Preface
Unity is one of the most popular game engines in the world, catering to amateur hobbyists, professional AAA studios, and cinematic production houses. While mainly considered a 3D tool, Unity has a host of dedicated features that support everything from 2D games and virtual reality to post-production and cross-platform publishing.
Developers love its drag-and-drop interface and built-in features, but it's the ability to write custom C# scripts for behaviors and game mechanics that really take Unity the extra mile. Learning to write C# code might not be a huge obstacle to a seasoned programmer with other languages under their belt, but it can be daunting for those of you who have no programming experience. That's where this book comes in, as I'll be taking you through the building blocks of programming and the C# language from scratch, all while building a fun and playable game in Unity.
Who this book is for
This book was written primarily for those of you who don't have any experience with the basic tenets of programming or the C# language. If you're a competent novice or seasoned programmer coming from another language, or even C#, but need to get hands-on with game development in Unity, then this is where you need to be.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Getting to Know Your Environment, gets you started with the Unity installation process, the main features of the editor, and finding documentation for both C# and Unity-specific topics. We'll also go through creating C# scripts from inside Unity and take a look at the Visual Studio application, where all our code editing will take place.
Chapter 2, The Building Blocks of Programming, begins by laying out the atomic-level concepts of programming, giving you the opportunity to relate variables, methods, and classes to situations in everyday life. From there, we move on to simple debugging techniques, proper formatting and commenting, and a look at how Unity turns C# scripts into components.
Chapter 3, Diving into Variables, Types, and Methods, takes a deeper look at variables. This includes C# data types, naming conventions, access modifiers, and everything else you'll need for the foundation of a program. We'll also go over how to write methods, incorporate parameters, and use return types effectively, ending with an overview of standard Unity methods belonging to the MonoBehavior class.
Chapter 4, Control Flow and Collection Types, introduces the common approaches to making decisions in code, consisting of the if...else and switch statements. From there, we move on to working with arrays, lists, and dictionaries, and incorporating iteration statements for looping through collection types. We end the chapter with a look at conditional looping statements and a special C# data type called enumerations.
Chapter 5, Working with Classes, Structs, and OOP, details our first contact with constructing and instantiating classes and structs. We'll go through the basic steps of creating constructors, adding variables and methods, and the fundamentals of subclassing and inheritance. The chapter will end with a comprehensive explanation of object-oriented programming and how it applies to C#.
Chapter 6, Getting Your Hands Dirty with Unity, marks our departure from C# syntax into the world of game design, level building, and Unity's featured tools. We'll start by going over the basics of a game design document and then move on to blocking out our level geometry and adding lighting and a simple particle system.
Chapter 7, Movement, Camera Controls, and Collisions, explains different approaches to moving a player object and setting up a third-person camera. We'll discuss incorporating Unity physics for more realistic locomotion effects, as well as how to work with collider components and capture interactions within a scene.
Chapter 8, Scripting Game Mechanics, introduces the concept of game mechanics and how to effectively implement them. We'll start by adding a simple jump action, create a shooting mechanic, and build on the previous chapters' code by adding logic to handle item collection.
Chapter 9, Basic AI and Enemy Behavior, starts with a brief overview of artificial intelligence in games and the concepts we will be applying to Hero Born. Topics covered in this chapter will include navigation in Unity, using the level geometry and a navigation mesh, smart agents, and automated enemy movement.
Chapter 10, Revisiting Types, Methods, and Classes, takes a more in-depth look at data types, intermediate method features, and additional behaviors that can be used for more complex classes. This chapter will give you a deeper understanding of the versatility and breadth of the C# language.
Chapter 11, Introducing Stacks, Queues, and HashSets, pes into intermediate collection types and their features. Topics covered in this chapter include using Stacks, Queues, and HashSets and the different development scenarios that each is uniquely suited for.
Chapter 12, Exploring Generics, Delegates, and Beyond, details intermediate features of the C# language and how to apply them in practical, real-world scenarios. We'll start with an overview of generic programming and progress to concepts such as delegation, events, and exception handling. The chapter will end with a brief discussion of common design patterns and set you up for further study.
Chapter 13, The Journey Continues, reviews the main topics you've learned throughout the book and leaves you with resources for further study in both C# and Unity. Included in these resources will be online reading material, certification information, and a host of my favorite video tutorial channels.
To get the most out of this book
The only thing you need to get the most from your upcoming C# and Unity adventure is a curious mind and a willingness to learn. Having said that, doing all the Time for Action, Heroes Trial, and Quiz sections is a must if you hope to cement the knowledge you're learning. Lastly, revisiting topics and entire chapters to refresh or solidify your understanding before moving on is always a good idea. There is no sense in building a house on an unstable foundation.
You'll also need a current version of Unity installed on your computer – 2020 or later is recommended. All code examples have been tested with Unity 2020.1 and should work with future versions without issues.
Before starting, check that your computer setup meets the Unity system requirements at https://docs.unity3d.com/2019.1/Documentation/Manual/system-requirements.html. These are for Unity 2019 but hold true for 2020 and above.
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accessModifier returnType UniqueName(parameterType parameterName) {
method body
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Warnings or important notes appear like this.
Tips and tricks appear like this.
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