Really, it doesn’t get any more newb than this, but, do I need to know code to create games with unity. Or, are there ready made scripts I can put in? I got my son a Ouya and wanted to start learning Unity before he did… We are both good with Blender and I thought this would be a nice next step.
At some point you probably will. You could download sample projects and code from others and just slap objects together without writing any code but if you want anything decent you’ll need to learn some but it’s not that bad. I did a demo for an IT Magnet School high school class that was looking to move away from XNA since it’s no longer supported. I showed them Unity. I created a terrain… with a volcano… threw on a particle emitter, First Person character controller, and painted textures. The only code I modified was a quick change so I could move a little faster and jump really high to show the terrain. Took just a few minutes and the students were excited about it, though it was far from an actual game.
There are also starter kits you can use - some free, others not. If you work within the limitations of those kits you can create a decent game without ever writing a piece of code. However, learning to code a little will open up a lot more possibilities.
You can get Unity and start playing around for free.
Just jump in! Nobody will let you drown.
Thanks, for the replies! Yeah, it seems pretty easy to jump in… Also, my question seems to have been answered: it’s not necessary to create a functioning game by inserting stock script, but in order to do it right, learn code. It can’t hurt to learn.
Ok, where to start? C?
Certainly! Starting with the sample projects on the Asset Store (which are free… the Unity ones) is definitely good because it gives you a good sense of how things are put together. There’s a wealth of documentation and tutorials (in written and video form) provided by Unity and that’s where I would start so you can start understanding it:
Learn the Unity structure first… then start looking at code (or you can do both at once). Then I would personally recommend C#. There are loads of tutorials out there, both Unity and non-unity… and there’s a lot of good documentation. I wouldn’t get too crazy in non-unity C# tutorials except for the basics of the language. If you can find some good intro courses (like what’s on PluralSight), you’ll have a decent foundation. Then start looking on YouTube and various other places (and especially the official Unity documentation) and you’ll pick it up. It takes time, but it’s very rewarding!
Also… don’t be afraid to ask questions here in the forums… (but please use the search feature first ;). The community here is very helpful as long as you use the proper tags and proper titles for your posts.
Learn your way around the basics of the Unity editor by creating and manipulating game objects and then adding scripts and other components to them.
Then experiment with scripting in C# or UnityScript (JS) to make the objects do things.
UnityScript is a little easier for beginners, and once you know what you’re doing you can move over to C# without much trouble. There are plenty of Unity tutorials to get you up and running in either language.
Thanks for all the responses!