3. Quick 2D Workflow

In this chapter we’ll put together a simple 2D game in Unity using only the standard tools and editor features. This game is a space-invaders style clone featuring a player-controlled spaceship at the bottom of the screen (see Figure 3-1). In this game, the player can move horizontally, left and right, and must shoot invading aliens at the top of the window. The purpose of this exercise is not to show you how to make space-invader style games (though it will do that!) but to show you the more abstract principles and workflows for making “simple” 2D games quickly without having to code any additional features or editor plug-ins. This workflow shows that it’s entirely possible to make 2D games straight away in Unity by using only the 3D-oriented tools. But it also shows the limitations of this approach, as well as its far-reaching performance implications for making games that’ll perform well across all types of devices, especially mobiles. Once we concretely identify these challenges and issues, we’ll proceed to tackle them one by one throughout subsequent chapters. So now, follow along with me as we create our first 2D game.