Most Popular Mobile Game Engine Heads to Windows 8 Phones

[Fanghawk]

Most Popular Mobile Game Engine Heads to Windows 8 Phones

Unity's game creation software, used by 53% of mobile developers, will make the jump to Windows 8.

The new Windows 8 operating system will launch on October 26th, and some are already unhappy about it. Prominent game industry figures like Markus "Notch" Persson <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118846-Notch-Windows-8-Could-Be-Very-Very-Bad-for-Indies>are concerned that the platform is too restrictive for indie developers, while Valve is <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118706-Gabe-Newell-Thinks-Steam-Can-Help-Mainstream-Linux>bringing Steam to Linux in case everything goes downhill. But there are some out there who have good feelings about Windows 8, such as Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason, who announced recently that Unity's indie-friendly game engine will fully support Windows 8 on both PC and mobile platforms.

"Our mission at Unity has always been to provide solutions for developers to effortlessly bring their work to as many different platforms as possible," Helgason said. "The Unity community has been asking for access to Windows Phones and have been eagerly anticipating the release of Windows 8. We're happy to announce that we will support both."

The announcement may come as a surprise when one considers that Unity wasn't previously available on Windows phones. While Unity is used by a stunning 53% of mobile developers, Windows 7 phones were too closed to for the game engine to function properly. As the engine becomes an increasingly popular tool for indie developers, making the engine available on more platforms seems to have become a priority for Helgason.

With a little luck, this news might imply that Microsoft doesn't want Windows 8 to be the operating system that drives away PC developers, independent or otherwise. We'll have to wait at least another two months to find out for sure, but in the meantime we should expect indie gaming to continue its expansion into mobile environments.

Source: <a href=http://www.edge-online.com/news/unity-announces-windows-phone-8-support>EDGE, via <a href=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-08-23-unity-will-support-windows-8-and-windows-phone-8>Games Industry International

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[surg3n]

53%?

Sounds like crap to me, does anyone have any proof of that?

Out of all the games I've bought for the iPad, iPod, etc - 1 of them was made in Unity - I have no idea where that statistic came from, and I can't expect The Escapist to back up that claim effectively.

 

[gardian06]

53%?

Sounds like crap to me, does anyone have any proof of that?

Out of all the games I've bought for the iPad, iPod, etc - 1 of them was made in Unity - I have no idea where that statistic came from, and I can't expect The Escapist to back up that claim effectively.

if you go and read the source documents/articles both state that the Unity Technologies rep said "53 per cent of mobile developers use unity" also if they are paying for the pro version of Unity they don't have to put on the Unity Technologies, but also just because 53% do something doesn't mean the big indie devs do it.

OT: now just waiting for the announcement that Unreal can go to Windows phone 8, so I don't have to pay $100 dollars to get the Unity plug in to develop using Unity.

 

[gardian06]

Just what the fuck is Windows 8 supposed to do that so unforgivable? Or is it really just the people running it?

its kind of a hyper reaction to Microsoft stating that they will be having their own App store (for PC, Phone, and tablets), and because it is Microsoft people are jumping that this means it will lock down instal rights to the systems, but unless Microsoft is going to allow non-app-store download installations (this is the concern) then 'the PC is dead, long live the PC'

 

[uncanny474]

Just what the fuck is Windows 8 supposed to do that so unforgivable? Or is it really just the people running it?

its kind of a hyper reaction to Microsoft stating that they will be having their own App store (for PC, Phone, and tablets), and because it is Microsoft people are jumping that this means it will lock down instal rights to the systems, but unless Microsoft is going to allow non-app-store download installations (this is the concern) then 'the PC is dead, long live the PC'

That's not what I've heard at all. It's the back-ass-wards interface, so far as I can tell. The Start Menu is gone, replaced by a new screen that's reminiscent of the touch interfaces from the Windows Phone. While that kind of interface is... well, not good, but I guess acceptable for a touch-screen-based phone, it's awful for a traditional mouse-and-keyboard interface.

Casual users won't ever see this, as they just click buttons on the desktop and wait for the magic box to make them smile. But anyone who wants to do ANYTHING with their computer, including using any control panel functions, is going to have to work around this ridiculous interface.

 

[Xanthious]

I guess since Microsoft can't make a successful smartphone they are doing their damnedest to turn Windows 8 into some abomination that's part smartphone and part PC and the result isn't going to be something best killed with fire.

Don't get me wrong I love my phone. I rely on it to get through most days. It's probably replaced my PC in being my most important piece of technology. However, I want my PC to stay a PC all the same. Things that are perfect for a mobile OS would be atrocious if ported to a PC.

 

[UNHchabo]

AFAIK WP8 and Windows 8 are completely different. Your article acts as if they are the same thing.

Yeah, I got that same impression.

The Windows phones and Windows 8 both use the same "Metro" interface, but the article gives the impression that they're the same OS.

Personally, I have a Windows Phone 7 phone, which I got because I like the design philosophy -- that the OS is designed for you to do what you need on your phone, then put it away and get back to the real world. For instance, all WP7 phones are required to have a hardware camera button; hold it down for a couple seconds and it turns the phone on, and launches the camera app. I much prefer that to anything I've seen on other phones.

 

[Atrocious Joystick]

Just what the fuck is Windows 8 supposed to do that so unforgivable? Or is it really just the people running it?

Because the internet is the most conservative place in the world. Whenever something changes it is ruined forever. Personally, I think it is quite telling that complaints are about the UI or misconceptions about the OS rather than crashes or instability.

 

[Griffolion]

Just what the fuck is Windows 8 supposed to do that so unforgivable? Or is it really just the people running it?

Windows 8 was always lose/lose for Microsoft. Because they are Microsoft. Windows 7 is very good, does very few things wrong, people love it. It was what Vista was supposed to be.

However, Microsoft needed a strategy to go into Mobile with, their solution was not to create a separate mobile OS and thus fragment the development community; but to re-shape Windows into something that can be done across desktops, laptops and tablets. So what do they go and do:

1) Create an operating system that uses 128MB less RAM than previous iterations while doing more than its predecessors ever did

2) Bring forth a design idea far removed from the rather antiquated and dull affar of iOS' icon grids and Mac OS' spruced up 90's Linux-stolen interface

3) Unify the function of a single OS to accommodate many form factors

4) Mimic Apple's singular approach to selling software on the platform by bringing developers all into one place for the user's ease of use (which is a good idea)

5) Begin to show their long term strategy with Windows Phone (one which will basically see a singular Windows run on all devices) by already sharing core security and functionality libraries from the main OS

And what do they get for it? Hate. Because they made a very genuine, and good, attempt to innovate and change what they have.

Lose.

If Windows 8 was Windows 7 with a few new things tacked on, we'd still get up in arms because it's MS not bothering to innovate.

Lose.

The fact is, no matter what MS do, most people will hate it. Because they've been conditioned to hate MS no matter what, because they are the evil big dog of the tech industry.

Rest-assured, if this was Apple doing all this. The world would be pissing itself like an excited puppy.


Captcha - "poetic justice" - not quite yet, captcha.

 

[gardian06]

...snip...

its kind of a hyper reaction to Microsoft stating that they will be having their own App store (for PC, Phone, and tablets), and because it is Microsoft people are jumping that this means it will lock down instal rights to the systems, but unless Microsoft is going to allow non-app-store download installations (this is the concern) then 'the PC is dead, long live the PC'

That's not what I've heard at all. It's the back-ass-wards interface, so far as I can tell. The Start Menu is gone, replaced by a new screen that's reminiscent of the touch interfaces from the Windows Phone. While that kind of interface is... well, not good, but I guess acceptable for a touch-screen-based phone, it's awful for a traditional mouse-and-keyboard interface.

Casual users won't ever see this, as they just click buttons on the desktop and wait for the magic box to make them smile. But anyone who wants to do ANYTHING with their computer, including using any control panel functions, is going to have to work around this ridiculous interface.

um people... Sorry to say this but the major concerns of developers didn't come when Microsoft stated that Windows8 will be tile bases (WindowsPhone7/Metro), but with a splash of tab functionality, so for a full analogy it will actually be more (exactly) like the current XBox360 Dashboard interface.

the major concern came when Microsoft announced that they will be offering an "app store which will be the source users use to get their applications, programs, and games" so what this announcement said to some that 'Microsoft was locking down the OS, and disallowing "unauthorized" installation of programs'.

basically from a developer standpoint: the interface of what you use to get to, and run the program couldn't give a flying **** about it, but start messing with the ability of the developer, and by proxy the user to access the system, install programs, or even run those applications as designed. I'm not even going to bother developing on it, or for it. I'm not going to start a war, but as soon as the support cycle for Windows7 ends, I'm going to commit treason, and go to Linux (see Steam)