This new book series includes 4 books that will take the reader from no knowledge of Unity or game programming to a good level of proficiency. All of these books include step-by-step and practical information that can be followed easily.This series is articulated around four books, including:
Unity 5 From Zero to Proficiency (Intermediate)
A step-by-step guide to programming your games with Unity
[to be released on 2nd April 2016; see status update below]
In this book, you improve your coding skills and learn more programming concepts to add more activity to your game while optimizing your code. The book provides an introduction to coding in C# t. Throughout the book, you will be creating a game, and also implementing the core mechanics through scripting. After completing this book you will be able to:
- Write code in JavaScript and C#.
- Understand and apply Object-Oriented Programming techniques in C#
- Create and use your own classes
- Use Unity’s Finite State Machines
- Apply intermediate Artificial Intelligence
Topics covered in this book include:
- C# Programming
- Mecanim
- Finite State Machines
- 3D Character Animation
- Rigidbody physics
- Explosions and Particles
- Navmesh (e.g., off-mesh links)
- Artificial Intelligence (based on distance, sight)
- Raycasting
- Inventory Systems
If you would like to start coding in C# with Unity but do not know how, then this book should be very helpful. This a perfect introduction to programming in C# and it will provide you with solid foundations to understand and use C# programming along with a deeper understanding of key Game Development topics.
Writing Update & Diary
Update 19th April 2016
The books is ready and will be launched in the next 3 days!
Update 21st March 2016
The books is now written and being proofread. The structure is as follows:
- Chapter 1, Introduction to C#, provides an introduction to C# and to core principles that will help you to get started. It 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, Creating your First Script, helps you to code your first script in C#. It explains common coding mistakes and errors in Unity, and how to avoid them easily. It also goes through some common error messages for beginners, and explains what they mean and how they can be avoided easily.
- Chapter 3, Adding Simple AI, gets you to use C# for the creation of a simple launcher. You will learn to instantiate, use and control Rigidbody objects from your script as well as creating explosions.
- Chapter 4, Creating and Managing Weapons, explains how you can create and manage weapons using a simple system. You will create an automatic gun and a grenade launcher, manage the collection of ammunition, and also implement a user interface to keep track of ammunition. In addition you will also learn how to include these as prefabs, so that they can be reused in other levels, and to save you some coding too.
- Chapter 5, Using Finite State Machines, provides an in-depth explanation of how to create and use Finite State Machines (FSM) in Unity. You will create your FSM and use it to control the behavior and movement of an animated Non-Player Character. You will also learn how to employ NavMesh navigation so that your animated NPCs can navigate easily within the scene to either follow the player or go to a specific location. Finally, you will learn how to optimize your assets so that they can be reused seamlessly in other scenes with no or little changes.
- Chapter 6, Putting it All Together, makes it possible to combine the skills you have acquired in the previous chapters, and to reuse and combine all the objects that you have created so far (e.g., NPCs, weapon system, ammunition, etc.) and the concepts (e.g., FSM, NavMesh, RigidBody components, User Interface, etc.) to create a fully functional level. You will also get to learn how to generate a maze (or game level) dynamically from your code.
- Chapter 7 provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the topics covered in this book (e.g., 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.