The Unity project and other resources that accompanied my talk at Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) in 2023.
Unity editor version: 2023.1.11f1
Data-driven design has seen a resurgence lately in the game development community in no small part thanks to Unity’s push for “performance by default.” For years now, Unity has been hard at work developing their Data-Oriented Tech Stack (a.k.a. DOTS.) This stack is comprised of a suite of tools and technologies that empowers developers to create computer-centric code in delivering performant and scalable experiences to their players. Within the last year, Unity made the remaining core tech that makes up this stack available in a 1.0 format. In turn, it is the perfect time to dive in and explore data-driven design in Unity.
For decades, the video game and software development industries have been dominated by an object-oriented methodology. This methodology, being human-centric, is relatively easy to learn and apply as it abstracts software into tangible building blocks defined by cookie-cutter classes. Unfortunately, it produces software that does not consider how modern computers manage data and execute operations. Data-driven design seeks to address this shortcoming by shifting the approach to be more computer-centric. This talk serves as a practical introduction and transition from object-oriented to data-driven thinking using DOTS.
To keep things grounded we will explore a variety of features commonly found in gameplay and AI. Each new system will explore another facet of DOTS along with its own specific strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, you will walk away with a clear understanding of how to think in a data-driven manner whilst making best use of Unity’s take on the approach.
Morgan is a seasoned gameplay programmer with over a decade of game development experience. He has worked for a wide variety of AAA and indie development studios including Blizzard Entertainment, Gameloft, Defiant Development, and Playcorp Studios. Throughout his career, Morgan has specialised in AI and has made major contributions to such systems in Hearthstone, Hand of Fate 2, Beyond Contact, and Ballistic Baseball. Most recently, he developed a comprehensive suite of tools using Unity’s Data-Oriented Tech Stack (DOTS) for the AI found throughout Beyond Contact. This included individual and squad-based decision making, relationship management, stimuli and perception, and behaviours both in and out of combat. Currently, Morgan is an engineering lead at Gameloft Brisbane, where he is responsible for facilitating the development of Carmen Sandiego in partnership with Netflix for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile platforms.