Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

By : Terry Norton

Buy this Book

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

By: Terry Norton

Buy this Book

Overview of this book

For the absolute beginner to any concept of programming, writing a script can appear to be an impossible hurdle to overcome. The truth is, there are only three simple concepts to understand: 1) having some type of information; 2) using the information; and 3) communicating the information. Each of these concepts is very simple and extremely important. These three concepts are combined to access the feature set provided by Unity. "Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide" assumes that you know nothing about programming concepts. First you will learn the absolute basics of programming using everyday examples that you already know. As you progress through the book, you will find that C# is not a foreign language after all, because you already know the words. With a few keywords and using substitution, before you know it, you'll be thinking in code. The book starts by explaining in simple terms the three concepts you need for writing C# code and scripts: 1) variables to hold information; 2) methods (functions) to use the information; and 3) Dot Syntax to communicate the information where it's needed. The book builds on these concepts to open up the world of C# coding and Unity scripting. You will use this new power to access the features provided in Unity's Scripting Reference. The first half of this book is devoted to the code writing beginner. The concepts of variables, methods, Dot Syntax, and decision processing are fully explained. Since C# is an actual programming language, we take advantage of this to develop a State Machine to help control and organize each phase of a Unity project. Once the basic programming concepts are established and we have some State Machine organization, the features and power of Unity are accessed using the Scripting Reference. If you're looking to learn C# for Unity then this is the book that offers everything you need and more - so discover what C# offers today and see your work come to life as complete games!

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

Preface

Free Chapter

Discovering Your Hidden Scripting Skills

Prerequisite knowledge for using this book

Dealing with scriptphobia

Choosing to use C# instead of UnityScript

Maneuvering around Unity's documentation

Time for action – opening the Reference Manual documentation for the transform Component

Time for action – opening the scripting reference documentation for the transform component

Working with C# script files

Time for action – create a C# script file

Time for action – opening LearningScript in MonoDevelop

Summary

Introducing the Building Blocks for Unity Scripts

Using the term method instead of function

Understanding what a variable does in a script

Time for action – creating a variable and seeing how it works

Time for action – changing the number 9 to a different number

Using a method in a script

Time for action – learning how a method works

Introducing the class

By using a little Unity magic, a script becomes a Component

Components communicating using the Dot Syntax

Summary

Getting into the Details of Variables

Writing C# statements properly

Understanding Component properties in Unity's Inspector

Displaying public variables in the Inspector panel

Time for action – making a variable private

Naming your variables properly

Declaring a variable and its type

Time for action – assigning values while declaring the variable

Summary

Getting into the Details of Methods

Ending a method definition using curly braces

Using methods in a script

Naming methods properly

Defining a method properly

Time for action – adding code between the parentheses

Calling a method

Returning a value from a method

Time for action – returning a value from AddTwoNumbers()

Using Unity's Update and Start methods

Summary

Making Decisions in Code

Testing conditions with an if statement

Time for action – create a couple of if statements

Time for action – create if statements with more than one condition to check

Using an if-else statement to execute alternate code

Time for action – add "else" to the if statement

Making decisions based on user input

Storing data in an array, a List, or a Dictionary

Time for action – create a List of pony names

Time for action – create a dictionary of pony names and keys

Time for action – adding ponies using a Collection Initializer

Looping though lists to make decisions

Time for action – using foreach loops to retrieve data

Time for action – selecting a pony from a List using a for loop

Time for action – finding data and breakout of the while loop

Summary

Using Dot Syntax for Object Communication

Using Dot Syntax is like addressing a letter

Working with objects is a class act

Using Dot Syntax in a script

Time for action – accessing a variable in the current Component

Time for action – communicating with another Component on the Main Camera

Time for action – creating two GameObjects and a new script

Accessing GameObjects using drag-and-drop versus writing code

Time for action – trying drag-and-drop to assign a GameObject

Summary

Creating the Gameplay is Just a Part of the Game

Applying your new coding skills to a State Machine

Understanding the concepts of a State Machine

Following the State Machine logic flow

Creating Components objects and C# objects

Time for action – creating a script and a class

Time for action – instantiating the BeginState class

Introducing the C# interface

Time for action – implementing an interface

Summary

Developing the State Machine

Creating four State classes

Time for action – modifying BeginState and add three more States

Setting up the StateManager controller

Time for action – modify StateManager

Time for action – modifying PlayState to add another State

Time for action – adding OnGUI to StateManager

Changing the active State and controlling the Scene

Time for action – adding GameObjects and a button to the Scene

Time for action – adding code to pause the game Scene

Time for action – creating a timer in BeginState

Changing Scenes

Time for action – setting up another Scene

Time for action – adding the Awake method to StateManager

Time for action – adding the code to change the Scenes

Summary

Start Building a Game and Get the Basic Structure Running

Easing into Unity's scripting documentation

Setup the State Machine and add a Player GameObject

Time for action – setting up nine States and three Scenes

Time for action - adding a Player GameObject

Time for action – creating a GameData script

Controlling the Player GameObject

Time for action – rotating Player in SetupState

Time for action – changing the color using GUI buttons

Time for action – setting the Lives for Player

Summary

Moving Around, Collisions, and Keeping Score

Visualizing the completed game

Switching to the first play State and playable scene

Adding cameras for different viewing options

Time for action – setting up two additional cameras in the scene

Time for actioning – attach the LookAtPlayer camera script

Time for action – attaching the FollowingPlayer camera script

Moving the Player using Rigidbody physics

Time for action – adding a Rigidbody to the Player

Keeping score during the game

Time for action – creating a good and bad prefab

Shooting projectiles at the orbs

Time for action – creating the EnergyPulse prefab

Summary

Summarizing Your New Coding Skills

Coding a Unity Project

Scratching the surface of C# programming

Controlling the game with a State Machine

Learning more after this book

Summary

Initial State Machine files

BeginState

SetupState

PlayStateScene1_1: (1 of 2 available States in Scene1)

PlayStateScene1_2: (2 of 2 available States in Scene1)

Completed code files for Chapters 9 and 10

BeginState

SetupState

PlayStateScene1_1: (1 of 2 available States in Scene1)

PlayStateScene1_2: (2 of 2 available States in Scene1)

Pop Quiz Answers

Chapter 1, Discovering Your Hidden Scripting Skills

Chapter 2, Introducing the Building Blocks for Unity Scripts

Chapter 3, Getting into the Details of Variables

Chapter 4, Getting into the Details of Methods

Chapter 5, Making Decisions in Code

Chapter 6, Using Dot Syntax for Object Communication

Chapter 7, Creating the Gameplay is Just a Part of the Game

Chapter 8, Developing the State Machine

Chapter 9, Start Building a Game and Get the Basic Structure Running

Chapter 10, Moving Around, Collisions, and Keeping Score

Index

Customer Reviews

5 star

4 star

3 star

2 star

1 star

Choosing to use C# instead of UnityScript

So why choose C# to create this code? This maybe after-the-fact information for you if you've already acquired this book and chosen to use C#, but these are valuable points to know anyway:

Reason 1 for choosing C# – vast amount of documentation on the Internet

Have a look at the following bullet list, it will help you understand the reason for choosing C#:

C# is a well known and a heavily used programming language developed by Microsoft for creating Windows application and web-based applications. If you ever need to know anything about C#, simply do a search on the Internet.
UnityScript is just a scripting language designed specifically for Unity. It's similar to JavaScript, yet it isn't. You may be able to search for JavaScript solutions on the web, but the code may or may not work within the confines of Unity without modification, if at all.
Why start off learning a limited scripting language, specific only to Unity, when you can use C#, a true programming language, and find information everywhere?
Who knows, once you see how easy C# is, maybe you might decide to develop for Windows or the Web some day. You'll already have the basics of C#.
Once you learn C#, you'll pretty much know UnityScript, too.

Reason 2 for choosing C# – flexibility to use Unity scripts and regular C# code files

Any C# files you have in your Unity Project folder, that are not Unity scripts, are accessible without the need of attach them to GameObjects.
The State Machine project we will create for this book makes use of C# code files that are not attached to any GameObject.
I'm not saying you can't create a State Machine by using UnityScript. It's just so much easier with C#. Every UnityScript file has to be attached to a GameObject to work and be accessible to other scripts. C# overcomes this necessity.

Reason 3 for choosing C# – coding rules are specific

C# is known as a strictly-typed language. What does this means to you?
As you write code, Unity will catch coding errors immediately. Learning a subject is always easier when the rules are specific, and not some fuzzy "you can if you want to" kind of logic.
UnityScript is not a strictly-typed language. You have the potential to write code that is not valid, but Unity won't catch the errors until you press Play.
Finding mistakes as you write the code is so much easier than having to deal with them when a user has found them when they're playing the game.
Please be aware, it is easy to force UnityScript to be strictly-typed, but if you're going to do that, then you may as well be using C# anyway, which brings us back to Reason 1.

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

By : Terry Norton

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

By: Terry Norton

Overview of this book

Related Content you might be interested in

Current Title:

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide

Choosing to use C# instead of UnityScript

Reason 1 for choosing C# – vast amount of documentation on the Internet

Reason 2 for choosing C# – flexibility to use Unity scripts and regular C# code files

Reason 3 for choosing C# – coding rules are specific