Unity Core Concepts

Getting Familiar with Unity Playground Script 

Setting Up the Project

Adjusting the Camera and Adding Obstacles

Introducing Health 

Creating Objects

Finishing the Game and Next Steps

Getting Started with Unity Playground Curriculum Guide.pdf

Getting Started with Unity Playground is a perfect project for students who have no/limited familiarity with Unity. This curriculum guide consists of eight lesson plans that correspond to 45-60 minute class periods. 

Throughout the course of the project, students create a spaceship game using directions and assets provided. The last tutorial closes  with an open-ended assignment: students have to complete their first Unity game by adding original ideas and Playground visual scripts to the Unity project. 

Unity Playground_Script Reference Guide.pdf

Unity Playground_ Script Cheatsheet.pdf

This is a perfect project for anyone who is getting started with Unity for the first time. You will learn everything from how to navigate the Unity interface to creating your own game without using a single line of code. Educators, make sure to download the Getting Started with Unity Playground Curriculum Guide  and other supporting documents for detailed instructions on how to teach this in class! 

Getting Started with Playground: For Educators

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Adjusting the Camera

Add Obstacles

Playground for Educators - 3 - Adjusting the Camera and Adding Obstacles.mp4

You will make the camera follow the player’s movements and add obstacles that the player can interact with in the game

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to

Add more than one obstacle in the game by adding more asteroids (remember you can find them in Project > Images > Asteroids)

Games

You’ll tweak the view frame and make the camera follow an object by adding the Camera Follow script

Select the Main Camera in the Hierarchy and in the Inspector window, change the Frame Size value until you’re happy with how it appears on the screen

While still selecting the Main Camera on the Hierarchy, Go to Inspector and Click Add Camera Follow Script

Drag and drop the SpaceshipRed from the Hierarchy into the Inspector > Camera Follow (Script) > Object to follow > Target > empty box

Press play and notice how the camera now follows the red spaceship when you move it

When you use Playground, the Unity Interface is simplified and made easier to read for beginners. If you ever want to use the original Unity interface, you can go to the top left hand screen and click Playground > Turn Playground Off

While selecting Main Camera on the Hierarchy

drag and drop SpaceshipRed into the Target

Have fun with physics and collisions and add obstacles into your game

Go to Project > Images > Asteroids and select any asteroid and drag it onto Hierarchy

In the Inspector, click on Add Component and add a Rigidbody 2D and set the Gravity to 0 and the Friction to 1 to ensure that the asteroid will stop moving after a short distance

To allow the spaceship and the asteroid to be able to push each other, add the Polygon Collider 2D to both the asteroid and the spaceship

When you go to Hierarchy and click on the asteroid and look in the Inspector window, the Polygon Collider 2D must be there.
Make sure you also check that when you click on SpaceshipRed and then go to Inspector, you also see the Polygon Collider 2D there

Adjusting the Camera and Adding Obstacles

1. Adjusting the Camera

2. Add Obstacles

Complete this tutorial