Unity 5 or Unreal Engine 4?

[Electric Pence]

After having some difficulties making mods for games that I play, I thought I'd try my hand at making games from scratch. Around 2018 or 2019 I started using Unity after seeing so many poorly made unfinished games Richard Kyanka mocked on his Gaming Garbage channel, and attempted to use it to work on a game. After getting frustrated with hitting a roadblock and seeing how much work was ahead to do stuff that was very basic, I started experimenting with Unreal Engine 4 after trying out UT4.

I saw a lot of users plug Unity over Unreal, saying Unity was more user friendly and easier overall. But having tried out both engines, I personally find Unreal Engine 4 to be easier to work with. I use Blueprints instead of using the C++ because visual scripting is just a lot more convenient than sifting through endless lines of code or script. It's not that I can't do that, I just don't feel like doing it that way. Especially when UE4 is better supported than Unity when I got into both.

But seriously though, why are there so many posts out there of people repeating this same like "Unreal Engine is for the artist, Unity 5 is for the programmer!" I don't feel like digging through YouTube videos to see where people were posting this, but a few years ago it was wall to wall with repeating that same refrain and people saying Unity was superior to Unreal without going into specifics why.

 

[Marissa Moira]

They literally both do the same shit and it just boils down to what kind of fancy lighting you want.

They both have free versions, you can go around to and build a working demo in. It's really just personal preference. Unity even has node based UI systems if you want to have visualizations for more complex work.

As far as people arguing over shit? it's games dude, people will always fucking argue with each other over preferences. You still have people championing Linux. It's not something that people will fight tooth and nail over, the end result of what you use the programs for does. They're tools, tools that occupy a similar space and have many of the same functions but they're still tools.

 

[The Last Stand]

Will your game have older actresses?

 

[Stephanie Bustcakes]

Unreal all the way. Unreal is more user friendly than Unity. I figured out Unreal quickly but never got Unity to work. I don't know why anyone would ever prefer Unity.

 

[Grub]

I personally find Unreal Engine 4 to be easier to work with.

Then use that. They're both tools designed to accomplish pretty much the same things. Use whichever one you prefer and feel more comfortable working with.

 

[Whatevermancer]

"When choosing between Unity and Unreal, always choose to build your own engine".
- Confucius

 

[ZMOT]

depends what your end goal is, making a specific game or just play around to figure out how stuff works? if want something specific, it makes sense to go with the tool that will support that best (for fps/high performance usually unreal). if you just want to dick around unity is usually easier due to the sheer amount of documentation, tutorials, tools and other stuff.

>I use Blueprints instead of using the C++ because visual scripting is just a lot more convenient than sifting through endless lines of code or script.
unity has blueprints too, but in either case won't get you very far since mods don't support those and even for full games it's usually a bottleneck. yes, actual coding is a steeper learning curve but will be more useful to know in the long run, and since unity uses c# it's another reason it's considered easier (and faster to get results). otoh c++ gives you a better entry in other areas than just vidya or the ms ecosystem.

 

[Judge Dredd]

After getting frustrated with hitting a roadblock and seeing how much work was ahead to do stuff that was very basic

Welcome to game development.

If you're just starting out, I wouldn't recommend Unity, Unreal, or anything 3D. I use Godot personally, but there are lots of 2D engines out there. What I like about Godot is that everything (except 3D modeling/sprite creation) is in one program so you don't have to worry about compatibility.

Start small with games like pong and space invaders, and work up from there. If it must be 3D, I'd recommending modding, but you've already rejected that option.

 

[Happy Fish]

Use UE 5 or Godot

 

[Looney Troons]

Unity 5 is so cool, but I’m going to vote for UE4 based upon reputation alone because people still have that negative stigma about Unity being the sole proprietor of “asset flips”. UE4 is just as, if not more, suspect for garbage games.

 

[Electric Pence]

Welcome to game development.

If you're just starting out, I wouldn't recommend Unity, Unreal, or anything 3D. I use Godot personally, but there are lots of 2D engines out there. What I like about Godot is that everything (except 3D modeling/sprite creation) is in one program so you don't have to worry about compatibility.

Start small with games like pong and space invaders, and work up from there. If it must be 3D, I'd recommending modding, but you've already rejected that option.

Actually, I am already modding. I'm making a mod for Doom 2, a mod for Doom 3, a custom map for Star Wars Battlefront, a custom map for Quake 3, and a custom map for Jedi Academy. I didn't start all those at the same time, I would get interested in working on one, and either lose interest or get frustrated before going back to it. The reason I don't try to just plow through them is projects I work on won't look as good if I work on them when I'm feeling uninspired.

I don't usually have trouble with scripting. The biggest obstacle I tend to struggle with is getting custom sounds to work. This wasn't an issue in UE4, but Doom 3 is very fickle on what sounds it will let work. Even more so with Battlefront 2004; I couldn't get any custom sounds to work for my map in that game no matter what I did.

 

[SeniorFuckFace]

Unreal 5

 

[Megaton Punch]

Why are you making games? Are you learning them so you can get a job as a game developer? If so, it depends on what sector you want to work. Experience with Unity will get you jobs with indie studios, experience with Unreal will get you jobs with bigger studios. Note: bigger studios are not necessarily a good thing. Much higher potential for profit, sure, but also much more crunch time and being treated like a disposable cog and not a human being. Being a junior dev at one of those companies is pretty much hell unless you're a major Type A who doesn't mind working 60-70 hours a week. There are big studios who use Unity and small studios that use Unreal, but generally speaking Unity is the indie engine whereas UE is taken more seriously by the big dogs.

Are you trying to be a solo developer and sell games that you make by yourself? If so, stick to Unity and make 2D games. Good 3D games are virtually impossible to make on your own. Even competent 2D games are very difficult without at least some outside help. Even "solo dev" games like Undertale almost always have loads of outside help that they don't want you knowing about. Stardew Valley is one of the few exceptions, and it took him five years. I don't think I can name a single well-received. production-quality 3D game created by one person. Unity is way better at 2D than UE. UE can still do it, but it's not really meant to. It just can, if you need it to.

Are you trying to put together or join an informal team so you can make fun little games that you'll be selling for five or ten bucks as a hobby? Then wait until you've got your team together before picking an engine. It's easier to have one or two people catch up to the rest than to have the entire team relearn everything.

Unity 5 is so cool, but I’m going to vote for UE4 based upon reputation alone because people still have that negative stigma about Unity being the sole proprietor of “asset flips”. UE4 is just as, if not more, suspect for garbage games.

UE cannot be beat if you want to make a game where you import a bunch of free models and then sear them down to the atomic level with hideous, unnecessary lighting effects that make Half Life 2's HDR seem understated.

 

[Electric Pence]

Why are you making games? Are you learning them so you can get a job as a game developer? If so, it depends on what sector you want to work. Experience with Unity will get you jobs with indie studios, experience with Unreal will get you jobs with bigger studios. Note: bigger studios are not necessarily a good thing. Much higher potential for profit, sure, but also much more crunch time and being treated like a disposable cog and not a human being. Being a junior dev at one of those companies is pretty much hell unless you're a major Type A who doesn't mind working 60-70 hours a week. There are big studios who use Unity and small studios that use Unreal, but generally speaking Unity is the indie engine whereas UE is taken more seriously by the big dogs.

It's a combination of me wanting me to mod the likes of Civilization IV: Colonization and Doom 3 but getting frustrated that I was hitting limitations with what those games allowed and not getting custom sounds to work in Doom 3 but in UE4. But yeah, I would like to have money too. One of my goals would be to sell my own version of Civ4Col where the Kings are more involved than just financially exploiting their colonies and only use their Royal Expeditionary Forces to pummel their colonies if they try to rebel. Seeing as the European powers did militarily assist and defend their colonies in real life.

Are you trying to be a solo developer and sell games that you make by yourself? If so, stick to Unity and make 2D games. Good 3D games are virtually impossible to make on your own. Even competent 2D games are very difficult without at least some outside help. Even "solo dev" games like Undertale almost always have loads of outside help that they don't want you knowing about. Stardew Valley is one of the few exceptions, and it took him five years. I don't think I can name a single well-received. production-quality 3D game created by one person. Unity is way better at 2D than UE. UE can still do it, but it's not really meant to. It just can, if you need it to.

Sprites are a pain in the ass. I've made custom monsters and weapons for Doom 2 and know this. Models are tricky too, but I haven't invested the time necessary into learning how animating works to really complain about that yet. If I can get models I make to use the animations I download or the ones that came with the engine, then it's just a matter of making the skeleton and naming everything the same as the ThirdPersonCharacter.

I've heard the argument you're making applied to Quake 3 Arena maps and Battlefront maps. People told me to make basic and IMO boring generic Quake 3 maps, instead of following my ideas. While I kind of understand now because such levels are made to accommodate for the fact that AI bot generation isn't something you have much control over, trying to make a level with complex features helped me learn how to use them, and how to use them well. I feel it's best I try to work on what I'm motivated to work on, otherwise it feels like a boring slog rather than something I'm pumped to work through. Is this a false equivalence?

Are you trying to put together or join an informal team so you can make fun little games that you'll be selling for five or ten bucks as a hobby? Then wait until you've got your team together before picking an engine. It's easier to have one or two people catch up to the rest than to have the entire team relearn everything.

I chose an engine solo before reading this.

UE cannot be beat if you want to make a game where you import a bunch of free models and then sear them down to the atomic level with hideous, unnecessary lighting effects that make Half Life 2's HDR seem understated.

In the game I'm making I'm using other people's free assets as placeholders until I learn how to make my own models that function. I have experience using Autodesk Softimage 7.5 when modelling for Star Wars Battlefront, but that mod tool I'm not allowed to make any money off of models I make with it. So now I am trying to learn how to use Blender.

 

[WINWORLDPEECEE]

I really dig Unity, But Unreal's features are pretty unreal at this point. If you don't have a specific reason to use Unity id go Unreal.

 

[Toolbox]

Use UE 5 or Godot

What is godot looking like at this point versus the big engines made by businesses? I know it has 3d support now but not long ago it was by default a 2d engine. So I'm guessing it lacks a lot of the advanced features of UE or Unity.

 

[Happy Fish]

What is godot looking like at this point versus the big engines made by businesses? I know it has 3d support now but not long ago it was by default a 2d engine. So I'm guessing it lacks a lot of the advanced features of UE or Unity.

Godot has had support of both well before it was even called Godot, with its 2D being rewritten for the first stable release. For 3D just go for Unreal 5. For 2D Godot is good enough to where the lack of a licensing fee for a successful game should be appealing. The main thing Godot lacks that Unity has is its well supported asset store. The other thing I am not as much of a fan of is its networking support, which as I understand it is being improved for 4. In general, I don't see any good reason to start a new project in Unity unless you are already using it and used to it.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

Use whatever is comfortable and makes sense to you. Look at the things creative people can crank out in things like gamemaker.

I think the reason so many people recommend Unity is similar to why so many people recommend Adobe Premiere. Unity is "for amateurs and professionals alike" while Unreal maybe looked a bit daunting. And just like Premiere, since there's so many people using it it is easy to find answers and it is acceptable to ask even the dumbest and most noobish questions, while with Unreal there might have been a bit more of a "read the fucking manual" attitude(real or perceived).

 

[Übertroon]

Why are you making games? Are you learning them so you can get a job as a game developer? If so, it depends on what sector you want to work. Experience with Unity will get you jobs with indie studios, experience with Unreal will get you jobs with bigger studios. Note: bigger studios are not necessarily a good thing. Much higher potential for profit, sure, but also much more crunch time and being treated like a disposable cog and not a human being. Being a junior dev at one of those companies is pretty much hell unless you're a major Type A who doesn't mind working 60-70 hours a week. There are big studios who use Unity and small studios that use Unreal, but generally speaking Unity is the indie engine whereas UE is taken more seriously by the big dogs.

Are you trying to be a solo developer and sell games that you make by yourself? If so, stick to Unity and make 2D games. Good 3D games are virtually impossible to make on your own. Even competent 2D games are very difficult without at least some outside help. Even "solo dev" games like Undertale almost always have loads of outside help that they don't want you knowing about. Stardew Valley is one of the few exceptions, and it took him five years. I don't think I can name a single well-received. production-quality 3D game created by one person. Unity is way better at 2D than UE. UE can still do it, but it's not really meant to. It just can, if you need it to.

Are you trying to put together or join an informal team so you can make fun little games that you'll be selling for five or ten bucks as a hobby? Then wait until you've got your team together before picking an engine. It's easier to have one or two people catch up to the rest than to have the entire team relearn everything.

UE cannot be beat if you want to make a game where you import a bunch of free models and then sear them down to the atomic level with hideous, unnecessary lighting effects that make Half Life 2's HDR seem understated.

Project Wingman is one of the rare exceptions where a small team used Unreal Engine to make something great. And even then it needed 3 other developers, a composet, and voice artists. But the main dev was good enough to grab lots of attention on Kickstart and gain the funds to turn a solo project into a studio project.
After the game released the devs basically went into a "coma" for half a year

 

[Gender: Xenomorph]

Is say, for 2D and mobile and even web, strictly Unity.

The compiler is faster and more efficient, and Unity's 2D/shaders look superior to Unreal's. Unreal is bigger, mightier, and more bloated. So if you have performance in mind, I'd say Unity all the way.