Developing 2D Games with Unity: Independent Game Programming with C#

by Jared Halpern

Follow a walkthrough of the Unity Engine and learn important 2D-centric lessons in scripting, working with image assets, animations, cameras, collision detection, and state management. In addition to the fundamentals, you'll learn best practices, helpful game-architectural patterns, and how to customize Unity to suit your needs, all in the context of building a working 2D game.

While many books focus on 3D game creation with Unity, the easiest market for an independent developer to thrive in is 2D games. 2D games are generally cheaper to produce, more feasible for small teams, and more likely to be completed. If you live and breathe games and want to create them then 2D games are a great place to start. 

By focusing exclusively on 2D games and Unity’s ever-expanding 2D workflow, this book gives aspiring independent game developers the tools they need to thrive. Various real-world examples of independent games are used to teach fundamental concepts of developing 2D games in Unity, using the very latest tools in Unity’s updated 2D workflow. 

New all-digital channels for distribution, such as Nintendo eShop, XBox Live Marketplace, the Playstation Store, the App Store, Google Play, itch.io, Steam, and GOG.com have made it easier than ever to discover, buy, and sell games. The golden age of independent gaming is upon us, and there has never been a better time to get creative, roll up your sleeves, and build that game you’ve always dreamed about. Developing 2D Games with Unity can show you the way.

What You'll Learn

Delve deeply into useful 2D topics, such as sprites, tile slicing, and the brand new Tilemap feature.
Build a working 2D RPG-style game as you learn. Construct a flexible and extensible game architecture using Unity-specific tools like Scriptable Objects, Cinemachine, and Prefabs. Take advantage of the streamlined 2D workflow provided by the Unity environment.  Deploy games to desktop

Who This Book Is For

Hobbyists with some knowledge of programming, as well as seasoned programmers interested in learning to make games independent of a major studio.

Genres: Programming

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2018

About the author

Jared Halpern is a software developer with many years of experience working in a wide range of technologies. Lately he has specialized in Apple and Unity. Jared has built many iPhone apps over the years, including games, augmented reality, photography, eCommerce, video, and GIF apps. His interests include Swift, Unity, AR, Game Development, and the creative application of these technologies. He has an immense passion for the potential of games as an interactive medium to tell stories and give experiences in ways that other mediums cannot.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough and easy to follow

Everything is explained well, allowing the reader to create a simple 2D game from start to finish. A great introduction to Unity and its 2D aspects, including screenshots, code explanations, and a repo with all files for easy reference.

[Patrick Coakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Developing 2D Games With Unity is a pretty great introduction to working with Unity. It doesn’t waste your time and it generally explains what’s going on, however I did find that there were a few times where there were minor settings or changes that I wish had been called out more. Also, I wish the book was a bit beefier and went into more details, as it can feel like there isn’t enough time spent covering everything you could do with a particular system. Otherwise, if you want a pretty quick intro to using Unity I found this to be a great read.

[Drew Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on game development with a focus on 2D.

[James Alston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to 2D games with Unity and a lot of relevant topics covered well. But I was hoping it would be an all-in-one type of book that took a game to completion, but unfortunately it peters out rather suddenly at the end. There is no discussion about intro screens, a game manager, or what to do at the end of game including high score tables and saving game state. I know all that information is available elsewhere, just somewhat disappointed the game we developed in the book wasn't done to completion.

[Artù · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al netto di alcune lacune è un buon testo per introdurre all'utilizzo di Unity sviluppando giochi 2d.
Ha molti meriti tra cui quello di avere un codice preciso e funzionante, quindi seguendo passo passo il libro otterrete una buona base su cui implementare poi le vostre scelte di design.
I difetti è che non copre la parte sonora del videogioco, praticamente otterete un gioco muto.
Per iniziare è ottimo poi però bisogna approfondire e guardare altrove.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two significant problems with this book.

Major: the author advises not only ignoring errors but deliberately writing code to ignore errors.

Minor: the author hasn't decided what audience they are writing for. It ranges from assuming a basic programming background all the way down to elementary school level, i.e. print "Hello" -> hey reader, this line prints out "Hello".

[Charles Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great beginning book for 2D game development with Unity. It covers in detail almost everything needed to create a 2D RPG style game in Unity and the code is well explained.

[Paul Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author explained the steps with both pictures and text which made this book a quick read and easy to grasp. The author also builds upon the previous chapters while learning how to handle unity and its features which makes it a good book for someone wanting to understand the process of game development and unity with some prior programming experience. I wondered what made this book different from any other book I have read. The author didn't provide any major ideas for you to tinker with and there was no major exercises although one could say this book was a exercise of itself. I would have prefered more ideas from the author. In other words it is a great book.

[Nathan]

Skimmed it. Wasn't the right book for me at this time. Reading the docs + blog posts + videos online have generally helped me move forward on hobby projects, and I didn't see things in the book that stood out as strongly different material.

Given my superficial read I'm skipping any star rating.