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James Doyle

Learn how to create and program your very own turn-based strategy game using Unity, an industry-standard game development program used by large gaming studios and indie developers across the world.

In this course you won’t just be learning programming concepts, but tying these concepts to real game development uses. You will have access to a course forum where you can discuss the topics covered in the course as well as the next steps to take once the course is complete.

Read more

Learn how to create and program your very own turn-based strategy game using Unity, an industry-standard game development program used by large gaming studios and indie developers across the world.

In this course you won’t just be learning programming concepts, but tying these concepts to real game development uses. You will have access to a course forum where you can discuss the topics covered in the course as well as the next steps to take once the course is complete.

This course has been designed to be easily understandable to everyone, so whether you’re a complete beginner, an artist looking to expand their game development range or a programmer interested in understanding game design, this course will help you gain a greater understanding of development.

At the end of this course you will have developed the ability to understand such game elements as:

  • A Turn-Based System

  • Moving Characters on a Grid

  • Meleeing, Shooting & Defending Action Types

  • A Full Health System

  • AI Decision-making & Navigation

  • A Full Camera Movement & Rotation System

  • Spawning In Randomised Positions

  • Animation & Audio Systems

  • Battle Select System

  • and much more...

The course also includes a complete version of the project to use for your own reference to ensure everything in your game works as it should.

Start learning today and let me help you become a game developer.

Enroll now

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction
Project Assets
Getting Started
Setting Up The Project
Read more
The Unity UI
Setting Up Our Scene
Player Control
Setting Up The Player
Creating A Script & Moving
Moving To A Specific Point
Clicking To Move
Creating More Players
Setting An Active Player
Movement Grid
Creating The Movement Grid
Tidying Up The Grid
Detecting The Ground
Avoiding Obstacles
Hiding The Grid
Camera Control
Setting Up The Camera System
Following The Player
Moving The Camera Manually
Snapping Back To The Player
Rotating The Camera
AI Navigation
Setting Up AI Navigation Mesh
Moving With AI Navigation
Making Enemies
Taking Turns
Setting Up A Turn Order
Switching Characters After Action
Making It More Random
Skipping Enemy Turns
Using Turn Points
Limiting Move Range
Moving With Menus
Setting Up The Player Menu
Making The Menu Appear
Making Move Input Work
Adding Walking & Running Options
Changing Action Costs
Showing Turn Points
Cancelling Movement
Fixing Accidental Movement
Skipping Your Turn
Melee Attacks
Setting Up The Melee Menu
Checking For Melee
Carrying Out Melee
Waiting After Melee
Switching Targets
Showing The Attack Target
Improving The Indicator
How To Fix Bugs (A Camera Problem)
Show An Error Message
Health System
Creating A Health System
Defeating Enemies
Setting Up Health UI
Updating Health UI
Billboarding UI
Firing Shots
CHALLENGE - Setting Up Shooting Menu
Getting Targets
Making The Player Shoot
Hitting A Target
Making The Player Miss
Firing Effects
Showing Bullet Trails
Creating Impact Effects
Showing Impact Effects
Displaying Accuracy
Shooting High & Low
Setting Up Shot Chance Display
Controlling The Shot Chance
Calculating Shot Chance
Turning & Defending
Rotating The Character
Changing The Camera Angle
Defending
AI Decision-Making
Adding An AI Brain
Choosing To Melee
Shooting While In Range
Choosing Not To Shoot
Moving Towards A Player
Running Towards A Player
Moving To A Random Point
Choosing To Defend Or Skip
Spawning
Spawning At Random Points
Animations
Adding Character Animations
Switching Between Animations
Making Animations Work
Final Systems & Menus
Adding Audio
Ending The Battle

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Uses Unity, which is an industry-standard game development program used by both large gaming studios and indie developers, making it highly relevant for aspiring game developers
Covers AI decision-making and navigation, which are essential components in creating engaging and challenging turn-based strategy games, enhancing the player experience
Includes a complete version of the project for reference, ensuring learners can compare their work and troubleshoot any issues they encounter during development
Teaches meleeing, shooting, and defending action types, which are core mechanics in many turn-based strategy games, providing learners with practical skills
Requires learners to use Unity and C#, which may require a separate installation and familiarity with the software, potentially posing a barrier for some beginners
Focuses on creating a turn-based system, moving characters on a grid, and implementing a full health system, which are fundamental elements in strategy game development

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Reviews summary

Build a turn-based strategy game in unity

According to students, this course appears to offer a comprehensive and hands-on approach to developing a turn-based strategy game using Unity and C#. The syllabus indicates coverage of a wide range of core mechanics, including grid movement, turn order systems, melee and shooting combat, a health system, and basic AI navigation and decision-making. It is structured to build a complete project, providing a practical application of Unity skills. However, while claiming beginner-friendliness, the scope suggests it might be challenging for those with no prior C# or Unity experience. The inclusion of animation and audio systems, alongside camera controls and UI setup, points towards a relatively complete project build.
Limited to turn-based strategy genre.
"The entire course is dedicated to this specific game type."
"Skills are specific to TBS, less broadly applicable."
"Great if you want TBS, less so otherwise."

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 Learn To Create a Turn-Based Strategy Game With Unity & C# with these activities:
Review C# Fundamentals
Reinforce your understanding of C# syntax and programming concepts to prepare for scripting in Unity.
Show steps
  • Review C# data types, variables, and operators.
  • Practice writing simple C# programs.
  • Familiarize yourself with C# control flow statements.
Brush up on Unity Editor Basics
Familiarize yourself with the Unity editor interface and basic functionalities to streamline your game development process.
Browse courses on Unity Editor
Show steps
  • Explore the Unity editor layout and windows.
  • Practice creating and manipulating game objects.
  • Learn how to import and manage assets in Unity.
Review 'Game Programming Patterns'
Learn about game programming patterns to improve the structure and maintainability of your code.
Show steps
  • Read the chapters relevant to game architecture and design.
  • Identify opportunities to apply these patterns in your project.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Implement Basic Turn-Based Logic
Practice implementing the core turn-based logic to solidify your understanding of the game's flow.
Show steps
  • Create a simple turn management system.
  • Implement player turn switching.
  • Add basic actions for each turn.
Document Your Game Design
Create a design document outlining the core mechanics and features of your turn-based strategy game to clarify your vision and guide development.
Show steps
  • Define the game's core mechanics and rules.
  • Describe the different unit types and their abilities.
  • Outline the game's victory conditions.
Expand the AI with New Strategies
Extend the AI's decision-making capabilities by implementing new strategies and tactics.
Show steps
  • Research different AI algorithms and techniques.
  • Implement a new AI strategy, such as flanking or turtling.
  • Test and refine the AI's behavior.
Create a Polished Demo
Package your game into a polished demo to showcase your skills and attract potential players.
Show steps
  • Refine the game's visuals and audio.
  • Implement a user-friendly interface.
  • Create a build of the game for distribution.

Career center

Learners who complete Learn To Create a Turn-Based Strategy Game With Unity & C# will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Indie Game Developer
Indie Game Developers work independently or in small teams to create and publish their own video games. These developers often handle multiple aspects of game development, from design and programming to art and marketing. The course helps an indie game developer who wants to create their own turn-based strategy game. The course has been designed to be easily understandable to everyone, so whether one is a complete beginner, an artist looking to expand their game development range or a programmer interested in understanding game design, this course will help them gain a greater understanding of development.
Game Developer
Game Developers use programming to build video games for a variety of platforms. The duties of a game developer include writing code, debugging, and testing game features. This course may be useful for anyone wishing to become a game developer, as it covers the fundamental concepts that go into making a turn-based strategy game. By understanding how to make their own turn-based game using the Unity game engine, a game developer gains hands-on experience in the game development cycle including animation and audio systems. The course also includes a complete version of the project to use for reference.
Unity Developer
A Unity Developer specializes in using the Unity game engine to create interactive experiences. Their responsibilities include scripting game logic, designing user interfaces, and optimizing performance. The course is perfect for aspiring Unity developers looking to create turn-based strategy games. This course focuses specifically on Unity, an industry-standard game development program used by large gaming studios and indie developers. Unity developers will learn how to interact with the UI, set up scenes, and even tidy up their grids. This course also covers camera control, which is a key aspect to any game using Unity.
Game Programmer
Game Programmers are responsible for writing the code that brings a game to life. Their duties can range from implementing game mechanics and AI to optimizing performance and debugging. A person in this role will benefit from the course's design that enables the student to be easily understandable, which is important when game programming. In this course, programmers won't just be learning programming concepts, but tying these concepts to real game development uses. As such, game programmers should find the course useful as it enables them to tie concepts to real-world uses.
Gameplay Programmer
Gameplay Programmers are responsible for implementing the mechanics and systems in a game that directly affect the player experience. This includes character movement, combat systems, and interactions with the game world. The course helps gameplay programmers tie programming concepts to tangible game development uses. With experience in systems such as camera control, melee attacks, and shooting, a gameplay programmer will implement engaging and challenging player experiences. By building a fully functional turn-based strategy game, this course provides the skills and knowledge to create fun and engaging player experiences.
Game Designer
A Game Designer develops the concepts and mechanics that drive a video game. This role involves creating engaging gameplay loops, designing levels, and balancing game elements. A Game Designer focuses on how the game plays, feels, and challenges the player. This course helps build a foundation in the core systems that make up a turn-based strategy game, such as AI decision making, menu systems, and character movement. The turn-based system covered in the course is, in particular, helpful because it allows the game designer to understand the intricacies of turn-based strategy, which they can, in turn, implement into their own designs.
AI Programmer
An AI Programmer specializes in creating intelligent and adaptive non-player characters. They are responsible for designing and implementing the logic that drives AI behavior, such as decision-making, pathfinding, and combat tactics. As the course covers AI decision making and navigation, an AI programmer will find it useful to learn how to create AI for a turn-based strategy game. Understanding exactly how to implement this kind of AI provides a fundamental understanding in character behavior, which this course achieves through project assets and getting started with simple AI, and eventually choosing to have the AI defend or skip.
Level Designer
A Level Designer creates the environments and layouts in which gameplay takes place. This involves designing levels that are both visually appealing and strategically interesting. The course may be useful for level designers who want to understand how to create levels for a turn-based strategy game. The course will allow the level designer to understand game elements such as spawning in randomized positions, and that can increase or decrease difficulty. Level designers will find that the course provides them with a concrete understanding in level design.
Mobile Game Developer
Mobile Game Developers create games specifically for smartphones and tablets. This requires optimizing games for mobile hardware, implementing touch controls, and designing user interfaces suitable for smaller screens. The course may be useful for aspiring mobile game developers. By the end of this course, the developer should have developed the ability to understand game elements such as a turn-based system and moving characters on a grid, which is what can make a mobile game fun and engaging.
Technical Artist
Technical Artists bridge the gap between art and programming, creating tools and workflows that allow artists to efficiently create and implement high-quality assets in a game. The course may be helpful for technical artists, as it covers animation and audio systems. Technical artists who seek to expand their knowledge and skills in game development will find that the course gives them a foundation in art and programming, which will help them create tools and workflows that allow artists to efficiently create and implement high quality assets into a strategy game.
Software Developer
Software Developers create software applications for a variety of purposes. Broadly speaking, this course may be useful for learning the fundamentals of game development with Unity and C#. Software developers curious about the gaming sector will find the course helpful as it involves working inside a game engine, such as Unity, to develop a game. As the course focuses on a turn-based strategy game, this helps the developer to understand the intricacies of game design, which they can, in turn, implement into their own designs.
Software Engineer
Software Engineers develop and maintain software applications, but in the context of games, they focus on engine development, tools, and infrastructure. The course may be useful for learning the fundamentals of game development with Unity and C#. Software engineers considering a foray into the gaming sector will find the course extremely helpful as it involves a turn-based system, moving characters on a grid, a full health system, a full camera movement and rotation system that helps them create software.
AR/VR Developer
AR/VR Developers create immersive experiences using augmented and virtual reality technologies. The course may be useful for AR/VR developers who want to understand how to create turn-based strategy games in AR/VR. This course has been designed to be easily understandable to everyone, so whether they're a complete beginner, an artist looking to expand their game development range or a programmer interested in understanding game design, this course can help them.
Simulation Developer
Simulation Developers create software that simulates real-world or fictional systems, often for training, research, or entertainment purposes. The course may be useful for simulation developers who want to understand how to create turn-based strategy games. The course allows the developer to understand game elements such as a full camera movement and rotation system. Simulation developers will find that the course provides them with a concrete foundation in simulations, which helps them create software.
Tool Programmer
Tool Programmers create software tools that help game developers streamline their workflows and improve productivity. The course may be useful for tool programmers who want to understand how to create tools for turn-based strategy games. Tool programmers will find that the course provides them with a concrete understanding in project assets, which helps them create software.

Featured in The Course Notes

This course is mentioned in our blog, The Course Notes. Read one article that features Learn To Create a Turn-Based Strategy Game With Unity & C#:

Reading list

We've selected one books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Learn To Create a Turn-Based Strategy Game With Unity & C#.
Provides a catalog of useful design patterns specifically tailored for game development. It covers common problems and their solutions in game programming, offering valuable insights into structuring game code effectively. While not strictly necessary for the course, it can significantly improve the architecture and maintainability of your turn-based strategy game. This book is more valuable as additional reading than it is as a current reference.

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