Next Steps - Introduction

Lesson 6.1 - Project Optimization

Lesson 6.2 - Research and Troubleshooting

Lesson 6.3 - Sharing your Projects

ECS Survival Guide

Get introduced to the final course section on preparing for the Unity Certified User exam and finishing your Personal Project.

Explore core optimization techniques to boost project performance, especially for larger mobile and web builds.

Learn to research and troubleshoot online while adding features to Prototype 1, such as switching between two cameras with a key press.

Get a high-level introduction to entity component system (ECS) concepts and how they compare to typical object-oriented or component-based designs.

In this final Unit, you will prepare to continue developing your Unity and C# skills independently, including learning how to complete your personal project and how to prepare for the Unity Certified User: Programming exam, which you can take through your school program.

Next Steps

Course Introduction

2022.3

2021.3

Install Unity Software

Unit 1 - Introduction

Lesson 1.1 - Start your 3D Engines 

Lesson 1.2 - Pedal to the Metal

Lesson 1.3 - High Speed Chase

Lesson 1.4 - Step into the Driver's Seat

Challenge 1 - Plane Programming

Lab 1 - Project Design Document

Unit 2 - Introduction

Lesson 2.1 - Player Positioning

Lesson 2.2 - Food Flight

Lesson 2.3 - Random Animal Stampede

Lesson 2.4 - Collision Decisions

Challenge 2 - Play Fetch

Lab 2 - New Project with Primitives

Unit 3 - Introduction

Lesson 3.1 - Jump Force 

Lesson 3.2 - Make the World Whiz By

Lesson 3.3 - Don't Just Stand There

Lesson 3.4 - Particles and Sound Effects

Challenge 3 - Balloons, Bombs, & Booleans

Lab 3 - Player Control

Unit 4 - Introduction

Lesson 4.1 - Watch Where You’re Going

Lesson 4.2 - Follow the Player

Lesson 4.3 - PowerUp and CountDown

Lesson 4.4 - For-Loops For Waves

Challenge 4 - Soccer Scripting

Lab 4 - Basic Gameplay

Unit 5 - Introduction

Lesson 5.1 - Clicky Mouse

Lesson 5.2 - Keeping Score

Lesson 5.3 - Game Over

Lesson 5.4 - What’s the Difficulty?

Challenge 5 - Whack-a-Food

Lab 5 - Swap out your Assets

2020.3

Quiz 1

Quiz 2

Quiz 3

Quiz 4

Quiz 5

Get an overview of the course structure, goals, and tips to make the most of your learning experience.

Follow guided steps to create a Unity ID and install Unity Hub, the Unity Editor, and Visual Studio.

In this introductory Unit, you will be introduced to the course, then you will download and install the Unity software.

Getting Started

This introductory video to Unit 1 outlines what you will do to implement Player control.

Start your first Unity project in Unity Hub, place a drivable vehicle and obstacle, set a following camera, and customize your Unity Editor layout.

Learn to script basic vehicle movement, add physics components for collisions, and duplicate road objects in the Hierarchy window.

Script a C# camera follow system using variables so the camera tracks a vehicle and keeps the road in view.

Use methods, vectors, and variables to read arrow key input and drive a vehicle that moves forward, backward, and turns.

Apply input and camera skills to fly a plane around obstacles with arrow key pitch control and a following camera.

Plan your personal project by defining its concept, timeline, and sketch in a complete Design Document.

Check your understanding of the skills and concepts covered in Unit 1 of the course.

In this Unit, you will program a car moving side-to-side on a floating road, trying to avoid (or hit) obstacles in the way. In addition to becoming familiar with the Unity editor and workflow, you will learn how to create new C# scripts and do some simple programming. By the end of the Unit, you will be able to call basic functions, then declare and tweak new variables to modify the results of those functions. 

Unit 1 - Player Control

This introductory video for Unit 2 outlines how you will implement basic gameplay in your project.

Create a new prototype project and script side-to-side player movement that stays within the play area using if-then logic.

Implement a projectile prefab launched with the spacebar and add boundaries that remove projectiles and animals leaving the game area.

Learn to script a spawner that creates random animal prefabs at the top of the screen when the user presses the S key.

Implement timed animal spawning, collision-based destruction, and a Game Over state in your scene.

Tackle a scripting challenge using arrays, random values, collisions, and spawning as a dog catches falling balls before they hit the ground.

Set up a new project using primitive objects and colored materials to block out your scene and frame the camera.

Use this quiz to check your understanding of the skills and concepts presented in Unit 2.

In this Unit, you will program a top-down game with the objective of throwing food to hungry animals - who are stampeding towards you - before they can run past you. In order to do this, you will become much more familiar with some of the most important programming and Unity concepts, including if-then statements, random value generation, arrays, collision detection, prefabs, and instantiation. In completing this Unit, you will learn how to program a basic game with the ability to launch projectiles and maneuver the player to keep the game alive. 

Unit 2 - Basic Gameplay

This introductory video previews Unit 3, where you implement Animation, audio, and particle effects in Unity.

Build a simple runner prototype where a player character jumps over spawning obstacles using a spacebar-controlled setup.

Implement a looping background, obstacle cleanup, and collision-based game over using script communication in your runner game.

Animate your character’s running, jumping, and death states with an Animator Controller and sync their timing to gameplay.

Add music, sound effects, and particle systems to make running, jumping, and crashing feel more dynamic.

Use physics, scrolling backgrounds, VFX, and troubleshooting to complete a balloon game that collects tokens and avoids bombs.

Program basic player movement with constraints by researching, testing, and refining your own C# solution.

Use this quiz to check your understanding of the skills and concepts covered in Unit 3.

In this Unit, you will program a fast-paced endless side-scrolling runner game where the player needs to time jumps over oncoming obstacles to avoid crashing. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to add music and sound effects, completely transforming the experience of your projects. You will also learn how to create dynamic endless repeating backgrounds, which are critical for any side-scrolling games. Finally, you will learn to incorporate particle effects like splatters and explosions, which make your games so much more satisfying to play.  

Unit 3 - Sound and Effects

Get an overview of Unit 4, where you will start implementing new gameplay mechanics.

Build a prototype where the camera orbits an island and a textured sphere moves forward or backward with player input.

Create a textured enemy sphere that spawns randomly, chases the player, and can knock them off the island.

Create a randomly spawning powerup that temporarily boosts player strength and visually indicates its active state.

Configure a wave-based Spawn Manager that increases enemy counts and spawns powerups each round.

Apply Sumo Battle skills to fix a soccer-style prototype where waves of enemy balls attack, powerups boost strength, and rounds escalate.

Configure non-player objects with basic movement, collisions, and prefab spawning to establish your game’s core gameplay behavior.

Check your understanding of the skills and concepts covered in Unit 4 with this quiz.

In this Unit, you will program an arcade-style Sumo battle with the objective of knocking increasingly difficult waves of enemies off of a floating island, using power ups to help defeat them. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to implement new gameplay mechanics into your projects, which are new rules or systems that make the game more interesting to play. On one hand, you will learn to program a powerup, which give the player a temporary advantage. On the other hand, you will learn to program increasingly difficult enemy waves, which make survival more challenging for the player. A good balance of powerups and increasing difficulty make for a much more interesting gameplay experience.  

Unit 4 - Gameplay Mechanics

This intro video for Unit 5 outlines what you will do to design and implement a user interface in Unity.

Build a 2D project where good and bad targets spawn with random motion and are destroyed when the player clicks them or they exit the screen.

Add a scoring UI, assign point values to targets, and trigger particle explosions when objects are destroyed on click.

Create Game Over text and a Restart Game button that stop spawning targets, reset the score, and let users replay the game.

Build a title screen with styled text and difficulty buttons that control target spawn rates in your finished game.

Debug and refine a whack-a-mole-style UI game by fixing buttons, clicks, score tracking, difficulty, and restart behavior.

Replace placeholder primitives with 3D models from your course library or the Unity Asset Store while preserving gameplay.

Use this quiz to check your understanding of the skills and concepts from Unit 5.

In this Unit, you will program a game to test the player’s reflexes, where the goal is to click and destroy objects randomly tossed in the air before they can fall off the screen. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to implement a User Interface - or UI - into your projects. You will add a title screen with a difficulty select menu that will control how challenging the gameplay is, you will add a score display that will track how many points the player has earned, and you will add a Game Over screen, which will allow the player to restart and try again. In learning these skills, you will be able to create a fully “playable” experience that the user can enjoy from start to finish without having to restart the application to try it again. 

Unit 5 - User Interface

Syllabus.pdf

Scope and Sequence.pdf

Standards Alignment.pdf

Create with Code - All Lesson Plans.pdf

Create with Code 6.0 Common Cartridge File

In this introductory course, students will use Unity to learn the fundamentals of programming in the context of creating their own projects. During the course, they will create several prototypes along with the instructor, manage a larger personal project more independently, and complete challenges and quizzes along the way to solidify and expand their new knowledge. The skills that they learn will align with the learning objectives from the Unity Certified User exam, providing them with a foundational understanding of Unity and C# programming, preparing them for certification. In addition to these core technical competencies, students will learn how to manage a project from start to finish: coming up with a concept, creating a project plan, prioritizing tasks, and hitting milestones. By the end of the course, students will have the confidence that, given enough time and resources, they can create anything they want with Unity and C#. 

Below you can download teacher materials, a CSV outline, and a Common Cartridge file for this course.


Open the CSV outline in spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets) for a summary of all content in the course, with links to each tutorial, exercise, and quiz.


Use the Common Cartridge file to import the course content into your Learning Management System (such as Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, etc.). See instructions from your LMS provider for importing Common Cartridge files.

In this official course from Unity, you will learn to Create with Code as you program your own exciting projects from scratch in C#. As you iterate with prototypes, tackle programming challenges, complete quizzes, and develop your own personal project, you will transform from an absolute beginner to a capable Unity developer. By the end of the course - if you are completing it through a school program - you will also be ready to put your skills to the test on the Unity Certified User Programmer Exam. Most importantly, though, when you complete this course, you will have the confidence that you can Create with Code. 

3D assets for this course were generously provided by our partner, Synty Studios, and are not for commercial use. If you would like to use any of the 3D assets from this course in commercial projects, please purchase one of the asset packs from Synty Studios’ 

Educators who want to bring this curriculum into their classroom should complete the short 

If you'd like to use any of the 3D assets from this course in commercial projects, please purchase one of the asset packs from 

Unity Student and Educator Plan users get a 20% discount at the Unity Asset Store.

 Once you’re verified as a student or educator, you'll receive a unique code via email that you can apply at checkout. You can use the code up to 100 times!

Create with Code

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ECS Survival Guide

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