Book Image

Hands-On Unity Game Development - Fourth Edition

By : Nicolas Alejandro Borromeo, Juan Gabriel Gomila Salas
Book Image

Hands-On Unity Game Development - Fourth Edition

By: Nicolas Alejandro Borromeo, Juan Gabriel Gomila Salas

Overview of this book

Take your game development skills to the next level. Dive into the world of game creation confidently by elevating your game development skills. This book is your definitive and practical guide to unlocking the full potential of Unity 2023. Every chapter is designed to empower you to customize your own game, not just replicate what's in the book. This new edition includes immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experiences and performance optimization with Data-Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS). From Scene Creation to seamless Assert Integration, dive into C# programming and Visual Scripting with step-by-step guidance for beginners. Implement dynamic gameplay elements, including movement, spawning, physics, and health systems. Delve deeper into the magic of Game AI through sensor-driven decision-making with Finite State Machines (FSMs). Elevate your visuals with materials, shaders, textures, and particle systems. Optimize performance with Profiler insights and debug your game for a polished final product. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, this book will equip you with the skills needed to bring your game ideas to life.
Table of Contents (28 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Section 1: Getting Started with Unity
6
Section 2: Mastering Programming and Gameplay Mechanics
10
Victory or Defeat: Win and Lose Conditions
12
Section 3: Elevating Visuals, Effects, and Audio
18
Section 4: Designing User Interfaces, Animations and Advanced Concepts
23
From Prototype to Executable: Generating and Debugging Your Game
26
Other Books You May Enjoy
27
Index

Introducing scripting

Through coding, we can extend Unity’s capabilities in several ways to achieve the exact behavior we need, all through a well-known programming language—C#. However, aside from C#, Unity also has visual scripting, a way to generate code through a node graph tool.

This means you can create scripts without writing code but by dragging nodes, boxes that represent actions that can be chained:

Figure 5.1: Example of a visual scripting graph

While essentially both ways can achieve the same result, we can use them for different things. Usually, the core logic of a game is written in C# due to it usually being huge and very performance-sensitive. However, sometimes using visual scripts instead allows non-programmer team members, like artists or game designers, to have more freedom to edit minor changes in the game, especially regarding balancing or visual effects.

Another example would be game designers prototyping ideas through visual...