Discussion I want to learn DOTS. Please make more tutorials.

I want to learn about Dots, but there are too few tutorials, and the YouTubers who used to cover DOTS are taking a break. I can't find any DOTS-related videos on YouTubers. I want to learn DOTS, so please make more DOTS-related videos. I looked at the official Unity sample code, but my skills aren't good enough to make a game. I love DOTS, but... I just can't seem to get the hang of it.

 

Just start and learn from Unity ECS github samples. There is plenty resources to learn from with examples.

Did you try them yet?
That should be probably one of your first stops for DOTS entry.

Videos become quickly obsolete, in DOTS fast moving environment.

 

Are you talking about the official Sample Project? I already saw it. That alone is not enough. Even on Github, there are almost no projects higher than DOTS 1.0.0 version.. Did I not find it??

 

@mrbinggrae
If you mean this one, then yes. There are updates to 1.0.10 as of today.
https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/EntityComponentSystemSamples.

I assume you look for ISystem samples?

If so, you can search for ISystem in git repo, for various examples.
https://github.com/search?q=repo:Unity-Technologies/EntityComponentSystemSamples ISystem&type=code

Unless you look for something different?

 

I think he want a tutorial of how to make a specific game in DOTS starting from scratch.

 

I checked the link above. It's helpful material to me, but I have no idea how to apply each item in the link to game development. So I need a sample game project.

 

Well there are literally tutorials there, with step by step, how to build them.
https://github.com/Unity-Technologi.../tree/master/EntitiesSamples/Assets/Tutorials

What is it missing?

There are many mechanics shown in ECS git examples, that are useful to start building a game using DOTS.
Camera, entities baking, moving objects, physics, boids, mouse interaction, etc.

Need to get into understanding of each mechanics that is of interested.
And start putting them together.

 

I have checked various samples such as AutoAuthoring, BlobAssetBakingSystem, and PrefabAndSceneReferences and understand the contents of the samples, but I am having difficulty applying them. I'm not sure how to use the examples in the sample for the game I'm trying to make. Need more examples.

I'm not an accomplished programmer. Can't a programmer of my level use DOTS?

 

DOTS devs may have different opinions on this.
But my personal opinion on DOTS entry point is, that it requires at least good understanding of C# and quite fluent in using Unity editor. It has quite high steep learning curve.

DOTS itself is lacking of many tools, like you have in classic MonoBehaviour paradigm. I.e. animations. Debugging is more challenging at first. But is less visually appealing, especially to someone who is not a coder.
Therefore, it requires from developer quite an effort, to bring such tools. Either developing themselves, or finding existing snippets and git repos, which then can be brought into your code. These unusually are not in DOTS, or older version of Entities at best. Still, will require conversion and fixing anyway. As mostly usual case scenario.

So basically, depending on your familiarity of C# and Unity Engine itself, it may be a bit of challenge.
It is expected, that you know how to bring various independent game systems and mechanics, to make them function together.

Btw. we got few YT bers who make nice vids related to DOTS.
TurboMakesGames, and Code Monkey. Checkout theirs channels.
Don't assume however, latest packages. So you may find here some challenges on trying replicate.
Always use same Unity version and packages, as per vid.

 

I am already a subscriber to both channels. However, the above two channels have also uploaded few or no tutorial videos since DOTS 1.0.0 version.

C#, Unity editor, etc. are not a problem for me. The difficulty I have learning DOTS is a different problem.

After talking with you, I think I can understand a little bit about why Unity doesn't make more examples. I think it's still too early for me to try DOTS. I'll try again when more DOTS learning materials are uploaded on Udemy and elsewhere.

Thank you for giving so much of your time for me.

 

DOTS 1.0 is fine nothing has changed since Sept 2022.

 

I'm with you on that..
I'm trying as well to learn it but it is just too complicated and uncomfortable unlike normal monobehaviour scripts and it's hard to get the hang of it..
I've been trying for 3 days now to take that ECS Zombies project on youtube and add bullets that the brain can shoot to kill the zombies but i am at 0% progress at that... I just don't know how ..
I wish there will be more updated DOTS videos and more complications to them to be taught

 

3 days is not enough time to learn ECS. To be able to do anything you need at least 30 days of frustration. The older tutorials from 0.17 and 0.5 are mostly still good.

 

It was 6 months of frustration for me lol.

It is uncomfortable, yes, but not that complicated. It's just a different way to solve a problem. Too different that it'll be like the first time learning programming.