Advanced Unity Game Development

Jump start your Unity game development journey with a detailed review of a complete, professionally built game using Unity, C#, and Visual Studio. Gain invaluable experience with code structure, project structure, centralization of game state data, controlled initialization of script components, AI opponents, multiple input sources, player preferences, a full HUD and menu system, music and sound effects, level/track building, and more.

Author Victor Brusca walks you through the game’s code, scripts, and overall structure, all the while showing you how the code works within the Unity engine to define a complete, refined game. Starting with game specifications, the book covers base classes, basic interaction classes, advanced interaction classes, helper classes, input classes, and abstraction of raw input. Next, you'll dive into the menu system and see how a full, complete menu and HUD are coded and set up in the project through a detailed review of the code and working examples. Subsequently, you’ll gain insight on player and game state management, and the author will demystify the component-based structure of Unity games by demonstrating how to maintain order and centralization. Lastly, you will review pertinent build and project settings while learning techniques to profile and check the performance of your games, and tie it all together by building a new racetrack for the included game project.

On completing this book, you’ll have gained experience through the detailed review of a hover car racing game using C#, Unity Coding, Visual Studio, Unity C# Project Management, Unity Environment, Unity Project Management and more.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

* Understand Unity project design and implementation with regard to code base and scene hierarchy/game objects
* Learn to implement game mechanics connected to Unity scene game objects with working demonstrations
* Review professional topics, such as AI opponents, data persistence, menu systems, etc., and implement in the included project
* Create a complete game from ground up using prefab models and the code reviewed throughout the text

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

Readers with some coding experience, an understanding of classes in an OOP language, and solid experience using the Unity Editor. The code is reviewed and explained in detail on a class-by-class basis while also providing an overview of the overall structure of the code base, project, and scenes.

Victor Brusca is an experienced software developer specializing in building cross-platform applications and APIs. He regards himself as a self-starter with a keen eye for detail, an obsessive protection of systems/data, and a desire to write well-documented, well-encapsulated code. With over 14 years' software development experience, he has been involved in game and game engine projects on J2ME, T-Mobile SideKick, WebOS, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, and web platforms.

Chapter 1: Introduction and Getting Started

Sub-Topics:

Setting Up Your Environment

Playing Hover Racers/Getting Ready

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 2: Game Specifications

Sub-Topics:

Model: Car, Track, Sensor

Model: Car, Boost, Jump, Bounce Modifiers

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 3: Base Class

Sub-Topics:

Class Review TemplateClass Review: BaseScript

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: BaseScript

Class Fields: BaseScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Header: BaseScript

Support Method Details: BaseScript

MainMethod Details: BaseScript

Demonstration: BaseScriptChapter Conclusion

Chapter 4: Interaction Classes

Sub-Topics:

Class Review: BounceScript

Class Fields: BounceScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: BounceScript

Support Method Details: BounceScript

Demonstration: BounceScript

Class Review: Road Script

Class Fields: RoadScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: RoadScript

Support Method Details: RoadScript

Main Method Details: RoadScript

Demonstration: RoadScript

Class Review: WaypointCheck

Class Fields: WaypointCheck

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: WaypointCheck

Support Method Details: WaypointCheck

Main Method Details: WaypointCheck

Demonstration: WaypointCheck

Class Review: TrackHelpScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: TrackHelpScript

Support Method Details: TrackHelpScript

Main Method Details: TrackHelpScript

Demonstration: TrackHelpScript

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 5: Advanced Interaction ClassesSub-Topics:

Class Review: CollideScript

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: CollideScript

Class Fields: CollideScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: CollideScript

Support Method Details: CollideScript

Main Method Details: CollideScriptDemonstration: CollideScript

Class Review: CarSensorScript

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: CarSensorScript

Class Fields: CarSensorScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: CarSensorScript

Support Method Details: CarSensorScript

Main Method Details: CarSensorScript

Demonstration: CarSensorScript

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 6: Helper Classes

Sub-Topics:

Class Review: DestroyScript

Class Review: WaterResetScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: WaterResetScript

Support Method Details: WaterResetScript

Main Method Details: WaterResetScript

Demonstration: WaterResetScript

Class Review: EngineWhineScript

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: EngineWhineScript

Class Fields: EngineWhineScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: EngineWhineScript

Main Method Details: EngineWhineScript

Demonstration: EngineWhineScript

Class Review: LapTime

Class Review: LapTimeManager

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: LapTimeManager

Class Fields: LapTimeManagerPertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: LapTimeManager

Support Method Details: LapTimeManager

Main Method Details: LapTimeManager

Demonstration: LapTimeManager

Class Review: PopupMsgTracker

Demonstration: PopupMsgTracker

Class Review: UtilitiesStatic Class Members: Utilities

Demonstration: Utilities

Class Review: CameraFollowXz

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: CameraFollowXz

Class Fields: CameraFollowXz

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: CameraFollowXz

Main Method Details: CameraFollowXz

Demonstration: CameraFollowXz

Class Review: WaypointCompare

Demonstration: WaypointCompare

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 7: Input Classes

Sub-Topics:

Class Review: CharacterMotorMovement

Class Review: CharacterMotorJumping

Class Review: CharacterMotorSliding

Class Review: CharacterMotor

Class Fields: CharacterMotor

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: CharacterMotor

Support Method Details: CharacterMotor

Main Method Details: CharacterMotor

Demonstration: CharacterMotor

Class Review: FPSInputController

Class Fields: FPSInputController

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: FPSInputController

Main Methods Details: FPSInputController

Demonstration: FPSInputController

Class Review: MouseLookNew

Enumerations: MouseLookNew

Class Fields: MouseLookNew

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: MouseLookNew

Main Method Details: MouseLookNew

Demonstration: MouseLookNew

Class Review: GameState (Touch Input Snippet Only)

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 8: Menu System Classes

Sub-Topics:

Class Review: BasePromptScript

Class Fields: BasePromptScript

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: BasePromptScript

Support Method Details: BasePromptScriptMain Method Details: BasePromptScript

Demonstration: BasePromptScript

Class Review: GamePauseMenu

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: GamePauseMenu

Support Method Details: GamePauseMenu

Main Method Details: GamePauseMenu

Demonstration: GamePauseMenuClass Review: GameHelpMenu

Class Fields: GameHelpMenu

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: GameHelpMenu

Support Method Details: GameHelpMenu

Input Handler Support Method Details: GameHelpMenu

Main Method Details: GameHelpMenu

Demonstration:GameHelpMenuRemaining Menu Classes

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 9: Player and Game State Classes Part 1

Sub-Topics:

Class Review: PlayerInfo

Class Review: TrackScript

Class Review: PlayerState

Static/Constants/Read-Only Class Members: PlayerState

Class Fields: PlayerState

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Header: PlayerState

Support Method Details: PlayerState

Main Method Details: PlayerState

Demonstration: PlayerState

Chapter 10: Player and Game State Classes Part 2

Sub-Topics:

Class Review: GameState

Enumerations: GameState

Static/Constant/Read-Only Class Members: GameState

Class Fields: GameState

Pertinent Method Outline/Class Headers: GameStateSupport Method Details: GameState

Main Method Details: GameState

Demonstration: GameState

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 11: Making it Professional

Sub-Topics:

Build Settings

Generic Platform Settings

PC, Mac, and Linux Desktop Settings

Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Settings

iOS Settings

Android Settings

WebGL Settings

Input Mapping

UI / Menu System

Data Persistence

Memory Management

Sounds and Music

Static Objects

Tags and Layers

AI Opponents

Cameras

Project Settings

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 12: Adding a New Racetrack

Sub-Topics:

Track Environment and Cleanup Script

Hover Racers and the GameState Object

Track and Waypoint ObjectsJumps, Boosts, Menu Screens, and More

Chapter Conclusion

Chapter 13: Conclusion

Sub-Topics:

Accomplishments

Acknowledgements

Where You Go From Here

Saying Goodbye