Developing games for web, mobile, and console platforms will help you expand your utilizers based on the game’s availability on more platforms. Unity’s powerful and versatile tools and features make this process less challenging.
Cross-platform development is a hot topic of discussion in the current software development world. In this article, we shall explain how to develop a cross-platform game with no prior knowledge of Unity source codes and the best practices we can use during the development process.
1. Working it Out Across Platforms
It is, therefore, dangerous to go into development without considering your cross-platform plans. Consider the following:
- Target Platforms: You should determine which platforms your game will support (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, consoles).
- Platform Requirements: Study the specific specifications for each context: How does it look, what can the user input, and how fast must the platform behave?
- User Experience: Ensure your game is equally enjoyable on each operating system.
2. Set Up a New Unity Project
Begin by setting up a new Unity project that is configured for cross-platform development:
Open Unity Hub
Open Unity Hub and then create a new project.
Select a Template
Depending on the specifics of the game you are developing, choose a 2D, 3D, or VR template.
Name Your Project
Assign your project a meaningful name and define where it should be stored on the computer used.
Create the Project
Select Create to get Unity to set up a new project for you.
3. Suggested Steps for a Cross-Platform Project’s Layout
Organizing your project efficiently is crucial for cross-platform development:
- Folder Structure: New: Keep all assets, scripts, and scenes organized and cleaner in a folder structure.
- Platform-Specific Assets: Create a separate folder for platform-specific assets like textures or UI since organizing simplifies it.
4. Use Unity’s Cross-Platform Tools
Unity provides several tools and features that facilitate cross-platform development:
Unity Remote
These builds can be played in the web view, so you can see how they are played across devices using Unity Remote. You can stream the game from the editor to a mobile device in this mode.
Unity Profiler
This tutorial will show you how to use the Unity Profiler to optimize your game for improved performance across all platforms.
Unity Cloud Build
Using Unity Cloud Build, develop a means of easily linking multiple platform builds to the development process that uses version control.
5. Build Platform-Specific Work
As a general rule, most of the code making up your game will be portable across platforms, but you’ll likely need to code some features so that they are only accessible under a certain platform. Use preprocessor directives to include or exclude code based on the target platform.
