Seeking a more elegant solution to set buttons so they can increase specific ability level and stats

Question

public class AbilitiesUpgradePanel : MonoBehaviour
{

    [SerializeField] Button[] buttons = new Button[3];
    [SerializeField] Text[] abilityNameText = new Text[3];
    [SerializeField] Text[] abilityDescriptionText = new Text[3];
    [SerializeField] Text[] abilityLevelText = new Text[3];
    [SerializeField] Image[] abilityImage = new Image[3];

    private int totalAbilitiesCount = 3;

    public void RandomAbilitesToLevelUp()
    {
        List<int> generatedIds = new List<int>(); //I need each button to have unique ability
        for (int buttonIndex = 0; buttonIndex < totalAbilitiesCount; buttonIndex++) 
        {

            int abilityId = Random.Range(0, totalAbilitiesCount);
            while (generatedIds.Contains(abilityId))
            {
                abilityId = Random.Range(0, totalAbilitiesCount);
            }

            if (abilityId == 0) 
            {
                buttons[buttonIndex].onClick.RemoveAllListeners();
                buttons[buttonIndex].onClick.AddListener(UpgradeBullet);
                abilityNameText[buttonIndex].text = Bullet.instance.abilityName;
                abilityLevelText[buttonIndex].text = Bullet.instance.abilityLevel.ToString();
                abilityDescriptionText[buttonIndex].text = Bullet.instance.abilityUpDescription;
                abilityImage[buttonIndex].sprite = Bullet.instance.abilitySprite;
            }
            else if (abilityId == 1) 
            {
                buttons[buttonIndex].onClick.RemoveAllListeners();
                buttons[buttonIndex].onClick.AddListener(UpgradeLighting);
                abilityNameText[buttonIndex].text = Lightning.instance.abilityName;
                abilityLevelText[buttonIndex].text = Lightning.instance.abilityLevel.ToString();
                abilityDescriptionText[buttonIndex].text = Lightning.instance.abilityUpDescription;
                abilityImage[buttonIndex].sprite = Lightning.instance.abilitySprite;
            }
            else if (abilityId == 2)
            {
                buttons[buttonIndex].onClick.RemoveAllListeners();
                buttons[buttonIndex].onClick.AddListener(UpgradeSatellite);
                abilityNameText[buttonIndex].text = Satellite.instance.abilityName;
                abilityLevelText[buttonIndex].text = Satellite.instance.abilityLevel.ToString();
                abilityDescriptionText[buttonIndex].text = Satellite.instance.abilityUpDescription;
                abilityImage[buttonIndex].sprite = Satellite.instance.abilitySprite;
            }

        generatedIds.Add(abilityId);
        }
    }


// Abilities (Bullet, Lightning, Satellite)
//BULLET
    public class Bullet : MonoBehaviour
{
    public static Bullet instance;

    [SerializeField] GameObject bulletPrefab;

    public string abilityName = "Bullet";
    public string abilityUpDescription = "Default Projectile Shooting";
    public int abilityId = 0;
    public Sprite abilitySprite;

    private Enemy closestEnemy;
    private GameObject instantiatedBullet;

    public float damage = 15f;
    public float cooldown = .7f;
    public float castDistance = 18f;
    public float projectileSpeed = 4f;
    public int abilityLevel = 0;

    Rigidbody2D rb;
    Vector2 moveDirection;

    private void Awake()
    {
        instance = this;
    }

    void Start()
    {       
       StartCoroutine(CastBullet());
    }


//SATELLITE
    public class Satellite : MonoBehaviour
{
    public static Satellite instance;

    [SerializeField] GameObject satellitePrefab;
    [SerializeField] GameObject satellitesHolder;

    public string abilityName = "Satellite";
    public string abilityUpDescription = "Creates a sattelite flying around you";
    public int abilityId = 2;
    public Sprite abilitySprite;

    Vector3 center;

    public float damage = 20f;
    public float rotationSpeed = 100;
    public float distanceFromPlayer = 1;
    public int maxSatellites = 1;
    public int currentSatellites = 0;
    public int abilityLevel = 0;
    
    private void Awake()
    {
        instance = this;
    }

    private void Start()
    {
        satellitesHolder.SetActive(true);
        SpawnSatellites();
    }

//LIGHTNING
 public static Lightning instance;
    
    [SerializeField] GameObject lightningPrefab;

    public string abilityName = "Lightning";
    public string abilityUpDescription = "Creates a lightning strike";
    public int abilityId = 1;
    public Sprite abilitySprite;

    private GameObject instantiatedLightning;
    int instantiadetLightningsCount;

    public float castDistance = 7f;
    public float damage = 20f;
    public float cooldown = 1f;
    public int maxTargets = 2;
    public int abilityLevel = 0;


    private void Awake()
    {
        instance = this;
    }

    private void Start()
    {
        StartCoroutine(CastLightning());
    }

Answer 1

they can't derive from a base class. Yes, they share many of the same properties but they also share many unique properites. – xmaximix 1

Actually I think you can. This a pattern I use all the time for stuff like this and it works very well.

First, I suggest your abilities derive not from Monobehaviour, but from ScriptableObject. They won't recieve events, so you'll have to handle that some other way, (if at all -- do you actually ever need to instantiate an "ability"?*), but it does make for a nice neat way to create related entities that share many of the same properties and methods.

So -- base Ability class:

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;

public class Ability : ScriptableObject
{

    public enum Type
    {
        bullet,
        satellite,
        lightning
    }

    public Type type; // or use get; set; 

    public string abilityName = "Lightning";
    public string abilityUpDescription = "Creates a lightning strike";
    public int abilityId = 1;
    public int abilityLevel = 0;
    public Sprite abilitySprite;

    public virtual void Start()
    {
        Debug.Log("Ability started");
    }

    public virtual void CreateAbilityButton(Button button)
    {
        // If button gameobject are configured identically can simply get child components using Find

        button.onClick.RemoveAllListeners();

        button.transform.Find("Ability Name").GetComponent<Text>().text = abilityName;
        button.transform.Find("Ability Level").GetComponent<Text>().text = abilityLevel.ToString();
        button.transform.Find("Ability Description").GetComponent<Text>().text = abilityUpDescription;
        button.transform.Find("Ability Sprite").GetComponent<Image>().sprite = abilitySprite;
    }

}

And a derived Bullet class:

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;


[CreateAssetMenu (menuName = "Abilities/ Bullet")]
public class Bullet : Ability
{

    [SerializeField] GameObject bulletPrefab;

   // private Enemy closestEnemy;
    private GameObject instantiatedBullet;

    // extra properties for bullet
    public float damage = 15f;
    public float cooldown = .7f;
    public float castDistance = 18f;
    public float projectileSpeed = 4f;

    Rigidbody2D rb;
    Vector2 moveDirection;

    public override void CreateAbilityButton(Button button)
    {
        base.CreateAbilityButton(button);
        button.onClick.AddListener(() => { DoSomeGreatAction(); });

    }

    public void DoSomeGreatAction()
    {
        Debug.Log("Hello from Bullet");
    }


    public override void Start()
    {
       // do some initialization
    }
}

lightning...

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;

[CreateAssetMenu(menuName = "Abilities/ Lightning")]
public class Lightning : Ability
{

    public static Lightning instance;

    [SerializeField] GameObject lightningPrefab;
    private GameObject instantiatedLightning;
    int instantiadetLightningsCount;

    public float castDistance = 7f;
    public float damage = 20f;
    public float cooldown = 1f;
    public int maxTargets = 2;


    public override void CreateAbilityButton(Button button)
    {
        base.CreateAbilityButton(button);
        button.onClick.AddListener(() => { DoSomeCoolLightningButtonAction(); });

    }

    public void DoSomeCoolLightningButtonAction()
    {
        Debug.Log("Lightning is lit, yo");
    }


    public override void Start()
    {
       // do whatever you want on start
    }
}

Etc.

And now the good part -- code to create the buttons is really simplified:

using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;


public class AbilitiesUpgradePanel : MonoBehaviour
{

    [SerializeField] Button[] buttons;


    [SerializeField] public List<Ability> abilities; // a list containing all your ability prototype


    private void Start()
    {
        RandomAbilitesToLevelUp();
    }

    public void RandomAbilitesToLevelUp()
    {

        List<Ability> threeUniqueAbilties = new List<Ability>();
        int buttonCount = 0;
        while (threeUniqueAbilties.Count < buttons.Length) // magic number
        {
            Ability proposed = abilities[Random.Range(0, abilities.Count)];
            if (!threeUniqueAbilties.Contains(proposed))
            {
                threeUniqueAbilties.Add(proposed);
                proposed.CreateAbilityButton(buttons[buttonCount]);
                buttonCount++;
            }
        }
    }
}

Making these scriptable objects means you can easily make many variants of each ability type -- each with whatever custom variables and methods you need to support that type.

*if you do need to instantiate an "ability" for some reason, you can create a sister runtime class, for which the scriptable object acts as an immutable.