Introduction to Game Engines
Unity and Unreal
Meta & LFL
Class 02
What is a Gaming or
Game Engine?
A gaming engine is a software
development environment,
also referred to as a “game
architecture” or “game
framework,” with settings and
configurations that optimize
and simplify the development
of video games across a
variety of programming
languages.
A gaming engine may include a 2D or
3D graphics rendering engine that’s
compatible with different import
formats, a physics engine that
simulates real-world activities,
artificial intelligence (AI) that
automatically responds to the
player’s actions, a sound engine that
controls sound effects, an animation
engine, and a host of other feature.
Why are Gaming Engines Important?
Early video games were developed with their own
rendering engines, each specifically designed for one
game. Over time, game engines evolved from
proprietary, in-house engines to commercially
developed engines that are widely available today.
Game developers, who are in extremely high demand,
can simplify and speed up the game development
process by using commercially developed game
engines to produce new games or to extend existing
games to additional platforms.
Unity 3D and Unreal
are among the most popular game engines, each with
their advantages and disadvantages.
Unity 3D
In order to make game
development more accessible
to all game developers, Unity
was launched in 2005. With an
intuitive and easy-to-learn
language code, over time Unity
has gained a big community.
Thanks to the huge asset store,
the versatility, and the
multitude of tutorials and
online courses, Unity is an
engine game preferred by a lot
of game developers.
Video Game Created with Unity. Image Source: Starloop Studios Portfolio
Unreal
Launched in 1988 by Epic
Games, Unreal has gained
popularity for high-end
graphics, but also for its
presence in the top AAA*
gaming culture. Even though
it does not have a
community as large as Unity,
Unreal is used by
many games development
companies because this
game engine does not
impose any limits on the
vision of the game
developers.
*The term "AAA Games" is a classification used within the
video gaming industry to signify high-budget, high-profile
games that are typically produced and distributed by large,
well-known publishers. These games often rank as
“blockbusters” due to their extreme popularity. Many are
part of successful franchises, with new installments
building on the success of previous games.
Example from Unreal Engine. Image Source: medium.com
Unity 3D vs. Unreal Asset Store
• One of the greatest things about
video games today is the ease with
which you can download a lot of
assets for them. Unity asset store and
Unreal marketplace are both
collections of game-ready assets. From
a quantitative point of view, Unity 3D
offers several types of assets in the
store ranging from textures,
animations, and models to entire
project examples, tutorials, and editor
extensions.
• In terms of costs, both game
engines offer free and paid assets, but
the Unreal engine does a better job in
this regard. The quality of assets
offered for free in the Unreal
marketplace is far above the Unity 3D
asset store.
Unity Assets Store. Image Source: unity3d.com
Unity 3D vs. Unreal Pricing
• In terms of costs, both are free, but there is a difference. Unity
can be upgraded to the pro version depending on your needs and
you can choose various subscriptions ranging in price from $ 40 to
$ 150 per month per seat.
• In January 01, 2020, Unreal applies a 5% royalty cost on the
game’s gross revenue, now the license is free to use and incurs 5%
royalties just when you monetize your game or other interactive
off-the-shelf product and your lifetime gross revenues from that
product exceed $ 1,000,000 USD.
Unity vs. Unreal: Head-to-Head Comparison
Unreal Engine
Unity
Engine Type Cross-platform Cross-platform
Developed by Epic Games Unity Technologies
Programming
C++ for development C# for development
Languages
Develop games for PCs, mobiles, consoles, and Develop games for PCs, mobiles, consoles,
Usage
more and more
A robust multiplayer framework, VFX, and particle 2D improvements, animation, creating
Features
simulation snapshots
Source Code Open-source Not open-source.
Pricing Free Basic version is free
Learning Curve Difficult to learn Easy to learn with an intuitive interface
Good overall graphics, but less refined than
Graphics Photorealistic graphics used in AAA games
Unreal
Image & Text Reference:
https://starloopstudios.com/unreal-vs-unity-3d-choosing-the-
best-engine-for-your-game/
Video Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqfuLI-p3ZU
