Books in Unity From Zero to Proficiency series

Get Started with Game Programming FastGetting started with Unity can be tedious if the resource that you are using doesn't have an approach tailored to your needs. In the past, I have seen how a simple yet detailed approach to teaching Unity can make a real difference to a student's ability to create games confidently and successfully and I have made sure that everything has been included in this book to make your journey enjoyable and to guarantee your success in the creation of video games with Unity. How this book is different With this book, you will not only learn about Unity but you will also enjoy the journey without the frustration. This book includes six chapters that painlessly guide you through the necessary skills to master Unity's interface, use its core features, and create and navigate through realistic 2D and 3D environments. It assumes no prior knowledge on your part and ensures that you have all the information and explanations that you need every step of the way. All the information is introduced progressively. This book is for parents or teachers who would like to introduce their children or students to game development; it is also for hobbyist just getting started with Unity, or aspiring indie game developers. What this book offers This book includes all the features that will guarantee your success as an aspiring game developer: > A book truly designed for beginnersThis book also assumes that you can't be expected to learn everything at once; this is why you will build all your skills incrementally. In addition, if you are more of a visual learner, you will gain access to a FREE video training that covers all the topics and features introduced in the book so that you can see how it is done. > You will be kept motivated throughout the bookThis book ensures that you stay motivated by giving you the right amount of information and challenge in each chapter; we all know that it's hard to keep motivated when learning a new skill, so this book always contextualizes the knowledge with an example (so that you feel it's relevant), and also makes sure that you get to challenge yourself, if you need to, with optional challenges present at the end of each chapter. > You will never feel lost or overwhelmedYou will have the opportunity to learn and use Unity at your own pace and to become comfortable with its interface. This is because every single new concept introduced will be explained. Every step is explained in great details so that you never feel lost. All the concepts are introduced progressively so that you don't feel overwhelmed. > You will learn by doingWith this book, you will build your own 2D and 3D environments and you will spend more time creating than reading, to ensure that you can apply the concepts covered in each section. All chapters include step-by-step instructions with examples that you can use straight-away. What you will learn After completing this book, you will be able to: Feel comfortable with Unity's core features. Apply transformations (e.g., rotate, or scale). Create a 3D Maze with lights, walls, and textures. Create an island with trees, sandy beaches, mountains, and water. Use cameras and vehicles. Create a 2D platform game (with no scripting). Export your games to the web. Still not sure? Scroll to the top of this page and click on the book's cover to "look inside" this book to see the topics covered, learn more about Patrick's background and determine if reading "Unity from Zero to Proficiency (Foundations)" will be a worthwhile investment.If you want to get started with Unity today, then buy this book now

Content and structure of this bookIn this book, the second book in the series, you will become comfortable with C# programming and Unity by creating three games: one 3D survival game, a word-guessing game, and an infinite Runner. 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 (i.e., shortcuts, best practice, etc.) 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. You will learn key programming concepts such as variables, variable types, or functions.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). You will configure each NPC and get them to either follow the player or walk along a simple path of your choice, and also detect collision between the NPCs and the player.Chapter 7 explains how to create a word-guessing using Unity's 2D features. You will use arrays, and read files to create a list from which a random word will be picked and that the user will have to guess. You will also learn to detect and process the user's key entries.Chapter 8 will show you how to create an entertaining 2D infinite runner where the player can control a character that needs to jump over randomly generated obstacles.Chapter 9 provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (e.g., scripting, audio, AI, or user interface). If you want to start coding in C# and craete your own game with Unity using a tried-and-tested method: download this book now

***New Edition, for Unity 2017*** Why this book can help you to Create Multi-player Games, Procedural Levels and Boost the Performance of your Games Creating 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. Maybe you are a teacher or a parent trying to motivate your student or child to get into coding, but with no previous programming or game development experience; maybe you are a hobbyist who would love to create simple games and share them with your friends; maybe you are a student who would like to learn more about C# or game development, but you just don't know where to start or what resources to use; 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 fourth book in the series, you will learn to create a simple network game, generate levels procedurally, and optimize the performance of your game. This book can be read as a standalone (you don't need to have read the previous books in the series, although it may help) and focuses on four aspects: procedural level creation, database access, multi-player networked games, and code and project optimization (i.e., memory and speed).The main idea behind this book is to save you some headaches when you need to maintain your code or expand your game, and to help you to find the time to actually code your game, by explaining simple and effective ways and best coding and organizational practices that you can use easily to create more code (and games) in less time with less stress and more fun. The content of each chapter is as follows: Chapter 1 explains how you can create procedural levels, using arrays, text files, XML files, or images, and avoid spending a lot of time creating your scene manually. Chapter 2 explains how you can read and write data from/to a database through Unity to save and update user preferences. Chapter 3 explains how to create a simple (but fun) network tank game that can be played by two remote players. Chapter 4 explains advanced techniques to boost the performance of your game, and to make your code and project easily maintainable. Chapter 5 provides answers to frequently-asked questions. The book includes: Step-by-step activities. Challenges at the end of each chapter. Quizzes. Code solutions for each chapter. Cheat-sheets (i.e., shortcuts, best practice, etc.) that you can download. After buying the book, you also get access to the author, if you have any question, and to plenty of free add-ons worth over $100 exclusively made available to you (e.g., member area with weekly updates, over 25 tutorials (video and text), cheat sheets, discounted paperback copies, and much more!) If you want to start creating multi-player games and procedural levels using a tried-and-tested method: download this book now

Third Edition updated for Unity 2019, Published in October 2019In this book, the third book in the series, you will become comfortable with C# programming and Unity by creating three games: a 3D First-Person Shooter, a 2D space shooter, a card matching game, and a 2D puzzle game.The book includes step-by-step activities, as well as quizzes and challenges at the end of each chapter. The content of each chapter is as follows:Chapter 1 provides an introduction to C# and explains key programming concepts such as variables, variable types, polymorphism, constructors, or methods as well as best practices for C# programming within Unity.Chapter 2 helps you to code your first script in C#. It explains common coding mistakes and errors in Unity, and how to avoid them easily.Chapter 3 gets you to use C# to instantiate, use and control Rigidbody objects from your script as well as explosions to create intelligent robots that track and shoot projectiles at the player.Chapter 4 explains how to create and manage both weapons (e.g., a gun and a grenade launcher) and ammunitions.Chapter 5 explains how to use Mecanim and NavMesh navigation to control an animated character that detects, follows, or attacks the player.Chapter 6 makes it possible to combine the skills that you have acquired in the previous chapters to create a fully functional level. You will also learn how to generate a maze (or game level) dynamically from your code.Chapter 7 explains how to create a simple 2D scrolling shooter where the player will pilot a space ship, avoid asteroids, and destroy enemies to win.Chapter 8 shows you how to add explosions and a scrolling background to your game.Chapter 9 gets you to add intelligent enemies to your game.Chapter 10 explains how you can include a shield to the player, along with audio, more intelligent enemies, and a scoring system.Chapter 11 explains how you can create a card-guessing game.Chapter 12 explains how you can create a 2D puzzle game.Chapter 13 summarizes the topics covered in the book and provides you with more information on the next steps.If you want to create FPS games,2D Shooters, Card Games and Puzzles with Unity using a tried-and-tested method: buy this book now!

Third Edition updated for Unity 2019, Published in October 2019In this book, the fourth book in the series, you will learn to create a simple network game, generate levels procedurally, and optimize the performance of your game. This book can be read as a standalone (you don't need to have read the previous books in the series, although it may help) and focuses on four aspects: procedural level creation, database access, multi-player networked games, and code and project optimization (i.e., memory and speed). The main idea behind this book is to save you some headaches when you need to maintain your code or expand your game, and to help you to find the time to actually code your game, by explaining simple and effective ways and best coding and organizational practices that you can use easily to create more code (and games) in less time with less stress and more fun.The content of each chapter is as follows:Chapter 1 explains how you can create procedural levels, using arrays, text files, XML files, or images, and avoid spending a lot of time creating your scene manually. You will also learn how to generate a random maze procedurally as well as an outdoor environment in the same style as Minecraft Chapter 2 explains how you can read and write data from/to a database through Unity to save and update user preferences.Chapter 3 explains how to create a simple (but fun) network tank game that can be played by two remote players.Chapter 4 shows you how to create a 2D game where the player has to memorize and to play an increasing sequence of colors and sounds, in a similar way as the Simon game that was popular in the 80s.Chapter 5 explains 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.

Why this book can help you to get started with Game Development Creating 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 third book in the series, you will become comfortable with programming in C# by creating a simple survival game in Unity. 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. Code solutions (in C#) for each chapter. Cheat-sheets (i.e., shortcuts, best practice, etc.) that you can download. The content of each chapter is as follows: Chapter 1 provides an introduction to C# and explains key programming concepts such as variables, variable types, polymorphism, constructors, or methods as well as best practices for C# programming within Unity. Chapter 2 helps you to code your first script in C#. It explains common coding mistakes and errors in Unity, and how to avoid them easily. Chapter 3 gets you to use C# to instantiate, use and control Rigidbody objects from your script as well as explosions. Chapter 4 explains how to create a simple weapon management system. You will create weapons (e.g., a gun and a grenade launcher), manage the collection of ammunition, and also implement a user interface to keep track of ammunition. Chapter 5 explains how to use Mecanim and NavMesh navigation to control an animated NPC that detects, follows, or shoot at the player. Chapter 6 makes it possible to combine the skills that you have acquired in the previous chapters to create a fully functional level. You will also learn how to generate a maze (or game level) dynamically from your code. Chapter 7 provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to FSM, NavMesh, Rigiddbody components, or Artificial Intelligence. It also provides links to additional exclusive video tutorials that can help you with some of your questions. Chapter 8 summarizes the topics covered in the book and provides you with more information on the next steps

In this book, the fourth book in the series, you will learn to create a simple network game, generate levels procedurally, and optimize the performance of your game. This book can be read as a standalone (you don't need to have read the previous books in the series, although it may help) and focuses on four aspects: procedural level creation, database access, multi-player networked games, and code and project optimization (i.e., memory and speed).The main idea behind this book is to save you some headaches when you need to maintain your code or expand your game, and to help you to find the time to actually code your game, by explaining simple and effective ways and best coding and organizational practices that you can use easily to create more code (and games) in less time with less stress and more fun. The content of each chapter is as follows: Chapter 1 explains how you can create procedural levels, using arrays, text files, XML files, or images, and avoid spending a lot of time creating your scene manually. Chapter 2 explains how you can read and write data from/to a database through Unity to save and update user preferences. Chapter 3 explains how to create a simple (but fun) network tank game that can be played by two remote players. Chapter 4 explains advanced techniques to boost the performance of your game, and to make your code and project easily maintainable. Chapter 5 provides answers to frequently-asked questions. The book includes: Step-by-step activities. Challenges at the end of each chapter. Quizzes. Code solutions for each chapter. Cheat-sheets (i.e., shortcuts, best practice, etc.) that you can download.