Thursday , March 28 2024
At over 400 pages, Mastering Unity 2D Game Development is not a quick read and requires coding knowledge. That said, there are plenty of tips and tricks that you’ll pick up.

Book Review: ‘Mastering Unity 2D Game Development’ by Simon Jackson

Complaining about how Activision keeps churning out the same Call of Duty games over and over again isn’t going to do anyone much good. There’s nothing like putting your money where your mouth is, and for those who want to try game-making, Unity 3D is appealing tool. Besides the fact that the game-making engine is free, there is no shortage of help available. From premade assets, to online videos and books like this one, there is plenty of information and help available. Mastering Unity 2D Game Development by Simon Jackson will essentially walk you through creating a 2D side-scrolling RPG.

Mastering Unity 2D Game Development, Simon Jackson, Unity 3D, game development, bookTo start off with, I’ll say that Mastering Unity 2D Game Development probably isn’t the first book you should buy if you’re just getting started with Unity 3D.  While you probably could struggle through it, it’s really written for those with a good familiarity with the engine and at least some knowledge of the C# programming language.  If you’re really new to the process, there are a good amount of beginner’s handbooks available. It is also worth noting that this book was written to be utilized with Unity 3D version 4.3 and refers to some UI elements that have since been changed.

Mastering Unity 2D Game Development starts off simply enough with an overview of the project that you’ll be undertaking. From there it moves on to building a character, and includes instructions on how to use Unity’s sprite system. Once your character is created, the book moves on to animation. Since you’ll then have the “who” covered, the next step is the “where,” and the next chapters walk you through creating your world and non-player characters. No RPG is complete without an inventory system, which is covered in the eighth chapter, followed by combat systems.

Once your game is made, Mastering Unity 2D Game Development helps you package it all up and deploy your effort. There are even a few words on marketing at the end of the book, though monetization is covered much earlier. As with any programming book, there are bound to be errors, and a good amount of the errata information along with the source files are available online. At over 400 pages, this book is not a quick read and the less familiar you are with coding, the longer it will take you to get through it. Even with a fair amount of Unity 3D experience, portions can be a bit confusing, requiring some rereading. That being said, there are plenty of tips and tricks that you’ll pick up, that you can apply toward other efforts, both 2D and 3D.

[amazon template=iframe image&asin=B00N2RWO7K]

About Lance Roth

Lance Roth has over 10 years experience in the video game industry. He has worked in a number of capacities within the industry and currently provides development and strategy consulting. He participated in all of the major console launches since the Dreamcast. This videogame resume goes all of the way back to when they were written in DOS. You can contact Lance at RPGameX.com or [email protected].

Check Also

Game Review: ‘Ultra-Power Battle Game’ from Expand Your Mind

Ultra Power Battle Game combines second-guessing an opponent with exciting gameplay that does not need batteries.

2 comments

  1. I was interested to read this review as I am currently slowly learning how to work with Unity. However as I am not a coder, I’m not ready for this book – yet!