Game Design 2B: Launch a Game
Programador/Diseñador de Juegos y Animación Unidades del Curso de Trayectoria Profesional
Unit 1: Taking Control
You’ve already done the groundwork, and now it’s time to level up and launch! In Game Design 2b, you’ll take your runner game to new heights and enter the land of fire and ice using the cool tools that Unity has to offer! Get ready to build atmospheric landscapes, mountain runs, stair builds, and implement obstacles to keep your relic safe! Then, your real-world game begins: test and evaluate your game and prepare for a market launch! All of the moving parts of the game development process come together in this course, so you can unleash your game into the world!
Unit 2: Characters in Games
Now that we’ve gone over game controllers, let’s take a look at exactly who we’ll be controlling. We’ll begin by exploring the various archetypes in literature and how they relate to game design. Then we’ll choose an archetype to mold our character after and, with that information, choose an avatar to represent the main protagonist. You’ll learn how to implement this new avatar in Unity and integrate the character’s information and backstory into a character sheet that we’ll be adding to our Game Design Document.
Unit 3: Introduction to Level Design
How do you create a level that engages the player? Implementing thoughtful level design that creates complex and interesting obstacles is possible even for beginners. A variety of inventory systems used in different game genres can enhance gameplay, as do the various programming concepts needed to create these inventory systems. Specifically, we’ll learn the pros and cons of using various data storage methods like arrays, lists, and hashtables to add interest to our level. Then, we’ll return to our project and create a glowing orb for our player to collect and visually equip it to the character.
Unit 4: Extending Unity
We’ve learned the basics of the tools built into Unity, but many studios rely on advanced external tools to create their games. So how do we extend the functionality of Unity so we can harness these same powerful features? Step inside and learn tools of the trade like ProBuilder, used to create and edit 3D models within the Unity Editor. Turn regular C# code into a visual scripting flow machine using Bolt. Explore third-party extensions and templates, as well as official documentation, to help us along our programming journey. We’ll also take a look at software engineering principles and how they relate to games and game design as a process.
Unit 5: Finishing Touches
Want to really make your game stand out? Learn how to use some of the most powerful tools in Unity to create unique landscape features—like mountains, hills, and plateaus—then texture them to match your game theme. We’ll create a dynamic lava system using custom particle systems and math-based script systems. Once our lava looks menacing enough, we’ll learn how to reset the stage if the player accidentally touches it. We’ll also learn about abilities. We’ll create a new pickup that allows us to cast an icy projectile at our foes, and then add an animation so our player character can celebrate their newfound powers!
Unit 6: Enemies, Interfaces, & Testing
It’s time to meet your match! Get ready to face off with your enemy. Here, we’ll set our character and enemy interactions and fine-tune our player’s abilities. We’ll learn about user interface elements and how they affect gameplay and relay information to the player. We’ll look at a few iconic title screens from gaming’s history and analyze what makes them great before moving on to create our very own. Finally, we’ll learn the ins and outs of alpha testing and how to document bugs and code during these stages. Let’s roll!
Unit 7: Betas, Packaging, & Publishing
We’ve done our internal testing, now it’s time to go public! Let’s explore the benefits of public beta testing, along with guidelines and examples of best practices to get the most out of its stages. We’ll then go over how to package games for various systems, consoles, and devices and package our game for our current operating system. Finally, we’ll move into the various release stages and review valuable information about the types of publishing you may want to consider when releasing your own games.
Unit 8: Marketing & Supporting Your Game
Congratulations! You’ve almost made it. While your game might be ready, your development journey is likely just beginning. Let’s look at what to expect after releasing your game, handling good and bad reviews, using current advertising practices to realistically set up your game for success, monetizing properly to keep your development team funded for future projects, releasing additional content and updates, and leveraging your game’s new audience to help the success of future projects. Essentially, we will learn how to get the absolute most out of your hard work and the achievement of creating a game project!