PC/Console Game Development

Engine selection and platform-specific principles.

1. Engine Selection

Decision Tree

What are you building?
│
├── 2D Game
│   ├── Open source important? → Godot
│   └── Large team/assets? → Unity
│
├── 3D Game
│   ├── AAA visual quality? → Unreal
│   ├── Cross-platform priority? → Unity
│   └── Indie/open source? → Godot 4
│
└── Specific Needs
    ├── DOTS performance? → Unity
    ├── Nanite/Lumen? → Unreal
    └── Lightweight? → Godot

Comparison

| Factor | Unity 6 | Godot 4 | Unreal 5 | |--------|---------|---------|----------| | 2D | Good | Excellent | Limited | | 3D | Good | Good | Excellent | | Learning | Medium | Easy | Hard | | Cost | Revenue share | Free | 5% after $1M | | Team | Any | Solo-Medium | Medium-Large |

2. Platform Features

Steam Integration

| Feature | Purpose | |---------|---------| | Achievements | Player goals | | Cloud Saves | Cross-device progress | | Leaderboards | Competition | | Workshop | User mods | | Rich Presence | Show in-game status |

Console Requirements

| Platform | Certification | |----------|--------------| | PlayStation | TRC compliance | | Xbox | XR compliance | | Nintendo | Lotcheck |

3. Controller Support

Input Abstraction

Map ACTIONS, not buttons:
- "confirm" → A (Xbox), Cross (PS), B (Nintendo)
- "cancel" → B (Xbox), Circle (PS), A (Nintendo)

Haptic Feedback

| Intensity | Use | |-----------|-----| | Light | UI feedback | | Medium | Impacts | | Heavy | Major events |

4. Performance Optimization

Profiling First

| Engine | Tool | |--------|------| | Unity | Profiler Window | | Godot | Debugger → Profiler | | Unreal | Unreal Insights |

Common Bottlenecks

| Bottleneck | Solution | |------------|----------| | Draw calls | Batching, atlases | | GC spikes | Object pooling | | Physics | Simpler colliders | | Shaders | LOD shaders |

5. Engine-Specific Principles

Unity 6

• DOTS for performance-critical systems
• Burst compiler for hot paths
• Addressables for asset streaming

Godot 4

• GDScript for rapid iteration
• C# for complex logic
• Signals for decoupling

Unreal 5

• Blueprint for designers
• C++ for performance
• Nanite for high-poly environments
• Lumen for dynamic lighting

6. Anti-Patterns

| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do | |----------|-------| | Choose engine by hype | Choose by project needs | | Ignore platform guidelines | Study certification requirements | | Hardcode input buttons | Abstract to actions | | Skip profiling | Profile early and often |

Remember: Engine is a tool. Master the principles, then adapt to any engine.