The Versatility of Unity — Rimworld, a Story Generator
Rimworld is a phenomenal experience that covers the player taking control of 3 survivors who crash land on a “Rimworld”; a planet with small human presence and often rife with danger. The game was created using Unity (versions vary based on Rimworld’s version, the latest known was Unity 2019.4)
Unity is often heralded as one of the two premiere beginner programs for aspiring game developers, the other being the Unreal Engine. Unity fits almost perfectly into the structure set by Lowood; it provides the player with the executable and ability to interact with the medium, but it keeps the the assets and technical functions out of reach. While the assets change from game to game, the technical functions are prebuild tools made by Unity Engineers in order to make the process of game development faster. This ranges from tools to assist with terrain generation and UI design all the way to formatting AI algorithms. These tools are the prime reason Unity is so beginner friendly.
Unity allows for any type of game to be made without issue, as it supports all style types (2D, 3D, Isometric, Turn-Based, Real Time, etc). The tools provided in the kit allow for the designers to create any imaginable world space or “scene”, providing they have the art assets needed to construct the setting. Beyond visuals, Unity provides built in tools to assist in audio management as well, so triggers sound effects and music is simple and requires minimal programming experience to operate. For player interaction, the engine also features a physics system that can be tailored to the designer’s intent. This ranges from simple collisions and gravity to ranging variable that allow for simulating vastly different environment, such as space with low to no gravity.
To show just how versatile Unity is as an engine, I want to briefly discuss a second game that is a far cry from Rimworld; Furi. Made by the Game Bakers, Furi is a heavily stylized boss rush game operating from a fixed camera. While Rimworld boasts expansive controls and options for building your settlements, Furi has 5 functional buttons. It’s a test of pure mechanical skill vs Rimworld’s test of management and risk assessment.
