What was the first version you used?

Unity 5.4 For Me... i did use Unity 4.... but i didn't how to do S***... so i never opened it since... lol

 

The first Unity version I downloaded was around 3.5. But 4.0 was where I really got into Unity (Mecanim was pretty hot back then).

5 years later, and I am currently working on several projects (see my signature) using Unity 5.5.

Time sure flies fast!

 

Unity 5.2 in the fall of 2015! I've been slowly getting the hang of things as precious time permitted ever since!

 

4.4? Can't remember, to be honest I can't remember pre Unity 5 days but I do the remember the first version of Cosmos using the old code based GUI system

 

Unity 3.0 is what I got started on.

Unity has come a long way since then.

 

Unity 3.5. Would have started with it earlier but I didn't discover it had gotten a free tier till then.

 

While I was around in the days of Unity 2, I didn't really start using Unity until 2.6.1 to 3.0.0.

 

I got Unity with version 5.1.

 

3.5ish seriously. I played with it on and off since the nearly the initial release but never built anything with it.

 

I believe it was 2.0.

The tropical island demo got me hooked

 

2.6 (I believe, whichever was the final one in the 2.x cycle) for me, way back in 2010. Still here 7 longs years later.

 

4.x not sure which one, but it was before the new gui system since i used ngui back then., But unity was like my 3rd game engine i learned.

 

2.6

But only really started playing with it properly when 3 came out. I remember opening the 3rd person soldier sample scene and going wow, and clicking on all the things in the scene and seeing how they are put together, and had no freaking clue what I was looking at

 

Unity 5.5, oh I feel young now

I wanted to be a game developer, but almost gave up the idea because I don't know C++ and I'm using a Linux desktop. But one day, I heard that Unity supports C#, which isn't really that much different from the language I know, and is also available on Linux for free, so I was sold immediately.

 

Spring of 2009. I think it was Unity 2 if memory serves. I recall it cost something like $750 for Unity itself and $750 for the "iPhone" add on license. Those were heady days.....

 

And one of the only assets (before the Asset Store, if I remember correctly) was Sprite Manager 2, which cost something like $250. It was pretty facepalm for Unity, as during those days most of everyone was just making 2D games, but Unity didn't release 2D features until 4.6. Strange that Unity was even successful, really. But Torque failed... and no one else was really appealing to hobbyists, so maybe that is why. No competition = swallow entire market even if you suck. Plus that mobile bubble...

Although we got free & reasonable paid assets just before then (late v3?), back in Unity 2.6/3.0 I remember people either forked over those hundreds or rolled their own 2D system. Soooo expensive... but well worth it bc of how much Unity itself lacked.

Sprite Manager 2 was a bit cheaper when bundled with the other asset, but I don't remember what their other one was. I just remember the cartoon cow.

edit: Oh! It was EZ GUI. Can't find the cow.

 

Yup I bought SpriteManager 2. Kids these days don't know how good they have it

 

4.something - making a pixel shader for android.

 

For me it was once it became available on windows, because it was only available on Mac otherwise.

 

Which version was out in 2008? That's about when I picked it up. I did have to buy Sprite Manager, but that was before it got expensive. Think it was like $90?

 

I wanna say something like 4.2. It was definitely in the 4.x cycle. My YouTube channel took off with 4.6 and the UI system.

For hobbyist users, the engines come a long way since then. It does make me laugh at all the new users that complain about the splash screen on personal. The 4.x free version had dozens of missing features, we didn't have render textures, image effect or the profiler.

 

unity 5.3 i have started it learning the setup was easy in that version

 

2.6.1 Pro. iPhone 1.0 [IIRC]

 

3.0, back when shadows cost money.

 

Baked shadows were sexy back then!

 

2.6 for Windows. Discovered the asset store back then. It might have been the time of its early first step. Glad I managed to be part of it.
I think that erich5h5 the moderator started using it in version 1 back in 2006 or 2005.

 

2.5. The first one on Windows. (The Tom Higgins era.)

 

Unity 1.5 I think back in 2006. Personal edition cost me 99 bucks!

 

2.6 in 2009! Coming from 3dgs... I was lurking around unity site before but I only had Windows so I needed to wait for it to become available for Windows. I remember the Lerpz tutorials, the island demo, UnityScript being the most used language, UniScite as the default code editor and me not knowing sh*t about the unity api and programming in general. that's my old acc btw.
Looking at my old posts I see that posting here in unity forums improved my English skills too, haha.

 

Unity 6.3. I come from the future. VR was nothing but a hype, freemium template took over as the PC monetizing standard and UT never implemented the much-requested "Make MMO" button.

 

Must come pretty far from the future if Unity ditched the subscription model and made the never to exist Unity 6

 

This is why we can't have good things!

 

Do you mean Unity 20XX.X? haha

 

Ha ha me 2 but it never took of then.

 

Accidentally put a dot in there. My bad.

 

No, what I mean is that Unity dropped the old 4-5-6... versioning system, now is by year 2017-18, etc...

The real question is, do we have nested prefabs in the future??

 

Just go further. The MMO button was released in 2025 with Unity 9.4. Point is, very very few people loves mmos now. To Late UT...
Good news : Indies won the AAA War. Just trust me.

Me too. But, my main IDE was BlitzBasic.

 

2.6 sounds familiar, it was when it was Mac only.

 

If you started using Unity within a month of your sign-up date it could have been Unity 4.3.

Same. If anything I recall it being worse because I believe 4.x added one or two features to the free tier that were previously unavailable but I can't seem to dig up any references to that so it might just be my memory playing tricks with me.

 

Hah, the advancements for free users in the 4.x cycle were a godsend compared to what was on offer when the engine first went free. Finally got BAKED shadows!

 

5.x era for me ... bugs, bugs everywhere... well at least upto until unity got a clue and opened up beta testing to the public so the actual final releases weren't so bad.. but man 5.0, 5.1, 5.3 were pretty buggy and with not so good performance on some things. I'd say coming into using unity post 5.3 is good, and I'm staying on 5.6, as 2017.1 is 'eh' release for me still.

 

One of the first windows versions in 2009.

 

It's flipped a few times. 4.6 was public. I found my one and only genuine bug during that beta.

 

For me 5.6 has actually been the worst, had 2 game breaking bugs that I experienced

 

Oh, I liked that language a lot, I tried Blitz3D a few times, I even remember that mario clone demo (I think the name was castle demo) that comes with the engine, also, their gallery used to inspire me back in 2005-2006! Good times.

 

I first used Unity in 2.6 (I still have the .exe file) but other than providing assets for the 'in engine' guys - I really didn't 'use' it, though it was my design that was created.

After that project I didn't actually use Unity myself until 4.2.

Wasn't it an update from no shadow casting to 1 shadow casting light, and only shadow mapped shadows? IK was another feature not available in fee Unity.
I vaguely remember several things I REALLY wanted that was available in the full version that was not available in the free version, but could not afford. I'm thankful for Unitys 5x cycle business decisions. Can't complain with such a great tool to use for free, unless I begin to make bucket loads - ROI.

 

I think I first tinkered with unity back in late 3.x days, shortly after it became free... and I really got nutty about it when the mobile "deal" came around giving away the android and ios package for free temporarily (prior to this being free for everybody later). Ahhh the lerpz demo

 

What, to you individually, were the biggest improvements youve experienced in Unity over the years?

---------------------

From 2.6/3.0 to 5.6

Mine are...

The big 2D update in 4.6. This caused me to return to using Unity. I would never have come back without this.

The best was GUI system. It is by far one of my favorite new systems. Making a GUI was horrible prior, and the second hardest part of gamedev, IMO, is the GUI. This makes it pretty wonderful.

Honorable mention to the new 5.6 Sorting Group Component. Makes life ALOT easier to add my content.

The worst was UNET. I absolutely hated it. Horrible release that was so bad, I will never touch it even if it improves.

The one I'm excited for next is Timeline.

It seems any major 2D features impacts me significantly. Most other features? I could care less or just help a little.

 

Good poll!
For me, the new UI, Mecanim (even with his flaws it helps a lot) and PBR.

 

^^ This and mecanim.