The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Tower Defense Game in Unity from Udemy

Are you ready to create your very own Tower Defense video game? Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this comprehensive and standalone course will guide you step by step through building a complete game from scratch using Unity and C#.

No experience with game development? No problem. I’ve included a crash course section specifically designed for complete beginners who have never touched Unity before. We'll get you on track in no time.

In the main section, we’ll start slow and easy, so you can follow along comfortably as we build your skills and confidence.

Throughout this course, you’ll learn how to setup:

Enemy and Wave Management: Set up enemies with AI navigation, including movement, waypoints, and respawn mechanics. Implement wave systems with multiple waves, timers, and dynamic level changes to keep gameplay challenging.
Diverse Enemy Types: Create a variety of enemies, including basic units, quick sprinters, swarm enemies, heavy tank with shields, stealth units with buffs, flying enemies, and two powerful bosses. All of that is designed to ensure you have plenty of practical examples to learn how to design and develop unique behaviors for your games.
Build System: Create a robust build system for tower placement, unlockable towers, attack radius visualization, and interactive previews with hotkeys.
Towers: Build and design towers with unique mechanics, including cannons, machine guns, lasers, drones, and more. Each tower introduces new mechanics and attack patterns to expand your skills.
Target and Damage System: Build an advanced targeting system capable of prioritizing enemies based on progress, proximity, or surrounding groups, with dynamic switching for smarter gameplay.
Level Creation and 3D Tile System: Create levels using a 3D tile-based system with custom editor tools, dynamic NavMesh updates, all build to make development faster and easier.
Game Loop and Seamless Level Transitions: Build a smooth game loop with dynamic progression, seamless level transitions, and win/loss conditions to tie all systems together.
UI Systems : Design a complete UI system with menus, in-game elements like health and currency, and animations such as fade-ins, button hovers, and shakes to enhance player interaction.
Audio System: Set up an audio manager to control background music, sound effects, and volume settings, adding immersive audio to your game.
Camera: Develop a dynamic camera with smooth movement, rotation, zoom, transitions, and screen shake effects.
Post-Processing and Optimization: Enhance visuals with post-processing and optimize performance to maintain high FPS.

By the end of this course, you won’t just have a completed tower defense game—you’ll have the skills and knowledge to create games with confidence. Maybe even publish them on Steam.

Ready to turn your ideas into reality? Let’s make it happen. Enroll in my course today and begin your game dev journey.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Create playable game projects - good for your portfolio, or just for your own sense of achievement.
Learn c#, a modern versatile programming language.
Develop strong and transferrable problem-solving skills.

Learn object-oriented programming in real-world scenarios
Write clean, maintainable code and design scalable game architectures
Gain an excellent general knowledge of video game design.

Create playable game projects - good for your portfolio, or just for your own sense of achievement.
Learn c#, a modern versatile programming language.
Develop strong and transferrable problem-solving skills.
Learn object-oriented programming in real-world scenarios
Write clean, maintainable code and design scalable game architectures
Gain an excellent general knowledge of video game design.

Syllabus

Introduction

Important to know - Mindset of the course

Important to know - Crash Course

Important to know - Q&A and Bugs

Important to know - Before we begin

Crash Course For Beginners

Get Unity

Tool and Windows

Navigation and Components

Basic of C#

Create objects with simple shapes

References, Rotation, and Conditional Logic

Instantiate

On Trigger Enter

Auto-attack and Attack Cooldown

Boolean Return Type & Clean Code Examples

List and Array

Foreach and Search of closest object

For loop and Enemy Creator

Access modifiers & Encapsulation

Conclusion & Project

Enemy Setup

Get Assets and Assets Review

Setup Test Ground and Basic Enemy

Setup AI Navigation

Enemy's Movement

Enemy's Rotation

Enemy's Navigation Priority

Enemy's Wheel Rotation

Enemy's Death

Waypoint Manager

Enemy's Respawn

Wave System

Clean up & Project

Tower Setup

Setup Tower & Tower's Rotation

Target Random Enemy Within Attack Range

Inheritance and Polymorphism

Preparing Tower's Inheritance

Raycast detection of Enemies

Attack Visuals

Glow Effect - Part 1 ( Coroutine Loop )

Glow Effect - Part 2 ( Dynamic Color Change on the Material)

Dynamic Laser Strings Setup

Moving Rotor during set period of time

Change Tiles

Target and Damage System

Interface

Enemy's Travel Distance

Target System - Most Advanced Target

How to get center point of the Enemy

Priority Targets System

Dynamic Target Change

Towers as shooting obstacles

Level Creation and 3D Tile System

Level Creation System - Review

Preparing Tiles

Custom Editor Buttons

Change Tile's Name and Collider

Extra Tiles, Labels in Custom Editor, Position and Rotation

Grid Builder

Add New Tiles

Bridge Tiles Fix

Nav Mesh Auto Update

Smooth Camera Transitions

Wave Management

Let's Make Two Ways Level

Upgraded Wave Managment

Individual waypoint system

Improve waypoints selection

Multiple waves

Wave Timers

Dynamic Level Change

Slopes and Enemy's Movement on Slopes

Camera Controller

Camera Movement

Camera Rotation

Camera Zoom

Mouse Movement

Screen's Edge Movement

Camera Boundaries

Screen Shake Effect

Complete UI Secton

Import UI Assets & Packages

Main Menu - Part 1

Main Menu - Part 2

Switch UI Elements

UI Credits and Hyperlink

Settings UI Layout

Settings UI Logic - Part 1

Settings UI Logic - Part 2

In Game UI - Health Points

In Game UI - Currency

In Game UI - Wave Timer

In Game UI - Build Buttons

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Includes a crash course section specifically designed for complete beginners who have never touched Unity before, which helps them get on track quickly

Teaches C#, a modern versatile programming language, which is widely used in game development and other software applications

Covers a wide range of topics, including enemy AI, tower mechanics, UI systems, and camera controls, providing a comprehensive understanding of game development

Focuses on building a tower defense game, which provides a practical and engaging way to learn game development concepts and techniques

Emphasizes writing clean, maintainable code and designing scalable game architectures, which are essential skills for professional game developers

Requires the use of Unity, so learners should ensure they have access to the latest version of the software to follow along with the course

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Tower Defense Game in Unity with these activities:

Review C# Fundamentals

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Strengthen your C# skills to better understand the scripting aspects of Unity game development.

Browse courses on C#

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Review basic syntax, data types, and control flow in C#.
Practice writing simple C# programs to reinforce understanding.
Familiarize yourself with object-oriented programming concepts in C#.

Brush up on Unity Basics

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Revisit the Unity interface, game objects, components, and the basics of scene creation.

Browse courses on Unity

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Open Unity and explore the editor interface.
Create a new Unity project and add basic game objects to the scene.
Experiment with different components and their properties.

Review 'Unity in Action, Third Edition'

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Deepen your understanding of Unity concepts and techniques to improve your game development skills.

View Unity in Action, Third Edition on Amazon

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Read the chapters relevant to tower defense game development, such as those on game objects, components, and scripting.
Experiment with the code examples provided in the book to reinforce your understanding.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques to refer back to during the course.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Prototype a Simple Tower

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Gain hands-on experience with tower implementation by creating a basic tower with simple attack logic.

Show steps

Create a new Unity project or use an existing one.
Design a simple tower model and import it into Unity.
Write a script for the tower to detect and attack enemies within range.
Test the tower's functionality and make adjustments as needed.

Document Your Learning Journey

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Reinforce your understanding by documenting your progress, challenges, and solutions throughout the course.

Show steps

Create a blog, journal, or online document to record your learning journey.
Summarize key concepts and techniques learned in each module.
Document any challenges you encounter and the solutions you find.
Share your insights and learnings with others in the community.

Review 'Game Programming Patterns'

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Improve your code architecture and design skills by studying common game programming patterns.

View Crafting Interpreters on Amazon

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Read the chapters relevant to game architecture, object management, and behavior patterns.
Identify opportunities to apply these patterns in your tower defense game project.
Refactor your code to implement the chosen patterns and improve its structure.

Contribute to a Unity Asset

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Deepen your understanding of Unity and game development by contributing to an open-source Unity asset or library.

Show steps

Find an open-source Unity asset or library that interests you.
Study the code and documentation to understand how it works.
Identify a bug or feature that you can contribute to the project.
Submit a pull request with your changes and collaborate with the maintainers.

Career center

Learners who complete The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Tower Defense Game in Unity will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Game Developer

A Game Developer is responsible for designing and implementing gameplay mechanics, and this course directly contributes to that. This course provides a comprehensive guide to building a tower defense game from scratch using Unity and C#, equipping you with the skills to manage enemies, create diverse tower types, and implement a functional game loop. You'll learn systems for UI, audio, and camera operation, which are all crucial to game creation. The course emphasis on object-oriented programming and writing clean maintainable code helps a Game Developer work efficiently on projects large and small. Anyone seeking a strong foundation in game development should consider this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Developer

Unity Developer

A Unity Developer focuses on using the Unity game engine to create games and interactive experiences, and this course provides a practical introduction to it. This course will teach you how to use Unity and C# to build a complete tower defense game from scratch. You will learn how to set up enemies with AI navigation, create diverse tower types, and manage level transitions. Skills in creating UI elements, an audio system, and optimizing performance are covered, all crucial for a Unity Developer. Anyone who seeks to further their experience with Unity would gain a lot from this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Unity Developer

Game Programmer

As a Game Programmer, you’re responsible for the technical implementation of a game’s design, which makes this course highly relevant. Through learning to build complete game systems, this course can help a Game Programmer gain experience with Unity and C#. You will implement core mechanics, such as enemy wave systems, tower functionality, and targeting logic. The course content includes the development of UI systems, audio management, camera controls, and performance optimization, which are often implemented by Game Programmers. Problem solving skills learned in this course are invaluable for any Game Programmer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Programmer

Gameplay Programmer

The role of a Gameplay Programmer involves coding the interactive elements of a game. Through this course, you will learn the fundamentals of game programming in Unity and C# by building a tower defense game. You will learn to implement enemy AI, tower mechanics, and targeting systems, all crucial aspects of gameplay. The course provides a deep dive into setting up wave systems, creating various enemy types, and designing dynamic levels, all skills that are directly applicable to the day-to-day work of a Gameplay Programmer. Learning object-oriented programming and writing clean code is also valuable for any aspiring Gameplay Programmer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Gameplay Programmer

Technical Designer

Technical Designers focus on the technical implementation of game design, which this course directly addresses. You will gain experience in creating various game systems in a practical context, such as enemy and wave management, build systems, towers designs, target and damage systems, and level creation, as you follow the course and build a tower defense game from the ground up. Additionally, this course equips a Technical Designer with skills to set up a game loop, UI, and audio systems. The focus on creating custom editor tools and optimizing performance are also helpful for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Designer

Level Designer

Level Designers create the environments and layouts in a game, a task this course touches upon. You will use a 3D tile-based system and custom editor tools to create dynamic game levels, including designing terrains for enemy movement in this course. You will also learn to create level transitions, build a smooth game loop, and incorporate win/loss conditions. This course can strengthen a budding Level Designer’s skillset by teaching the use of visual tools to create immersive level designs for gameplay. This course can help one interested in level design gain hands-on experience.

See salaries and explore the career path for Level Designer

Tools Programmer

Tools Programmers create software that aids in the game development process, which is relevant to the custom editor tools introduced in this course. You will gain hands on experience in creating custom editor tools for building game levels, which is a common task in this role. You will learn to set up a 3D tile-based system and implement dynamic NavMesh updates, and build a variety of other features to make development faster and easier. This course will strengthen the skills of anyone interested in this type of programming. The skills gained in this course are applicable to the role of a Tools Programmer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Tools Programmer

AI Programmer

An AI Programmer specializes in creating the artificial intelligence for game characters, and this course provides practical experience with this. In the course, you will learn how to set up enemies with AI navigation, including movement, waypoints, and respawn mechanics. You will also design diverse enemy types with unique behaviors, including basic units, quick sprinters, and flying enemies. Building behaviors that allow enemies to react to game events, such as the placement of a tower, will greatly enhance your skill set as an AI programmer. This course may be useful for those interested in AI game programming.

See salaries and explore the career path for AI Programmer

UI Programmer

A UI Programmer is responsible for implementing user interface elements in a game. This course will guide you through the creation of a complete UI system with menus, in-game elements like health, currency, and animations. A UI Programmer would greatly benefit from the experience of implementing features such as fade-ins, button hovers, and shakes to improve player interaction. This course may be useful for anyone interested in UI programming for games. The experience of coding in C# to create UI elements will be valuable for any UI programmer.

See salaries and explore the career path for UI Programmer

Game Designer

Game Designers create the rules, systems, and content of a game, making this course helpful to anyone seeking to gain game design experience. In the course, you'll learn to implement core game systems, including enemy and wave management, tower and build systems, target and damage systems, and level creation. You will also gain experience in setting up a game loop with dynamic progression, seamless level transitions, and win/loss conditions. The skills related to user interface and audio management are also helpful for a Game Designer. This course may help anyone who wishes to begin a career in game design.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Designer

Software Engineer

While not exclusively focused on game development, a Software Engineer will benefit from the skills taught in this course. The course teaches object-oriented programming, problem-solving, and writing clean maintainable code using C#, all of which are transferable skills. The process of creating complex systems such as enemy wave management, tower placement, targeting systems, and UI elements can help build a Software Engineer's foundation. This course may strengthen a Software Engineer's general programming proficiency. This course may help a software engineer explore a different area of software development.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager in the gaming industry oversees game development projects, and while this course doesn't focus on project management, it does offer a valuable hands-on experience of building a game from start to finish. A Project Manager would benefit from following a project through its development pipeline to understand workflows. The course will also help by building familiarity with game systems, mechanics, and the overall development process. Although not a core skill, this course may be helpful for a Project Manager working with game development teams. Project Managers would gain a better understanding of the complexities of game creation from this course.

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Simulation Developer

A Simulation Developer builds real-world or fictional simulations, and this course may be helpful due to its implementation of complex object interactions. While focused on a tower defense game, the course provides experience in creating dynamic systems, such as enemy movement with AI navigation, and tower functionalities. Skills in creating user interfaces, managing game states, and handling user input are also applicable to this role. The experience in coding in C# is also valuable. This course may be useful as an introductory course to simulation development.

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Quality Assurance Tester

A Quality Assurance Tester tests software to find bugs and issues before release, and while this course does not focus on testing, it provides insight into game design and development. By building a complete game, a Quality Assurance Tester gains a deep understanding of the various systems and how they interact. This knowledge benefits a Quality Assurance Tester by helping them anticipate potential problems in future projects. This course may strengthen the testing skills of a Quality Assurance Tester, but may not be directly useful for testing methods.

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Instructional Designer

Instructional Designers develop learning materials, and this course may be useful because it helps them better understand the process of designing an engaging project-based course. By building a game from start to finish, an Instructional Designer can gain insight into how learners master a complex subject. In addition, the course gives Instructional Designers experience with using a popular game development engine that is commonly used in educational settings. However, the skills taught are not directly related to instructional design. This course may be helpful for an Instructional Designer interested in game design, but its main purpose is not instructional design.

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The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Tower Defense Game in Unity

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