Get started for iOS game development via Unity

First of all, you need to create an App Developer account that will give you access to the platform. You can explore different features of this game engine and it is also necessary to make full use of the platform. hEre is what you need to do after setting up an account

• Click on the install button under the Unity Hub and select the suitable version of the Unity game engine. 
• Look at the right side, you will see three dots, click on them and choose ‘Add component’.
• Choose iOS build support if the game is to be developed in an iOS operating system.
• Click Next and you will see NDK and SDK tools required to build a complete game on the iOS system. 
• Press done and wait for installation.

Create New Project 

• Go to the windows that contain the options; Projects, Learn and Installs.
• Create a new unity project by clicking on ‘New’ and this option will show on your right side. 
• Name your project and enter other details
• Select your desired template
• Now, click on ‘Create’ and let the process begin

Let’s start working

• Change the Editor platform to iOS
• On the top left corner, you see the option of ‘Files’
• Go to files and click ‘Build Settings’
• In build settings, select the iOS platform
• Press ‘Switch Platform’ after performing the above-mentioned steps. 

Prepare Unity Editor for creating a game

• Preparing means you have to perform steps like adding folders, fixing the aspect ratio, importing assets, building the sequence for the game, etc.
• Add folders as per your requirement but creating three folders and naming them Prefabs, Materials, and Scripts will be ideal.
• Download particle effects and save them in the Prefab folder.
• If possible, add 3D models. 

Create 3D effects

• In the Scene section of Unity, set up the scene for the 3D object.
• To find ‘3D Object’, right-click on the scene
• After you have chosen a 3D object, select a shape
• The selected shape will start showing under the Inspector Tab
• From the ‘inspector’ tab, you can adjust its dimensions as per your preference
• Use the options ‘Mesh Render’ and ‘Box Collider’ to make any additional changes
• After you are done, hit the ‘Add component’ option

Create Material

• Create new material from the option ‘Assets’ by selecting it from the Material folder.
• For instance, if the grass is the material you want to make, play around with different compositions and make the necessary changes like color, etc. 
• The Unity game engine allows you to preview your changes to see if what you wanted to create has been created or not. 
• Keep working on the material until you reach your desired result.

Change Lighting 

• The Lighting tab can be found on the right of the Inspector tab
• Select the suitable lighting for your game. You can use Mixed lighting, real-time lighting, or simply any kind you like.
• If you want the easy way out, select Auto-Generate to generate lighting

Get the Aspect Ratio right

• It is absolutely essential to adjust the aspect ratio correctly.
• It ensures that all your game objects, assets, and materials created are visible across all devices and screen sizes.
• Click on ‘Free Aspect’ by going to the Game tap in the Unity Engine to make the desired changes 
• The most used ratio is 16:9 but it may not work for everyone. 

Touch Inputs

• It is crucial to select the touch inputs according to the requirements of your game. 
• You need to go to the Scripts folder and choose Shades by right-clicking on the folder. 
• After creating new scripts, attach them to the main camera and open them inside Visual studio. 
• Include any functions you want.
• Coding for complicated functions can be done inside the Visual studio.

Work with Xcode

• The Xcode app is a must for developing games on the iOS platform. You can download it from the Apple app store. 
• You can go for the automatic sign-in options from the pop-up 
• The game can be built and launched in Xcode
• On the top left corner, press the Play button 
• As a result of pressing the Play button, Xcode will build the game on your iPhone.
• After the completion of the building process, your game will be launched on your device

Test the App

Finally, your game is ready to be tested. Test the game in Xcode. Make sure it is running smoothly and has all the desired features. After making sure that your game is fully ready, submit it to the Apple team. They will review it and make it live if it fulfills their criteria. 

Developing Apps – iOS vs Android 

Developing applications for the Android system means that you are making an application for all devices that run on the Android operating base. Most manufacturers actually prefer the Android operating system because it is free. It was created by Android but is currently owned by Google. Developing an application for the iOS system simply means creating something for all the devices operating on the iOS system. Apple users are less common than android users so keep in mind that applications made for iOS are more exclusive. Android is also more accessible for developers than Apple.

Let’s talk Business

If you are manufacturing an app, your first goal is to make money from it. It is important to talk about numbers before making a decision. You want to take into account what is more profitable for you. Let’s go through the statistics and see what they tell us. 

Market Share

Studies confirm that Android users exceed iOS users by a significant number. The reason is android phones are way cheaper than Apple. There are many companies that are making Android phones and they are available at different prices. You can find very cheap smartphones operating on the Android system base but Apple is very exclusive in terms of price. Below you can see the difference between the market share of the iOS and Android systems. 

Revenue Generation

You may think that having more users is equivalent to generating more cash. Well, it is not the case. App Store is actually ahead of Google Play in this area. App store users spend more on purchasing apps than Android users. The graph below will help you make your decision.

Number of Downloads

As you know, Android is more widespread than iOS. More Android devices mean an increased number of downloads. Android is the winner and has the lead when it comes to the number of downloads by a noteworthy difference. 

Pros of Android App Development

• Launching or publishing your apps on Android is way easier than doing so on iOS.Your app goes live within a few hours after uploading Android PacKage. 
• Good has comprehensive guidelines available for developers which are quite helpful. Developers can use them to create aesthetically pleasing apps. 
• Android is more accessible to developers. It offers features to developers that are restricted by iOS. 
• Android is very flexible to work with. There are multiple crowdsourcing frameworks and plugins available for developers to experiment with. Android provides developers more features to play with than iOS. 

Cons of Android App Development

• Android caters to different devices like smartphones, TVs, laptops, streaming devices, etc. It can be considered as both a pro and con. It makes it difficult for developers to design an app that runs smoothly across all platforms. Android should add more features to ensure less work for developers.
• Multiple Android versions and devices make it difficult to effectively test the app before publishing it. 

Pros of iOS App Development 

• Apple creates all hardware and software itself. This makes iOS more fast and stable. It is more responsive and has strict guidelines. Piracy is also not a thing on this platform. 
• The development process is agile on iOS because there is less fragmentation. The iOS operating system is only for Apple devices which makes it easy to develop and test apps.
• Apple’s first goal is to always provide users with an exceptional experience. They have created an extensive guide for developers to deliver a great user experience.

Cons of iOS Development

• Apple has very strict criteria for publishing apps. Your app may get rejected because of poor performance, bugs, lack of good content, and other issues. Also, your app gets reviewed by Apple before it goes live which takes few days. 
• iOS is not very flexible when it comes to app development. You may find yourself confined with only a few design guidelines and this can affect the performance of your app as well.