Unity From Zero to Proficiency

Why this book can help you to get started with Game DevelopmentCreating your own game can be very intimidating at the start, and quite often, regardless of your experience with games, it is sometimes difficult to find the time and motivation to get over the first barriers and get started (e.g., lack of time or coding expertise).Often, these barriers seem higher than they actually are. You may be a teacher trying to introduce games in the classroom, but with no previous coding or game development experience; maybe you are a hobbyist who would love to create interactive environments based on the games that you enjoy playing; maybe you are a student getting started with game development but you just don't know where to start or what resources to use; or maybe you have tried online video tutorials but found them disjointed.You may be wondering: "How can I start to create my games if I have no experience of coding", or "this game engine is so complex that I just don't know where to get started".This is quite common, and you can easily overcome these issues with a step-by-step approach that gets you to progressively develop and use your skills.This is the approach that I have used successfully over the past years to take students from a wide range of backgrounds from no knowledge of coding or game development to good levels of proficiency in Unity.Of course, it takes some time and dedication; however, by following the techniques and suggestions described in this book, I can promise you that you will progress, regardless of your background, and become more comfortable with Unity.In this book, entitled From Zero to Proficiency (Foundations), which is the first book in the series (i.e., Foundations, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced), you will become comfortable with Unity's interface and core features, by creating a project (with no coding involved) that includes both an indoor and an outdoor environment.The content of each chapter is as follows:- Chapter 1 provides general information on game engines and explains why you should use such software, and how, by using Unity more specifically, you can create games seamlessly.- Chapter 2 takes you through the very first steps of installing Unity and becoming familiar with the interface. It will also show you the different shortcuts necessary to navigate through scenes and projects in Unity.- Chapter 3 gets you to create and export your firstscene by combining built-in objects. You will learn how to manage objects, apply textures and colors, and transform objects to create a simple scene.- Chapter 4 explains how you can create an indoor scene (i.e., a maze) with built-in shapes. You will also work with and manage lights in your scene to set the atmosphere and navigate through the scene with a First-Person Controller.- Chapter 5 explains how to create an island with sandy beaches and palm trees using Unity's built-in assets. You will also drive a car and pilot a plane.- Chapter 6 provides answers to frequently asked questions.- Chapter 7 summarizes the topics covered in this book and provides tips for your next steps.

Why this book can help you to get started with Game DevelopmentCreating your own game can be very intimidating at the start, and quite often, regardless of your experience with games, it is sometimes difficult to find the time and motivation to get over the first barriers and to get started. Often, these barriers seem higher than they actually are. Maybe you are a teacher trying to introduce games in your classroom or a parent trying to help your child with coding, but with no previous coding or game development experience; maybe you are a hobbyist who would love to create interactive environments based on your favorite games; maybe you are a student getting started with game development but you just don't know where to start or what resources to use; or maybe you have tried online video tutorials but found them disjointed. You may be wondering: "How can I start to create my games if I have no experience of coding", or "this game engine is so complex that I just don't know where to get started". This is quite common, and you can easily overcome these issues with a step-by-step approach that gets you to progressively develop and use your skills. This is the approach that I have used successfully over the past years to take students from no knowledge of coding or game development to good levels of proficiency in Unity and coding. Of course, it takes some time and dedication; however, by following the techniques and suggestions described in this book, I can promise you that you will progress, regardless of your background, and become more comfortable with Unity and coding. Content and structure of this book. In this book, the second book in the series, you will become comfortable with scripting in Unity by creating a simple survival game. The book includes: A list of the learning objectives at the start of each chapter. Step-by-step activities. Opportunities to engage in deeper learning and problem-solving skills through challenges at the end of each chapter. Quizzes to test your knowledge. Full project and code solutions (in C#) for each chapter. Cheat-sheets that you can download. The content of each chapter is as follows:Chapter 1 gives an introduction to C# and to core principles that will help you to get started with coding. Chapter 2 helps you to code your first script. You will learn how to code following best coding practices, debug your code, and also avoid common errors. Chapter 3 gets you to improve your scripting skills, enhance your game and add more interaction. You will learn to implement a scoring system, to detect collisions, and to load new levels. Chapter 4 explains how you can create and update a user interface for your game (e.g., displaying images and messages onscreen) using scripting. Chapter 5 explains how you can polish-up your game. You will add a splash-screen, a simple inventory system, sound effects, as well as a mini-map. Chapter 6 explains how to add Non-Player Characters (NPCs) with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Chapter 7 explains how to create a 2d word-guessing game. Chapter 8 explains how to create a 2D infinite runner. Chapter 9 provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (e.g., scripting, audio, AI, or user interface). If you want to start scripting with Unity, using a tried-and-tested method: download this book now

Create multiplayer games and procedural levels and boost game performances without the headaches. Without this book, most people spend too long trying to learn C# with Unity the hard way. This book is the only one that will get you to learn Unity fast without wasting so much time. It includes six chapters that painlessly teach you the necessary skills to extract data from files, create procedural levels, connect to a database, create a network game and optimize your code for a faster and more engaging game. What you will learn. After completing this book, you will be able to: Create levels procedurally with C#, save yourself time, and speed-up the level design process. Create levels randomly so that they are different every time the scene is loaded and add re-playability to your game. Read XML files using C# and use the data within to create levels. Create a space simulation using XML and C# and make your scene customizable. Connect to a database from Unity to save and retrieve the player's score. Create a simple network tank game with projectiles and explosions. Create a Simon game. Optimize your code and your project's structure. Content and structure of this book. The content of the books is as follows: In Chapter 1, you will create indoors and outdoors levels from your code. In Chapter 2, you will set-up your own database and write data from/to the database through Unity to save and update the player's score. In Chapter 3, you will create a simple (but fun) network tank game. In Chapter 4, you will design and implement your version of the Simon game, whereby the player has to memorize an increasing sequence of colors and sounds. In Chapter 5, you will learn advanced techniques to boost the performance of your game, and to make your code and project easily maintainable. Chapter 6 provides answers to frequently asked questions.

First Edition, Published in September 2019In this book, the fifth book in the series, you will become comfortable with creating your own RPG. If you were ever interested in creating systems for your game to speed-up your coding and create and maintain levels easily, then this book is for you. The book includes a list of the learning objectives at the start of each chapter, step-by-step activities, and quizzes to test your knowledge, and the content of each chapter is as follows: Chapter 1 gives an introduction to the RPG genre. You will learn the design principles that will help you to speed-up your development process. Chapter 2 helps you to create and animate your main 3D character, add a camera that will follow this character as well as a mini-map. You will also learn to use ProBuilder to create a village. Chapter 3 explains how to create a dialogue system from an XML file, and how to integrate it seamlessly into your game. Chapter 4 explains how you can create a simple inventory system and use it to collect, store, and use items that you will find in your quest. Chapter 5 shows you how to create a shop where the player can buy items that will then be added to the inventory. Chapter 6 explains how you can create different types of animated and intelligent NPCs that will challenge the player. Chapter 7 explains how you can create a quest system based on an XML file to manage the objectives for each of your levels. You will learn to read and use this file for your game. Chapter 8 explains how you can create an XP attribution system where the player can use the Xps gained in the previous level to increase his/her skills (e.g., accuracy, power, etc.) Chapter 9 shows you how you can create a maze randomly using a procedural method so that the maze is different every time the game is played. Chapter 10 combines the skills that you have learned so far to create a final level where the player needs to eliminate guards, collect gold, and also defeat the boss. After reading this book you will become a better game programmer, improve your knowledge of coding and unity, understand how to make a more complex product, learn some techniques to make an RPG game more modular, especially the quest system, use reusable code/assets that you can employ in your own game, create an inventory for your characters and much more!