MP4 | Video: AVC 1920 x 1080 | Audio: AAC 48 KHz 2ch | Duration: 07:50:07 | 29 GB

Genre: eLearning | Language: English

Estimated 10 hours of video instruction

Overview

This series of courses help prepare you to take the Expert Gameplay Programmer Certification exam, and covers six topics areas distributed over five lessons. These topics include Rapid Gameplay Prototyping and Unity Services Implementation; NPC Design programming and User Interface Implementation; Level Design Programming and Performance Optimization. The format of these courses are project and activity based and participants will need to feel comfortable individually programming a game in Unity. Participants will be challenged with a series of realistic programming problems in Unity video-game projects, the kind true gameplay programming experts face every day. Each challenge is inspired by one or more of the topics covered in the exam.

Description

This course is exam preparation for Unity’s Expert Gameplay Programmer Certification Exam. This course will challenge you with a series of realistic programming problems in Unity video-game projects, inspired by one or more of the topics covered in the Expert Gameplay Programmer Exam. Throughout this course, you will work on a 2D “infinite platformer” game project and 3D “Dual-Stick Survivor” game project. This will help you practice prototyping core gameplay mechanics, including scripting GameObjects and their components, coordinating UI systems, and implementing UI scripting. This will also include configuring GameObject physics, spawning Prefabs, designing level logic and behavior, scripting animation systems and events, and working with in-game cinematics.

Throughout this course, you will learn Unity Services Implementation techniques, including: streamlining your project management with Unity Cloud Build, monetization with Unity Ads and in-app purchases, and Unity Analytics. By the end of this course, you will implement in-app purchases for a 3D "Dual-Stick Survivor" game project.

About the Instructor

Unity Technologies is the creator of the worlds most widely used real-time 3D (RT3D) development platform, giving developers around the world the tools to create rich, interactive 2D, 3D, VR and AR experiences. Our 1000 person engineering team keeps Unity at the bleeding-edge of technology by working alongside partners such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Oculus to ensure optimized support for the latest releases and platforms. Experiences made with Unity reach nearly 3 billion devices worldwide, and were installed 24 billion times in the last 12 months. Unity is powering RT3D in architecture, automotive, construction, engineering, film, games, and more.

By successfully completing the projects in all four courses, participants will have had extensive, guided practice in the programming skills needed to pass the Unity Expert Gameplay Programmer exam.

Skill Level

Advanced

What You Will Learn

Interpret Game Design Document to determine basic game functionality

Build a prototype to illustrate basic game functionality

Identify conflicts and solutions during prototype stage to improve game play

Enable ads in the game to demonstrate knowledge of Unity Services

Demonstrate knowledge of NPC logic and behavior

Demonstrate knowledge of animation behavior systems

Develop a HUD to demonstrate knowledge of UI coordinate systems

Create an options menu to demonstrate knowledge of user interface scripting

Create a basic game world level to demonstrate knowledge of level design

Add characters to your level

Demonstrate knowledge of gameplay debugging

Demonstrate knowledge of platform optimization

Who Should Take This Course

Primary: Game Developers seeking extensive, guided practice in the programming skills needed to pass Gameplay Programmer Expert Certification

Course Requirements

Prerequisites: 2-3 years of experience developing games with Unity with advanced programming skills, particularly in the C# language

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Gameplay Programmer Specialization

The Expert Gameplay Programmer Exam

Course 1: Rapid Gameplay Programming

Core Gameplay Prototyping

Understanding What the GDD Wants

Converting the GDD to Unity

Let the User Move

Refining User Control

Getting the Basics Set Up for the Most Basic NPC

Inheritance and Polymorphism

A Zoo for NPCs

User Interface Coordinate Systems

Overlay, Camera, and the World

UI Coordinate Systems

What does the GDD Require?

Static Aspect Ratios

Dynamic Aspects Ratios

Configuring What Can be Hit

Masking the Graphic Raycaster

UI Scripting

What’s important to the User

Any Feedback is Better Than None

Testing Through the UI

Adding a Mini-Map

Adding a Radar: Part 1

Adding a Radar: Part 2

The UI Profiler and Frame Debugger

UI Optimizations

Identifying Localization Needs: Part 1

Identifying Localization Needs: Part 2

Localization Implementation

Conflict and Solutions During Prototype

Defining Failure and Success

Making the Computer Provide Useful Feedback

On Paper

Course 2: Programming for Level Design

Introduction

Configuring Physics

Collider Types and Configuration

Choosing the Best Collider for the Job

RigidBodies and Colliders

Rigidbody Performance

Kinematic Rigidbodies

OnTrigger Configurations

OnCollision Configurations

Physics Mask Groupings

Physic Material Properties

Spawning Runtime Prefabs and Effects

When and Why to Spawn Objects

When and Why Not to Spawn Objects

Spawn Rates and Performance Impact

Reliable Particle Effect Placement

Dynamic Particle Effect Spawning

Evaluating Effects for Spawning and Placement

Dynamically Altering Wind Zones

Line Renderers

Trail Renderer

Level Logic and Behaviour

Triggered Interactions

Bringing Gameplay Together

Our Mighty Gameplay Overlord of Scene Management

Orchestrating Chaos

Loading and Unloading Scenes

Loading Scenes

Unloading Scenes

Steaming Limits

Cinematics

In-Engine Cinematic Parameters- Part 1

In-Engine Cinematic Parameters- Part 2

Cinematic Post Effects

When, Why, and at What Cost?

Course 3: NPC Design Programming

Course Introduction

NPC Logic and Behavior

Animation State Machines

Driving States Via Scripts

Animation Events

Adding State Machine Behaviors

Mapping NPC Logic

Scripting Logic into an NPC

Mapping Mob Mentality

Navigation and Pathfinding

NavMesh Methodology

Baking a Quality NavMesh

NavMesh Area Costs

Area Triggers

Off Mesh Links

Obstacle Avoidance Quality and Priority

Raycasting

Raycast Behavior

Debugging Raycast Masks

Optimizing Raycasts via Layers

NPC Spawning and Placement

Determining NPCs for Placement at Scene Load

Where to Dynamically place NPCs

Determining NPC Spawn Rates

Optimizing Spawn Rates per Platform

Course 4 Performance Optimization

Introduction

Rendering Optimization

Occlusion Culling

Optimizing Performance via Occlusion Culling

LOD Methodology

Evaluating LOD Distances

Analyzing Fill Rates

Rendering-Best Practices

Minimizing Frame Drops

Asset Bundles

Asset Bundle Strategies

Determining Optimal Configurations

Identifying Issues

Providing Asset Bundle Solutions

Using Asset Bundles

Gameplay Debugging

General Debugging Strategies

General Debugging Techniques

Isolating Level Issues

NPC Debugging

Isolating Scene Loading and Transition Issues

Finding the Best Solution

Low-Hanging Fruit

Game Killers

Platform Constraints

Platform Input/Controller Schemas

Platform System Resources

Optimizing Runtime Performance per Platform

Optimizing Storage per Platform

Platform Constraints

Platform Optimization

Using the Profiler

Managing your Short-term Memory

Long-term Memory Use

Hidden CPU Taxes

Assessing Capabilities per Platform

Targeting Build Targets

Course 5: Unity Services Implementation

Introduction

Unity’s Ads

Simple Ad Placement

Simple Ads and the Player Experience

Supplementing Scene Loading with Ads

Rewarded Ad Placement

Rewarded Ads and Player Experience

Enhancing the Player Experience with Rewarded Ads

In App Purchases

Enabling an In App Purchases Store

Processing In App Purchases

Post Purchase

UI Elements for In App Purchases

Implementing an In App Purchase

Unity Analytics

Unity Analytics

Translating GDD Level Design to Data Collection Points

Custom Data Events for Player Behavior

Heatmap Data

Identifying User Pain Points from Heatmap Data

Using the Dashboard for Evaluating Analytics

Evaluating Analytics Raw Data

Performance Reporting

Analyzing Performance Reports

Unity Cloud Build

Setting up Cloud Build

Test Build Logs

Assessing your Target Build Platforms