From Nodes to Code: Our Transition to Full C# in Unity

When we started building games at Legend Games, we weren’t writing thousands of lines of code or optimizing update loops—we were just trying to make something work.

Enter visual scripting—and specifically, Game Creator 1 and 2. These tools were a godsend. They let us prototype, build, and dream without being stopped by the walls of syntax or logic errors. They made it possible for a small team with big ideas to create.

But now? We’re fully in the world of C# development in Unity. It’s been a climb, but it’s also been one of the best decisions we’ve made as a studio.

This is the story of how and why we made that leap—and why we still think visual scripting is an amazing place to start.

🧩 The Value of Visual Scripting

Before anything else, let’s be clear: visual scripting deserves respect.

It teaches core logic without barriers.

From conditionals to loops to triggering animations—tools like Game Creator help you think like a developer, visually and intuitively.

It accelerates early creativity.

In the early days of Legend Games, we built entire systems with nodes: dialogue, puzzles, inventory, quests—you name it. We were building playable worlds, and fast.

It builds confidence.

There’s nothing quite like hitting play and watching your first quest unfold in-game. Visual scripting gave us a safe space to experiment and fail forward.

If you’re just starting out, or you’re more of a designer or narrative creator than a programmer, visual scripting is a perfectly valid and powerful way to build games.

But for us, eventually, we hit the ceiling.

🚀 Why We Moved to Full C# in Unity

As Oathbound grew more ambitious, so did the challenges.

We needed systems that could handle:

Dynamic quest chains with branching memory states
Inventory and dialogue that updated based on player decisions
Custom interactions across modular scenes
Clean saving/loading, optimized for multiple playthroughs

And honestly? We couldn’t stretch Game Creator that far without making it messier than we were comfortable with.

So we started writing code—and before long, we went all in.

Here’s why that move changed everything:

💡 Total Flexibility

There’s no substitute for writing systems exactly the way your game needs them to work. We can now design mechanics that feel unique to our world without trying to force-fit visual logic.

🔥 Better Performance and Control

As we scaled up, we needed efficiency. With C#, we can fine-tune processes, manage memory better, and eliminate overhead from layers of abstraction.

🧱 Modular, Reusable Systems

Now we write systems once and reuse them across scenes or even games. Our core controller, interactables, and dialogue backend are all custom—and totally adaptable.

🎯 Cleaner, Clearer Projects

Visual scripting can get tangled fast—especially as projects grow. With code, we have structured systems, version control clarity, and long-term maintainability.

✨ The Bridge Was the Teacher

Our visual scripting journey wasn’t a waste—it was the foundation.

In fact, we believe visual scripting made us better coders.

It taught us how to break down logic, think in systems, and understand how Unity ticks. By the time we started replacing visual logic with C#, we weren’t learning to program from scratch—we were just learning the syntax of what we already knew.

🎮 So Should You Make the Jump?

It depends.

If you’re:

Still learning how to build logic systems
A solo dev focusing on fast prototyping
More of a designer/writer than a coder

…then visual scripting might still be your best friend. Don’t let anyone gatekeep you out of game dev.

But if you’re hitting limits and you’re ready to scale your systems, customize interactions, or fine-tune performance, then learning C# is 100% worth it.

You don’t have to master everything at once. Start small. Rewrite one piece at a time. And know that there’s nothing more satisfying than making your game truly yours.

🛡️ Final Thoughts from Legend Games

We’re proud to be building Oathbound entirely in C# now, and we owe that confidence to the early days we spent wiring up triggers and actions in Game Creator.

You don’t have to choose sides. You just have to keep moving forward.
Use the tools. Learn the systems. Finish your game.

Whether it’s a node or a function, you’re not just building mechanics—you’re building legends.

– Legend Games