Get Started with the 2D Game Kit

2D Game Kit Walkthrough

Video: 2D Game Kit Walkthrough

2D Game Kit Reference Guide

2D Game Kit Advanced Topics

2D Game Kit

This guide will walk you through setting up an empty Scene to start creating a new level with the Game Kit. This will walk you through some of the fundamentals used in this Kit to create gameplay. The Kit comes with a premade game, which contains examples of every part of the Kit in use if you get stuck for ideas. 

If you're already familiar with the Kit, and need some quick information, take a look at the 

 this can also be found in the Documentation folder within the project.

Creating a New Scene

Painting a Level

Testing Your Level

Adding a Moving Platform

Opening a Door with Events

Enemies

Damaging with Objects

Decorating

Teleporting the Player

Having Fun

This is a video version of the written 2D Game Kit Walkthrough. 

In this live session with guest host Aurore Dimopoulos, we will explore the 2D Game Kit project from Unity Technologies. 2D Game Kit is designed to allow new users to explore working in Unity and making games without first learning how to code in a friendly drag and drop environment. The kit consists of a vertical slice of a 2D platformer game complete with art, sound and interactive behavior to explore.



Overview and Goals

Ellen and Placing Hazards

Adding Moving Platforms

Doors and Destructible Objects

Adding and Squishing Enemies

Controlling Platforms With Switches

Using The Inventory System

Teleporting and Dialog Boxes

This project introduces beginner-level students to creating their own full 2D platformer game without writing any code.

The Explorer: 2D is a collection of mechanics, tools, systems and assets to hook up gameplay without writing any code. To show how these elements can be used we’ve also created a game example using these systems.

If you need some quick information on components, take a look at the 

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This guide will walk you through setting up an empty Scene to start creating a new level with the Game Kit. This will walk you through some of the fundamentals used in this Kit to create gameplay. The Kit comes with a premade game, which contains examples of every part of the Kit in use if you get stuck for ideas. 

If you're already familiar with the Kit, and need some quick information, take a look at the reference guide and advanced topics this can also be found in the Documentation folder within the project.

Games

The project allows us to automatically create a new default Scene. This Scene contains Ellen (our hero), a small platform, Health UI, and everything you need to move around and attack.

In the empty field next to New Scene Name, enter the name you would like to call your Scene

Unity creates a new Scene in the root of your project, and adds the Scene to the Build Settings for you.

Unity also opens the new Scene in the Editor, so you can start working on it.

The 2D Game Kit uses Unity’s Tilemap feature, which is designed to help you draw out a level quickly and easily. The Kit has everything set up for you, so you can get started straight away.

In the top menu, go to Window > 2D > Tile Palette


The Tile Palette window looks like this:

We have created two Tile Palettes that allow you to draw out levels. These tiles use the Scriptable Tile system of the Unity Tilemap. They automatically choose the right sprite for a platform. We have two styles of sprites: Grassy Rocks and Alien Structure.

We need to make sure the correct set of tiles is selected in Tile Palette;

Pick the type of tile you like best for your level

Now let’s paint some tiles in the scene to create a level;

Click on a tile in the Tile Palette to select it

If you make a mistake, you can hold Shift and left-click or drag to erase Tiles.

Now that you have created a level, it’s time to run around in it.

The controls for Ellen (our player character) are as follows:  

We have included a debug menu. Press F12 on your Keyboard to bring up the option to enable or disable each of Ellen’s weapons in the Game View.

Before we begin manipulating GameObjects in the Scene View, make sure that you are not in paint mode. To do this, close the Tile Palette or select the Move Tool at the top left of the editor (you can also select the Move Tool by pressing W on your keyboard).

Now let’s add a moving platform to our level;

Left click and drag MovingPlatform into the Scene View

Make sure the MovingPlatform is selected in the Hierarchy

Use the Move Tool on the MovingPlatform to put it wherever you want in your level.

When you select the MovingPlatform, a red dotted line appears, with a Move Tool gizmo at the end of it (the red arrow). This indicates the path the platform will take when the game is playing.

Use the Move Tool gizmo at the end of the red dotted line to indicate the path you would like the platform to take.

To preview the path the MovingPlatform will take, select the MovingPlatform and follow these steps:

In the Moving Platform Component, find the Preview Position slider

Click and drag to scrub and see where the MovingPlatform will go.

Let’s make the path of this platform a little more complex by making it loop in a square. We do this by adding Nodes.

Nodes are additional navigation points for the Moving Platform Component.

In the Inspector locate the Moving Platform Component

This adds an additional two red dotted lines and gizmos. Use the gizmos to position your extra Nodes into a square shape.

You’ll notice that there isn’t a path going from the last node back to beginning. If we press Play now, it will stop at the last point, go backwards on the path, and start again.

You can change the settings of the platform to make it form a loop;

In the Moving Platform Component find the Looping option

This forms a loop in the gizmos, and the platform takes this path.

Note: The preview slider does not preview a complete loop, so you need to press Play to see it fully in action.

Every Component we have provided in the Kit has many options to customise the way they work. For more information on what every option does in the Moving Platform Component, check the Components Documentation and find the Moving Platform section.

In the 2D Game Kit, Events allow us to create actions. We’ll use Events to trigger a door opening when the player steps on a pressure pad.

In the Project Window, go to Prefabs > Interactables

Find the Door Prefab and drag it into the Scene View. Place it somewhere where it blocks the player’s path.

Now let’s add the pressure pad into the Scene:

In the Project window, go to Prefabs > Interactables and find the PressurePad Prefab

Drag it onto the ground in front of the Door

Note: If the player seems to be blocked by the pressure pad instead of stepping on it, lower it slightly. The player can easily get stuck against the collider.

Some events are already defined; for example, when stepped on, the PressurePad plays a sound and lights up. Now let’s connect the PressurePad to the Door.

In the Hierarchy window, select the PressurePad

In the Inspector, find the Pressure Pad component

In the On Pressed list, click the + at the bottom right to add a new event

Drag the Door GameObject from the Hierarchy window to the None(Object) field in the event

In the No Function dropdown, find Animator > Play(string)

In the text box that appeared under the dropdown, enter the text DoorOpening

Press Play and use the movement keys (A and D) to run onto the Pressure Pad. The door should open!

All the Animation Clips are stored in the Project window, in Art > Animations > Animation Clips. To play different Animators in an Event, you must match the name (string) of the Animation Clip exactly.

If you wanted to shoot a switch instead of placing a pressure pad, you can do that by using the same steps, but selecting the ResusableSwitch in the Prefabs folder instead. Give it a try!

We have two pre-made enemies in the Kit: Chomper and Spitter. Find these in the Project window, in Prefabs > Enemies

They are both controlled by the Enemy Behaviour Component in the Inspector. You can use this Component to adjust properties like the enemy’s speed, field of view (FOV), health, and much more. Each enemy has the same Component, they are just set up slightly differently. Note that as well as setting specific values, you can also click and drag left/right on Component properties to scrub through values.

Try adding a Chomper to your Scene. Play around with the settings to adjust his speed and field of view (FOV). Don’t forget that while in Play mode, you can press F12 to make sure weapons are enabled, and attack with O or K.

In the Scene above, a Chomper is selected. We have adjusted his View FOV and View Direction so that he won’t spot Ellen until he turns around:

For more information on the Enemy Behaviour Component check the Components Documentation.

In this section, we’ll explore the damage system. To do this, we’ll go through the steps of dropping a box on a Spitter to kill him. Sorry, little guy!

Start by drawing out a level where Ellen is higher up, and the Spitter is on a platform underneath a drop, like this:

Go to Prefabs > Enemies and drag a Spitter into the Scene View

Place him on the lower portion of your level, close to the cliff-face

With Spitter selected, locate the Enemy Behaviour Script

Reduce the View Distance number so that Spitter does not shoot you immediately while you test this gameplay

In the Project Window go to Prefabs > Interactables, and click and drag the PushableBox Prefab into the Scene View

Select the PushableBox in the Hierarchy window, and, in the Inspector click Add Component

Click on Damager to add it to the PushableBox

The Damager Component tells any GameObject that has a Damageable Component on it (like a Spitter or a Chomper) to give it damage. There is more in-depth information on this system in the Components Documentation.

The Damager is represented by a green collision box as shown above. This is the area which causes damage. This is not covering the PushableBox right now, so when we push the box onto the Spitter, it will not damage him.

Let’s move this box so that it’s roughly the size and position of the PushableBox. There are two ways to do this:

Select and drag the green dots on the edges of the green collision box to be over the PushableBox

In the Inspector locate the Damager Component

Adjust the Offset and Size to position and size the collision box. The easiest way to do this is to left-click on the words and drag left and right to scrub through values.

Lastly, we need to make sure the damage is given to the right GameObjects. We separate objects into Layers in the Editor so that they can easily be found and seperated:

In the Inspector, find the Damager Component

On the HittableLayers dropdown select the Enemy Layer

The PushableBox will now cause damage to anything on the Enemy Layer, like our Spitter.

Experiment with causing damage to other enemies, and even Ellen herself!

The Kit also includes decorative sprites, which are all used in the example game “The Explorer” included in the Kit.

Tip: If something catches your eye in the example game, you can look up the name and search it in the Project View.

To make your level Instagram-worthy, find the decorations in the Project view in Art > Sprites > Environment. A lot are stored in sub-folders, so don’t forget to expand the small arrows and see what other sprites are in that category.

It is possible to teleport a player from one area in a Scene to another, or between different levels.

To teleport the player within a Scene, we need to set up a transition. For this, we’re going to make two prefabs:

First we need to setup the starting point of the transition:

In the Project window, go to Prefabs > SceneControl

Drag TransitionStart to the Scene View. Place it at a position where the player will touch the Collider (the green box) when walking. In the example above, we’ve placed it on the other side of the door:

Drag another TransitionStart Prefab from the SceneControl folder into the Scene View

In the Inspector, rename this to TransitionEnd:

In the Hierarchy, select the TransitionStart GameObject

In the Inspector, find the TransitionPoint Component

Drag the Ellen GameObject from the Hierarchy into the Transition Point Component’s Transitioning Game Object slot

This ensures that Ellen is the only object teleported, and that she is teleported within the same Scene.

Drag the TransitionEnd GameObject into the TransitionPoint Component’s DestinationTransform slot

On Trigger Enter means that the Transition only activates when the player enters the Collider and not on a key press. If you’d rather teleport only when the player press the interact key (E), set Transition When to Interact Pressed.

To make the player transition to a new Scene, we need two prefabs:

TransitionStart is the same prefab we used in the previous section; it “sends” the player to the destination. It contains a Transition Point Component, which defines all the properties for where the teleportation starts, and where the teleportation should take the player. Place this prefab where you want the transition to start.

TransitionDestination is a prefab which “receives” the player. It contains a Transition Destination Component. Place this prefab in a different Scene, where you want the transition to finish.

Let’s set up the destination first, so that we have all the information we need later when we set up the start point. To add a transition to a Scene, open that Scene, navigate to the Project window, and go to Prefabs > SceneControl > TransitionDestination. Place it in your Scene, in the location you want the teleporter to lead to.

The TransitionDestinaton prefab contains a Scene Transition Destination Component:

First, set the Destination Tag to a letter. It doesn’t really matter which letter, as long as it is the only Scene Transition Destination Component in this Scene with that letter.

Next, tell it which GameObject it should expect to receive. Drag the player GameObject (Ellen) from the Hierarchy window to the Transitioning Game Object slot.

Finally, make sure your destination Scene is in your Editor’s Build Settings. To do this, go to File > Build Settings and click Add Open Scenes.

These settings are mostly the same as they were in the previous section, with a few changes:

Set New Scene Name to the Scene you want to send it to.

Set Transition Destination Tag to the Destination Tag letter you set in the Transition Destination Component.

Let’s make the player teleport to the first level of the game. In your Transition Start Component, change the settings as follows:

Press Play, and walk to where the transition is. You should travel all the way to the start of Zone1!

Most objects within the Kit play with the Events system seen in the Pressure Pad setup.

Explore the existing Scenes (Zones 1 to 5) to see how other objects are set up using events and triggers.

See the Components Documentation for a details of all the components and their parameters.

2D Game Kit Walkthrough

1. Creating a New Scene

2. Painting a Level

3. Testing Your Level

4. Adding a Moving Platform

5. Opening a Door with Events

6. Enemies

7. Damaging with Objects

8. Decorating

9. Teleporting the Player

10. Having Fun

Complete this tutorial