Reviving Gun Rocket: A Journey Through Unity's Evolution

Ten years ago, I embarked on my game development journey with Gun Rocket, a project that was both a personal milestone and a financial success. Initially developed in Unity 4.6.0p1 and later migrated to 5.5.0f3, the game featured 100 levels, various ships, and a LAN multiplayer mode. However, as I recently attempted to revisit Gun Rocket, I found it wouldn't launch, prompting me to update it to the latest Unity version.

## Unity Version Challenges

Opening the game in Unity Editor revealed that it was last developed in Unity 5.5.0f3. The current version, Unity 6.5 beta, represents a significant shift, especially after Unity's versioning change in 2017 to a year-based system. This change was aimed at making long-term support more straightforward. Despite these changes, I was determined to bring Gun Rocket up to date.

## Navigating Unity's Archive

Finding Unity 5.5.0f3 wasn't straightforward, as it's not readily available in Unity Hub. Instead, I delved into Unity's archive, a treasure trove of past versions, which fortunately included Unity 5. This allowed me to continue my update journey, albeit with some hiccups.

## Overcoming Technical Hurdles

The transition from Unity 5.5 to 5.6.7f1 was smooth, but moving to 2019.3.15f1 presented challenges. Unity had removed JavaScript support and deprecated its networking solution, UNet. Fortunately, my early decision to use C# spared me significant headaches, though I had to rewrite a few scripts and deal with broken references.

## Embracing New Features

Unity's evolution brought significant improvements, such as the AssetDatabase v2 and Nested Prefabs, which enhanced performance and workflow flexibility. Despite these upgrades, some issues, like UI bugs, persisted, requiring attention.

## Final Stretch to Unity 6000

The journey culminated in updating to Unity 6000.3.12f1, where I encountered changes in graphics settings and deprecated APIs. These updates were manageable, thanks to Unity's robust API updater. Testing the game confirmed its functionality, allowing me to address minor bugs and prepare for a Steam release.

## Reflecting on Simplicity

Reflecting on this process, I realized that simplicity was key to Gun Rocket's resilience. The game's straightforward design, developed in just a month, made it adaptable to new technologies. This experience reinforced the value of keeping projects simple and focused.

## Looking Ahead

With Gun Rocket now updated, I plan to make minor improvements before re-releasing it on Steam. The potential for new levels, better shaders, and mod support is exciting, but I'll keep the scope small to maintain the project's original spirit.