Should you use Assets? Is it cheating? Asset flip?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

🌍 Get the GameDevTV Code Monkey Bundle! unitycodemonkey.com/courses.php 👍 Learn Unity, Blender and Programming Patterns, from Beginner to Advanced! 💬 Here let's explore if you can or should use assets when making your own games. A lot of people want to build everything themselves from scratch, some people feel using assets is cheating, but I'm here to tell you that you can absolutely use assets, all that matters is that the final game is good. Here's various examples of Games that make heavy use of visual assets that are easily recognizable to anyone who browses the Unity Asset Store and knows Synty Studios Assets, but despite that none of the players care! All the players care is if the game is good and if so they love the game regardless of what assets it uses. ✅ ASSETS USED POLYGON Heist - Low Poly 3D Art by Synty assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/urban/polygon-heist-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-97949?aid=1101l96nj&pubref=gameswithassets POLYGON Apocalypse assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/urban/polygon-apocalypse-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-154193?aid=1101l96nj&pubref=gameswithassets POLYGON Gang Warfare assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/industrial/polygon-gang-warfare-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-150589?aid=1101l96nj&pubref=gameswithassets Low Poly Shooter Pack v4.0 assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/systems/low-poly-shooter-pack-v4-0-54947?aid=1101l96nj&pubref=gameswithassets Factory Builder Template assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/systems/factory-builder-template-200242?aid=1101l96nj&pubref=gameswithassets

[@rathodpragnesh3738]

Hey you are on best unity tutorial awards list

[@PitiITNet]

I love the statement at the very end of the video: "You don't get extra points for doing everything yourself". This is just the best way of putting it all together in one sentence. Also one more thing - sometimes you don't have to release your game with the assets you start with. Ready assets are fantastic for prototyping and from what I am aware that's what a lot of people use the Synty Studios assets pack for. You can start with them to have something to show, to present your idea and then when the time comes swap it to something unique. They are also very good learning material. You can learn SOOOOOOOO MUCH by analyzing how the assets are done, what they include and so on.

[@DanDuffy_]

Well said

[@PitiITNet]

@@DanDuffy_ Thank you! :)

[@elderleon1844]

why this whole ''beginning'' ''prototyping'' issue treating assets as something second rate? as if you weren't able to create something unique with just assets? this is the exact view he said at the beginning, you do NOT get points for making everything from scratch, it's just unnecessary work and stress, if you properly combine various asset points especially in gameplay and make everything flow smoothly and put everything together properly, the assets CAN YES be a final product, this hyper valuation of unnecessary work is what makes gamedesign unnecessarily complicated, hell if a guy managed to create a hyper futuristic and linear fps without knowing ANYTHING about programming then a good part of this meritocracy is not valid

[@calamitycal1]

I launched my game on Steam almost entirely with assets from the Unity store. I was worried people would leave negative reviews because of that, as I was upfront about it in the game's description, but nobody cared. Over time as I made a bit of money from the game I changed out most of the assets with original art. In my experience using per-made assets was totally fine.

[@calamitycal1]

@only right opinion HammerHelm.

[@pekokopiko943]

@@calamitycal1 YOOOO! i love that game bro, i always play it when i'm in the office until this day, but tbh the first few days after your release that game i have pretty bad impression of it, but overtime i like it

[@Side_effect_stu]

Was the game free or paid

[@recoverhealth2062]

I'm a 3d modeler that has spent 3 hours modelling a katana, and while writing this comment I'm rendering it for another 2 hours (as a video). Should you buy assets?. Yes!. Making things from scratch is very grindy.

[@LaboratorioDoPardall]

In business software development and ESPECIALLY web development, most projects depends on dozens to thousands of external libraries, i.e. "packages" or the comparable to "asset packs". We wouldn't have most of the websites, solutions and apps we have today if it weren't for the existing packages. For some reason, when it comes to gaming, the average Joe gamer loves to scream: "ASSET FLIP" if he sees an asset that was bought, this video is very important to clarify the difference between "ASSETS/PACKAGES" vs "FLIP", thank you. Your final part is golden: "You don't get extra points for doing everything yourself. You don't get penalty points for using third party assets."

[@jean-michel.houbre]

For me, using assets (free or not) is a bit like working in a team, without the endless meetings :) I find this practice very natural, I'm neither a modeler nor a musician, so I have no choice!

[@alainportant6412]

AI is already taking care of these issues

[@newsciencestuff5540]

​@@alainportant6412still has some time to mature. If you can find an AI that can generate good 3d and/or 2d assets lemme know 🙂

[@TamashiiRyu]

This made me feel a lot better about how I'm putting my game together. I just was not having any luck w the terrain builder and caved to buy a level asset that was more what I was envisioning. Appreciate it Code Monkey. This was the motivation I think I needed right now.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Best of luck with your project!

[@Braneloc]

The issue is more (for me) finding a complete set of assets that work for the whole project. Unless you are using Synty or other huge asset packs, it's really tough to match everything up with a consistent style. If you CAN get matching assets and it saves you time, go for it. Either way, you need one "art director" in control of how it looks.

[@LemuriaGames]

Retexturing 3rd party assets goes a long way and is something that even big studios occasionally do.

[@oldcat1790]

Often an unsuitable asset becomes perfect for your project (and also unrecognizable for players who saw it in other games) after tweaking its scale, rotation, and material properties.

[@jozimastar95]

@@LemuriaGames for me creating all of them from 0 is easier then retexture them specialy with my botato cp

[@edmarsouza2479]

@@LemuriaGames This! I'm lucky enough to have a photoshop expert in my team, she is basically tweaking and retexturizing a lot of the assets we have to match the feel of our projects =)

[@ectsy]

The fantastic thing about unity asset store is that you can normally reach out to the artist that creates the assets. You could even ask them to commission your own assets so that way you do get matching assets

[@tortyfoo42]

As a programmer who couldn't draw a square I'm happy using assets. Synty allow a consistent look. I think a lot of people forget a lot of AAA studios and games use stock assets. Certainly not to the degree Indies might but assets like Speedtree are common place. Also as I think someone else mentioned sound effects are often a bought assets. How many big budget movies and games use the Wilhelm scream?

[@Settiis]

You are correct, but the Wilhelm scream is more of an industry wide "meme" if you can call it that.

[@jozimastar95]

I'm not the only one that can't draw square lol

[@sdhority]

I've seen a ton of synty games coming out lately. I have started wondering when the general population of gamers is going to catch on to us all using the same art lol.

[@thingies4U]

@@Settiis Wilhelm Scream is recognizable, but hundreds of other screams, grunts, etc are not as easily recognizable but come from sound libraries.

[@Settiis]

@@thingies4U obviously

[@AshandFox]

When you are a solo dev or working on a small team, you have to "Work smarter, not harder". There is nothing wrong with being strategic in what assets you use and I doubt that aside from aesthetics, most people wouldn't be able to recognize if you used other systems available on the Asset Store; such as a save/load product or third person controller. You can't take a decade to learn how to do everything yourself.

[@joaopacheco2240]

I want to make my own assets but the reason to do so is more on the "i dont have a budget/deadline and I have fun making the assets"

[@negativecharisma7583]

I feel like the best way is make the assets that make your game unique, IE your characters, the enemies, NPCs, maps, etc, but don't obsess over making a tree or barrel or anything trivial when someone else has already done it

[@4hz.]

If you can find an asset that suits your game, then you have no reason not to use it

[@jamememes4114]

The asset store is one of the main reasons I keep using Unity. It has a great community, and many wheels that have already been invented are offered at a fraction of the cost of doing it yourself. It's made making games much faster - and many even work as study material.

[@coldshoulder14]

Great video, especially the ending quote on no bonus points or penalties for not using/using assets. It took me longer than I’d like to admit (6 months - 1 year) to actually accept that I should use assets to get the best product possible for players. Namely using a coding asset that solved a problem that I spent almost a year consistently failing at lol. So you’ll save a lot of pain and anger by using assets properly. After all programmers in AAA companies need artists to make games and artists need programmers to make games.

[@goodsonguitars]

Paying Synty or anybody else for game assets is no different than paying a freelance artist to do it. Just use the assets for your own vision. Thanks for all you do.

[@skizooooooooo]

Well obviously the reviews are good because no one would buy a game where they recognized the assets used in it and thought it was a low effort asset flip. That said though, we do need to remember that our target audience is not other developers who frequent the Unity Asset Store lol

[@olddogscanlearnnewtricks6079]

that's a clear point

[@arcday4281]

I immediately thought the same thing! This is a more likely scenario !

[@sig1924]

I personally prefer making all my assets myself, as it feels so much more satisfying being able to show off your game to your friends, saying "everything you see was made by me". But I totally support using assets made by others, especially for prototyping

[@JermaineMorgan]

I always figured as long as unique gameplay it’s fine. Graphics can be crap as long as it not a complete clone.

[@goma8167]

Great video. I spend quite some time every week on the Unity asset store so I usually recognize quickly when an indee game uses assets of the asset store. It's always fun to see the same asset pack used in games that have nothing in common. I love what Synty Studios do, their work is amazing, no wonder why many game devs use their packs.

[@robyntact9251]

I feel like it's being assumed that the reviews are an accurate measure, but it's much harder to quantify the people who chose not to buy the game because they went 'wait, I know that asset, this is probably a low effort game' Those people aren't leaving reviews, and a fair few games that overuse store assets have an off putting feel and lack of identity

[@GeoffCurreymusic]

Good video, you are right on with this point. There is so much unwarranted negativity about the use of assets and I have also been attacked on FB groups for using assets because somebody recognised the core kit used. Still, you must move on and keep going, develop a game for the players you enjoy, and ignore the negative. One point on top of this is that most asset flip negativity comes from other developers or people who think they are game devs, in general, not the non-developer game-playing community.

[@JArielALamus]

Assets are like reusing code, isn't it? Why reinvent the wheel for the eleventh time? Art assets are the ones that can be a little tricky. You may not get the ones you need for the artistic vision or style you want for your game and may need extra work. Having said that, depending on the license of the asset, you can have ones as a starting point and modify them to suit what your game needs. On a side note, please tell me you aren't teaching those "10 coding commandments" as unbreakable law... It is absolutely horrible being in code reviews submitting an optimization and the reviewer refuses to relax on those "commandments" without understanding that trade-offs have to be made. The worst offender is when a certain pattern or coding style introduces memory allocations that in the optimization we are eliminating, and that leads to hours trying to explain why it should be done the way it is submitted...

[@Side_effect_stu]

Thank you so much. I'm working on a game and I'm being skeptical about using Assets thinking players would hate my game for that but this video and the comments have really taken that burden off my chest. You've got a new subscriber

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Best of luck with your game!

[@The6thRonin]

Outstanding work, as usual and I'm sure answered a question many, like myself, had about using Synty assets, which I do love.

[@JediMediator]

This is a really helpful video, and one that can only come from someone with lots of experience with both unity assets and unity steam games. Thanks!

[@borismarkovic5426]

Tnx mate. I started building a game but did not know what to think about using assets. This will save me a lot of time because I won't need to make everything by myself.

[@brettabraham]

I have to admit that recently I've been a bit concerned about using Synty assets for my project because so many people use them. But you're totally right - they look great and players don't care that they're purchased!

[@Daniel-fi9qi]

I think using premade assets still cheapens the product to an extent. But if one only cares about money that is not necessary an issue until people really start to notice which will probably happen in time as more and more games end up having identical assets in them and regular players who don't pay much attention start to pick up on it. But if you are trying to create "art" and then use identical assets from other projects that does cheapen the end product. It is like if a painter paints a complete piece or uses other artists work straight into his own painting. It does hurt the integrity of the piece.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Games are a lot more than just visuals. If your game is primarily meant to be an art piece then yes original art is the way to go. But if your game is primarily meant to be about the mechanics and systems inside it, then I don't think assets cheapen the experience at all. Personally I don't care about making artistic games like Stray or Journey, I want to make games with interesting systems like Factorio or Rimworld and for that assets are perfect for helping me bring that vision to life.

[@disobedientdolphin]

Very very good video, thank you! This should be broadcasted on Steam 24/7.

[@YagaBandz]

The reason that Im grateful for the low poly fps asset is because my laptop can't run blender because of the graphics card so using that asset really helped a ton

[@YuriNoirProductions]

i dislike using assets in my games for several reasons..the most important one beeing they are not custom made for the given project and can thus not fit perfectly onto it design wise... however they are incredibly useful if you want to test out and Artstyle or Prototype...even if you like the assets buy them and deconstruct them...see how they are build and learn from it until you can make it yourself

[@christofferhenriksen7631]

Thing is, weather the final product is good or not is not the only thing that matters. I want to have fun making the game, if i use others assets i would just get discouraged and eventually drop the game. I have no problem with others using it though, and i dont really think its cheating.

[@ypichardie]

I think most of people get discouraged by the mountain of code to build a game, rather than the fact of using someone else code. I tried to learn c# with game dev, and now I feel spending my time rethinking the wheel.

[@christofferhenriksen7631]

@@ypichardie im not the best at programming, honestly im pretty bad- but as this is my dream and what i wanna do with my life, i see conplicated huge amount of code facanating and incouraging instead, even if i dont understand shit.

[@ypichardie]

@@christofferhenriksen7631 so maybe the best thing to do is to create a fully finished playable game (even simple) with your idea, even if you have to reuse assets. That's what I'm going to do ☺️ see you

[@newsciencestuff5540]

This video really answered the question for me thanks. Good practical examples made the reasoning very believable here instead of just chatter without examples.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

I'm glad you found the video helpful!

[@criticalcat2591]

For me the Synty Assets are just a timeless masterpiece. I tried making assets for my own games myself, but that never worked out and made me lose interest in actually polishing those. However, a few months back I started to use a Synty pack myself. For me that opened a lot more opportunities than trying to create the assets and I still work on that project. Using that pack also made me focus on my code way more, which also improved a bunch!

[@HappyMatt12345]

The thing is, I mostly make games as a hobby, and enjoy making textures and models as much as making levels, so I really don't have a need to use asset store assets for that reason.

[@peacefusion]

you have the spirit of a true dev.

[@SB-jr3vl]

Boneworks is an excellent example of a game that uses a blend of custom assets and assets from the asset store with little impact on the player experience. Some of the assets I could spot were weapons from the ChamferZone's FPS weapons pack, NOT_Lonely's Abandoned School pack, among a few others.

[@egretfx]

The first Tree made million dollars and the dev didn't even model a cube himself!.Assets Flip.. I call that a bold move... For a small team.. it's a good strategy... indie game devs forgets sometimes that people won't even care about assets used.. Because it's just a really small percentage of people who know how games are made.. It's a minority compared to the gaming community worldwide..

[@NightsoftInteractive]

Finding the right collection of assets for your game is like working as an art director/creative director for your project. Like working with a big team, just without actually meeting them. Perfect for introverts like me :)

[@odo432]

They say "Using assets feels like cheating" whilst proceeding to use Unity to make a game which is basically an asset itself. I've never really understood that logic. I enjoy making assets myself but as others have said, why re-invent the wheel. If something has already been created and suits your needs than why not use it? It's like making your own spanner set when you can go to the shops and buy ones already made.

[@WJ-ni5kp]

I am using Synty too they have really good visual assets but I'm still going to need to make and build the game. I can't afford to learn a ton of Blender just enough to add and do simple edits. Games take a lot and the coding aspect is a whole other beast. Once you get either those two you have music to deal with. If I can pay my way through some parts and work on what I want to work on, you really shouldn't care about that thought of flipping.

[@EZ-GAZI]

i still think that to make ur game look special from the rest u must make everything ur self without assets

[@overrideFunction]

Thanks! I'm making my game with assets. I make games for fun because I like coding. I don't have modeling skills and don't enjoy modeling at all. Good to hear that using purchased assets isn't seen entirely negatively.

[@jacobester3846]

Thanks for the video, very good perspective! People should focus on the aspects of production that they enjoy and are good at. I enjoy coding and really hate 3D modeling. Using assets is amazing because you can get quality/professional resources for you game. In a perfect world, we would all have money to hire private artists/composers/coders for our projects, assets help you get your projects to materialize under financial constraints.

[@MrAlus3]

Using assets is appreciating others work and allows you to build a prototype or even a game way faster. I hate doing 3d or arts, I love coding and design. I always use premade asset sometiems free sometimes paid, and I intend to state that in description and even in credits of my game if assets creators agree to do so. I would say that games are about gameplay but arts if done wrong can scarry people off, and if you are not an artists then you will spend A LOT of time to make nice art or you will make it way worse than assets would look. "You don't get extra points for doing everything yourself" Really makes it cleary. I would also add that if you do it as a hobby, focus on a fun part, and if you don't like making assets, used existing ones.

[@Taobyby]

You helped me a lot with this video. I was stuggling to decide how far I have to go to create something. And while I understand 3D Modelling and know the basics of Blender and 3D Studio, I have no talent for both. :) Now I better understand that it´s ok to use assets as long as the results are kinda unique.

[@GEK0dev]

To those asking for even more clarification if you somehow need it I think code monkey here did a great job explaining it You can use assets just add some originality of some kind like functionality gameplay and a map you can even use auto materials from the asset store if you want just don’t take it and upload it and you should be okay just add a spin and use these as building blocks not the game itself

[@PoddStudios]

Thanks man ive been contemplating if I should use the Low Poly Shooter pack in my game after watching this video I feel more confident on pursuing my game using the low poly shooter pack thanks

[@j.t.littlemedia2172]

I'd have to imagine devs with this mentality ignore their own advice when it comes to sound design. Creating decent sound-effects from scratch requires pricey equipment and likely an education in audio engineering. I doubt the majority of solo devs or small indie teams go through that hassle.

[@COLL3CTO]

You'd be surprised at what a $100 tascam field recorder can capture, but yeah I'd say unfortunately audio is half of the experience, it's audio and visuals that make a game.

[@peacefusion]

quality is a lie. skill is what matters. Use a phone, learn audacity or FL studio, and youre set.

[@LOL2YOU]

People are so worried about assets being used they don't think about how they're being used. If you can make a damn good game with asset packs I say go for it! I'm a beginner single dev and I use a lot of assets as well but I learn along the way to customize stuff. It definitely shaves time

[@willxowo]

I agree on a lot of this as a gamer all my life & recently developing recent years in late 20s early 30s. I'm not even sure what games I've played used assets & hardly care. I use and require them unfortunately, the real negative I see in them is how they can limit your ideas as a creator if they aren't compatible with something you wanted. Lunia was a fine established MMORPG that didn't live very long, it got a bad mobile sequel years later I made vids on, the real downside wasn't that it used assets, it had a lot more flaws in the gameplay perspectives, it didn't even last for a year. Someone did point out it used skin assets and wouldn't be surprised if it had code assets too. I just shrugged it off and said no wonder it didn't include the original enemies, which would've been better.

[@LizardOfOz]

While using assets is fine, I find most of them not being useful as a "face" for your game. Even if we forget about dozens of games potentially using the same main character, I feel like a custom-made character is typically much more memorable (both in-game and in promotion material) than a "lowpoly_male_05" you got from the last year's Unreal Monthly Giveaway.

[@mohammadtausifrafi8277]

Sure, the main characters better be created by the developer.

[@FatalExit]

Brilliant video! Good points throughout! :)

[@LOL2YOU]

As long as the game is fun I don't really care. I use assets from the store for my game that I bye because frankly they are pretty damn amazing and would do a better job than I would do while I'm still new

[@wmetz1869]

Thanks man. This gave me moıtivation

[@shiv-iwnl8188]

Well it's justifiable when your doing something new or complex because it's important to know how everything works

[@illunz]

FACTS! It has always been about mechanics and game play. Unless your game relies on its unique graphics.

[@JordonRenn93]

The games that get called asset flips often lack creativity, use mismatched styles, and have crappy game play.

[@taahace]

Code Monkey, will you ever do another course? I loved the first one and it helped me a lot!

[@sdhority]

I've seen soooo many games coming out lately using synty asset packs. They're amazing packs, I can't blame them. The thing that I've realized is, no one outside of developers notices or cares. Synty makes a fantastic product and other than developers (aka 99% of players) have no idea that these are asset packs, or even what asset packs are for that matter.

[@HalcyonVoid]

If using packs like Synty's is bad, then so too should be using animation packs, or code packs. But without those packs, I could never have done what I have done thus far in my game dev adventure. I bought several (Maybe too many) synty packs, especially the Modular Fantasy Hero pack, I also bought an extensive animation pack that works well with the Synty characters, and a nice MMO style charachter controller. My long term goal is to make a runescape-like game. A hefty goal, but I think I can pull it off in time, and something I couldnt possibly achieve without the assets to give me a solid starting point.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Yup using assets will definitely help you reach that goal, best of luck with your game!

[@isaaccontee]

Im building my own rpg and i think using assets it’s fine as long as they match the style(if you use many) and really improve the quality of the game. Building everything from scratch is painful and the assets part is just an additional pain besides trying to make a fun game without bugs and issues. So you better focus on the gameplay, then if the game has success you can pay someone to replace the assets if they are lame or just to improve the graphics 😊 enjoy making great games and don’t bother too much about the assets, as long as your game is fun to play

[@adamarzo559]

This is an eye opening video for me. I do code, not art, and have tried many times but it didn't work. I always work in dull scenes with capsules and empty planes because I always thought if I start using assets then people are going to think negative of my game but the Perfect Heist game really swayed my opinion. The fact it's a demo scene with nothing changed and yet people didn't complain in mass really says something. Not that you should do that, but if you can provide gameplay that people enjoy then the art style is less impactful. I wonder though, if you were to encounter multiple games in a row using the same Synty asset pack, would that change your opinion in any way?

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Again remember to look at things from the players point of view. As a dev you and I recognize Synty assets right away, but players, the 120 million players on Steam, they have no clue what even is 'Synty', they're just looking for fun games to play

[@NeatGames]

I'm an avid asset flipper! (I alter them and make them my own) Because I want to actually finish games in my free time :D

[@tazz1226]

thank u i have really extensive unreal engine skills, and modeling takes me more time and frustration than it is to code a whole game, plus im always changing my ideas, so by the time i modeled a couple of characters and assets, i want to do a drifferent game, making my future unbareable, found this video after having a chat with my gf that i should buy assets since i have the money, and start only coding for now, and so i found synty on epic game store, and then i found u, thanks for giving me the help i needed, what you mention were exactly my thoughts!

[@milan.980]

Players want good quality games. So sometimes your own would be of low quality and thus using assets improve the quality and players can have a good game. I don't like the people who calls out great games asset flips, because most are made by a single person or a small team. They want to give quality games, and know their limitations and use assets. AAA games also use assets like....one person models, other person programs it. It's kind of same in this case too. Good assets improve the gameplay experience and thus making players happy. TLDR : Using assets benefits the players.

[@amauryboons]

I totally agree with you. Using assets is not cheating in my opinion. However there is a problem for me : if I use some assets of the store and at the same time i build myself some other assets too for my game, at the end people will not see the difference anymore between the assets I have really made myself and the assets I have taken from the internet. Then i lose credibility for the asset i have really made myself because i can't prove I made them myself. I don't know if I'm clear 😵‍💫

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Yup consistency is the most important thing, whether you build everything yourself or use assets completely of any mix of the two, the main thing is making sure that everything looks like it belongs. That's one of th reasons why I really like the Low Poly artstyle, I can mix multiple low poly packs and they all look consistent

[@suicune2001]

There's no point in reinventing the wheel. Not everyone can be a 3D modeler, sound designer, coder, etc. Even if you can be, if someone else did it and possibly did it at the same level you could or better, then use it.

[@tante4dante]

I would love a video about what kind of assets would work on the asset store... like i'm an artist and was thinking of making art asset packs, but don't know what people want and was actually worried about the whole asset flip topic...

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

You can browse the asset store by "Popularity" and see what is selling, there's a market for just about anything but there's also tons of competition, similar to making indie games

[@peacefusion]

actually small devs in the past used open source tools to make 3D or they would buy license to engines. But even back then there wasnt assest flipping. To be indie you had to be a dev, if you work alone you had to code, make the assests, do the marketing. But the reason people dont respect assest flipping is because its too easy for non devs to buy the parts, put them together, and pay someone to code the gameplay. To be an indie dev today, if you dont work in teams then you are commiting to do it all yourself. Thats what it means to be a solo developer. Originality.That means coding, modeling, level design and marketing. So imagine a person that develops for a whole year to upload their game on markets full of people that just bought the game. Assest flipping is not only dishonest, but its like cheating on a test and missing out on learning. A dev should only be buying small assests for thier project, not relying on someone to do all their npcs, or their UI system, or thier level designs. A lot of people see how accessable gaming is, but most arent a jack of all trades. Some are artists, some are coders, some are animators, and they all want to make an entire game on their own. For the long run, theyre better of working in their own field than commiting to be a solo dev. In the end, assest flipping only hurts you to be a better dev. I taught myself how to code, how to do 3D modeling, how to animate, how to level design. So theres no excuse if youre really serious of being an indie dev. I even share some free assests here and there, but NEVER am I going to give out a whole collection because I believe in giving assest to help peoples project , not so people can cheat by assest flipping.

[@3dsteveo765]

All great points, loved this video...now if I could find some videos to help me use the assets I have! Level design vids seem to be mostly speed builds or terrains. I'd love to see a vid based on a Synty pack that at least narrates the process with tips on design, lighting, and keeping it optimized. Know of any? Anyway thanx so much for all your videos!

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Hmm I don't think I've seen any video on that specific topic. Personally I hate doing level design so I haven't done that myself. For keeping it optimized, make sure not to use many different materials and possibly look into occlusion culling. For lights, just use some simple scripts to enable/disable them over distance. Performance probably won't be an issue, especially for low poly assets The closest thing to that topic would be the Unity Twitch streams deep dives, especially the one about Lost in Random, I remember they showed a bunch of tricks for how they built their world with interesting lighting.

[@freezinfire]

Okay, I got it now. Thank you very much!

[@GrowthFuelTV]

Dude i realy love your videos and i have learned a lot with you, and when i need to remember something or by some reason i have Lost the files or the projects i watch your tutorials again. I like to code the mechanics of the game, and hate do 3d model or draw 2D stuff and realy like the visuals of synty assets, and because of that i have left so many projects in the draw, but i will take your advice and take my chances 😉 using assets. Thanks bro

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

That's great to hear, best of luck with your projects!

[@branidev]

Assets playing a big role in my upcoming Steam game as well...

[@AI-xe7bx]

Agreed! I don't really understand on why is it such a big deal for a commercial game to use assets from the asset store? Personally I feel that these assets are built to help indie developers like me who don't happen to be an artist. I've a descent experience in coding and programming, not all of us have the skills or ability required to do sculpt, model, design or rig stuffs. My expertise is in programming. You know, I've been dreaming of developing a game that can fascinate people since my childhood! I just could not focus or work on it due to hectic work schedules and priorities. So if I did the art work all by myself then the game would neither look nearly as good, nor would the game come out at any decent timeline. If I hired someone for the job then that would cost me way more than the assets from asset creator, and also may not look as good, and take a long time too anyway. And again the people who compIain don't understand that not all of us are rich enough to be able to afford someone for the job. I mean it's also not at all feasible for a developer from developing nation like me that survive on a meagre salary. I've also written and posted a bunch of codes on Github under MIT licence (at free of cost) that are being used over and over! Which is understandable. Not all of us have programming skills or are hard core programmers. Likewise I’m not an artist. What I fail to understand is when the codes can be used over and over, then why is there any restriction on art works? How can they also label such a game an asset flip? This should not be a problem as long as the asset creator is willing to share or sell their asset. As long as all the requirements of the creators are fulfilled. I really find it hard to understand the logic. Even programmers put in lots of efforts into game, except for it is not visible from outside. So labelling the game as without effort just because it's not evident from outside makes absolutely no sense. Even different version of windows, linux, blender, maya, zbrush or office suite application have also used same code over and over, again and again. Even the theme remains the same for years. Even the developers of steam website have used Jquery JS library in their frontend “as it is”. Thanks a lot for addressing this topic and making a video on it! It was informative and interesting to watch. I really appreciate it. I mean it's good to know that there are people out there who have same opinion as me. BTW you’ve an amazing communication skill. Found your channel from reddit recommendation on my Gmail and subscribed to it immediately! You're doing a great job!

[@belkacemF]

i have a test tomorrow in biology and i don't even know why i am here

[@oooooo-ku1fp]

Underrated comment. Good luck mate

[@belkacemF]

@@oooooo-ku1fp thanks

[@dreamingacacia]

I don't know if you guys follow game jounalists or people that play games and give comments. I learned from watching them that when they said "Asset Flip" it seems more like they're referring to how bad the game executed and have stock graphics(models, lighting, shaders that looks familiar). From my personal research on game graphics in aestheric aspect, the different from games to games are merely from how you place stuffs and the context of the game world rather than how the world actually is. Which mean it doesn't matter if you use exactly same assets and lighting as long as you place them differently so players won't notice the similarity and/or have different kind of gameplay or story would be enough to change how players perceive your games. It's been done thousands times already so it doesn't matter if you're another +1 to the cycle. Personally I'd love to use 3rd-party assets to finish my games, but my aesthetic kinda weird and I'm a needy developer so I'd make most stuffs myself. Well I'd also put this as a challenge for myself that I'd find a set of assets and make a game out of them, it's pretty good challenge to do from time to time.

[@Mrjononotbono]

Its not cheating at all. Idiots say this. I work in the music and film industries (I am a film composer) and studying an MFA in Video Game Audio and Music... If only people knew what "assets" are used in everything you ever hear! It would shatter their illusions. People use the same samples (replacing recordings) over and over. They use the same b roll footage for film. They use the same effects, the same sound SFX, Foley. The list goes on and on. Nothing is what people thing and most things are fake. Even live orchestras are layered with samples (that everyone else uses and owns 😂) but sure, somebody want to use some Trees and bushes is an asset flip. Pretty sure all AAA studios use Speed Trees 😂 Using assets for games is a smart way of working... unless you have 200 million dollars and a whole team of people... then sure... make everything yourself and watch IGN give your game 7/10 when released anyway 😂

[@kunj1064]

Ya i was searching this video thanks man.

[@Vibrationz79]

I agree that buying an asset and directly releasing it without changes can be called an asset flip, but - correct me if I'm wrong - I always thought an asset flip was to have a game (or prototype or ready-to-go package from the store), replace the assets with new ones and re-release the exact same game with just different themes again and again and again... like having a match-3 game, releasing it with a sweets-theme, then re-releasing the same game with an animals-theme, then with a medieval-theme, then with a space-theme... or is that something else? No offence here, I might be wrong ;-) Personally I have a mix: a decent portion of my game is assets (like UI graphics, effects, sounds) while I also do some modeling myself... not the best modeling in the world, but I'm also still learning ;-)

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

That would be a reskin which yes I guess is a kind of asset flip. Basically it comes down to, are you using assets to make a quick buck or bring your vision to life?

[@Vibrationz79]

@@CodeMonkeyUnity Ah yes, your're right: reskin fits better to what I described, but it can be used in combination with asset flipping.. then it's truly despicable ;-)

[@mamadimomakgahlela863]

Thanks for the big clarity

[@NastarNordmire]

Thank you. This video answered several questions that were on my mind since I started learning. I appreciate the clear definitions of using an asset vs asset flipping. Only question I have about assets now is do you put anything in the game that gives credit for assets that were used to the people that made the credits? Although as a player I can't recall the last time that I seen credits in a game except to patrons and other supporters of the game during development.

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

Not really, you can if you want to but there's no requirement. I also don't think I've ever seen an asset list in any game's credits

[@jakedrex5274]

can someone pls tell me why my whenever i sprint it just stays sprinting and never stops public CharacterController controller; public float speed = 10f; public float gravity = -9.81f; public float jumpHeight = 3f; public Transform groundCheck; public float groundDistance = 0.4f; public LayerMask groundMask; Vector3 velocity; bool isGrounded; public bool isSprinting = false; public float sprintspeed = 20f; // Update is called once per frame void Update() { isGrounded = Physics.CheckSphere(groundCheck.position, groundDistance, groundMask); if (isGrounded && velocity.y < 0) { velocity.y = -2f; } float x = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal"); float z = Input.GetAxis("Vertical"); Vector3 move = transform.right * x + transform.forward * z; controller.Move(move * speed * Time.deltaTime); if (Input.GetButtonDown("Jump") && isGrounded) { velocity.y = Mathf.Sqrt(jumpHeight * -2f * gravity); } velocity.y += gravity * Time.deltaTime; controller.Move(velocity * Time.deltaTime); if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.LeftShift)) { isSprinting = true; } else { isSprinting = false; } if (isSprinting == true) { speed = sprintspeed; }

[@j.j.maverick9252]

you never turn the speed back to normal, put an else on the last IF

[@a.feuerstein9512]

A computer is basically a hardware flip, isn't it? I mean, at least you could do some modifications to the gpu or cpu or learn from the manufacturer to rebuild it yourself to make your computer look a little bit more unique, otherwise your computer is just bad...

[@joeman123964]

not cheating, but the one downside is your assets won't be unique. it would be possible to someone to notice your assets from another indie game. i came across that before. finally, the con of limitation. you cannot 100% match all of your game ideas since you only have a library to work with. or you pay someone to do it. and you have to make sure assets you use blend seamlessly. since different artists made them they have a different feel still doesn't mean your game won't be super fun though. i personally don't use assets cause i have a specific art style so my stuff won't match others.

[@alekjwrgnwekfgn]

The assets I mostly want to use have a lot of code, or things like character controllers (why reinvent the wheel). I’m more of an artist and would love to be a good at code… but when I look at the code in something like Corgi Engine or even the Unity demo games (2D/3D), I have to be honest with myself and know I will never be that good at coding (and don’t want to be- it’s too hard for me). I think an artist making their art into a game with Corgi Engine is definitely not an asset flip.

[@KenzoGamesOfficial]

I'm working on a shenmue/yakuza game by myself and I have no modeling skills so I have to use paid resources if I want this game to see the light of day soon.

[@AndyAlex-dz6wf]

Thank you, that's really helped me.

[@drifzy67]

Im not a dev yet, but when i am. im definitely gonna use some assets in my first game (like 5-10 assets) the things im super confused with is steering wheel support "actual wheel not a ui wheel for mobile games, like logitech g29 for example)

[@simonbauer83]

Assets are there to be used.

[@SantanaOnYoutube]

I don't like to use Specifically model assets simply because I Want to make my own models. but when it comes to certain types of mechanics assets I don't see exactly the problem of getting an asset from unity store if I can't make one myself

[@sherafgames]

Funny thing is that even if you don't do an asset flip, you will find some people who say that you do. And it's always some other developer.

[@TUPGD]

I think it would fall under the sense of ownership when it comes to making things yourself.m and There’s rules you still have to follow with using other people’s assets in your own project. But with you making it all yourself, you can do what you want.

[@lawsylawsy6593]

Make a good honest game and fans will love it, only the haters and those who are jealous, will mock it

[@AlexTheEmperorPenguin]

No Plan B reminds me of the game Frozen Synapse

[@CodeMonkeyUnity]

I loved Frozen Synapse! Reminds me that I haven't played the sequel yet, need to find the time!

[@the_hateful_n8383]

Synty is dominating the asset game though

[@mnmlst1]

I don't know what to think about it. I think it's unfair when it's used in game jams, because in one side, you have artists making everything from scratch with a limited time, and in the other side, you use 100% assets made by another person (that had tons of hours to work on them) and get #1 in the jam for art (even though it's credited), since you actually didn't do anything, but people find it amazing and give it 5 stars for the art category. It's really unfair. As someone who makes my own assets, I'm beginning to feel annoyed by this trend in jams, feels like it's better for me to just download assets like people have been doing and use that time to improve the code and mechanics...

[@davidwusoftdev]

That depends on the jam rules. Some have strict rules that require everything, including visual assets, to be created during the jam. On the other hand, if it's not forbidden, then adapt your development strategy to use premade assets and optimize how you use your time. (unless you want to set yourself some additional rules or handicaps)

[@mohammadtausifrafi8277]

You are free to give up on burdening yourself with useless constraints. Why do you have to create all assets, is there any such condition in the jam?

[@GamesAreArt1]

there's something else to be consider using assets, Using assets in your game/learning is ok also agree on not doing assets flip. But using same assets from different developer in multiple games to often this is a problem, in this video i saw the same assets multiple times, As a player/developer this give me a felling that I'm playing the same game but with minor changes and get bored from the first look even is the game was perfect(this is a personal opinion), don't get me wrong i"m not saying no to using Assets but not the way that make the assets lose it's appearance.

[@SuperRockcore]

Ive used blender a little bit and found it to be a real pain. I’ve also used nomad sculpt for iPad, which on the contrary, I found fun. My question for you sir is, what is the least amount of work I have to do to make an asset? Do I have to worry about mesh size when importing into Unity? Thanks.

[@GoodmansGhost]

I am personally kinda tired of Synthy characters but that's mainly because the people that use them often use them for closeups when they are clearly meant for top-down view where detailed faces and such doesn't matter much. So it's more an end user problem.