How to efficiently lay down 3D level architecture like tiles?
I am making a roll-a-ball game in Unity. I want to use a lot of simple architecture so players can make their own levels with a level editor.
The levels are mostly made up of platforms in space (like Super Monkey Ball). I want to come up with a few basic prefabs (e.g. 1x1 platform with a grass texture, 1x1 with ice texture, etc.) and connect them together to make larger platforms. I found a script which allows me to combine all different meshes into a single mesh. Problem is, when all those meshes are connected, I end up with a lot of extra vertices which slow down the game.
I did find some plugins which can simplify meshes, but none for free. All my basic platforms are just half-cubes though, which should make the procedure simpler. Can anyone with experience building levels like this tell me how they did it?