I've been coding 2D games exclusively for a while, partly because I have very limited graphics skills, partly because it takes less effort to make something look great, and partly because I have very limited time in which to code.
I have an idea for a very simple 3d kids game that I'd like to build; it would be based around a player roaming a randomly-generated city and looking for a particular building (eg. dollar store, grocery store, bank, etc.)
My question is: Would it be feasible to build this in Unity, using only free models and animation (presumably from Turbo Squid), in a decent time-frame?
In terms of features, this would range in extremes from "generate some random buildings, paths, and select one as the winning building to locate" to adding people to talk to, objects to interact with (water, ladders, keys and locks, ropes, etc.)
I haven't touched 3D modelling for years (I used 3D Studio Max 3.x back in high school), and I don't have 3-4 hours to spend creating, rigging, and animating models. That's really the crux of my doubt. I also don't have cash that I can spend on models/animation.
So to summarize, my main two questions are:
- Is it feasible to create a decent-quality game using free stuff from Turbo Squid?
- Are many/most/all of the models from TS compatible with Unity?