Disappointed by this year’s triple-A titles? No problem, then do your own thing – with Unity or the Unreal Engine 5!
Unreal Engine 5: The workhorse of developer Epic Games
Good graphics and strong in 3D titles: Unreal Engine 5 is best known for its ability to display good graphics. Moreover, one of the most successful games is based on it: Fortnite.
The game company Epic Games, which is behind the development of the Unreal Engine, earns billions with this hit.
Here you can see more games which are based on the Unreal Engine
So what can you expect? You can download the engine for free. Sooner or later you will come across the programming language C++. With it you can write scripts for game menus, item rules and much more. The language is more difficult to learn for beginners, but will reward you with fast code.
Simplified, C++ can be converted directly into machine code, so the code doesn’t have to go through extra steps. As a result, it generally runs faster. Larger game developers like to use C++ to optimize their games.
One disadvantage for newcomers: C++ needs a precisely programmed working memory definition. With small errors it comes here fast to crashes.
If you want to avoid coding, you can use so-called blueprints. This means that you can define logical relationships through clear flowcharts without having to program. To get you started, there are some in-house tutorials and community material that you can access.
Conclusion: The strengths of the engine lie in the possibilities with 3D titles and a fast programming language. As a disadvantage, the smaller number of community help and the entry hurdle of the C++ language are of particular importance. A positive financial aspect: If you are successful and your game generates a turnover of 1,000,000 US dollars, you have to pay a very precisely calculable sum of 5 percent of the total gross turnover as license costs.
Unity Engine: Long the hope of the indie industry
In the indie scene, Unity is the most popular engine among hobby developers. You can expect a free download. Compared to other engines, it is very intuitive and easy to use.
This is due to the huge community and thousands of tutorials. On the other hand, you use the programming language C (“C-Sharp”) with somewhat simpler code.
A small disadvantage: C for automatic memory management – which means less programming effort for you as a beginner.
Practical example: The C language used for scripts is so fast to understand that even our author Kevin could create a (rudimentary) working start menu and a walkable open world within three hours without any prior coding knowledge.
If you don’t want to write scripts in Unity, you can also use flowcharts here!
The most famous games based on the Unity engine are Subnautica, Fall Guys and the popular smartphone app Pokemon GO. But watch out: The Niantic game currently makes your iPhones vibrate unintentionally.
Conclusion: The Unity Engine can also be used to create good 3D titles. However, it has its nose in front in the 2D area. In addition, the start is easier thanks to a large community and a simpler programming language. In terms of licensing, Unity will charge you more than 100,000 US dollars per year (as of 2023).
The elephant in the virtual room of the Unity Engine
From 2024 the payment model is to be overturned. The new demands of Unity are so high and incalculable that currently row upon row of developers are rising to the barricades.
There were even death threats, so that Unity offices had to be closed. In response to the shitstorm, Unity rowed back with their new model guidelines without wanting to give specifics.
So it remains to be seen if Unity can win back the trust of the community.
Here is a list of 5 useful apps – including ‘Enki’ that can help you learn programming!
If this article has piqued your interest in game development and you have downloaded one of the engines for free, feel free to write us your own experiences in the comments column. Already a developer – maybe even using Unity? How can Unity regain your trust? Let us know
