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What single feature from Unity Pro would you want to see in Unity Free?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by eskovas, Jan 10, 2013.

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What single feature from Unity Pro would you want to see in Unity Free?

  1. Profiler

    47 vote(s)
    40.9%
  2. Occlusion Culling

    9 vote(s)
    7.8%
  3. Real Time Shadows

    36 vote(s)
    31.3%
  4. Deferred Rendering

    6 vote(s)
    5.2%
  5. Path-Finding

    8 vote(s)
    7.0%
  6. LOD

    6 vote(s)
    5.2%
  7. Audio Filter

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  8. Static Batching

    3 vote(s)
    2.6%
  1. eskovas

    eskovas

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2009
    Posts:
    1,373
    That's also what came to mind after i did this thread xD

    I'm about to switch to Unity Pro (at the end of this month if everything goes well) and i realise that i will have so many things to change in the game.
    I have to say that i'm very impressed with what i was able to do with Unity free (i never realised it was possible with only the free version) and can't wait to push it to the next level with Pro.
     
  2. Khyrid

    Khyrid

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2010
    Posts:
    1,790
    Hmm, then I shall also want Dilithumnite Trasmutators and Wormloop syesthuth management protocols.
     
  3. mescalin

    mescalin

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2012
    Posts:
    67
    wow wtf, the pro filer?! can't you just run the game on an iPad, you don't want proper lighting (shadows)?!?!

    these people are mad (you'd need to also get point lighting for getting shadows, also this only works with deferred rendering doesn't it?)
     
  4. Eric5h5

    Eric5h5

    Volunteer Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2006
    Posts:
    32,401
    And realtime shadows are resource hogs too. Shadows are just resource hogs, period (unless they are baked).

    Nope. Realtime shadows existed in Unity before deferred rendering, and still work fine without it.

    --Eric
     
  5. UnknownProfile

    UnknownProfile

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2009
    Posts:
    2,311
    Shadows are purely visual eye candy. The profiler actually helps optimize the game. This is quite a bit more important than shadows.
     
  6. mescalin

    mescalin

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2012
    Posts:
    67
    i think eye candy is the most important considering the rest is mono (epic performance)
     
  7. UnknownProfile

    UnknownProfile

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2009
    Posts:
    2,311
    You would rather have a game that looks fantastic but lags and glitches a lot rather than a game that doesn't look quite as nice, but still looks very nice, and doesn't have the same problems?
     
  8. AdrianC

    AdrianC

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2012
    Posts:
    150
    One thing I would like is net socket support for Android and iOS basic. All these other features are just things that make your game nicer in some way, but the lack of net socket support actually prevents you from developing certain types of games.
     
  9. Khyrid

    Khyrid

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2010
    Posts:
    1,790
    I think it's possible to make a game that runs smooth without a profiler by using good practices, but no real time shadows means a lot of baking then no normal map in the terrain and needing blob shadows. I have seen Pros real time shadows though and I wasn't impressed by them, UDK was much nicer looking.
     
  10. Gamer'sHelmet

    Gamer'sHelmet

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2012
    Posts:
    49
    I really wouldn't use any of the other features except real time shadows. I would have said pathfinding but NavMesh isn't realtime
     
  11. UnknownProfile

    UnknownProfile

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2009
    Posts:
    2,311
    There are plenty of third party solutions for pathfinding, with both static and dynamic nav meshes.

    Khyrid does bring up a good point that good practice will reduce the need of a profiler. If not the profiler, I might choose render to texture or even just the lack of a splash screen. Another likely candidate would be Pro's dark skin.
     
  12. MarigoldFleur

    MarigoldFleur

    Joined:
    May 12, 2012
    Posts:
    1,353
    I think the splash screen should stay. The least we can do for getting the engine for free is an unobtrusive 3 second ad that goes away as soon as the first game scene finishes loading. I'd like a less ugly splash screen though.
     
  13. UnityCoder

    UnityCoder

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2011
    Posts:
    534
    I wound like to rendertexture feature in Unity free and you didnt mention that option in your poll.
     
  14. Tanel

    Tanel

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2011
    Posts:
    508
    Customisation options for the splash screen would be nice. To make it fit more with the specific game.
     
  15. Tiles

    Tiles

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2010
    Posts:
    2,481
    Sure, but realtime shadow is at least a state of the art resource hog. Not a legacy and outdated solution that costs you the time to redo big parts of the game when you want to update to Pro and want to finish the project with realtime shadows then.

    And with deferred rendering realtime shadows are a totally different story than with forward rendering.

    I have no Pro. I was under the impression that realtime lighting is Deferred Rendering nowadays. You never stop learning.

    But then i wonder why Unity doesn`t give us free users at least the realtime shadows for the forward rendering pipeline. Shadows are not an unnecessary eye candy. It`s for most games essential. Light and shadows is what makes graphics. Shadows gives the eye the needed depth informations to see where the player is.
     
  16. Eric5h5

    Eric5h5

    Volunteer Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
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    Not at all; there are cases where you do not want deferred rendering, since it has extra overhead (and some drawbacks such as not having true FSAA), so it only makes sense to use where the advantages outweigh the overhead.

    It's for some games essential. I would say the minority. Look at all the 2D and otherwise stylized games made with Unity where realtime shadows are irrelevant (and not just "the little guys"; do you think Rovio cared about realtime shadows for Bad Piggies?). If you're making an AAA realistic game where you really do need realtime shadows, you can afford Pro anyway.

    --Eric
     
  17. The Quistion

    The Quistion

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    Posts:
    3
    Being able to play videos in your project
     
  18. gl33mer

    gl33mer

    Joined:
    May 24, 2010
    Posts:
    281
    Render Textures for me. Opens up lots of 2d options with an acceptable performance hit.

    (Obviously wouldn't mind a profiler or any of the other features offered. But if I had to choose one (well, technically it's not listed) - I'd choose Render Textures.

    I'd love for it to arrive on the 3.x line.
     
  19. fbgbdk4

    fbgbdk4

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2012
    Posts:
    128
    I'm the only one who'd want Image Effects like Bloom and Lens Flares?
     
  20. fbgbdk4

    fbgbdk4

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2012
    Posts:
    128
    So let the Bloom effect...

    You know... nobody cares about it... nobody... I myself don't give a damn about it... ;-)

    I don't even know why I emulate it in textures...
     
  21. gl33mer

    gl33mer

    Joined:
    May 24, 2010
    Posts:
    281
    There are quite a few mentions of "Render Textures" which would enable efficient Image effects like Bloom, etc.