Hi, everyone! I just wanted to start a thread for those of you reading Unity 3D Game Development by Example, a book I just finished writing with Packt Publishing, the same folks who published Will Goldstone’s Unity Game Development Essentials.
Here’s a link to the book:
And here’s a link to a quick FAQ and chapter list on my blog:
I wrote the book with beginners in mind - not just Unity beginners, but game development beginners. I had lots of friends saying “I’ve heard of Unity … I’d like to check it out.” I’d say “Have you ever done any programming?” and they’d say “No.” So they’d be able to use this book and be successful.
I’m using the book as the study guide for a college-level 3D programming intro course, which is going very well.
The first two chapters are theoretical, and drive home the need to start simply with a small, manageable project; the remaining ten chapters help the reader develop four very simple casual-style games:
a keep-up game (3D)
a catch game (2.5D)
a memory card game (2D - entirely using Unity GUI)
a very basic space shooter (2.5D)
The book came hot off the printing presses today! As soon as Packt gives the thumbs-up, they’ll start printing copies. It’s also available as an e-book.
I’m really looking forward to hearing your feedback! Throw me your email and I’ll drop you a line when the book is out, which will be very soon.
Ryan
ryan {the at sign} untoldentertainment {the dot sign} com
The publisher just received the first hard copy today. They’ll check it over and give the thumbs-up to the printers. Once the hard copy’s rolling off the presses, they’ll make the e-book version available.
We’ve been calling this a September book, so i expect it to be ready next week. Thanks for your patience!
Hello! I just bought the eBook/Book combo earlier this evening. I’ve read through the first two chapters and I like that you’re stressing the start small, be successful, and grow into bigger things approach. I too see many people say that they’re going to make the next WoW and when they hit the first snag, quit. Quit to become an accountant of all things!!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this, and I’ll write more as I get through it!
Hi Ryan, i bought the combo yesterday, hardcover will take a while i suppose, but ebook is on my desktop!
first impression: really nice and helpful for the beginner.
I always appreciate learning materials with small, but full starting projects - which seem to be fulfilled in your book.
I am excited to work with the lessons !
one flaw though - especially for non-native english speakers!
the language, the slang expression are sometimes hard to understand ( 'tis volley, no grabsies, nix the referee, cube-fest)
I suppose, for english ears that sounds cool!
Besides that, your book is a wonderful learning tool with a thorough introduction and a detailed guidance!
I am kinda stuck Game 2 Robot Repair with the GUI Game Start button. I see the title screen but the button is not showing. Below is the provided code.
var customSkin:GUISkin;
function OnGUI() {
//Button width:
var buttonW:int = 100;
//Button height:
var buttonH:int = 50;
//Half of the screen width:
var halfScreenW:float=Screen.width/2;
//Half of the button width:
var halfButtonW:float = buttonW/2;
I have been wanting to get into Unity for a bit now, however I like a book to lead me along paths. I purchased this book last night after reading the thoughts on it in this thread and I must agree it is a well written book. My only gripe (and this is really just a matter of personal preference) is that I wish the code samples were in C# as that is the language I used daily in my professional life and I am well versed in it. I was however able to translate most of it to C# with out much issue but there was a time or two it wasn’t super clear.So far I am about half way through chapter 4 and I have understood everything completely, while a lot of books on various topics I’ve come across over the years tend to gloss over things you tend to explain them pretty well. Once I finish the book I’ll come back I’m sure and make a few more comments, but my initials thoughts are it is a job very well done.
Will left a comment on my blog when i announced that Unity 3D Game Development by Example was available for pre-order:
Keep in mind that Will wrote his book a year ago. i just finished mine, so the thought of diving into a second edition right now makes me feel a bit barfy. i’d like to wait to see how the book is received, so that i can decide 1) whether people even WANT a second edition and 2) what should be in it.
Well being a COMPLETE Unity newbie, I went ahead and ordered your book, Ryan. I actually got the combo pack with Will’s book which basically made one book free!. I can’t wait to dive into it and start my journey. I understand the whole issue with 3.0 but what you stated below makes complete sense to me.
The reason I would love to see 3.0 based 2nd editions of these books is that there have been a number of API changes as well as significant new workflows (lightmapping, for example), and sorting out what’s new and what’s old, for both newcomers and more experienced users alike is challenging.
