Beginning 3D Game Development with Unity: All-In-One, Multi-Platform Game Development [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

First of all, this is an advanced book (for game artists who want to make their own game). It goes from easy to advanced very very quickly. The author has the ability to break down very complex material into easy to understand and approach. The programming part can be difficult if you have no programming experience. However the author explains it well, so as long as you go slowly through the programming (if you really want to learn it) it's VERY doable.

I'm working through the book, and am at chapter 4. I'm blown away by the information in this book, as there are many explanation of real-time game mechanics that I wasn't aware of. As this book is aimed at game artists who want to develop their own game, this information is invaluable. Unity is a real-time game engine and as such, many things from game assets development to game processes have to re-thought and redone. In my own case, as I've used 3DSMax to develop 3D content for traditional media (animated logos, advertising, etc.) it's a completely different thought process. There are a lot of concepts (which applies to all real-time engines as of this writing) and implementations of those concepts that I have not seen anywhere else. The details are amazing so far and I don't think the author withholds any information like other books.

I also own Unity Game Development Essentials by Will Goldstone, Unity Game Development by Example by Ryan Henson Creighton. This is the order I would do the books in order to get the most out of learning Unity:

1st - Unity Game Development by Example by Ryan Henson Creighton
If you just installed Unity and have never developed a game before and want to create one, start here. Really easy to understand little projects and get you started. Also a great book to start learning about Unity Javascript (I like to call it unityscript, but that's not the official term).

2nd - Unity Game Development Essentials by Will Goldstone
If you have some experience with Unity (after playing with it for 40 hours or so) and want to learn somewhere, check this out. Some easy projects, gets into more details but still focused on Unity essentials.

3rd - Beginning 3D Game Development with Unity by Sue Blackman
This book is 1 project. You actually get to build a difficult game by the end of the book. People don't think classic adventure games as difficult. After all, you are just going around exploring, picking up objects and solving the problem/mystery/adventure. But it is one of the most complex to program because the logic and management of the logic is difficult for most people. Then you have to translate that logic into code and make it work. The scripting will be complex and you really have to sit down, pay attention to learn it. If you know object oriented programming, it will make the going easier. If you have never programmed before (and hence don't know any different), it's easier.

BTW, game programming is NOT like business programming. The loops and vars may be similar, but there are a whole lot of game mechanics and logics that are completely different. Being able to program web stuff in Javascript is not game programming in Unity Javascript. Game programming is a completely different animal, and requires different thought processes. Form follows function. If the final function is game (not web), the form (programming) will also be different.

For me, this book IS A KEEPER. I'd gladly have paid $55.00 for it, and at the Amazon price, it's a steal. The book didn't have a CD for the assets and final code. It will be published on the Apress website. I can't wait to download them and finish the book!

This review is long overdue, and although I have not completed the book, it is already worth the price of admission for me. I have been interested in computer adventure game programming for some time and have worked with several engines, but all of them have been lacking. The truth has always been, I have wanted to work in 3D, but I have not been able to afford a 3D engine that met my criteria.

My granddaughter's boy friend attended a community college class on game development using Unity 3D. When he said there was a free version (the price is right), I decided to look into the game development engine. There are a number of excellent tutorials and the reference manual is sufficiently technical and there were a number of books out there, but it was beginning to look like what I wanted wasn't available.

Finally I did an internet search and discovered "Beginning 3D Game Development with Unity: All-in-one, multi-platform game development" by Sue Blackman. Now that is a mouthful for a book title. I read it's description, and some reviews and I decided to invest in the e-book version in PDF format. When I got the book, I had no problem in down loading it and I had no problem in finding the assets and downloading them. I realize that some have complained about that process, but it was seamless for me and I have been working with the book for a couple of months now.

With regards to my background, I am a JavaScript programmer, I have some graphics skills, but I am not an artist. This book has been excellent in bringing me up to speed in Unity and the game building walk through has been easy to understand and use. Sue Blackman has done an outstanding job explaining the issues of 3d game programming, how to use Unity3D, and how to apply it to adventure game programming.

There are three ways to approach how to use this book, and the following is my recommendation on how to follow through. First have an "E" version of the book. Think of it as a tool. Have the PDF version open and have Unity 3D open side by side on your computer. Sue Blackman provides the JavaScript as you move through the book, and it is a simple matter to copy the script from the pages of the PDF as you progress through the book. Follow through the chapters and pretty much do everything by rote. You may wish to back up and review parts as you progress, but after reviewing whatever you need to, continue on step by step.

My second approach, at some point you will become comfortable enough with Unity that you will want to strike out on you own, at that point you may want to work on the book projects and you own. I do not recommend this, unless you have a game design already in place, if you do, than go ahead and continue on the book projects while developing your own game.

If you do not have a game design in place continue through the book and finish the projects as she provides them.

In phase three you may wish to, in fact you should purchase the paperback version of the book. I realize you are buying the book twice, but it will be worth it. Once you get a game design in place, start your own project, and use the PDF version of the book for quick snippets of code, use the assets as the fit your needs, and use the paperback as a quick reference to access the index and the subject of whatever topic you need to look up as you build your own game.

This is the mode I am currently in and I have found the book to be an invaluable asset.

Although the book does focus on the adventure game genre, it is applicable to a number of different genre's and the knowledge the book supplies in applicable in all of the different game genres.

Gene Poschman

I've just completed the entire book and I am very impressed at the completeness of the subject matter. This is less a manual than a project for building a First Person, Point and Click style adventure game. The author doesn't get into shooters and action oriented gaming, but building an extremely rich and interactive environment to explore. All the basics for animation, lighting, and sound effects are covered, but where the book really shines is in learning to design inventory items and mechanical puzzles common to the Myst series or the Lucas Arts games. In several places the author walks you through the simple ways to accomplish the desired effect and then carefully teaches you the most flexible, efficient way. So, no matter what type of game you want to design, the scripts you write during the course of this book will be invaluable.
Also, the author Sue Blackman is active on the Unity Forums and was very responsive to questions or requests for help with scripting. All in all, this was a fun way to learn.