Introduction to Unit 2

Setting up the Game

Moving the Player

Moving the Camera

Setting up the Play Area

Creating Collectibles

Detecting Collisions with Collectibles

Displaying Score and Text

Adding AI Navigation

Building the Game

Fill out a Game Design Document

Unit 2 - Program a basic game

In this unit, you will create a simple game called Roll-a-Ball that will be the foundation for your personal game project, which you will work on for the entire course.  

Welcome to the course

Install the Unity Hub and Editor

Get started with the Unity Editor

Create a balanced primitive structure

Introduction to Unit 3

Get started with audio

Create 3D sound effects

Add special effects to existing audio

Challenge: Your own soundscape

Add audio to your game

Introduction to Unit 4

Get started with VFX

Play around with a Particle System

Create an environmental Particle System

Create a burst particle

Challenge: Add some magic to your scene

Add VFX to your game

Introduction to Unit 5

Get started with user interfaces

Add a title to your scene

Manage screen size and anchors

Create a menu background with images

Add basic button functionality

Add toggles and sliders

Challenge: Make a worldspace UI

Add UI to your game

Introduction to Unit 6

Get started with animation

Create your first 3D animations

Refine your animation

Control animation with an Animator

Import animation

Challenge: Bring the scene to life

Add animation to your game

Introduction to Unit 7

Get started with shaders and materials

Explore meshes and rendering

Explore shaders

Simulate solid surfaces

Map materials with textures

Create translucent and transparent effects

Add physical texture with bump mapping 

Challenge: Create your still life composition

Add materials to your game

Introduction to Unit 8

Get started with lighting

Get started with lighting in Unity

Configure the Directional Light and skybox

Add light sources to your scene

Configure shadows in your scene

Bake a lightmap for your scene

Improve your lighting with Light Probes

Examine and complete the indoor scene

Refine and troubleshoot the indoor scene

Showcase your work with lighting

Add lighting to your game

Introduction to Unit 9

Explore the production cycle

Reimagine your game on multiple platforms

Iterate on the player controller

Source new assets

Unity pro tips

Prepare for the UCA Game Dev exam

Finalize your project

Unit 1 - Unity fundamentals

Unit 3 - Audio

Unit 4 - VFX

Unit 5 - UI

Unit 6 - Animation

Unit 7 - Materials

Unit 8 - Lighting

Unit 9 - Iterate on your game

In this unit, you will create your first Unity project, get comfortable using the Unity Editor, and then design your first scene. 

Unit 1 - Get started in Unity

In this unit, you’ll learn how to implement audio effects in Unity. Then you’ll apply those new skills and add audio to your own game. 

In this unit, you’ll learn how to implement visual effects (VFX)  in Unity. Then you’ll apply those new skills and add VFX to your own game. 

Unit 4 - Visual Effects

In this unit, you’ll learn how to create user interfaces (UI) in a Unity project. Then you’ll apply those new skills and add UI to your own game. 

Unit 5 - User Interfaces

In this unit, you’ll learn how to create and control animations in a Unity project. Then you’ll apply those new skills and add animations to your own game. 

Add physical texture with bump mapping

In this unit, you’ll learn how to add custom materials, including a repeating pattern and a normal map to simulate height and surface texture. Then you’ll apply those new skills and add animations to your own game.

In this unit, you’ll learn how to add lighting to your scene to make things more polished and visually pleasing. Then you’ll apply those new skills and add lighting to your own game.

In this unit, you’ll reflect on the process so far, iterate on the player controller, swap out the assets in your game, and then you’ll learn some Unity tips and tricks to take your skills to the next level.

Unit 9 - Iterate on your Game

In this unit, you’ll make sure you’re ready to take the certification exam and make any final adjustments to your game to make sure it meets the goals outlined in your Game Design Document.  

Unit 10 - Prepare for certification and publishing

This course is designed to help you prepare for the 

Unity Certified Associate: Game Developer

In this course, you will master the fundamental skills needed for game development with Unity, including programming in C#, designing immersive audio and stunning visual effects, crafting intuitive user interfaces, and applying unique animations, materials and lighting.

You'll start by creating a design document for your own game, then gradually build a working prototype. Throughout the course, you'll enhance your game using the skills you acquire, taking it from a simple idea to a finished product.

Towards the end of the course, there is dedicated time for a comprehensive review of everything you’ve learned to ensure you’re fully prepared to ace the exam

When you're done with the course, you will not only have the skills to pass the Unity Certified Associate exam and continue creating your own games, but you'll also have a fully realized game that you've designed and created from scratch.

2022.3

UCA: Game Developer - Certification Prep Course

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UCA Game Dev Asset Pack

Overview

What do you include in a GDD?

Gather inspiration from the asset library

Gather inspiration from other games

Complete the Introduction section of the GDD

Complete the Gameplay section of the GDD

Complete the Art and Visuals section of the GDD

Complete the Development Timeline section of the GDD

Next Steps

ballNcubes

LRamirez3

Rollaball

amshul

con4005cw1(1)gdd.lb

Lux3en-

Quick design document for a casual relaxation game

Gemstone Cave

brian5107

You wake on a spacecraft headed towards a black hole, you have to survive and then eventually escape back home to earth. And fight some aliens with what you got.

Screen Recording 2024-12-23 163441.mp4

space and time GDD 

sahaj-23ballergod-computer-29

Game Design Doc

Flappy_plane

1234

mingbaboo

Game Design Document Rollaball

cdavidson268260

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD - Gameplay Trailer | PS4

Subway Surfers Official Trailer

Crossy Road - Gameplay Launch Trailer (By Hipster Whale)

Creating a distinctive and memorable game often requires more than just basic mechanics and gameplay. In this tutorial, you will learn how to transform a simple cube-collecting game into an immersive experience by crafting a comprehensive Game Design Document (GDD) to guide its development and narrative.

Make "Roll-A-Ball" Your Own

Your game is currently a relatively simple setup where a sphere rolls around to collect rotating cubes while evading a rectangular enemy. It is quite fun to play, but lacks a distinguishing element like a storyline, theme, art style, or unique gameplay mechanics.

Luckily, this simple chase-and-collect concept could be translated into a variety of gaming narratives. For instance, it could be a thrilling jungle adventure where a rolling monkey collects fruit while avoiding wild predators, or perhaps a sci-fi thriller where an alien sphere gathers resources and dodges robotic enemies on a distant planet.

Your task now is to make this game truly your own; to give it an identity that sets it apart from other games. To achieve this, you’ll fill out a Game Design Document (GDD), a key tool that provides a detailed blueprint of your game, encompassing all aspects from concept and mechanics to visuals and development timeline.

In this tutorial, you'll gain an understanding of what a GDD is and learn how to create one, section by section, for your game.

Before you delve into creating your own GDD, let's look at some examples to understand their general structure and contents. The format of GDDs is flexible and can be adjusted according to the complexity of your game. In fact, there is not even agreement on the title of these documents — some simply call them Design Documents, while others call them Game Bibles, and there are other names too!

Below are a couple of pages of a GDD from a simple example Zombie Toys game. You can also download the full example document if you like.

Read through the table of contents and note the sections that this document includes.

David Brevik, a game designer behind the game Diablo, released the original pitch document behind that game. You can download the entire pitch document here. It includes the following sections:

The above example design documents were relatively short – GDDs can also be hundreds of pages long and include minute details about every level and every character.

As your game is relatively simple, you won't need an overly complex GDD. Use the following resources to open the empty template GDD:

Open the GDD Template and make your own copy.

Download the Microsoft Word version and open it. 

To stimulate some creative brainstorming for your game’s concept, start by exploring the asset library we’ve provided you. This collection can spark ideas for your game's concept and theme. The library includes asset options to replace the player sphere, the pickups, the setting, and the enemy character.

For instance, if you find a beach ball and a crab, your game could become an exciting seaside adventure where a beach ball collects seashells while escaping from a crab trying to pop it.

To begin gathering inspiration for your game, follow these instructions:

Click to download the zip file containing the UCA_Game_Dev Unity package.

Import the assets into your Unity project where you created your Roll-a-Ball game.



Navigate to the imported _GameDev folder in your assets.

Browse through all of the assets in the Prefabs folder to get ideas for spheres, characters, and pickups. 

Browse through the Materials > Materials_RepeatingPatterns folder to get ideas for potential settings and themes for your game.

Try to fill in the following sentence: _____ [player] is trying to collect ____ [pickups], while also trying to avoid _____ [enemy].”

These do not have to be your final ideas, but could serve as a solid starting point.

Your source of inspiration is not limited to the asset library; you can draw ideas from other games as well.

Search online for other simple games that involve collection and evasion mechanics — you can use these games as inspiration for themes, style, or specific gameplay elements.

Here are a couple of games made with Unity that share some similarities in gameplay with the one you’ll be working on:


Super Monkey Ball is a platform game where players control a monkey inside a rolling ball, navigating treacherous mazes and collecting bananas while aiming to reach the goal within the time limit.

Subway Surfers is an endless runner game where players control characters who sprint across subway tracks, avoid obstacles, and collect coins while being pursued by a grumpy inspector and his dog.

Crossy Road is an endless arcade game where players control a character who hops across roads, rivers, and train tracks, aiming to go as far as possible while avoiding obstacles and vehicles.


Note: If you want to incorporate assets from elsewhere, you'll need to invest more time and effort to source those assets and incorporate them into your project.

Now, it’s time to embark on filling out your GDD, beginning with the introduction section. You'll need to fill out your name, the working title, a concept, genre, target audience, and target platform.

Here's some guidance on how you can approach each subsection:

Before you get started on anything else, add your name to the top of the document. 

This is a preliminary name for your game, not the final one. It can be a temporary name or a code name based on your current concept. Feel free to change it as your game evolves.

This is a brief description of your game's narrative. For example, for a game featuring a beach ball and a crab, the concept could be, "An adventurous beach ball embarks on a thrilling journey to collect beautiful seashells, while evading the relentless claws of a mean old crab.”

Video game genres are numerous and diverse, but for simplicity, here’s a list of 10 that covers most of the games out there: 

Action: Games focused on fast-paced, dynamic gameplay involving combat, movement, and reflex-based challenges.

Adventure: Narrative-driven games emphasizing exploration, puzzle-solving, and character progression.

Role-playing: Games that allow players to assume the role of a character and make choices that affect the story and character development.

Shooter: Games that involve engaging in combat with firearms or projectiles, either from a first-person or third-person perspective.

Strategy: Games that require strategic thinking, planning, and decision-making, often involving resource management, tactics, and control of units or territories.

Casual: Games designed for a broad audience with simple mechanics, easy-to-understand controls, and short play sessions for quick enjoyment.

Sports: Games that simulate real-world sports activities, such as football, basketball, or racing, with an emphasis on competition and skill.

Puzzle: Games centered around solving puzzles or challenges, often involving logic, pattern recognition, and spatial reasoning.

Simulation: Games that replicate real-world activities or systems, allowing players to experience and control aspects of those activities.

Platformer: Games that involve navigating environments by jumping, climbing, or interacting with platforms and obstacles.

Given your game's current mechanics, it likely falls under the Casual genre. 

Think about who would enjoy your game the most. Are you targeting young children, teenagers, or adults? Is your game best suited for casual or hardcore gamers? 

Fill out the Target Audience section now.

Decide the platform for your game, be it desktop, web, mobile, VR, AR, or console. For simplicity, you could start with desktop and consider other platforms as you gain more confidence.

Fill out the Target Platform section now.

By the time you are done with this step, the Introduction section of your GDD should look something like the image below, but with your own unique concept. 


Next, let's move on to the Gameplay section. Here, you'll detail the controls, core gameplay mechanics, and unique gameplay elements of your game.

This subsection outlines how players will interact with your game. Depending on your game design, this could be as simple as using the WASD or arrow keys for movement.

Here, you explain the basic gameplay mechanics — the rules and interactions that govern your game. This could include how players collect items, how they avoid enemies, and what happens when they succeed or fail.

Fill out the Core gameplay mechanics section now.

This is your opportunity to describe any special features or mechanics that could really distinguish your game from others. For instance, you might decide to introduce a non-player character (NPC) to add more depth to your game. In the crab and beach ball example, there could be a human laying on the beach who occasionally distracts or chases away the crab.

You can think of these items as nice-to-haves — or stretch goals — that you can implement if you have time at the end of the project. 

By the time you are done with this step, the Gameplay section of your GDD should look something like the image below, but with your own unique concept. 


Fill out a Game Design Document

1. Overview

2. What do you include in a GDD?

3. Gather inspiration from the asset library

4. Gather inspiration from other games

5. Complete the Introduction section of the GDD

6. Complete the Gameplay section of the GDD

7. Complete the Art and Visuals section of the GDD

8. Complete the Development Timeline section of the GDD

9. Next Steps

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