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[RELEASED] Star Wars : Commander

Discussion in 'Made With Unity' started by zombiegorilla, Aug 21, 2014.

  1. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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  2. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    Nope. We had done a game a couple of yeas back where we had the source license and a lot of great help from the Unity team, but that was for a specific reason (flash deployment). That game never launched, and the whole situation soured us on use Unity for a while. (not because of Unity or their team)
    This one was just just straight up Unity (started with about 4.1, launched with 4.5.3). We do use NGUI for UI, but heavily tweaked, and implemented in a sort of non-standard way.

    Ha! Oh yes, absolutely!
    The first challenge we had (or at least from my perspective), is that many, if not most of the people who worked on this game hadn't used Unity before. And of the few that had, almost none had ever shipped a Unity game.

    But a handful of us were Unity uh... well... fanboys I guess. For the year prior to my starting on the game, I had been pushing, prototyping and training Unity. I held weekly workshops and individual training for people who wanted to get into Unity. (DI is big on learning/training, and supports this kind of stuff). Separately when the idea came for doing a mid-core Star Wars game, another guy who was also pushing for Unity to be used in production, built (in 2 days), an prototype of a SW RTS that looks like an early version of SWC. The strength of that pitch and prototype got the game greenlit. Even then, the game was approved, the use of Unity wasn't. It took a while.

    So when it came to training or introducing some of our staff to Unity, I told them if they get stuck or have a question, start with the API/Docs, then check in the Learn section of Unity's site. If they still can't find and answer come to me (or one of the others who know Unity well.) DO NOT google it or go looking on the internet for answers. That leads to trouble. I wouldn't say it is because it is targeted at indies, but because it is targeted at beginners, and often beginners with no coding or development experience. (indy != noob). In my experience 99% of internet available info is either way to beginner to be of use, or so riddled with bad practices to be of any use.

    The second challenge is that what makes Unity great for prototyping and getting stuff done quickly, is not the practices you would use in actually building a large scaleable game. As one of our Eng leads is fond of saying, Unity can be deceptive because it will let you build an 80% complete game very quickly. Then all you have to do is completely refactor everything you have done to finish it. ;)

    To build a large scaleable game effectively, you really have to not use many of the features that make Unity great to prototype with. Using scenes, referencing assets to one another in the inspector, setting values in the inspector, attaching scripts/mono behaviors to gameobjects in prefabs/inspector, stuff like that. It just makes a large project become quickly unmanageable.

    Personally, for me the biggest benefit for was when I realized that I have to mentally draw a hard line in my head when I prototyping and developing. Often when I am creating new features, I prototype completely outside of the game. When it is fully approved by everyone that needs to sign off on it, I start over and build it “properly” for use in game.

    I wouldn’t say that Unity is a nightmare for large production projects, in fact no worse anything else. I would say the cool quick features that make Unity attractive (and great for prototyping) are not the same features and methods you would use in a large production. I would also add that script-ablity of the editor, and ability to easily create tools for testing and pipeline right in the editor/project is incredibly powerful and beneficial for large production.

    Ultimately though, we all had this incredible sense of proving ourselves, and doing right by Star Wars (we are all geeks, and grew up it). Our company has some sizable reductions in the last couple years, those of who are on this are mostly sr staff, who often worked on different teams. So we had a lot top people all in one place, sort of a dream team. We also added some killer folks from outside, fantastic leadership like our Exec & Art Director, etc.. who kickass and have proven record of doing so. But mobile hasn’t done well for our studio, the expectations weren’t high, and we felt a real sense pressure that if this tanked, it would probably our last game here. (this was never a threat or anything, we were just aware of our track record). Additionally, the Star Wars games in the last several years has been less than stellar, we wanted to buck that tradition. So when were given a shot to build a mid-core game on Star Wars, it was going to happen. No one was going to let it fail, and we had committed to using Unity. So when/if Unity presented a challenge in any way, our engineers/team solved it. (to be honest, we have a pretty epic engineering team). Perseverance and passion break down a lot of barriers.

    ———

    I would agree, quality information can be hard to find, but if look at if it were not a “Unity” project and falling back to traditional practices when appropriate, we found that most of the knowledge we needed we already had. We just go stuck because we were looking for the “Unity” way. Having not shipped this scale of game in Unity, we were hypersensitive to possibility of hitting brick walls. But in the end, given the risks (new team/studio, new genre, new platform, developers who have never used the tech stack, pressure to perform with a critical IP, and that mobile games from our studio haven’t done well in the past), it not only went great, but much smoother than any game launch on any platform/stack from our studio. And what challenges we had, we have learned from. The next game we do will go even smoother after figuring this stuff out. (the production aspect).
     
  3. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    Yea, the UI has gone through a lot of iterations (and still is). We are working on the improving the readability. One of the challenges is making it work against a variety of backgrounds and environments consistently. Right now only Tatooine and Dandoran are in the game. While I won't comment on upcoming content, if you consider the well known SW planets/environments, you can guess why this might represent a challenge. ;)
     
  4. zombiegorilla

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    Thanks!
    Throughout my career, usually I can't say anything about projects I am working on. This was the first time that was a source of frustration, I was busting at the seams to tell everyone I knew. ;)
     
  5. ENNEMMEE

    ENNEMMEE

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    Congratulations to releasing this... I have just tried the game on android and it's really cool... although there's some issues: lags, low FPS (tried with BlueStacks, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Tab3 - maybe an option for lower details could solve this) and the path finding doesn't run smooth it seems...
    First I thought it was a simple ClashOfClans clone but there is a few very nice twists to that... I really like it
     
  6. NickHaldon

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    I got this game on Windows 8 and it is REALLY good. Contrary to others I like the campaign because of the divrsersity of the missions and how easy it was to get money in the beginning. I actually waited to complete missions so that I wouldn't waste the money. Overall very nice.

    I did though have a bug. My game was reset the day after I got it. I don't remember what I did but I left it and came back and the tutorial was playing. Luckily I didn't mind because it let me choose the Empire instead of the Rebels. I don't know if you have had any other reports of this. I just wanted to inform you.
     
  7. zombiegorilla

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    Thanks!

    Not that I am aware of. I will bring it up to QA. On computer correct, not device?
     
  8. TheRaider

    TheRaider

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    I have regular crashes on Android (galaxy s4) often when I am making a barrack go to full queue and clicking quickly or when I finish a battle (and then I can't get back in because I am being attacked).

    I also get lots of lag when I open barracks before I can select troops.
     
  9. NickHaldon

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    Yes on computer. Also I just remembered, whenever I open the game it is unresponsive for a couple of seconds. Its weird because sometimes it acts like I'm clicking and it will open the move editor. Its annoying but not horrible.
     
  10. zombiegorilla

    zombiegorilla

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    New campaign is live today. New ships for rewards. This campaign lasts a longer, and the target is higher.

    We also have patches going out soon to fix some bugs on android and some syncing issues on all platforms.
     
  11. Sydious

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    Are there any intentions for squad verses squad battles?
     
  12. TheRaider

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    I think you are mistepping with the time limited campaigns and will turn people off quickly.

    For iOS:
    Too much is needed for a reward (I am up to HQ6 and building 7 but not in time to be a help) and I am up to 36 and it is getting very hard to the point I use my whole army up to get 3 stars and with the rate it is getting hard I don't see how I will get the awing reward. I would assume I am at the top end for base development so most people wouldn't have a hope.

    For Android:
    It is stupid that they skipped campaign 1. It is basically impossible to be useful to anyone on android unless they spent a load of money on the game. It is a very silly move.
     
  13. zombiegorilla

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    There are a variety of events coming up in the near future. ;)
     
  14. zombiegorilla

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    The campaigns / limited time events are pretty common, and core to the design. Otherwise the game would get boring pretty quickly if there were things of this nature. ;)

    It 7 days. if you are at 36 when you posted, you are a bit over half way with 5 days still left. As long as you have been upgrading your troops, you'll have plenty of time. If you don't 3 star on some missions, don't worry about it, just push to the end. Like the last campaign, you can grind the last level to get points.

    Since it is an ongoing game, there will always be people who have missed prior events. Either because they aren't high enough or started later. Eventually campaigns will be repeated (or at least the rewards will be) for those who have missed them/started later.
     
  15. NomadKing

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    Looks and plays great!

    I hate you for making me install this...
     
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  16. Sydious

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    "Don't under estimate the power of the force....."
     
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  17. OldRod

    OldRod

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    I'm starting to run into this myself and my project isn't all that large. How did you guys get around it? Can you attach scripts to object in code? Or was there some other way you handled it? And am I reading this right... you didn't use scenes? I didn't even know that was possible in Unity.

    Great game btw, just need more time to play it :)
     
  18. zombiegorilla

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    We basically work like would in a "not Unity" style. We have one scene, that scene has one object which is an empty gameobject with a script attached. That script loads everything else. The stage is constructed programmatically and assets are loaded and unloaded as needed. It's all done in code.
    Since we use assetpackages for all the content, they cannot have code attached, so they are either controlled externally, or scripts are added at run time. This makes it a little more complex, but it is cleaner as there are no inspector references. Everything is loaded by the game, so the game already knows where everything is. So no Find()s are needed. This also means that Art & UI can work with virtually no version problems, as the assets are delivered as packages only.
     
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  19. OldRod

    OldRod

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    Thanks. That's some nice info :)
     
  20. TheRaider

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    My point is not that timed events are bad, but when the majority of your usebase (pretty much all android) have zero chance of completing it is sad.

    I am pretty high on the rebel side and I am stuck on the base defence at about level 52 so that will probably be the end of my chances. It is good you can grind the last level but you have to get to it. Difficulty should be scaled to your level for the timed events IMO. I am teaching 10 year olds how to use unity cause school holidays here so I don't have much more spare time.

    It must of been funny on android getting the message about using vangaurds from a previous campaign when they joined day 1 and never got it.
     
  21. zombiegorilla

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    The campaign is tuned to a level 4 player, which is generally where most players are after a few days. It's certainly a challenge at that level, but can be done. I believe we are currently at over 50-60% players complete with around 3-4 days left (depending on timezone). If it works out like last campaign, should be around 70-80% players complete. So far the shortest completion is 14 hours. (without paying). The trick is to balance resource raids with the missions.
    Heh.. I am only on level 51, I didn't get to play much this weekend.
     
  22. TheRaider

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    I can't believe a level 4 player would have much of a shot. I know it is possible, just not sure if I will have more time to try. I probably have to rearrange my base to do it.

    if you get 80% completing that is a really good player retention rate.

    All the kids in my class had heard of your game when I compared it to clash of clans.
     
  23. zombiegorilla

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    I should say, 80% of people who actively engage in the campaign. (hopefully... that is around where it was the last time).
    For me the big benefit of the campaigns is that while they are running I rarely get attacked, I have been able to do some of the big upgrades since I am not being raided for resources. ;)
     
  24. Sydious

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    Is there an official forum for Star Wars Commander? I've got some game related questions and would like to surf though other posts about the game.
     
  25. zombiegorilla

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    Yes there is. Click on the settings button and there is a link to the forums. Though things are bit heated there at the moment. We did a rebalance of medals this week and it was less than smooth. ;)
     
  26. Sydious

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    Great. Thanks for your quick reply!
     
  27. TheRaider

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    The people who make monument valley really slammed the screen which encourages people to vote and described it as dishonest and it made me think.

    It does feel like you are taking the character out of the star wars immersion which kind of sucks. I get why you do it, but I really think Apple should ban this ASAP (not just for this but everyone). Developers feel if they don't do it they are missing out and feel forced to do it. Buying rating is a sucky thing to do.

    I did like the game but I feel like I have reached the "end" because the timers are all so insanely long now.
     
  28. Der_Kevin

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    Thats really interesting to read.
    And yeah, I think so too that is not the fault of Unity when things get messy, its the Developer. We had also a Unity project in our company (free2play browergame stuff) and it was coded like a prototype. scripts on GameObjects all over the place and so on. The game was buggy like hell in the end and was canceled because the only solution would be a total rewrite. Everybody said in the end it was the "crappy engine" thats been used there and "it was totaly unitys fault because its just for kids who make games in their parents apartment".We are using unreal now. lets see how this turns out but i think if the game fails, we will stop using unreal again :D Anyways, nice to see that a "big" game used unity successfull.

    The most interesting question for me would be how you deal with clash of clans comparison. I mean you see the screenshots, you see this defense wall and you can spawn/control your units by clicking somewhere. I mean, its obvious that you had a look at CoC ;) which is nothing bad at all but did you plan to use that behavior that backyard monsters kinda invented and which is now everywhere on the app store? Are you not afraid that people think this is another CoC clone?
     
  29. thegdeveloper

    thegdeveloper

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    Great game, How hard is it to obtain a license like "star wars" to make a game?
     
  30. zombiegorilla

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    It's actually very easy. You just have to buy LucasFilm, that's what we did. ;)
     
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  31. zombiegorilla

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    The thing is, it is crazy effective. People often don't bother rating a game, once they download they play. The dialog gives them a quick and easy way to jump back to rate. We put it in the second week and got 100s of thousands ratings. It's really dishonest or buying, as the player can vote however they want, it just encourages feedback. It can backfire if your game is crappy. I agree, it does take you out the fiction (though I am proud of the way we handled it), but from a dev perspective it is way worth it, and as a player its not a big deal, if I click once, I never see it again.

    Yea, that is always the balence with these games. If the re-engagement is too short, people chew through all the content too quickly, too long, they get bored. The PVP should be main driver, but we have had challenges getting that right. New content comes out this weekend (ZOMBIES!), and is on going.

    Also, don't know if already heard, we are adding faction flipping to the game. Enough people requested it that we took the time to explore the best way to handle it and found a solid way. It is being worked on and should show up in a few months (hopefully).
     
  32. thegdeveloper

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    lol I did not see that the name of the company is Disney
     
  33. VicToMeyeZR

    VicToMeyeZR

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    android version Chapter 5, mission 6. When you defend your base with 3 stars, it says you FAILED. still give you reward and successful status, but U/I says FAILED
     
  34. zombiegorilla

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    I'll take a look. Are you able to move on to mission 7, do the 3 stars show up chapter select screen?
     
  35. VicToMeyeZR

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    yes, the missions still show complete, and you still get the stars. It appears is a U/I error, as I noticed now its all the defend missions.
     
  36. zombiegorilla

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    @VicToMeyeZR , Thank you! We found the problem, it has been fixed and will go out with the next release.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2014
  37. NickHaldon

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    I've still been playing the game and am still loving it! No suggestions really. Its nearly to good already!

    Just a little bit ago something happened to my replay chapters thing. I'm on chapter 8 right now and when I press the replay chapter button the only thing that pops is the first chapter, nothing else. After that if you quit from it one of the level screens pop up and is kind of overlayed over everything else. Lastly I haven't received any gems for completing the chapters either. I think since 5 or 6 I haven't received gems. That's the only bug I've gotten so far.

    As you can see I'm on chapter 8.


    This is what happens when I press the replay chapters.


    And this is the overlay thing.


    Again great job and keep working hard!
     
  38. zombiegorilla

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    Thanks!
    ---
    Whoa. That should not be happening. What platform are you on? If iOS/android , could you pm me your player id. (Click settings then about, a screenshot will be fine) If you are on win, I'll have check on it (external team handles the win version)

    Does that happen every time you go to replay chapters? Also does transparent panel ever go away or do you have to restart?

    Again, thanks, glad you like it, it was a labor of love for the whole team. And thanks for the bug info.
     
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  39. NickHaldon

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    My platform is a Windows 8.1 pc. Yes it happens every time I go to replay chapters and no it has never gone away so far. I have to restart to get it off.

    Glad I could help out,
    NickHaldon
    ___
    Oh on a different note does Windows 8 campaigns happen at the same time as the IOS campaigns?
     
  40. Jonny-Roy

    Jonny-Roy

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    I must say well done on a great game, I get a few crashes, some that mean a reboot before I can replay but very well made...on a side note, how did you do the animated splash screen on Android? (fades in and out nicely)