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Switching from UDK to Unity?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by jtehlert, Feb 22, 2012.

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  1. jtehlert

    jtehlert

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    Right now I have created a game in UDK, but am getting mad at the lack of publishing options so I am looking to transfer over to Unity in instead.

    My game is a very simple top down game with a rolling ball as the player that requires the player to solve puzzles to finish the levels. The menu systems are made with scaleform and I really like its implementation.

    So how hard to do you think it would be to re make the game in Unity instead? I can pick up coding languages really easily and I think my experience with UDK should help me understand Unity.
     
  2. janpec

    janpec

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    What exactly do you mean with publishing options?
     
  3. Morning

    Morning

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    How do you expect us to answer if we know so little about your game? From the available info, yes it should be really easy.
     
  4. dogzerx2

    dogzerx2

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    A ball that rolls? Dude, you'll make your game in about 15 minutes!

    Unity makes games like that for breakfast!
     
  5. JamesLeeNZ

    JamesLeeNZ

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    lol! so true
     
  6. TehWut

    TehWut

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    The only apparent problem is the scaleform menus. You may need some 3rd party middleware.
     
  7. jtehlert

    jtehlert

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    Is it really that easy with Unity? Because it was way too difficult in UDK at first...

    And when I say publishing options, I mean how I can only make the game to play on pc and no matter what you do, you cant make a game that will run straight from a disc.

    I know you shouldnt make a game that runs off the disc, but I have to for a competition, so right now my UDK game wont work at all for the competition.

    Since I'm new does anyone know the best tutorial sites that are out there?

    If you would like to see what my game is like, you can see an early build video here:
    http://youtu.be/IL3MIwlnfdU
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2012
  8. Morning

    Morning

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    For a menu like that the default UI will do just fine.
     
  9. Traverity

    Traverity

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    So...what? Their computers don't have USB ports for thumb/external drives? Why would you switch engines based off of a competition anyways?
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2012
  10. Meltdown

    Meltdown

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    This is the Unity learning path I suggest...

    1.) 2D Tutorial - http://unity3d.com/support/resources/tutorials/3d-platform-game.html
    2.) 3D Tutorial - http://unity3d.com/support/resources/tutorials/2d-gameplay-tutorial.html

    After you've done those two tutorials.. you'll have a much better idea how a Unity project is stuctured and how the UI works.
    Next you need to learn some scripting

    3.) www.unity3dstudent.com

    A great set of short videos showing simple scripting techniques.

    4.) Build your own simple game in Unity, and most importantly finish it. With a UI, scoring, menu everything!! Once you have achieved this you will be well on your way.

    Good luck
     
  11. Max_Damage

    Max_Damage

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    I came here from UT2004/ UT3 and UDK .
    I've been modding since 1996 with unreal as a hobby.

    It took 2 years to make Strikeforce FPS with 7 people
    We could have done all that in 6 months with Unity.

    I'm making a simple platform game atm, and it's so much easier in Unity
     
  12. Morning

    Morning

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    Well more or less skilled people change engines all the time for competitions if the particular engine doesn't satisfy the requirements.
    For example wolfire use their own engine for overgrowth and yet they used unity for game jam cause it satisfied their particular need.
    There is a choice, so why not?
     
  13. jtehlert

    jtehlert

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    I'm having to swith because UDK can't run off a disc alone, it has to be installed. So I'm turning to Unity because I know for a fact that it will work.
    Oh and I must say you guys are much nicer than the ones on the udk forums :)
     
  14. dogzerx2

    dogzerx2

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    Well.. I don't mean to brag... but we do have the best community in the universe! :3~
     
  15. KRGraphics

    KRGraphics

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    ^^ Totally agree :)
     
  16. Traverity

    Traverity

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    Did they switch game engines for their game (Overgrowth) or did they create a new game?

    What I'm getting at, is that the OP has a project that's already been under development, but wants to suddenly switch engines because of a competition/compiling options. It just doesn't make sense to me.
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2012
  17. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    Well, I never seen decent game published with Unity, which is actually quite bad result, considering number of users. Everybody is just talking about doing games, but thats all.

    But yes, rolling ball game is exactly what is Unity made for.
     
  18. TylerPerry

    TylerPerry

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    Are you kidding me?
     
  19. Eric5h5

    Eric5h5

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    There have been thousands of games published with Unity, many of them decent. http://unity3d.com/gallery/made-with-unity/game-list Please stop trolling everywhere, thanks. Unity isn't "made for" any particular type of game, it's a general engine.

    --Eric
     
  20. mr. wrong

    mr. wrong

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    That is impressive list of games. A long list of released games is always more impressive than any list of engine features or other technical specs.
     
  21. giyomu

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    haha Demostenes, i wonder somtimes why you seem still using this crappy unity engine xd...
     
  22. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    I consider decent game a game, which is worthy of my time and I spent with it at least one day (8 hours).
    So did you play any of these games? Maybe I am wrong, but answer would be NO. Decent game is able to attract people. Have you thought "omg, this is exactly what I was searching for" and spent next month playing it?
    It is nice that there is big list of various games, but it does not tell anything about success and quality. And since vast majority of these games are very simple games with outdated graphics, it tells nothing about engine capabilities too. Only message is, that Unity can deliver simple games.

    How many AAA RPGs (MMOs) and FPS is made on Unity? Zero. How many on engines like CE, UDK, Trinigy? Lots of. If Unity is so kickass platform like fanboys are singing, why there are NO important games from big companies developed on it?

    If anybody asks me about Unity capabilities, I will tell him, that Unity is probably good for doing small games for various platforms, but not usable for big games. Maybe this will change in few years, but not there yet.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  23. Eric5h5

    Eric5h5

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    You're definitely wrong. I've played, and own, a number of them. Several I didn't actually know were made with Unity until I saw that list. Anyway, nice move trying to switch your definition of "decent game" to "AAA RPG MMO", but I think you know how absurd that is. Whether or not Unity can do AAA MMO games is more or less irrelevant, since 99.99% of users don't have the resources to do that regardless of what engine they're using. (And personally I have little interest in even playing those kind of grindfests masquerading as games, never mind trying to make one.) So obviously "small" games are going to vastly outnumber big-budget games; that doesn't make them less worthy if they're good. I recently played Limbo and had a good time--it took maybe 5 hours, but was worthwhile. It wasn't made with Unity, but could have been, and in fact Playdead have said they're using Unity for their next game.

    --Eric
     
  24. vdek

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    SquareSoft is using Unity for their PS Vita games...
     
  25. npsf3000

    npsf3000

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    I love how this completely arbitrary definition [dreamed up to spite u3d if I was to hazard a guess] not only completely removes entire sections of the game world [Flash games anyone?] but fails to recognize traditional greats.

    Crysis 2, pretty decent AAA game only had 6 hours to play for me.

    Portal, one of the greatest games of all time, only took ~4 hours to do. Hell, I've played it at least twice and only logged 6 hours!

    While having a substantial lifespan may be highly regarded feature by some players - to remove all games on the basis of a 8 hours playtime says a lot more about the ignorance and shortsightedness of the reviewer, than the games themselves. This coupled with the rather egoistical requirements 'decent game a game, which is worthy of my time' does nothing but support my view of the poster. There are plenty of decent games out there that I don't play nor have any intention of playing.

    Battlestar Galactica MMO. Big important game, from a publisher that has more than 250Mn registered users, made in U3D, and, from what I've heard, solves some technically challenging problems with regards to scale.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  26. PrimeDerektive

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    Oh, I didn't realize those were the only legitimate genres. My bad.
     
  27. cannon

    cannon

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    @JTehlert

    So you're making a rolling ball game?
    I hear you can't use Unity to make a game like, um, GooBall. *tongue-in-cheek*

    @Random thread viewers

    Re: high quality games in Unity; before anybody mentions Interstellar Marines (which is pretty far from finished, and IMO not yet a good reference), note that ShadowGun is a much better baseline for what a competent small team can do with Unity, and that on a resource constrained platform (iOS).
     
  28. PrimeDerektive

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    Some Unity games that I own and have played a lot:

    Pocket RPG, Aralon, Guerilla Bob, Bob Came in Pieces, Rochard, Gears, Paper Monster, BattleHeart, Deadlock: Online, Samurai II: Vengeance, Jelly Defense.
     
  29. dogzerx2

    dogzerx2

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    Yeah, people talk a lot about making games, yet the fact releasing a full game is hard as s*** persists!

    Is there a game engine out there with a good talk about games : successfully publish a game ratio? I want to know!
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  30. bigdaddio

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    OMG I love these posts so much, Unity like UDK is a free download. I have to question anyone who posts and trolls on the forum instead of just downloading the freaking product and trying it out for themselves.

    The best way to see if the product fits what you want to do is install it and go through a few tutorials. Seriously...
     
  31. Morning

    Morning

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    What is wrong with this puya guy?
     
  32. ZJP

    ZJP

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    Josh?!! the guy from Leadwerks? :D
     
  33. Swearsoft

    Swearsoft

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    How many games have been finished by Indie studios using Unity: many
    How many games have been finished by Indie studios using UDK, CE etc: not so many (if any)

    You are comparing a mutli-million dollar investment, done 2-3 years ago using the industry standard
    (cos it's an industry simply by it's shear size), with an engine that targets another market all-together.

    Of course you can do awesome things with Unity, but you have to invest the same amount of people and money as for any triple AAA game.

    Also as we discussed a AAA game has nothing to do with duration of gameplay and nothing to do with "Did Demosthenes like it?"

    it has to do wtih "production quality", which is actually a reference to the money spent.

    Companies have started to experiment with Unity and it's obvious that de-throning Unreal is difficult, as discussed by industry veterans on this very forum, a team doesn't switch engine simply because it has some nice features, nor does a project get a greenlight because the engine is cheap.

    When millions of dollars are at stake you purchase what others purchased simply to add to the security of your investment, it might be crap to work with, but it has a proven track record and that is the only thing that counts.

    For example: we are making an FPS game, engine A has 50 FPSs, engine B 2, I choose to invest in the safe choice so as not to lose 50million.

    Game Development is risky as hell, why take a chance when you have something that works? If you are in charge of a multi-million project and didn't go with the proven choice and the product you chose is a show-stopper, you are simply not fit for the job.

    That's why Modern Warfare 3, the top grossing FPS , uses what is essentially a hammered out Quake 3 engine, not even Doom 3 engine. They know it works, they have assets for it , they can simply add on to it and they make more money than Crytek could dream of, off a single game, that they can push out yearly.

    Do you get it? Quake 3, though they make billions, why? Are they stupid? Are you smarter than them? Is quake3 good to work with? They probably have a ton crap of tools to do the work, they have probably re-written half of it or even more.

    If you can't understand this simple stuff Demosthenes I really can't comprehend how you expect someone to take you seriously.

    It's like asking every company to use the Mazda engine (it is a weird design, look it up) when everyone else uses a different design, you don't bet your whole company on this interesting design (it's been around for years), simply because running the company and making a profit is already difficult.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  34. Diviner

    Diviner

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    ^This.

    In addition, whether an engine has AAA capability or not is not the issue. This horse has been beaten to death a million times in these forums. It's about whether or not an engine attracts developers with resources. Unreal (and NOT UDK) naturally attracts developers with resources based on the simple fact that it costs around 1 mil to licence the source. UDK however is free, just like Unity, and therefore attracts indies who want to experiment with no risk. Naturally you won't find AAA games in either of the two engines.

    A company that will decide to use Unity for AAA games will licence its source, just like it would for Unreal, and as the Store section says, licencing happens on a title basis. Already we've moved far and beyond the resource capabilities of 99.9% of both UDK and Unity communities.

    I agree to some extend with Demostenes. Unity hasn't produced any AAA games (I don't consider BSG AAA). It's not the engine's fault though. It's pure economics.
     
  35. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    AFAIK they have source code licence. With source code you can make MMO even from spreadsheet, if you have enough resources.
     
  36. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    No, Unity is missing features necessary for doing big games. And it would be expensive to lost time with programming them (without guarenteed result).
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  37. PrimeDerektive

    PrimeDerektive

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    What features are ubiquitous to all "big games" that Unity doesn't have?
     
  38. DigitalGlass

    DigitalGlass

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    Where did you hear this b.s rumor? They do not have source code license. They are using the same Unity Pro that everyone else is using.
     
  39. Diviner

    Diviner

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    Obviously he refers to proper culling, LOD and terrain generation. I've read his arguments in other similar threads.

    I still maintain my opinion on economics however. Unity is free. And without paying a dime (or even paying only 1500-3000 USD) you have some features missing. If you have the resources however, you can licence and expand the source to add said features. Nobody said Unity-Basic can make AAA games. I did state however that if you have the money, Unity can be as good a choice as any other engine.
     
  40. janpec

    janpec

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    Lol thats so true. Durration of gameplay has nothing - nothing to do with AAA term. You can have 1 hour game with excellent production and yet its still AAA.

    Thats very wierd. While Demostenes is claming that he is the only person producing AAA game in this forums, yet he claims on every post that Unity cannot make AAA quallity. Something is wrong there.
     
  41. PrimeDerektive

    PrimeDerektive

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    I know he is, which is ridiculous. Apparently the only games that qualify as AAA to him have seamless worlds, endless terrains, and millions of trees.


    Haha I know, right? and whenever he posts an image it looks awful and is using cheap art from dexsoft.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  42. Diviner

    Diviner

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    Let's try to keep things civilized people. If Demostenes attacked anything it was the engine, not anyone personally. Let's do without personal attacks.
     
  43. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    I am really curious on your screenshots. Take one of my awful pictures (scene picture, not some devolopement sand box) and put yours for comparison besides. I am waiting, but I doubt that you have anything and that you ever will have anything comparable.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
  44. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    No, not even one point right. You should read more carefully.
     
  45. janpec

    janpec

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    Haha that million trees part always makes me laugh. The core of every AAA game.
     
  46. dogzerx2

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    Let's agree what a AAA game is first.

    I assume we're not referring to AAA games as a minimum budget amount of people involved. So this must be a graphics thing! AAA games are games with really good graphics... (also sound quality, etc).

    Also, I think quality is more relevant than quantity here, right?
    Personally, I think Unity gives you enough tools to make a great AAA game. Does it give you the tools to make ANY kind of AAA game? Say, one with a humongous map? And, state of the art shaders with real volumetric fog, real time AO, DOF, etc? Maybe not, but you can fit enough beautiful art in it to make the best game a gamer can see.

    It's up to the developer to imagine a AAA quality game, in his head. Of course, if the developer lacks imagination, and can only think bigger map == better, more polies == better, then maybe Unity is not the best choice, right?
     
  47. jtehlert

    jtehlert

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    Wow, my thread seems to have shifted just a bit...
     
  48. Demostenes

    Demostenes

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    Demagogy. So if you are doing small never-published casual, you are cool boy, but if you want to make something bigger, you lack imagination? Are you serious? This really looks like envy, that some teams have resources and know-how to make big game.
     
  49. imump

    imump

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    Sorry Demostenes, you are in the same boat as all those ones that havnt released a thing...regardless of whether it is 25gb or not, it dont matter :)
     
  50. dogzerx2

    dogzerx2

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    Wait, don't go extreme! You can do a pretty big game with Unity, you just can't go huge... or 'humongous' as I said. Never said Unity could only do small casual games!

    I did say, though, if your only tool to make a better game is by the means of better specs, then you're missing out a lot of things, like artistic style, artistic details, creative gameplay, etc.

    If you tackle those elements, which are the developer's part of the job, Unity will do its part, and then you'll find it's possible to make an outstanding game with it! AAA quality, if you may!
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2012
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