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AppGameKit vs Unity: What are the differences?
- Cost: One key difference between AppGameKit and Unity is the cost. AppGameKit offers a more affordable option with a one-time upfront fee for the software, making it a budget-friendly choice for developers. On the other hand, Unity follows a subscription-based model with various pricing tiers, including a free version with limited features and a pro version with a higher price tag.
- Programming Language: AppGameKit primarily uses a BASIC-like programming language called AGKScript, which offers ease of use and is suitable for beginners. Unity, on the other hand, utilizes C# as its main programming language, providing a more robust and versatile coding environment for experienced developers.
- Graphics Capabilities: Unity excels in terms of graphics capabilities compared to AppGameKit. It offers a powerful rendering engine and a wide range of graphical features, making it suitable for creating visually stunning and realistic games. AppGameKit, while still capable of creating visually appealing games, may have limitations in terms of advanced graphical effects.
- Platform Support: AppGameKit focuses primarily on desktop and mobile platforms, supporting Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Unity, on the other hand, provides extensive platform support, with the ability to build games for desktop, mobile, console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo), and virtual reality (VR) platforms. This broader platform support makes Unity a more versatile choice for developers aiming to target multiple platforms.
- Community and Resources: Unity boasts a larger and more established community compared to AppGameKit. This means that there are more online resources, tutorials, and community support available for Unity users, making it easier to find assistance, exchange knowledge, and collaborate with other developers. AppGameKit's community, while smaller, is still active and supportive but may offer a more limited pool of resources and support channels.
- Editor Environment: Unity provides a comprehensive and feature-rich editor environment, offering a range of tools, visual scripting, and an extensive asset store. This makes it easier for developers to create, modify, and manage their projects efficiently. AppGameKit, while still providing a functional editor environment, may have fewer built-in tools and features, requiring developers to rely more on external tools or custom solutions.
In Summary, AppGameKit offers a more affordable option with its one-time upfront fee and uses AGKScript as its programming language, whereas Unity utilizes C# and provides more advanced graphics capabilities, broader platform support, a larger community, and a comprehensive editor environment.
When I started to learn game development, I've tried to use Unity multiple times because it's the most popular option. But never get it worked because of the clunky UI which is very hard to understand for a new user. After some time, I've decided to try UE4 despite there was a lot of rumors that it's "heavy" or requires an AAA team. And suddenly it clicked, everything works as I expecting, UI is clear and much more powerfull, no need to build custom tools to work on the game itself. Blueprints are very helpful for beginners, C++ has a lot of "syntax-sugar" - macroses, a lot of convenient in-engine types for everything. Later while working with Unreal, I've realized it has very consistent roadmap with constant improvements and adding new features. At the same time, each major version update is painless so you can upgrade your project during development to get new features. UE4 is free to use with the full list of features and you only have to pay royalty after getting your first $1 million from the project (and that's just the default case, you can always discuss custom license with an upfront fee, if you want to).
I chose Unity over Unreal Engine because Unity has a more user friendly UI for beginners looking to learn game development. Additionally, as someone who uses a lot of online resources to learn new languages and tools, I found a lot of tutorials covering game development with Unity as the core engine. This doesn't mean Unreal is not a great choice for game development, I just personally found learning game development much smoother with the amount of resources available with Unity.
Pros of AppGameKit
- Good Scripting2
- C++1
- Ease of Use1
- Good Support System1
Pros of Unity
- Because it's a powerful engine, you can build anything17
- C# language15
- Very Popular12
- Easy to Use8
- Cross Platform7
- He Has A Free VErsion6
- 2nd Game Engine In The World5
- Good Choise4
- Very Large Showcase4
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Cons of AppGameKit
- .exe Export Very Buggy1
- Poor Support1
- Poor Tools1
- Not Used By The Pro Developpers1
- Very Buggy1
- Poor Showcase1
- Not Have A Popular Games1
- The Coding Is Hard And Based On C++1
- Coding Is Poor-Quality1
- Help guides Require Updating1
- A Bit Pricey1
Cons of Unity
- Hard to get started with4
- Clunky UI4
- Closed source4
- No consistency with updates3
- Requires to build a lot of tools3
- Gigantic by being 9gb (thats what setup says)2