What to Expect When Choosing Defold or Unity

Between Defold and Unity, Unity excels in creating 3D games and offering a variety of languages, though its new pricing model raises concerns. Defold shines with ease of use, no fees, and open-source access but is more limited to 2D games. Choose based on your project’s scale, dimension preference, and budget considerations.

Key Differences Between Defold and Unity

• Creation: Unity is powerful for 3D and 2D games, while Defold is primarily for 2D with ongoing 3D development
• Languages: Unity offers BOO script, Javascript, and C#, while Defold uses Lua and C/C++
• Cost: Unity enforces per-install fees, but Defold has no upfront costs, licensing fees, or royalties
• Community: Both have active communities, but Unity’s recent changes have caused developer backlash

What Is Defold and Who’s It For?

Defold is a comprehensive game engine designed for wide-ranging game developers-from commercial hits to school projects. This engine is known for its ease of use, exceptional technical documentation, and a vibrant community. Ideal for developers with a grasp of Defold and Native-Extensions, and a desire for flexible development capabilities.

Pros of Defold

• No upfront costs, licensing fees, or royalties
• Supports cross platform building
• Vibrant, active community on Discord, Forums

Cons of Defold

• Primarily designed for 2D games
• Scale of development is limited due to small development team

What Is Unity and Who’s It For?

Unity is a robust game development engine, capable of creating immersive 3D and 2D games. It is well-suited for developers seeking high-quality game creation tools, rendering technology, and cross-platform compatibility. Despite a controversial pricing model, Unity remains ideal for developers that value adaptability, user-friendliness and immersive visual experiences.

Pros of Unity

• Offers a wide variety of coding languages
• Rapidly evolving technology
• Rich asset store loaded with pre-designed features

Cons of Unity

• New pricing model has received backlash
• Fears of sudden pricing shifts impacts financial planning
• Diminished trust due to unannounced changes

Defold vs Unity: Pricing

Defold operates as an open-source, zero-cost gaming engine while Unity restructured its pricing to bill developers per game installation, with free and paid versions on offer.

Defold

Defold acts as a free gaming engine, including for console, desktop, mobile, and web game development. There are no upfront costs, licensing fees, or royalties. It’s emphasized on open-source availability with its source code found on GitHub under a developer-friendly license. Defold pricing represents an entirely accessible and low-risk option for game developers.

Unity

Unity’s pricing involves a fee charged to developers for each game installation. This new model is set to start from January 1, 2024. Unity provides a free version and a pro version, each with substantial features. Nevertheless, this new pricing structure drew criticism from developers, particularly those working solo or in the indie/mobile game space. Install fees will apply only to post-January 1, 2024 activity and apply once a game surpasses $200,000 in revenue and 200,000 installations. Fees also vary across markets, higher in countries like the US and the UK than in emerging markets such as India and China.

Code Examples for Defold & Unity

Defold

Experience a modish twist in Defold with this code example, making a sprite follow a circular path. This code demands a basic comprehension of Defold API and vector math. Also, the sprite should have been predefined.

local speed = 2
local radius = 50
local center = vmath.vector3(400, 300, 0)
local angle = 0

function update(self, dt)
    angle = angle + dt * speed
    local x = center.x + math.cos(angle) * radius
    local y = center.y + math.sin(angle) * radius
    go.set_position(vmath.vector3(x, y, 0))
end

Unity

Enhance your Unity-fiend skills with an enthralling code sample for controlling a character’s movement using arrow keys. Pre-requisites include Unity and C# understanding with an existent character in your scene.

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;

public class PlayerController : MonoBehaviour {
    public float speed;
    private Rigidbody2D rb2d;

    void Start () {
        rb2d = GetComponent<Rigidbody2D>();
    }
    
    void FixedUpdate () {
        float moveHorizontal = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        float moveVertical = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");
        
        Vector2 movement = new Vector2 (moveHorizontal, moveVertical);
        rb2d.AddForce (movement * speed);
    }
}

Remember, these code samples are just snippets to jumpstart your Defold and Unity journey. Keep practicing and keep experimenting! Remember to pay attention to the proper formatting and syntax of each language. Happy coding!

The Final Call: Defold or Unity?

The big moment is here – Defold or Unity? Not an easy choice, but we’re breaking it down segment by segment.

Indie Game Developers

Defold is a distinctive choice for indie game developers. It holds an edge with its free access and intuitive use. The friendly community and excellent documentation can be a lifeline for developers finding their footing.

• Defold: Free, Easy, Well-documented.

Professional AR/VR Developers

For professional AR/VR developers, Unity is the way to go. Its robust suite of tools and features cater to high-quality AR/VR game creation, pushing the boundaries of the player’s experience.

• Unity: Powerful, Immersive, AR/VR-focused.

Scale-up Game Studios

The large studios scaling up operations may favor Unity for its flexibility and cross-platform compatibility. The richness of its asset store eases brainstorming and accelerates the development process.

• Unity: Scalable, Comprehensive, Cross-platform.

Educational Institutions

Defold could be the preferred choice for educational institutions. Its simplicity of use and the possibility of diving into the GitHub source code make it a great tool for learning and experimentation.

• Defold: Simple, Open-source, Learning-friendly.

Solo Mobile Game Developers

For solo mobile game developers, Defold can be an attractive option. The potential fee implications of Unity can make it less favorable for solo-mobile developers grappling with tight budgets.

• Defold: Economical, Solo-mobile friendly, Takes off budget pressure.

In a nutshell, for ease, cost-effectiveness, and learning: opt for Defold. Yet if high-quality, cross-platform, AR/VR game dev is critical, Unity is worth every penny.