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- Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
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!
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Seitenzahl: 307
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
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Table of Contents
Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide
Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide
Copyright © 2013 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: September 2013
Production Reference: 1190913
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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ISBN 978-1-84969-658-6
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Cover Image by Artie Ng (<[email protected]>)
Credits
Author
Terry Norton
Reviewers
Gaurav Garg
Kristian Hedeholm
Acquisition Editor
James Jones
Lead Technical Editor
Dayan Hyames
Technical Editors
Ruchita Bhansali
Dylan Fernandes
Dipika Gaonkar
Monica John
Proshonjit Mitra
Project Coordinator
Apeksha Chitnis
Proofreader
Ameesha Green
Indexers
Rekha Nair
Tejal Soni
Graphics
Ronak Dhruv
Production Coordinator
Aditi Gajjar
Cover Work
Aditi Gajjar
About the Author
Terry Norton was born and raised in California. During the Vietnam era, he served six and half years in the US Air Force. While in the military, he was trained in electronics for electronic counter-measures. Upon discharge, he earned his Electrical Engineering degree, and later working for Joslyn Defense Systems in Vermont, designing and developing test equipment for the US Navy.
When personal computers came on the scene, he took an interest in building computers, but never quite delved deep into the programming side. It wasn't until 2004 that programming peaked his interest. He began writing articles for OS/2 Magazine to teach C++ programming. Unfortunately, damaging his left hand in a snowblower accident in 2005 ended his writing for a couple years.
IBM abandoned OS/2, so Terry bought his first Apple computer in early 2006. He tried a few times to learn Objective-C, but work and family always seemed to sidetrack his efforts. It wasn't until about 2010 when he discovered Unity and the need to write scripts, that he finally made some progress into the programming world. He began writing an online tutorial for UnityScript titled UnityScript for Noobs. It was a basic tutorial for beginners made available just before Unite 2011.
Since then, Terry has been learning C# for writing scripts for Unity. Packt Publishing noticed UnityScript for Noobs and asked if he would be interested in writing a book about learning UnityScript. He declined. He felt that C# was a better language, and his heart just wasn't into UnityScript any longer. Two weeks later, Packt offered him the opportunity to write a book about learning C# for Unity. He jumped on it.
I want to thank my daughter Emily Norton, the artist in the family, for helping me with the graphic's design.
About the Reviewers
Gaurav Garg was born in Delhi. He is a Computer Applications graduate from Indira Gandhi University and has passed his higher secondary from the CBSE Board. During his under- graduate studies, he started his career as an indie game programmer, but didn't gain success because of a lack of or say, no experience. After this, he learnt that passion is not the only thing for geting success; experience matters a lot. Then he joined Isis Design Service as a game programmer, where he published a few iOS titles and one web-based game. He worked there for a year and a half. Then, he moved to Jump Games, Pune, and worked on a few good game titles such as Realsteal and Dancing with the Stars. Now, he works for Mr Manvender Shukul in Lakshya Digital Pvt ltd. and has been there since the past year.
He hasn't reviewed a book before, but one of his articles was published in Game Coder Magazine. The article was on Unity3D. You can download the article from his personal website, http://gauravgarg.com/.
I would like to thanks my parents who taught me the value of hard work and an education.
I need to thanks my friends, particularly Manjith and Vibhash, who always took the time to listen, even when I was just complaining. They always are my best supporters and advisors.
Finally, I would like to thank Harshit who gives me this opportunity.
Kristian Hedeholm studied Computer Science at Aarhus University and now works as a game programmer at Serious Games Interactive in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Kristian joined the game industry back in 2009, he has worked on a couple of released casual games. In addition to this, he is also the chairman of an association called Young Game Developers, which aims to spread information about game development among children and teenagers. In the future, Kristian will use his "computer mind" to develop artificial intelligence and dynamic difficulty adjustment systems for computer games.
When Kristian isn't developing games, teaching others to develop games, or playing games himself, he thinks about them a lot!
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Preface
Unity has become one of the most popular game engines for developers, from the amateur hobbyist to the professional working in a large studio. Unity used to be considered a 3D tool, but with the release of Unity 4.3, it now has dedicated 2D tools. This will expand Unity's use even more.
Developers love its object-oriented drag-and-drop user interface which makes creating a game or interactive product so easy. Despite the visual ease of working in Unity, there is a need to understand some basic programming to be able to write scripts for GameObjects. For game developers that have any programming knowledge, learning how to write scripts is quite easy. For the the artist coming to Unity, creating the visual aspects of a game is a breeze, but writing scripts may appear to be a giant roadblock.
This book is for those with no concept of programming. I introduce the building blocks, that is, basic concepts of programming using everyday examples you are familiar with. Also, my approach to teaching is not what you will find in the typical programming book. In the end, you will learn the basics of C#, but I will spoon-feed you the details as they are needed.
I will take you through the steps needed to create a simple game, with the focus not being the game itself but on how the many separate sections of code come together to make a working game. I will also introduce the concept of a State Machine to organize code into simple, game controlling blocks. At the end, you will be saying "Wow! I can't believe how easy that was!"
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Discovering Your Hidden Scripting Skills, explains that the very first thing you need to do is overcome your perceived fear of writing scripts. You'll see that writing scripts is very similar to many of your daily routines. We also have a first look at Unity's scripting documentation. Finally, we see how to create a C# script file in Unity.
Chapter 2, Introducing the Building Blocks for Unity Scripts, explains that there are two primary building blocks for writing code, variables and methods. This chapter introduces the concepts of a variable and a method. With these two building blocks, we look into the concept of a "class," a container of variables and methods used to create Unity Components. Finally, communication between GameObjects is discussed by introducing Dot Syntax.
Chapter 3, Getting into the Details of Variables, explains using variables in detail. We see how they're used for storing data, and how the magic works to turn variables into Component properties which appear in the Unity Inspector panel.
Chapter 4, Getting into the Details of Methods, explains how methods perform the actions that take place on GameObjects. We see how to create and use methods in detail. We also look into two of Unity's most often used methods, the Start() method and the Update() method.
Chapter 5, Making Decisions in Code, explains that during gameplay, decisions have to be made about many things, just like you do in your daily life. We look at many of the ways choices are made and some of the common reasons for which decisions are required.
Chapter 6, Using Dot Syntax for Object Communication, shows us what Dot Syntax actually is, a simple address format to retrieve information or send information to other Components.
Chapter 7, Creating the Gameplay is Just a Part of the Game, shows that developing the gameplay is fun, but there are other parts needed to make a fully functional game. We look into some of the possible parts needed and how to organize all the parts by introducing the use of a State Machine.
Chapter 8, Developing the State Machine, creates a simple State Machine to show how it works, and see the simplicity it brings for controlling a game. We show how to change Scenes for a multi-level game and how to deal with GameObjects when changing to another scene.
Chapter 9, Start Building a Game and Get the Basic Structure Running, teaches us how to access and use Unity's Scripting Reference and the Reference Manual for the features we want. Then we begin creating a multi-level game using the state machine and three scenes. A Player GameObject is added and we learn how to control it.
Chapter 10, Moving Around, Collisions, and Keeping Score, shows how to move the Player around using Unity's physics system, and have cameras follow the Player's movements. We develop a GUI scoring system, start shooting projectiles at enemy objects, and see how to win or lose the game. Ultimately, we see how all the separate pieces of code come together and work together.
Chapter 11, Summarizing Your New Coding Skills, reviews the main points you learned about programming with C# and working with objects. I tell you about some of the C# and Unity features you may want to learn now that you understand the basics of C#. I will highlight the benefits of incorporating a state machine into your Unity projects. Finally, I present my favorite sources for further learning.
Appendix A, Initial State machine files, shows the initial code for the classes needed for changing States in our game. These State Machine classes are the starting point for organizing and adding game code.
Appendix B, Completed code files for Chapters 9 and 10, shows all the class and script files used for playing our completed game.
What you need for this book
You need the free version of Unity located at http://unity3d.com/unity/download/. The MonoDevelop code editor is included in the Unity installation.
Your computer will need to meet the minimum requirements for Unity as specified at http://unity3d.com/unity/system-requirements.html.
Windows: XP SP2 or later; Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" 10.6 or later. Note that Unity was not tested on server versions of Windows and OS X.
Graphics card with DirectX 9 level (shader model 2.0) capabilities. Any card made since 2004 should work.
Who this book is for
If you don't know anything about programming in general, writing code, writing scripts, or have no idea where to even begin, then this book is perfect for you. If you want to make games and need to learn how to write C# scripts or code, then this book is ideal for you.
Conventions
In this book, you will find several headings appearing frequently.
To give clear instructions of how to complete a procedure or task, we use:
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Chapter 1. Discovering Your Hidden Scripting Skills
Computer programming is viewed by the average person as requiring long periods of training to learn skills that are totally foreign, and darn near impossible to understand. The word geek is often used to describe a person that can write computer code. The perception is that learning to write code takes great technical skill that is just so hard to learn. This perception is totally unwarranted. You already have the skills needed but don't realize it. Together we will crush this false perception you may have of yourself by refocusing, one step at a time, the knowledge you already possess to write Unity scripts.
In this chapter we shall:
Let's begin our journey by eliminating any anxiety about writing scripts for Unity, and become familiar with our scripting environment.
Prerequisite knowledge for using this book
Great news if you are a scripting beginner! This book is for those with absolutely no knowledge of programming. It is devoted to teaching the basics of C# with Unity.
However, some knowledge of Unity's operation is required. I will only be covering the parts of the Unity interface that are related to writing C# code. I am assuming that you know your way around Unity's interface, how to work with GameObjects in your Scene, and how to locate Components and view their Properties in the Inspector.
Dealing with scriptphobia
You've got Unity up and running, studied the interface, added some GameObjects to the Scene. Now you're ready to have those GameObjects move around, listen, speak, pick up other objects, shoot the bad guys, or anything else you can dream of. So you click on Play, and nothing happens. Well darn it all anyway.
You just learned a big lesson, all those fantastic, highly detailed GameObjects are dumber than a hammer. They don't know anything, and they sure don't know how to do anything.
So you proceed to read the Unity forums, study some scripting tutorials, maybe even copy and paste some scripts to get some action going when you press Play. That's great, but then you realize you don't understand anything in the scripts you've copied. Sure, you probably recognize the words, but you fail to understand what those words do or mean in a script. It feels like gibberish.
You look at the code, your palms get sweaty, and you think to yourself, "Geez, I'll never be able to write scripts!" Perhaps you have scriptphobia: the fear of not being able to write instructions (I made that up). Is that what you have?
The fear that you cannot write down instructions in a coherent manner? You may believe you have this affliction, but you don't. You only think you do.
The basics of writing code are quite simple. In fact, you do things every day that are just like the steps executed in a script. For example, do you know how to interact with other people? How to operate a computer? Do you fret so much about making a baloney sandwich that you have to go to an online forum and ask how to do it?
Of course you don't. In fact, you know these things as "every day routines", or maybe as habits. Think for a moment, do you have to consciously think about these routines you do every day? Probably not. After you do them over and over, they become automatic.
The point is, you do things everyday following sequences of steps. Who created these steps you follow? More than likely you did, which means you've been scripting your whole life. You just never had to write down the steps, for your daily routines, on a piece of paper before doing them. You could write the steps down if you really wanted to, but it takes too much time and there's no need. But you do, in fact, know how to. Well, guess what? To write scripts, you only have to make one small change, start writing down the steps. Not for yourself but for the world you're creating in Unity.
So you see, you are already familiar with the concept of dealing with scripts. Most beginners to Unity easily learn their way around the Unity interface, how to add assets, and work in the Scene and Hierarchy windows. Their primary fear, and roadblock, is their false belief that scripting is too hard to learn.
Relax! You now have this book. I am going to get really basic in the beginning chapters.Call them baby-steps if you want, but you will see that scripting for Unity is similar to doing things you already do everyday. I'm sure you will have many "Ah-Ha" moments as you learn and overcome your unjustified fears and beliefs.
Teaching behaviors to GameObjects
You have Unity because you want to make a game or something interactive. You've filled your game full of dumb GameObjects. What you have to do now is be their teacher. You have to teach them everything they need to know to live in this make-believe world. This the part where you have to write down the instructions so that your GameObjects can be smarter.
Here's a quote from the Unity Manual:
The behavior of GameObjects is controlled by the Components
