Can I use experimental package in release version of game?

Question

For some reason I'm thinking that you can't use experimental package in release version of game but I can't find answer for this specific question. For that reason I'm looking for someone to prove me wrong or correct me if I'm right.

Specific package which I want to use is Localization package from Unity which is still in development and I'm not sure if I can use this package in release version of game.

Answer 1

We're using the experimental 2D lighting in our publicly available game without any issue. For us it is more about the future risk of updates breaking it so we are very careful about updates to Unity and that specific package.

If you try the experimental package and it works for your project, go for it! Just make sure you do lots of testing any time you need to do an update and come up with a gameplan for if Unity eventually decides to scrap the package altogether and you're blocked from doing future updates.

Answer 2

For some reason I'm thinking .. well, you are thinking wrong ^^

You can use whatever you want to use in your release version!

However, a Preview Package is not guaranteed to work perfectly and also could mean that in a later unity version it might not exist anymore or be replaced by something else or require some porting maintenance since it's structure and interfaces changed etc

It's like a Beta release you can use but with caution and be aware that there might be bugs ;)

See also Package states and lifecycle

When the package is ready for testing, the Unity package developer makes sure there is some basic test coverage, and that the package passes testing with the package validation suite. The package also needs at least preliminary documentation, an updated changelog, and licensing before the Unity package developer can apply to publish the package on Unity’s official package registry.

At this point, the package is available for testing, so that any eligible Unity user can provide the developer with feedback. Most packages are available to any Unity users, although a few packages are limited to Unity IDs with specific entitlements.

Preview packages can go through many changes before they are ready to be verified for a specific version of Unity. At some point in the future, they might pass the verification requirements; however, they might also be deprecated instead. Because there is no guarantee for future support, you should not use preview packages in production.

This is a recommendation though. If you really want to use such a package in production, there is nothing hindering you from doing so.

Answer 3

The point is this: preview packages as you said are developing packages, so even if they work, they do not guarantee perfect functioning.

On the use of the package I guess it depends on three things, first the use that the package would have in your app, the second the tests you will do, the third the quality of your brand on the number of people it would attract upon release.

Let me explain (1): if the package you want to use you want to use it for one of the features of your program (therefore a neighboring feature, not the main one), I don't think there are problems. For example, I have been using User Reporting Packages for some time also in the release versions, which I only use to get feedback from users. It's not the app's purpose to send feedback, it's just one of the features, so even if I get it wrong sometimes, amen.

Let me explain (2): Obviously from your testing phase you understand if there are obvious bugs or not. That is, if you try it and see that it doesn't work, then don't integrate it, otherwise, if it works for you for what you want, then that's fine.

Let me explain (3): it is logical that if you have a large pool of users who already "trust" you, providing them with an application that uses a developing system as its main function can be risky. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, you shouldn't have any problems with honesty. If the package in preview represents a main feature, write it close, that maybe you may encounter errors not due to you but from the development of the project. Maybe you can also ask him to send you an error message when it doesn't work, which you can turn to unity in the form of a bug report to help develop the package (also from what I see that package is constantly updated, which is not bad, since some (like the one I mentioned earlier), have been abandoned by Unity)