After creating the requirements list I started looking for plugins I could use in the Unity project to help with implementing some native fuctionalities on mobile platforms and Steam. Below is a list of the most significant solutions I found during my research.
Mobile solutions
For mobile I found multiple all in one packages, these packages included all features required for the final product:
- Voxelbuster interactive’s – Cross Platform Native Plugins – Ultra Pack
- Stan’s Assets – Ultimate mobile pro
Eventhough these packages include all required feature, they were paid solutions so I went looking further for free/cheaper solutions:
iOS solutions
- Geri borbas’ – Eppz Cloud (cloud saves)
- KT Apps & Games’ – iOS Game Center Plugin for Unity (Achievements, user data)
Android solutions
Final mobile plugin
When development started, I started with the open source Google play games for Unity plugin for the android services but when I ran into some problems with this plugin that lead to me starting development on iOS services. I switched to using the Stan’s assets – Ultimate Mobile pro that included both the iOS and Android features needed.
Further more ‘Stan’s assets – Ultimate mobile pro’ also contained features that would be useful when The Tall Ones would like to further develop CP Social in the future as described in the recommendations.
Steam solutions
For steam there were also an all in one solution available on the Unity asset store that could be used in the final product:
But the thing with this plugin in was that it was made using the free and opensource Steamworks.NET port of the Steamworks Api. So i went looking for alternatives to this paid assets.
After looking at using Steamworks.NET itself I got a tip by a fellow student (Levi Buck) that used Steamworks.NET for his own game and said it wasn’t very intuitive to use and he recommended, Facepunch’s Steamworks plugin.
Conclusion
The final list of plugins used in the final product is as follows:
Mobile
Stan’s Assets – Ultimate mobile pro, this plugin was chosen because of it’s simplicity and being very well documented, compared to the ‘voxel busters’ alternative.
Steam
After looking into both Steamworks.NET and Facepunch’s Steamworks implementation, Facepunch Steamworks was the final choice. The reason behind it was it’s simplicity compared to Steamworks.NET.