Game Development with Unity 2D – Part 0

Before we start our tutorial, lets look at others. Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Some cool Unity 2D (4.3+) tutorials

Unity now includes specific tools for building 2D games. This makes it an even more attractive environment where to begin game development. While the Unity fellows are trying hard to make things as easy as possible, the 2D tools are not entirely trivial to use – game development is intrinsically complex.

In this first post I list the available learning sources: there aren’t that many yet, as the tools have just become available.

image

This is an introductory entry to a series of posts and videos where I will articulate my learning process of Unity 2D by developing a simple strategic 2D game: The Battle of Teutoburg. I’ve seen tutorials for platform shooters, but not yet on strategic games. Also I point out that mine will not be tutorials, as they presuppose a skilled teacher, more “documentary of a struggle” Sorriso

imageLast year I created a table top version of a model for the Battle of Teutoburg  and play tested it (in the picture with my Maurizio, play-testing); it was strongly inspired by Memoir ‘44 for the mechanics. Now I’ll try to do a RTS version in Unity 2D. So stay tuned!

Here are the learning sources I found. I hope to update this post as more come out.

 

imageUPDATE: I found out that most (but not all) the sources I’ve found below and some additional ones have just been collected on a dedicated site just created by the Unity guys here: http://learnunity2d.com – check it out.

From Unity producers

Here is a “2D Game Development Overview” from the Unity fellows:

http://blogs.unity3d.com/2013/11/12/unity-4-3-2d-game-development-overview/

The sample project can be downloaded here:

https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/11228

The documentation concerning the 2D components:

http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/Components/comp-2DGroup.html

And this video is about the demo and from the Unity team:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qE8cuHI93c

Training on 2D character controllers:

Here you can follow news from the Unity fellows on the 2D theme:

http://unity3d.com/#2d

And finally here the original presentation from Unite 2013 a few months ago:

Unite 2013 – New 2D Workflows

From third parties

The best independent resource I found so far is the Pixelnest tutorial (textual and video):

http://pixelnest.io/2013/11/unity-2D-tutorial/ . Notice that they already added to the tutorial a part covering animations.

The part online is the first one, there should be more coming.

A short video lesson on Unity 2D presenting base use of 2D physics:

by @buildgames

This nice textual guide goes very much in detail, explaining also the very basic stuff:

http://www.unit3y.com/

 

 

 

Another well made first video tutorial creating Pong with the new tools; along the way the author also gives some useful practical hints in general Unity usage. What is also nice here that already three videos are out – it will probably go further on. Find the authors on Twitter here.

Cooking with Unity: 4.3 Special

This is Unity3d 4.3 SPECIAL: Learn 2d with Max! – Cooking With Unity LIVE: a live test where the authors play with 2D’s basic features, creating parts of a platformer with animations.


There begin to emerge instructions on specific aspects of Unity 2D; see this on vertex snapping. We hope to see more in the dedicated YouTube channel.

Now Unity has been used for 2D games (and 2.5D) well before version 4.3 and the specialized tools, by using what was there and many components. Most used is 2D Toolkit, and it seems that even with 4.3 it will keep providing additional functionality to Unity.

There is also a Reddit dedicated to Unity 2D.

What’s next?

Legionary animationIn the next part (“part 1”) we will start developing our simple 2D game in Unity.

Follow me on Twitter where I post about game design, game development, Unity 2D and soon a crowd funding initiative for Genio, a historic and educational game about “building the Renaissance”.

Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

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