A Comparative Performance Analysis of OOP and ECS Architectues in a Custom Unity-Based FPS

Abstract

Game development, particularly for real-time 3D games, requires careful consideration of optimization strategies and the selection of an appropriate software architecture. In this study, the comparative effectiveness of two dominant programming paradigms within the Unity game engine—Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and the Entity-Component-System (ECS) architecture—is examined. To achieve this, two structurally identical iterations of a wave-based first-person shooter game titled Until The Last Wave, developed by the authors, were implemented. The OOP version was developed using a class-based design through Unity’s MonoBehaviour system, whereas the ECS version was implemented using Unity DOTS, which follows a data-oriented programming approach. Both implementations were designed to include identical gameplay mechanics, including enemy waves, weapon systems, and randomly spawned collectible items. The study aims to evaluate the impact of architectural choices on runtime performance by monitoring metrics such as frame rate, memory usage, and system load under increasing object density. The experimental setup provides a controlled environment for analyzing how architectural decisions influence scalability and efficiency in contemporary game development, and the performance of the developed game implementations is systematically evaluated.

Keywords

• Game Optimization
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• Entity-Component-System (ECS)
• Performance Analysis
• Unity Engine

Unity İle Sıfırdan Geliştirilşmiş Bir FPS Oyununda OOP ve ECS Mimarilerinin Karşılaştırmalı Performans Analizi

Abstract

Oyun geliştiriminde, özellikle gerçek zamanlı 3D oyunlar için optimizasyon ve uygun yazılım mimarisinin seçimi önemli bir faktördür. Bu çalışmada Unity oyun motoru içinde iki baskın programlama paradigmasının, Nesne Yönelimli Programlama (Object-Oriented Programming, OOP) ve Varlık-Bileşen-Sistem (Entity-Component-System, ECS) karşılaştırmalı etkinliği incelenmiştir. Bunun için, geliştirmiş olduğumuz "Until The Last Wave" adlı, dalga tabanlı bir birinci şahıs nişancı oyununun yapısal olarak özdeş iki yinelemesi geliştirilmiştir. OOP sürümü, sınıf tabanlı bir tasarımla Unity'nin MonoBehaviour sistemi kullanılarak ECS sürümü ise veri odaklı programlama için Unity DOTS kullanılarak geliştirilmiştir. Her iki uygulama da düşman dalgaları, silah sistemleri ve rastgele toplanabilir eşyalar dahil olmak üzere aynı oyun mekaniklerini içerecek şekilde geliştirilmiştir. Çalışma, artan nesne yoğunluğu altında kare hızı, bellek kullanımı ve sistem yükü gibi metrikleri izleyerek mimari etkinin çalışma zamanı performansı üzerindeki etkisini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Deneysel düzenek, mimari seçimlerin çağdaş oyun geliştirmede ölçeklenebilirliği ve verimliliği nasıl etkilediğini analiz etmek için kontrollü bir ortam sağlayarak geliştirilen oyunların performansları değerlendirilmiştir.

Keywords

• Oyun Optimizasyonu
• Nesne Yönelimli Programlama (Object Oriented Programming - OOP)
• Entity-Component-System (ECS)
• Performans Analizi
• Unity Engine

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