Unity 3D also makes it easier to render and share assets. Graphics rendering is especially intriguing because various systems have their own system settings, yet Unity allows for rendering from different engines like OpenGL, Direct 3D, and Adobe.
Unity is well-known for its cutting-edge graphics. The game engine has highly flexible rendering technologies and various interesting tools to help developers create stunning games. You can also create seamless, lifelike object motions with Unity gaming engine.
Unity allows developers to create not only 3D games but also 2D games. In terms of mobile gaming, Unity controls more than half of the market as developers continue to rely on it to create the most popular games. Unity also dominates AR and VR, accounting for more than 60% of all developed content, as the numbers from Unity’s website suggests. Unreal is known for its high-quality graphics with features like volumetric lights and lens flares and has better graphic quality than Unity Game Engine. However, Unity Game Engine is better suited for beginner level gamers and Unreal is better suited for advanced learners.
4. It makes troubleshooting easy
Unity makes changing and debugging easier and more convenient. For example, during the gameplay, you can see every game variable. In addition, it has a unique feature that allows developers to debug processes in real-time.
5. Unity offers in-built analytics/metrics
Unity 3D includes built-in metrics that any game developer or client can access through the editor. You can discover and apply insights about the game with Unity Analytics. In addition, it can provide valuable information on how to improve the platform and make tiny adjustments to provide a great experience for the players.
6. Unity has a wider reach than Unreal Engine
The reach of Unity is quite impressive. Another gaming engine, Unreal, is also known for its reach, but when it comes to indie developments, Unity has a greater audience. For example, Unity has about 110k subscribers on Reddit, while Unreal has only 45k subscribers.
As we can see from the points above, the Unity 3D gaming engine is regarded as one of the best game development engines. It’s a sophisticated game engine that runs on multiple platforms and is highly user-friendly for both experts and beginners. Unity 3D is the best game engine to use if you want a game engine that can generate real-world images without consuming a lot of computing power. If the world of game, application, and web development excites you, check out this guide for the next generation of developers.
