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Start menu and Game Manager

Create a Title screen, set up a Game Manager, and add a Player Selection screen.

In this tutorial, you'll create a Title screen for your game, set up a Game Manager to handle game logic, and add a Player Selection screen where players can choose their tanks before starting a match. You’ll be able to set the spawn points for the tanks, select which tanks appear in the Player Selection screen, and how many rounds are required to win the game.

Overview

The Title screen serves as the game's main menu, providing a clear starting point for players. In this step, you'll create a Canvas to display the title. A 

 is a type of GameObject that serves as a container for UI elements in the scene. 

Rename the new GameObject “TitleCanvas”.

2.  Frame the TitleCanvas GameObject in 2D mode for easier UI editing

This will zoom you way out to reveal a giant rectangle in the scene — this is the 

TextMeshPro is a Unity text rendering system that provides tools for typography and offers excellent clarity across devices. 

GameObject set up with a basic text element, ready for styling in the next step.

Add a Title Canvas

 GameObject, you can edit it to look like an appropriate title. This includes setting the font, size, alignment, and color.

window, use the foldout (triangle) to expand the 

 box, replace the default “New Text” with 

TANKS!" or another title of your choosing. 

: If you make a longer title, it may get split onto two lines. Don’t worry, you’ll fix that soon.

) and select one of the available fonts. 

: If you choose a large font, the title may get split onto two lines. Don’t worry, you’ll fix that next.

 to prevent the text from splitting into multiple lines.

The default white text looks good, but if you want to change the color, use the 

Your game now has a properly formatted title.

Customize the title text

Next you need a button that allows players to move to the Player Selection screen. In this step, you'll create and style a new 

Rename the new GameObject “PlayerSelect_Button”.

The button will appear directly on top of the title — don’t worry, you’ll fix that soon.

 box, replace the default “Button” with "Player Select".

) and select one of the available fonts (ideally matching the title font).

: The text may not fit nicely on the button — you’ll fix that next. 

3.  Adjust the button size, style, and position

: You can click and drag the property name to the right or left to increase or decrease the value. 

 property value to position the button appropriately below the title.

If you want, choose a new color for the button background with the 

You can also change the text color with the 

 button, but it doesn’t work yet. You’ll add that functionality a bit later. 

Add a Player Select button with proper scaling

Your Title screen may look perfect in your 

 view right now, but if someone is using a large or high resolution screen, the text may appear very small. In this step, you’ll set the canvas to scale with the screen size so that the text keeps its proportions relative to the screen, rather than maintaining a constant pixel size.

1.  Preview your game at different resolutions 

. It could also be set to another resolution (for example, 

), or another aspect ratio (for example, 

Test different screen resolutions and aspect ratios in the 

 view and notice how the text gets very small at higher resolutions. 

2.  Set the Canvas to scale with screen size

If the text suddenly becomes too large, you can increase the 

 values to reduce the relative text size to your liking. 

3.  Retest your Title screen at different resolutions 

dropdown to test different screen resolutions.

Notice how the text stays the same relative size even at higher resolutions. 

GameObject is now set to scale relative to the size of the screen the game is played on, ensuring that the text and button will increase in size as the screen does.

Adjust canvas scaling mode

To determine where the tanks appear at the start of a game and which direction they’ll face, you need to define spawn points in the scene. In this step, you’ll add your first spawn point.

, which removes perspective and makes it easier to move things around on the ground. 

window, locate all tank GameObjects and deactivate them by disabling the checkbox at the top of the 

 window. You don’t need them in the scene anymore. 

Rename the new GameObject “SpawnPoint1”.

 tools, allowing you to visualize the object’s rotation as you move it. 

— this will allow you to visualize which direction the spawn point is facing. 

 GameObject in a good starting location. 

: The best position for a tank is in the corner of the scene, giving players a bit of space at the start of each battle. 

 GameObject faces inward toward the center of the battlefield.

 view indicates the forward-facing direction when you’re using 

Your first spawn point out of four is now set up in the scene.

Create a spawn point

To support up to four players, you need to create four spawn points where tanks will appear at the start of the game.

) three times to create three duplicates.

Rename the duplicates “SpawnPoint2”, “SpawnPoint3”, and “SpawnPoint4”.

Move each spawn point along the X-Z plane to spread them out across each corner of the battlefield.

Rotate each spawn point so they face inward toward the center of the arena.

3.  Organize the spawn points under a parent GameObject

Multi-select all four spawn point GameObjects (hold 

) and select each spawn point GameObject in the 

 window, right-click the selected spawn point GameObjects and select 

Rename the new parent GameObject “Spawn Points”.

4.  Adjust the scene view for better visibility

 gizmo to switch to an angled perspective.

5.  Add visual tags for better identification

 dropdown (the small hollow cube icon next to the GameObject’s name)  and change the icon to a colored name tag.

view and might not appear unless your view is zoomed in. Double-click any spawn point GameObject in the 

window to quickly zoom in on it and see its tag.


Now your game has four nicely placed spawn points that are organized in the 

Create the remaining three spawn points

 controls a game’s overall flow. In this game, the Game Manager will control camera behavior, tank spawning, and round progression. In this step, you'll create the Game Manager and configure it with the appropriate variable references.

 GameObject doesn’t affect gameplay, but resetting GameObjects like this to 

, search for “Game Manager” and select it.

3.  Assign the CameraRig to the Game Manager

 script will use this reference to adjust the camera’s position and zoom at the beginning of each round.

4.  Assign tank prefabs to the Game Manager

 component, drag and drop each of your tank prefab variants from the 

: You can repeat tank prefabs if needed. If you only have two tank variants, you can repeat them (for example, Tank 1, Tank 1, Tank 2, Tank 2), but if you have four tank variants, assign one to each slot.

5.  Assign spawn points to the Game Manager

 properties, then drag and drop each of the four spawn points GameObjects you created in the previous step into the 

 GameObject is now set up to control the game flow, camera behavior, and player spawning.

Configure the Game Manager

The Player Selection screen will allow players to choose their tanks, assign control to player one, two, or computer, and initiate the game. In this step, you'll add the 

 or above so that it’s above and out of the way of your level. 

2.  Understand the Menus prefab’s UI structure

Use the foldout (triangle) to expand the 

 window and explore its child GameObject structure.

 prefab has its own camera, which will overlay on top of the existing main camera.

 script controls the player setup menu, allowing players to add tanks, choose controls, and start the game. It also communicates with the 

button and verify that tanks appear in four different colors and can be assigned to 

Try playing the game to see how it works!

: The Title screen and Player Selection screen currently both appear on top of each other — you’ll fix that in the next step.

Your Player Selection screen is now functional, allowing players to choose their tanks and configure settings before starting the game. 

Set up the Player Selection screen

The final step is to add functionality so that selecting the 

 button hides the Title screen and activates the Player Selection screen.

1.  Set the Menus GameObject to be inactive by default

This ensures the Player Selection screen doesn’t appear when the game starts.

2.  Locate the OnClick() function for the Player Select button

 section, where you'll define what happens when the button is selected.

3.  Set the Menus GameObject to activate when selected

Selecting the button should now activate the Player Selection screen.

4.  Disable the TitleCanvas when the button is selected

Selecting the button should now deactivate the Title screen.

Enter Play mode and verify that selecting the 

 button hides the Title screen and displays the Player Selection screen.

GameObject is now fully functional, allowing players to transition from the Title screen to the Player Selection screen.

Make the Player Select button work properly

With all the core elements in place, it's time to test the game loop, from selecting tanks to playing rounds.

Verify that you can select players, start the game, and play a round.

 GameObject and modify the following properties in the 

: Adjust how many rounds are required to win.

: Change the countdown before a round begins.

If your mountains are being cut off in the camera, you need to move the 

 GameObject back and away from the ground along its local Z-axis.

If your tanks don’t seem to be updated with your latest settings, it’s possible you made edits to the tank GameObjects rather than to the prefab. 

window, select the tank GameObject you want to edit, then at the top of the 

If there are other issues, try to figure out the answer in Unity Discussions, a search engine, or AI chatbot. 

Your game loop is now almost complete, allowing players to play matches with multiple rounds.

Test the game loop

Try these optional activities to challenge yourself, build your skills, and improve your project.

 difficulty so that you know what to expect. You can complete one, all, or none of them — it’s totally up to you. If you’re not interested in doing these challenges, mark this step as complete and proceed to the next tutorial. 

To make the game more fun and fair, test different tank matchups and adjust the settings for balance.

Play rounds with different tank combinations: test AI vs. AI, player vs. player, and mixed battles.

Try a 1v1 local multiplayer match with a friend to see how well the game handles direct competition.

Consider the following balance factors in your game design:

 Should faster tanks have weaker weapons?

 Are rounds too fast or too slow? Does every match feel exciting?

Experimenting with balance helps make the game more competitive and enjoyable for all players.

Custom fonts can give your game a unique look. Try importing a new font for use in your title, buttons, or UI elements.

Apply your new font to UI elements, such as the Title screen or 

Expert: Add tanks of different colors to your title screen

Adding a couple of tanks to your title screen will give it some color, some excitement, and also convey more information to the user what the game is all about. These title screen tanks would just be there for show and not actually be interactive. However, you don’t actually want those inactive tanks to show up in the game, so you’ll need to proceed carefully and make sure they’re disabled when the player goes to the Player Selection screen. 

 folder into the scene, then position them nicely around the title text. 

Since the color of the tanks is set with code through the 

 scripts, you’ll need to manually create and assign new materials to these show tanks. 

window, browse through the various tank parts and look for any 

 material. This is the material you’ll need to swap out for a new material of a different color if you want.

 button is selected, create a new empty parent GameObject for your tanks and use the same technique you did earlier to set that GameObject as inactive when the button is selected. 

: You might need to do some experimenting with the position of the tanks, since the camera will zoom in to a new position after you enter Play mode.

Optional: More things to try

This step is entirely optional, but if you’re curious to understand how the 

 folder and open it in an IDE or text editor. The code is thoroughly commented, which helps as you read through it.

Below are a few aspects of the script that you might find particularly interesting:

 function controls the different phases of the game: round starting, round playing, and round ending. It ensures the game continues until a player wins.

 function creates and configures each player’s tank, ensuring proper placement, color assignment, and control settings.

Spawns each tank at the correct location.

Assigns colors, control settings, and player numbers.

Ensures the AI logic is properly enabled or disabled.

 functions determine who wins each round and the overall game.

: The first player to reach the required number of wins becomes the champion.

Optional: Review the GameManager script 

You’ve created a Title screen, set up a Game Manager, and added a Player Selection screen. 

In the next tutorial, you’ll get some ideas for how to further personalize and improve your project. 

Unity Version 6.0