While I am writing the next installment in multiplayer development newsletters, I could not stop writing about the new cryptocurrency, because I am planning to write about the use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies with game engines. At the same time I was a bit annoyed by Unity Hub, so I thought to compare it with Epic Launcher.
Libra, A New Cryptocurrency from Facebook
For a long time there has been rumors that Facebook would implement its own currency. Now it is reality. Just recently Facebook announced that it will release its own cryptocurrency Libra, probably next year. Although I am a cryptocurrency user myself, I am very skeptical about them.
Usually when I see that someone describes himself as a "crypto enthusiast" or "blockchain enthusiast" I almost vomit. It is the latest hype, and all wannabes want to ride the wave and give an impression of expert knowledge. And all these so called experts shout aloud the good gospel of cryptocurrencies. Well, I think cryptocurrencies have their use, but you have to be careful, just like with real money, gold, stocks, collectibles etc. It possible to bloat their values artificially and swindle the goods from idiots.
Despite the all skepticism we have to remember that cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are not the same thing. Blockchain is just a technology, a method and bunch of algorithms, that show how to implement a shared database for transactions and data. You can use it for anything where you need to have access to transactions and data without central servers. Cryptocurrency just uses blockchain to record transcations of virtual currency. Basically anyone can release a new cryptocurrency. After that it is just a question who trusts your cryptocurrency.
Although Libra is a cryptocurrency and it is based on blockchain technology, it is a bit different however. At least to what has been announced, its value will be tied to real currency. Also, it is not anonymized like Bitcoin and various other cryptos. Well, this sounds good for average user, but really bad for those, who do not want their money trail to be seen, or those who like speculate with the value of money. So, it is quite probable, that people will not use it to buy and sell drugs in the Tor network, and it won't be used by investors.
Quite probably it would be useful for monetary microtransactions. Considering that Facebook has unfortunately spread around the globe and is an ubiquitous part of our lives, it could serve quite well as such. Except that there are already several alternatives for this, all around the world. But of course everyone wants to get involved because it will provide money and power. Probably Facebook also takes a small transaction fee, and in large quantities it will provide constant real income because Libra is tied to real currency. It also means considerable power when you have an international, widely used currency that you control.
But the fact that it is tied to your Facebook account does not sound good. We all know that Facebook security and privacy is a bit lacking, and they have a history of sharing your data with third parties. All the big wigs in Facebook sing in unison that they will not use the data on Libra transactions for advertising, and it won't be shared with third parties, but how many times we have heard this. How many times we have seen Mark or some subordinate sweating before a hearing committee trying to explain why they have given data to third parties without the consent of users.
Facebook tries to distance itself from direct management of Libra. To acquire Libra, you have to make contact with Calibra, a new Facebook subsidiary. And this process will surely involve giving your full official identification to Calibra and Facebook. You probably have to provide some official identification, e.g. driver's licence, passport etc. From my point of view it means that suddenly Facebook would really have full identification data on large amount of the people living on this planet. That alone is frightening. It does not matter that the Libra development and management will be run by Libra Association, a nonprofit entity operating in Switzerland (I get those Gnomes of Zurich vibes from Illuminati trilogy), which is independent of Facebook, and overseen by other companies too.
Anyway, I suspect that Facebook will have a serious and hard challenge to convince people using Libra. Eventually people may start to use it on small scale, if it proves to be easy to use, and you can easily exchange it from Libra to real currency and vice versa. But Facebook has made so grievous mistakes in PR during past couple of years, that people will (hopefully) be very suspicious. At least I advise against giving your full identification to Facebook.
Unity Hub vs Epic Launcher
Since I have used both Unreal Engine (UDK + UE4) and Unity for a long time, it is easy to see how they are different, yet similar, and when they clearly try to imitate each other. One such case is the Unity Hub, which is clearly an attempt to imitate Epic Launcher.
Epic Launcher works quite well, and you can control all your Unreal installs through it, or to be more precise, you control everything Unreal related through it and even more. You can
Install different engine versions
Update existing engines
Install plugins to engine
Read UE related news
Create new projects
Manage your projects
Buy assets from Marketplace
Manage your purchased or otherwise available assets
Download learning material
Download mod projects (full games with source code)
Buy games through Epic Games Store
Play games
Throughout the years Unity worked differently. You always had to download the installer for specific Unity version from their www-site. Through the Unity editor you had access to your purchased from Asset Store. So, eventually Unity probably thought that they should have a launcher too, and now, if you want to use most recent Unity versions, you have to use Unity Hub.
I just hope that they would have implemented it right. Currently the Unity Hub is really cumbersome to use, and lacks many features that it should have. You can install different engine versions, create new projects, open them and … well, that's about it. You cannot access Asset Store through it, you still have to use Asset Store implemented in editor.
You cannot even update the engine you have installed. Let's say that you have Unity 2019.1.4 installed, and you want to update it to 2019.1.7. There is no Update option available, although this is just an update, not an upgrade. All you can do is to install the new version - meaning that you download the whole engine - and then delete the old one. There is no point in this, because you can always download each Unity version from Unity archive. If 2019.1.7 does not suit you, then just download that old version and install it again.
UX is also quite bad in Unity Hub. The user interface is really small, and you have to swap between tabs for basic functions. Quite unlike in Epic Launcher, where all Unreal Engine functions are on the same page. You can install and manage your engine version, open engine, open your projects and import assets all on the same page. There is no practical reason why Unity Hub window is so small, because you use it on desktop, not on a mobile device. Or is it so, that mobile mindset is so stuck into the heads of Unity developers, that all windows are automatically made really small.
But worst in Unity Hub is how you install the engine. When you press Add button, a list opens with all Unity-versions to install. I must say that it is a really stupid idea to put alpha and beta versions on that list, and even more stupid to put the on the top of the list, and by default the current alpha is chosen. I just wonder how many Unity first timers have installed 2019.3 alpha by accident because it is the default option on the list. There is no mention that it is alpha until you have actually installed it. In my opinion, alpha and beta versions should not even exist on that list, unless you specifically want them, and there should be clear warnings in any case.
So, Unity clearly wants to imitate Unreal Engine, but fails badly. I sometimes wonder, does Unity have any kind of focus in these matters. I have seen so many half-baked features in Unity - features that partly work, but are missing several features that may or may not be implemented in the future, have misleading information, and everything is released behind the schedule. Probably all this will be better one day, but when… will it take couple of years, who knows.