5 Years of Making Games in Unity!

xzippyzachx
28 Apr 202013:27
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video follows a young developer's Unity game development journey over 5 years, beginning at age 14. He starts by following basic tutorials, then makes simple mobile games like Cloud Jumper. He moves on to more complex projects - a Mars survival game, a multiplayer FPS, an RTS prototype. Many projects remain unfinished as his skills and ambitions exceeded his abilities at the time. He participates in game jams with increasing success. He hopes sharing this progression inspires viewers and sparks their interest in game development.

Takeaways
  • 😀 Started using Unity and making games around 5 years ago at age 14
  • 👾 Made simple games at first like Cloud Jumper to learn fundamentals
  • 📱 Created several basic Android games like Roll On and Mad Hops
  • 🚀 Tried more complex projects like a Mars survival game and RTS
  • 😱 Made a horror game called The Corridor with random loud sounds
  • 💡 Worked on an unfinished puzzle game called Glow with cool graphics
  • ⌛ Created a shooter with time slowing ability called Fink Time
  • 🌳 Spent a year on a multiplayer FPS with forest, arena and bank maps
  • 🏎 Almost completed a mobile drifting game called Cuboidal Drift
  • 🚘 Built an autonomous vehicle simulation for a school project
Q & A
  • What motivated the person to start using Unity and make games?

    -He was interested in how people make games like Minecraft and CS:GO, so he found a Unity tutorial on YouTube about making a simple game which inspired him to start learning.

  • What was the first game the person made in Unity?

    -The first game was a simple tutorial game where you move a cube around and try to dodge a red cube while reaching a green cube to complete the level.

  • What kind of games did the person make for Android?

    -Some of the Android games made were Cloud Jumper, Roll On, Mad Hops, and Planetary Pioneer. They were simple mobile games published on the Google Play Store.

  • What was Risky Rails?

    -Risky Rails was a simple game of chance where you picked one of three directions for a minecart and there was a chance the direction would be blocked, causing you to die.

  • What was the person trying to create with their RTS game project?

    -It was an attempt to make a full real-time strategy game where you could collect resources, build structures and train villagers and military units, but it was too big of a project to complete at the time.

  • What multiplayer game did the person work on for almost a year?

    -A multiplayer first person shooter game with different maps and game modes that took almost a year due to the complexity of networking and multiplayer implementation.

  • What game won 1st place in a 48 hour game jam?

    -The Rogue Robot won 1st place. It was based on a construction robot that thought it was saving the world from pollution but was seen as a villain by humans.

  • What was the simulation project based on Conway's Game of Life?

    -It was an ecosystem simulation where things like fire, grass, trees and sheep interacted. It showed how fire could spread or life could thrive based on rules.

  • What was the goal of Cuboidal Drift?

    -It was a time-based game where you had to get to the end of levels while avoiding obstacles, with the goal being to beat your best time on each level.

  • Why were many of the games unfinished?

    -Many games were left unfinished as scope or complexity grew too large over time, or motivation was lost. But all projects provided valuable learning experiences.

Outlines
00:00
🎮 My first games learning Unity over 5 years ago

The first paragraph describes the author's journey with game development using Unity. It started about 5 years ago when he was 14 years old. He made some simple starter games by following Unity tutorials. He then tried making an android game called Cloud Jumper where you tap to jump between clouds. He also made Roll On where you roll a ball and click cubes while avoiding obstacles.

05:00
📱 Multiple basic Android games

The second paragraph discusses several other basic Android games the author developed including Mad Hops (find Easter eggs), Planetary Pioneer (space exploration & base building), Risky Rails (minecart game with track switching), and Cardboard Zombies (wave shooter to survive and get high score).

10:01
🏆 Game jam participation and winning games

The third paragraph covers the author's participation in 48 hour game jams. He made Soaring with the Ancients for Ludum Dare #36 and won 5th place in a game jam for Cat Owner Simulator. He later won 1st place with his team by making Rogue Robot which involved destroying a polluted city.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Unity
Unity is a cross-platform game engine used to develop video games. In the video, the narrator first learned to use Unity 5 years ago when he was 14 years old to start making simple games. He then proceeded to make many small game projects over the years using Unity to build his game development skills.
💡Game projects
The main theme of the video is the narrator showing the various game projects he has worked on over the past 5 years using Unity. He made games for platforms like Android and PC. Some were unfinished while others were published. All projects served as learning experiences.
💡Android games
The narrator made several small games just for Android devices. These simple mobile games like Cloud Jumper and Roll On! were some of his first game development attempts.
💡Low poly modeling
Low poly modeling refers to 3D models made up of a small number of polygons, giving them a blocky appearance. The narrator used low poly art for assets in some of his early games made in Unity.
💡Game jam
A game jam is a competition where game developers try to make a complete game within a short time span, usually 48 hours. The narrator participated in some local game jams, making games like Cat Owner Simulator.
💡Multiplayer
The narrator worked on creating multiplayer functionality for some of his games so that multiple players could play together. However, networking and multiplayer code proved difficult and some projects were abandoned.
💡Unfinished games
Many of the narrator's game projects over the years remained unfinished even though some were close to completion. He would move on once the code got too complex or he lost interest.
💡Learning process
A core message in the video is that all the games and projects, even unfinished ones, contributed to the narrator's learning and growth as a game developer over the years.
💡Inspiration
By showing his old game projects, the narrator hopes to inspire viewers to start trying game development themselves and not be deterred by failures or unfinished work.
💡Progress
Despite lacking formal training, the video shows the gradual progress the narrator made in acquiring various game development skills over 5 years just by creating game projects using Unity.
Highlights

Started learning Unity and game development at 14 years old by following online tutorials

Made simple mobile games like Cloud Jumper, Roll On, and Mad Hops and published them on the Google Play Store

Planetary Pioneer was an early ambitious game with spaceships, resource collection, and base building, but was too complex at the time

The Corridor was a horror game with jump scares and loud noises to scare players on Halloween night

Fink Time was a shooter with a time slowing mechanic to outmaneuver enemies and complete levels

Attempted an RTS game with resource gathering, villagers, buildings, and military units, but realized it was too big in scope

Worked on an online multiplayer FPS for almost a year with different maps and game modes before the code got too complicated

Cuboidal Drift was a time trial drifting game with single and multiplayer, was nearly complete but never officially released

Cat Owner Simulator, made in 48 hours, won 5th place by fulfilling the theme of simulating cats and selling cat photos

The Rogue Robot won 1st place by casting the player as a pollution-fighting robot seen as a villain by the city it attacked

The Game of Life simulation showed complex ecosystem interactions like fire spreading and regrowth of trees over time

Worked on an autonomous vehicle simulation using raycasting for line following and traffic rules at intersections

Over 5 years, started many unfinished game projects, but all were valuable learning experiences along the journey

Hopes sharing this Unity journey over the years inspires viewers with ideas and motivation for their own projects

Links to playable builds of some games are in the video description for those interested to try them out

Transcripts
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