image.png
Here's how you know this guy does not in fact have any good advice for you: suggesting unity as something you should start with
image.png
@vaartis @pipivovott Unity has a pretty good learning curve compared to some others, while being good for both 2D and 3D.
Easy for devs, difficult for artists and FX techs.
As it is harder to make it look good.
Unreal is more performant but lacks good 2D tools, and the learning curve is harsh.
Unigine has Unity's workflow and Unreal's performance, but no UI editor, and even less 2D capabilites.
Stride and Flax are getting better, but each have their own issues, and compared to the big two, they are less mature.
While there are easier engines to pick up, those simpler engines are also restricting in many aspects.
Which is why starting from scratch, I would recommend either Godot or Unity.
@vaartis @pipivovott Yeah... Unity's rendering is kinda trash.
Good assets make for good graphics and little more can be done.
The HDRP is half baked last I checked, with point lights not casting dynamic shadows.
Though to be fair that was a couple of years ago.
Still, I can't believe they actually released it that way, that was a mess.
@vaartis @pipivovott I make it my business to try every major engine that comes out.
It's fun!
And also I'm responsible for this sort of thing at my job.
@vaartis @pipivovott Sometimes.
I usually implement UI for research and development.
I work for a defense contractor.
Something like a VR simulator for tank commander UI, for example.
It looks like ass.
But they don't care, it's all about functionality.
The panorama was hell to make and optimize, and still a bit wonky.
This was fun to work on.
Nowadays I do map projects, not as fun.
I hate the Cesium framework.😒
@vaartis @pipivovott You are technically correct.
Every object, even the UI elements are 3D (which was very useful in a VR project I did once, Unity's UI is by far the best).
That being said, there are built-in components such as 2D colliders, tile maps, platforms, etc... for 2D projects.
For a 2D project, Unity is a bit overkill, and I would not recommend it for small 2D mobile because it comes at a pretty significant memory cost.
An empty scene with literally nothing in it will compile into a 40MB APK last I checked.
Unity doesn't present any barriers for 2D development.
That being said, the two Ori games are made in Unity.
And so was Hollow Knight.
@vaartis @pipivovott Ori is deceptive, really cool code went into it.
The backgrounds are 2D with simulated lighting applied to them, if memory serves.
A few elements are 3D.
Such a good looking game. ☺
@vaartis @pipivovott Oh yeah, it's custom solutions all the way.
Still, some engines are more... resistant when you try to go out of the box, and extend their functionality.
That's also a consideration.
There's always a risk that a solution will not be available, and you have to make one.
I don't want to dig in Unreal's source code (which you have to pay to access) just to make a cool effect.
Unity is more flexible that way, but fewer things are ready out of the box, and with much less polish than Unreal.
Outer Wilds devs made their own physics in Unity, showing just how flexible it can be.
But that's an extreme example.
@vaartis @pipivovott Custom RP?
Sounds cool, but I won't dig deeper if it's a secret.
I might be wrong about the source code, now that I think about it.
You can just enter it whenever, it's just there as part of your project.
I think you need to pay if you want to publish a game with any changes to the engine, or something.
I vaguely remember seeing that somewhere.
