Unity as a components-based system?

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/$$anonymous$$anual/UsingComponents.html

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/ScriptReference/index.Accessing_Other_Components.html

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/ScriptReference/Component.html

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/Components/Components.html

Sorry for the link-type reply, but I think the first link explains it better than I can.

@alucardj ... my question is not about using components but what it means for something to be a components-based system

The first line :

Components are the nuts & bolts of objects and behaviors in a game. They are the functional pieces of every GameObject.

And then on the link in the next sentence :

Every object in your game is a GameObject. However, GameObjects don't do anything on their own. They need special properties before they can become a character, an environment, or a special effect. But every one of these objects does so many different things. If every object is a GameObject, how do we differentiate an interactive power-up object from a static room? What makes these GameObjects different from each other? The answer to this question is that GameObjects are containers. They are empty boxes which can hold the different pieces that make up a lightmapped island or a physics-driven car. So to really understand GameObjects, you have to understand these pieces; they are called Components.

I think that defines components and their function in Unity.

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/$$anonymous$$anual/TheGameObject-ComponentRelationship.html

You could think of a script as a component when attached to a gameObject. How Unity accesses them , well that is a question for one of the pros, but the above links should be useful to future readers.