In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, Sams Teach Yourself Unity Game Development in 24 Hours will help you master the Unity 5 game engine at the heart of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Kerbal Space Program, and many other sizzling-hot games!   This book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach teaches you everything from the absolute basics through sophisticated game physics, animation, and mobile device deployment techniques. Every lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success. Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common Unity game development tasks. Practical, hands-on examples show you how to apply what you learn. Quizzes and exercises help you test your knowledge and stretch your skills. Notes and tips point out shortcuts and solutions.

Table of Contents:
Preface    xiii HOUR 1: Introduction to Unity    1 Installing Unity    1 Getting to Know the Unity Editor    4 Navigating the Unity Scene View    17 Summary    19 Q&A    19 Workshop    19 Exercise    20 HOUR 2: Game Objects    21 Dimensions and Coordinate Systems    21 Game Objects    25 Transforms    26 Summary    33 Q&A    33 Workshop    33 Exercise    34 HOUR 3: Models, Materials, and Textures    35 The Basics of Models    35 Textures, Shaders, and Materials    41 Summary    46 Q&A    46 Workshop    47 Exercise    47 HOUR 4: Terrain    49 Terrain Generation    49 Terrain Textures    57 Summary    61 Q&A    61 Workshop    61 Exercise    62 HOUR 5: Environments    63 Generating Trees and Grass    63 Environment Effects    71 Character Controllers    75 Summary    78 Q&A    78 Workshop    79 Exercise    79 HOUR 6: Lights and Cameras    81 Lights    81 Cameras    91 Layers    95 Summary    100 Q&A    100 Workshop    100 Exercise    101 HOUR 7: Game 1: Amazing Racer    103 Design    103 Creating the Game World    106 Gamification    108 Playtesting    114 Summary    116 Q&A    116 Workshop    116 Exercise    117 HOUR 8: Scripting—Part 1    119 Scripts    120 Variables    128 Operators    130 Conditionals    133 Iteration    136 Summary    137 Q&A    137 Workshop    138 Exercise    138 HOUR 9: Scripting—Part 2    141 Methods    141 Input    146 Accessing Local Components    151 Accessing Other Objects    153 Summary    158 Q&A    158 Workshop    158 Exercise    159 HOUR 10: Collision    161 Rigidbodies    161 Collision    163 Triggers    167 Raycasting    169 Summary    171 Q&A    171 Workshop    172 Exercise    172 HOUR 11: Game 2: Chaos Ball    173 Design    173 The Arena    175 Game Entities    179 The Control Objects    183 Improving the Game    187 Summary    187 Q&A    187 Workshop    188 Exercise    188 HOUR 12: Prefabs    189 Prefab Basics    189 Working with Prefabs    192 Summary    198 Q&A    198 Workshop    198 Exercise    199 HOUR 13: 2D Games Tools    201 The Basics of 2D Games    201 Orthographic Cameras    204 Adding Sprites    205 Draw Order    209 2D Physics    212 Summary    214 Q&A    215 Workshop    215 Exercise    215 HOUR 14: User Interfaces    217 Basic UI Principles    217 The Canvas    218 UI Elements    223 Canvas Render Modes    230 Summary    232 Q&A    233 Workshop    233 Exercise    233 HOUR 15: Game 3: Captain Blaster    237 Design    237 The World    238 Controls    247 Improvements    255 Summary    255 Q&A    255 Workshop    256 Exercise    256 HOUR 16: Particle Systems    257 Particle Systems    257 Particle System Modules    259 The Curve Editor    270 Summary    273 Q&A    273 Workshop    273 Exercise    273 HOUR 17: Animations    275 Animation Basics    275 Animation Types    277 Animation Tools    281 Summary    288 Q&A    288 Workshop    289 Exercise    289 HOUR 18: Animators    291 Animator Basics    291 Configuring Your Assets    296 Creating an Animator    305 Scripting Animators    314 Summary    315 Q&A    315 Workshop    316 Exercise    316 HOUR 19: Game 4: Gauntlet Runner    317 Design    317 The World    318 The Entities    321 The Controls    329 Room for Improvement    336 Summary    336 Q&A    336 Workshop    336 Exercise    337 HOUR 20: Audio    339 Audio Basics    339 Audio Sources    341 Audio Scripting    346 Summary    349 Q&A    349 Workshop    349 Exercise    350 HOUR 21: Mobile Development    353 Preparing for Mobile    353 Accelerometers    357 Summary    361 Q&A    362 Workshop    362 Exercise    362 HOUR 22: Game Revisions    365 Cross-Platform Input    365 Amazing Racer    368 Chaos Ball    372 Captain Blaster    374 Gauntlet Runner    375 Summary    376 Q&A    376 Workshop    376 Exercise    377 HOUR 23: Polish and Deploy    379 Managing Scenes    379 Persisting Data and Objects    381 Unity Player Settings    384 Building Your Game    387 Summary    391 Q&A    391 Workshop    391 Exercise    392 HOUR 24: Wrap Up    393 Accomplishments    393 Where to Go from Here    395 Resources Available to You    396 Summary    397 Q&A    397 Workshop    397 Exercise    398 Index    399