5 Benefits of Game Development With Unity

When it comes to game development, most of the game developers swear by Unity. It is a widely used is a cross-platform game engine that can is used to develop games for a wide number of platforms like Windows, OSX, iOS, Android, etc. It is available for Windows, OSX, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, Linux, Microsoft Hololens, Nintendo, Oculus Rift, PlayStation, etc. Along with these, it has been released on 27 different platforms. It is available in four different versions i.e. Personal, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. These differ in certain features with slight variations. 

Now a major question arises, Why should you opt to develop games with Unity. Game Development with Unity provides a number of features that make it the preferred options amongst the game developers. Here are some of the most amazing features that Unity provides over the other gaming engines and developing games from scratch. 

Simple and easy to use:

Unity is quite a simple and easy to use gaming engine. Even developing complex games using this is a lot easier as compared to other gaming engines. Developing games from scratch takes a lot of time and requires complex coding. In the case of unity, the number of codes you have to write for the game development reduces drastically. This helps you to develop better quality games faster and easier than other methods.

Develop any type of games:

No matter what type of game you wish to develop, unity lets you develop any type of game with ease. May it be the simple game, multiplayer game, online game, 2D game, 3D game, or VR enabled game. Any of the game can be developed if you have a thorough knowledge of the game development with unity. 

Develop games for any platform:

In order to develop games for different platforms, you need to have a setup for the different language. However, you can quite easily develop games for different platforms if you have a proper idea of the same. This, in turn, saves you a lot of time and resources. There are a large number of options available in it that makes the games developed compatible for other platforms with a few minor code changes. 

A large number of users available:

Unity has a large number of users available that makes it quite easy to seek help whenever you come across a problem. You can also look for the problems online and there are chances that the solution to your problem already exists. Apart from that, support is also provided to the users of paid version. It also provides proper documentation to help the users to cope with certain problems and also guide them while using the same. 

Free to use:

Last but not the least, Unity is free to use for the beginners, students, and hobbyists who wish to explore Unity and try their hands at Game development. If you want to dive further into the game development process, you can buy the subscription plans for the same. 

Summary:

Game development with Unity is quite simple and easy with a lot of features available. Hence it is recommended that if you wish to dive into the game development process, Unity is the perfect choice for you.

Starting in the Gaming World with Unity 3D

As a new graduate from a designing course or even as a student, Unity 3D is a game changer to learn development on. While a number of studios even prefer using this software over their own tech, it is a great tool to have by your side. 3D game development with Unity 3D has been a transformation for the industry. Here are some reasons you should be equipped with this as a developer-

Getting Started for Free

While the paid version of the program comes with numerous features and benefits, the free version has complete features of it too. This allows students and gaming professionals to create actual games without having to pay a price.
 

The Multi Platform Application

Ranging from the gaming stations such as Xbox and Wii to various platforms such as iOS and androids, you can publish a game anywhere. With unity 3D, it is easier to customize these preferences and transfer them from one platform to the next without difficulty. This activity that took professional companies months to sometimes successfully complete can now be done without a great deal of effort.

The Community Support

With over 2 million developers making use of the software, Unity 3D has a number of online resources to guide you through difficulties and give you assistance. Sometimes these places are also a great place to learn from the mistakes of others and ask any questions that may have otherwise been left unanswered. Eager unity fans also make for great collaboration opportunities across the globe. 

Using the Net as an Extended Resource
Considering the levels of fame Unity has achieved since its conception, it is no surprise how popular it is online. With tutorials and guides by the hundreds, you can ensure all doubts will be answered. While it is a simple software to learn, figuring your way around it at the start may seem like a daunting process. Online courses and videos have made it possible to learn everything there is to know about this course at your own convenience. 

The unity Asset Store

This feature of the software is a great tool for artists, developers and designers. This store is the place to head to, if you do not wish to build elements such as characters and buildings from scratch. While at the same time, it also provides for you as an extra source of revenue as an artist. Selling your assets in the store ensures you get a royalty of 70% on every purchase, helping you fund your own various costs.

Creating Games You Desire 

While Unity is most popular for developing 3D games, there is also scope to develop 2D games on it, making it a great tool to equip yourself with. Since it also allows you to create multiplayer games, a number of professional companies too swear by this software.

Due to the growing popularity of this software, Unity also holds conferences annually across the globe to provide a platform for developers to meet and discover the world of development through Unity 3D.

Common Mistakes Game Developers Make on Unity

3d Game Development with Unity 3D is an increasingly preferred approach many game developers take today. This platform follows its own pattern of function and if you are not aware of how it operates a trivial feature too, can end up being a challenge. It has to be understood well so as to avoid mistakes especially the first-timers working on Unity make.

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Common mistakes Game developers make on Unity include:

• Mixing up scripts -
  The scripts that you attach with the objects should be either written in java or C#. It should not be a mixture of both. It will help you to avoid confusion as well as save you from other issues that can crop because of mixing two languages. So choose a language you are comfortable with.
  
  
• Not Making use of the Asset Store Logically-
  Do not be in a mad rush to use the asset store to get sounds, scripts, models etc., downloaded. Make sure that the assets you want to buy are relevant for your gaming project. Beware of buying the popular ones because though you may be tempted these assets due to over usage have lost its exclusiveness making Unity games using the same visual style losing its unique visual appeal. Developers have misused the standard assets given by Unity.
  
  
• Not Knowing How to Set your Scale Right-
  As the measurement of an object is taken in meters therefore ensure while importing that the size can be compared to the object it represents. For example a building can be taken approximately as 20 meters or a spaceship can be considered as 200 meters. You might have to resize if you have not taken it likewise. Actually in Unity size does not play a major factor as much as the scale. Whatever the size is if the scale is set right then faults can be avoided like objects falling at a slow pace. You might get tempted to speed up the gravity to make it fall faster but it will only end up being unrealistic. From the very start you must try to set the scale right as changing the settings in the middle of a developed project might be a difficult task.
  
  
• Relying too Much on Reflection-
  Methods like the Get Component or Send Message is expensive and can retard your gaming speed. So it is better to switch on to an efficient alternative pattern.
  
  
• Not Using Rigid body Objects-
  A gaming object has a position, angular velocity, speed, etc. If an object is changed from its position by a script then lot of discrepancy can occur which in turn might make the game unpredictable. A rigidbody can be attached to the object to avoid collision and also to stop messing up of positions of gaming objects.
  
  Make your 3d Game Development with Unity 3d unique by creating it from newer objects.

Introduction to Unity 3D for a First Time Game Developer

Creating a game is a lot simpler than one can imagine. Especially if you choose to work with tools such as Unity 3D, you will have access to a professional level game engine that helps even first time developers easily organize the development process and deliver excellent results.

Unity 3D is extremely beginner friendly, allowing you to create some amazing games even with little coding experience. Here are a few things you need to know about 3D game development with Unity 3D.
 

Understanding Unity 3D and 3D Engine

Unity 3D is a cross-platform 3D engine that is designed to be extremely user friendly for beginners while also offering the much needed powerful tools for the professionals. Did you know? Temple Run, Bad Piggies, Lara Croft GO were all built using this platform!
 

A 3D engine is essentially a physics engine that takes into account the behaviour and laws of various game objects. In addition to this, it also helps in various other development processes such as rendering of graphics, physics such as gravity and momentum, lighting and other gameplay elements. Typically, on other engines, coders making even the basic most games are forced to work from scratch. You are expected to code everything right from the way a vase falls from a table to how it bounces and refracts the light during its journey down.
 

On Unity 3D on the other hand, all you need to do is make a model of a vase, define its mass, gravity and position on the table in the game world.
 

Things to Remember as a Novice Game Developer
 

As a first time developer you will find yourself getting overwhelmed with all the possibilities this engine holds with regards to development potential. However, if you plan on creating something that you truly wish to release, it is recommended that you be modest about your ambitions in your first go. Avoid aiming to create a 3D action blockbuster the first time around, which may force you to work on it for years, wasting hundreds of hours of your life only to find out somebody more experienced got there faster and did it better.
 

Start by making something simple and easy that will take no more than a few months to complete. Consider endless runners or games that come with procedurally generated elements. These could create less work for you. Games like Flappy Bird are classic examples of how simple apps can be made extremely successful, allowing you to gain some popular reviews and profit as against investing years on something you may never finish. 

Rectifying Common Physics Problem in Your Game Development

There are games that use physics engines to help things in the game move and react. The use of a physics engine can add immersion as well as emergent game play, but at the same time, if not used appropriately, can result in game-breaking issues. This blog discusses about the ways to determine and rectify the common physics problems in 3D game development with Unity 3D.

Common Mistakes and Ways to Fix Them

Following are the common physics mistakes often seen in game development. The ways used for fixing these issues have also been discussed:

• Inappropriate Scale:

In majority of the games, players assume that the scale of the world is related to Earth’s scale. Suppose, in a game, an enemy is falling from a height. The players would expect the foe to come down at the same rate as he would if he falls in reality on earth. If the speed of falling is too slow or fast, it may detract from the immersion, specifically if the one falling is human-sized. 

• Use a RigidBody As Well As a Character Controller:

The game developer assumes that a Character Controller is required for controlling their avatar. But the players want the avatar to be influenced by gravity and similar things in the environment. The issue is that a Character Controller is created for more traditional controls as seen in first person shooter. Gravity and certain physical forces affect a RigidBody. You need to select a Character Controller if you wish to have complete control over the way a player moves. Again, if you wish your character to be moved by a Physics engine, you need to use a RigidBody. In including a RigidBody to a character, you may wish to restrict rotation so that the player does not tumble. 

• Objects Rolling Constantly:

Suppose, you are developing a golf game. In this instance, you may find that the golf ball is not stopping and rolling constantly until it finds a hole. In reality, the glass blades on a golf course offers rolling resistance and slow down the ball. However, in Unity, you need to use artificial stopping forces to stop the ball. Using angular drag may be helpful in this case.

• Objects with No Bounciness:

All the objects bounce following an impact. However, the internal, default physics material of Unity does not have bounce. There will be no bounce until you apply physics material to the things showcased in your scene with a bounciness value more than 0. This problem can be rectified with the creation and assignment of your own default physics material in the Physics Manager.

Keep in mind the above mentioned suggestions during 3D game development with Unity 3D.

The Difference between 3D Animation in Games and in Movies

Most of us have a common idea that animation for movies and video games are the same thing. But then, this isn’t the truth. If you have done a 3D animation course in Singapore, then you’ll perhaps know that even though the same principles and tools of animation are applicable to both the mediums, but then, the techniques and processes greatly vary from one another.

 

 

Animation in Movies- What to Know

When talking about animation in movies, you’ll find that the animator is solely accountable for animating whatever is available in the view of the shot camera. More specifically, they have to exclusively worry about a single angle of the camera at a time. If a user is watching a movie, then all you need to do is press the PLAY button on a movie. On the other hand, in case of video game animation, things are a bit contrary.

 

Animation in Games- What to Know

Games should be interactive so as to keep the users engaged. When a player plays a game, you want to make sure that he or she has complete control on the camera and character. After all, it is the player who drives the story forward and allow the characters to proceed.

 

Hence, not only the animation should look good, but then, it should look good from each possible angle. For example, if the game is third person, then the player will rotate the camera around and they will see the run or walk cycle from a different perspective. This new angle may reveal things such as knee pops, which may not have been visible in the usual camera view. These are the things, which a game animator requires to take into consideration so as to make sure their animation holds up to whatever the player can throw at it.

 

And when you are creating game animations then you should see to it that it looks good from any angle. For example, when implementing the principle of arcs into an animation, the animator should see to it that the character is considering smooth arcing motions from any angle of the camera.

 

Creating Game Animation

As a game animator, you will be exposed to several kinds of animations that what is generally found in a movie such as DreamWorks or Pixar. You will find yourself creating animations for giants, fantasy creatures, scripted events and loads more. Majority of the games are driven by body mechanics, hence you will have to invest a lot of time to perfect the body mechanics in games. And as per the timing of the games is concerned, you need to focus on it depending on the specifications of the player inputs. You can take a 3D animation course in Singapore to get a good idea on animation and how it works.

 

Animating for games may bring a wide range of challenges to the table, but then, at the same time it also brings in a rewarding experience. Go for it today and create a new benchmark in the animation domain.

Baby Steps: Game Development at its Infancy

Game Development in Asia in Singapore can still be considered to be in its infancy. While it has been around for over a decade, it has come nowhere near to fulfilling the potential that a nation of its stature should be able to. Now, before you start screaming foul play… that was in no way a criticism of the industry here. 

The truth is that Singapore boasts perhaps the best infrastructure countrywide in the world. Political stability, state-of-the-art technology and excellent funding from the government has meant that the stage is set for companies to set up on the island and take the world by storm with its games. In fact, with the tools at their disposal, one would expect them to be rivaling traditional game dev powerhouses such as the United States.  So, why aren't they? 

Most people who are not from the industry tend to point fingers at the lack of creative talent in Singapore, and to be honest, they could not be more wrong. In truth, Singapore’s creative education sector have in the past 10 years, unearthed some diamonds in the rough. Heard of Portal? Yes, that very same game from Valve which took the world by storm was made in Singapore – and by students no less! The game featured revolutionary game play and mechanics for a first person shooter, and the founder of Valve was so impressed with their initial build that he hired the entire student team that built the game. The game’s quality and planning was living proof that the standard of game level design courses and that other technical aspects of its education was up to scratch with the very best. The fact that it featured ground-breaking game play mechanics also meant that the creativity of the local developers were nothing to sniff at. So why then? 

The truth is that the larger household studios who come here don’t give enough opportunities for the local creative talent to flourish. The common complaint for local game developers working in large local firms is that they have no creative input into the games that are being made. Take for example, Ubisoft and EA, both of whom have made Singapore their Asian hub. It’s been several years since the two giants have settled here, but there has been no noteworthy titles coming out of their Singapore headquarters. Those employed in this part of the world, are given bit part support roles to their American and European counterparts. How then can the country’s talent be expected to flourish? 

The solution is simple, and it is something that the nation has started to see. For one, it is no secret that the country is stepping up efforts to support local development studios, with only Gung Ho Entertainment the recent addition to multinational companies added to the list of game developers in recent years. Educational institutions are also doing their part, ensuring that students are up to date with the latest development tools. 2013 saw a large spike in the number of schools that started integrating 3D game development with Unity 3D. Even the media is doing its part, with the Straits Times creating a new category for local games in its yearly awards – “Best Made in Singapore Game” in 2014. 

 Whatever the case may be, the future looks set to grow brighter for local game developers in Singapore, and this reporter for one, cannot wait to see what the little island of innovation will come up with next.