Unity 5 is coming and more!

I agree with Kurato and the_motionblur - no WebGL in the free version would be truely disappointing (trying to be polite).

cheers, gryff

 

I'm very interested in this as well.

 

I guess this means, pay us more money even though you paid for Unity with the understanding web players was a function of it, wasn't exactly what you meant in this post huh?

 

Ippo - Follow the trend - Unity releases are 22-24 months apart. And 5.x is still ~6 months out, which puts 6.0 easily 24 months away. So, assuming Pro + iOS, you'd subscribe for $40+$40 for 12 months, and $75+$75 for the next 12 months. A total of $2,760. The same upgrade would cost ya $1,200 (from 4.x) or $1,500 (from 3.x). If you are playing the long game, the upgrade cost is a no-brainer.

For me, I was waiting for the GUI - so I essentially skipped 4.x. Now, I upgrade for $1,500, and get the GUI in 4.6 and 5.x as a bonus! Patience paid off.

Gigi.

 

The SpeedTree site is confusing. Which tool would we need to actually make trees for import into Unity 5? Their site refers people to a version of the "ask us about pricing" type, which includes the engine and more. I can't find a simple tree editor for game-ready trees available as a standalone product.

 

it'd either be architect or studio if my understanding of UT5 is correct. my understanding from Graham is that 5.0's 'integration' is mostly internal for importing and manipulation (wind? bending? etc) the output of those packages, not a direct implementation by us.

architect is 495, and studio is 895. however, at the bottom of the page it stipulates that they aren't for realtime games, and that speedtree for games is required, so.. not sure..

if UT5 will be able to just import tree models etc, then speedtree's tree library now becomes something you might want to investigate. i checked out some of the prices on there and they seem pretty high to me per tree.

 

And that's why I said the site is confusing. A game version is needed to export low-poly trees, but it's not available without also buying source code that you won't be needing in Unity.

It's only $10000 or $20000 for the whole library. It's a bargain.

 

I was so annoyed to hear that Unity would be dropping Beast support, since our project depends on it. That is . . . until I heard about Unity integrating Enlighten. I can't stop grinning. This is so awesome!

 

I found speedtree very confusing tbh... the studio pricing alone should be good to use for games too...

 

You should get that grin engraved onto a plague... I am SERIOUSLY happy right now...

 

Hi Gigi,
I understand your point,
In my case, there are two options :

1. The license route, cost for 1 year = 750 for upgrading Pro + 1562 for IOS = 2312$ for x time ( until Unity 6 release ).
2. The subscription route 100$ per month for 12 months = 1200 $ for the first year, 2256$ for the second year, undefined sum afterwards.

So the key question is how long will the upgrade cycle of Unity 5 will last. The sums may seem small for fellow developers, but for me they are substantial.

I need more info before purchasing.

 

That is really disappointing to hear. Will it be possible to somehow compute the GI data at runtime in a separate thread maybe at a low tick rate? If not, is there ANYTHING that GI will do for me visually without that precomputed data?

Nothing in my game is static. I fear I will not see any benefit from the new GI renderer.

 

Thanks Kuba! As we use AssetBundle combinations to build scenes, this would be very helpful. Please at least make it possible to add the lightmaps by code (like shown in the referenced thread) if the automatic dependency is not available at the beginning (ie. give us access to the files/api). The related Support Case # 00058182 and just submitted Bug Case # 597664)...

 

Java lacks closures and it's generics are a compiler trick that requires casting, not true parametric polymorphism like C#/.NET. Scala, which uses the JVM is up to par with C# and includes other features like traits, etc.

However, something does need to be done about the current mono implementation. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is 3rd party integration. As time passes there are going to be fewer and fewer options for 3rd party .net based APIs. Many 3rd party APIs are setting their base line of support at .net 4.0, which is not compatible with the current version of mono (we're stuck at 3.5 in Unity). This issue will only get worse as time passes until there is no support at all. It's really going to suck when I have to write my own JSON parser because Newton's JSON.NET no longer supports .NET 3.5.

 

Congratulations to the Unity team. Unity 5 looks fantastic! Nice discounted upgrade prices too. I've pre-ordered mine and can't wait for the release.

Looking forward to 4.5 4.6 as well. Would be good to get more info on these soon...

 

Does anyone know how long the "limited time offer" is to get the upgrade for $600? Personally, I'm a little peeved that I can't get the $600 discount at any time... I've paid for Unity 2 and 3, and it seems very unfair to make long-term customers pay full price instead of an upgrade price.

 

Understandable, thanks! Though, I wonder - is it possible to precompute all the required data for Enlighten in one level, embed it into a prefab with an object and then reuse that prefab across multiple levels, retaining the lighting effects?

 

On the web page, it says Level Streaming. Is that a new system? Or is it an improvement of the current API we have?

For example, LoadLevelAdditiveAsync causes a noticable 0.2s hitch whenever it completes loading, is this a fix of that?

 

I saw there is new UI TOOLS in 5.0 that should replace GUI system in Unity 4.x but on the bottom of the screen it's written that they are available for Unity 4.x.
When they will be released ?

 

The ideal solution (everything dynamic, super cheap on current hardware, no special authoring, no artifacts, calculated at the exact needed resolution) does not exists. We will get there with time*, but for now we will have to live with some limitations. Rest assured that we will try to lift them over time.

*) http://blog.imgtec.com/powervr-developers/powervr-gr6500-ray-tracing is a step in a very good direction...

We'll see what we can do about prefabs, but additively loaded scenes will work.

 

This Spring, but nothing more certain about the date is available at the moment.

 

What about multitouch support for Windows 7 / Windows 8 without using a plugin? It would be nice using the same API in every platform...

 

Just to make sure, even though you need to have everything static, moving lights/changing color of light/changing rotation of a directional light etc etc, does affect the GI in realtime, right?

 

Let's say I'm talking about a Bethesda-style dungeon composed from a set of modular pieces. What you propose by using additively loaded scenes is to e.g. load a level with a set of those modular elements and precomputed Enlighten data, and then additively load another level with e.g. level structure data and gameplay elements, right? Then, those pieces are used to assemble the level and will retain the lighting effects as level-bound precomputed data is still available to them.

Similar to Beast, I take it you are free to move and duplicate the pieces within the level precompution took place in, and they will retain all the lighting effects properly, correct? (simple example being a tunnel section with a light source and scattering from it that's duplicated five times to assemble a long corridor)

 

Actually, it is this summer, spring was just an "error" on the website. A dev clarified it on a thread over unity gossip.

 

Oh, thanks for the info!

 

Without reading back through everything, can anyone tell me if there was an answer as to how long the special pricing for upgrades ($600) is available?

 

Until the Unity 5 release so you will have a lot of time to take advantage of in and will know precisely when it ends as Unity 5 becomes closer.

 

I would not hurry, there may be a discount on horizon

 

Could you please try to allow the baking step to be accessible at runtime? I know it will be slow and not recommended but it would still be very useful. My game constructs the levels from pieces during a loading screen and if I could do the baking there it would be ideal. I don't think anyone wants constant baking every frame, but being able to do it somehow outside the editor for procedural scenes would be awesome.

 

As interested as I am in some Unity 5 developments, I have to add my voice to those like Vic, above, who are very disappointed at WebGL (and hence, by some time next year, web deployment) being a paid add-on. As your company has itself acknowledged, web-based deployment was a big factor in Unity's growth and for many, myself included, it is an integral part of Unity and the main reason I threw my hat in with you guys (way back in 2009!).

If moving integral features like this out of the core package and into paid-for add-ons is the way Unity is going, that is disappointing. Alienating the users who helped build your company at a time when the other engine makers seem to be waking up to indie developers (Unreal for $19 a month, anyone?) doesn't seem smart - very un-Unity like!

Alex

 

Umm...just curious how about deffered particle or Particle Lighting??? Any news about that???

 

+1

Paying for WebGL as an Add-On is Absolutely Ridiculous!!

#1 You guys dont even make that clear on the Unity 5 Pre-Order Page http://unity3d.com/5, you have WebGL Listed as if it's a Feature that we'll get once we Purchase Unity 5. How small is the fine print about WebGL Add-On Price?... i can't seem find it...

#2 Let me get this straight, Unity Webplayer will be Broken, Totally Useless in Chrome past this year, heck probably Firefox will get rid of NPAPI Plugins eventually as well... Chrome being the Leading Browser with 35% Market Share According to StatCounter , and your telling us we need to pay for WebGL when it should and probably will replace Unity Webplayer as web browsers move away from NPAPI and adapt Web Standards... really?

Honestly this is totally insulting to me as a Loyal Customer, Fan, User... and would hope everyone else feels the same...

Unacceptable


**Please Visit this Thread and WebGL Poll, Please Vote!
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/235248-Are-you-OK-with-Purchasing-WebGL-Add-On

 

+1

**Please Visit this Thread and WebGL Poll, Please Vote!
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/235248-Are-you-OK-with-Purchasing-WebGL-Add-On

 

Hi to all,

Does anyone have information regarding the new audio features? It would be great if Jan or Wayne could give us a little heads up:

- How does the mixer work? Does it route audiosources in groups through tracks? Or does it ditch the Audioclip/Audiosource tandem altogether?
- Does it work in edit mode, or only play mode?
- Will access to the audio buffer be affected/expanded?
- Are there any other , FMOD Designer style features planned?
- Btw, will FMOD still be the backend?

Very interested in these developments, it's great to see Unity audio finally evolve.

Cheers,

Gregzo

 

It seems like very good news. Just to make sure, so I won't miss it, when will there be more information about the technical aspects of Unity 5? I.e. the API changes from Unity 3.x to 4.x were quite small, but nevertheless I had to change quite a bit of plugin code to make it run in Unity 4 flawlessly, quite a few early-adopter-clients complained. So, when can we get more information about possible changes to the API so I can be prepared?

Other than that, I am very excited about WebGL (a dream comes true!) and 64 bit Unity Editor! Great job!

 

Excellent news all over. The Enlighten integration blew my mind. Thanks a lot !

A very random question since it looks that unity5 is taking next...current gen visuals very serious...
Is there a chance for physical plausible (light/probes/cube) lit particles ?

 

There is nothing stopping you from making a lit particle shader right about now, it's not something Unity has to explicitly support or announce as a feature, the possibility is simply there, same as for thousands of other potential shader varieties.

 

In terms of showing the numbers of games that have been made with Unity vs Flash.

It would really benefit the entire Unity community if games that have been made with unity 3 or 4 could also be published to WebGL. This way, all games that have been made with unity can be unleashed onto the web.

 

Unity is becoming more powerful with each new release.

Games are also becoming more sophisticated which means that the coding will also have to be more demanding. Mono 3.5 really is a bottleneck. Please upgrade so that we better support at the framework level.

Cheers.

 

Can anyone throw us a bone about the "Level Streaming" feature listed at the Unity 5 page?

 

ShaderForge mentions that Unity multiplies light by 2.0. Is there any reason why that couldn't change for this major release? Or is that multiplication necessary for something other than maintaining backwards compatibility/consistency?

 

Okay...I really hate to be "that guy," but I spent about $4,500 on Unity 4 for standalone, iOS, and Android, plus Team License over the past 20 months. That's not cheap money. I mainly based my decision on the length of the Unity 3 cycle which seemed much longer than the Unity 4 cycle.

Now there are two other blockbuster engines available for less then $300/year.

Epic offers Unreal 4 with source code for $240/year and takes a 5% royalty from your gross (not sure how they intend to enforce that), and Crytek is out with CryEngine 3 for $120/year in May with no royalty.

I LOVE Unity. I DON'T want to have to learn another engine, but man if we're all here doing games as a business, we HAVE to consider the financials involved in our engine choice.

If I upgrade my licenses to Unity 5 today (at the pre-order price), it would cost me ANOTHER $1,800. That's $6,300 in less than 2 years. That's around $300/month. As opposed to the other options which are $20/month (plus an undetermined royalty) and $10/month flat.

Unity...you guys have to know that most independent developers are not making money hand over fist. How is it that your pricing is orders of magnitude higher than these other two premier options?

 

Well Unity is the leader by far. Challenger need to cut price, maybe even lower than they can handle, to desperatly try to get some market share.

 

Any word on if Unity5 will have built in support for Xbox One Kinect or Kinect for Windows Version 2?

 

Why would you buy pro if you aren't making enough to cover it?

 

You're joking right? The video game industry is saturated with Unreal Engine. Even most schools teach video game development with UDK. Epic games is simply trying to tap into the indie market now, since they were focused mainly on the big studios for a long time. The point is - Unreal Engine is a AAA engine that is now cheaper than Unity. Let me repeat that - Unreal Engine is a AAA engine that is now cheaper than Unity. You also get full access to the source code. This is something that Unity isn't even in the same ballpark with. They will have to do something to stay competitive.