How to make games fun - Unity 3D game design tutorial - Part 2

[Toto77777]

you have very interesting ideas :) so are you making money out of game making already or i it still just for fun?

also - was this game ever fully finished? :)

thanks for sharing your thoughts

[player13091980]

for sure cool game

[royaltomsolo]

I got down all of the characters and animations in my game...only problem is that scripting is a GIANT pain in my ASS!!

[lTheNGamerl]

I'd buy this on iPhone.

[PhilipWitte]

Great tips, Cool game.

[mastachiefs49]

I LOVE the flash phobic mobs :D

[TheSleepyTim]

wow... this game is truly awesome... tomorrow i must play it some more on my faster computer... this is just my crappy laptop... but as soon as i get a chance i will give you some more in depth feedback... PS... cubes, explosions, massive amounts of enemies to kill... thats just genius... Miyamoto would be proud

[JellyBoy669]

hey where can i down load this game ? i really like it.

[awesomeotaku1]

if you make a tutorial series for how to create games on unity 3d ive got 400 people who subscribe to you how does that sound

[Disthron]

Your ideas about game design are, in my opinion, a little flawed. It's true that not all games need a story, alien breed for instance got buy just fine on little more than a setting, but a lot of games fall into the trap of making a bunch of cool levels and then trying to string them together after the fact. This is more likely to make a mess then a coherent game. The guys on that "extra credits" show over at the escapist website explain it better though.

[renegadezer0]

@Disthron he never mentioned level design. He mentioned game play and make it fun first, then expand it into something. He has some ideas here for level design but that's likely not going to be the game.

[Disthron]

@renegadezer0 I wasn't talking about level design ethere, I was talking about taking a holistic aproch to game design. If you don't wont to have any story, that's fine, but if you decide to have one then start planning it in tandum with the game play. It's better to start planning the story from the start then trying to shoo-horn one in after the fact.

Like I said in my previus comment the "Extra Credits" guys over at the Escapist web site go into it a lot better than I can in 500 chrs.

[gamemakar1]

@lilkrazzySOMDG im interested i can code pretty basic java and am alright when it comes to modelling although would we meet in person or would it be emailed and stuff coz i live in australia

[lilkrazzySODMG]

i am looking for anyone who can code java or create 3d models, to make a first person shooter we already have publishers so message me if you are interested

[gabrielandrose]

hey man it's been my life long dream to make games and i want to make a 2d game like that but i have no freakin idea how to do anything! not even make a cube. plz help. im 12 and iv'e been intersted since i was 4. if you make me a tutroial i'll tell all my friends and me to subscribe. so what do you say? tutorial for idiots=20 subscribers

[awesomeotaku1]

@gabrielandrose im with you im 11 and i have no clue how to create them ive got the software just need the tutorials

[Tikvanaya]

You can't really say you're game has no theme. " Boxes blowing up boxes."

It is a theme, don't you think?

[EG142]

You are right gameplay main, resources is nothing )

[VarKevin]

nice game and thx for the tips :)

[mw2fan465]

u make good games with unity can u make basic tutorials becaus im having a veary had time using it

[TornadoHair]

You are Crazy at Coding:) mann;) wish i was just nearly as good:) Respect from here

[andrecassal]

Nice, thanks for the tuts

[collinbxyz]

Please Check out My game! I tried to do just that. Of course it will look easy since it's level 1, and you just get there, but that is the basic concept. Check it out!

[Diloman64]

oh no!!!  again this asshole!!!

[PurpleWario]

Daveriser! you're finaly replying! :D

[samm565]

you should make a tutorial on how to make this game from start to finish, with simple objects, then everybody could use their imagination to create what they want

[Iamgandalfwarlord]

omg your just talkin crap your just saying what to do not helping them how to do it

[eedobaba7727]

Lol, I guess I'm like the anti-gamer. I play games for the story graphics and themes, very rarely the gameplay.

[migero2]

woow great AI

[DUDEsayDUDE]

Please make a tutorial, it's a great example to learn from and look's fun. The unity tut's are ok but get boring so fast, please read the comment and concider making a tutprial

[shauna511]

omg that game looks sooo freakin funn to playy :O

[PurpleWario]

Love your games man!

[PurpleWario]

@Zkrudriverz

1 yes

2 many many years if you're not that smart/ three-ish years

at least if you have what you need to learn,

this is a guess based on my advancement but

I am not as good as Daveriser so his guess is better than mine

3 Two people I know of, steamisM50 and TornadoTwins.

steamisM50 teaches you more about enemies,

Tornadotwins teaches you more about the basics of a game, both good.

[SentOnFriday]

Amazing stuff mate, I really like the style you have going here. The personality of the evil boxes really come to light through behaviour rather than graphics, not an easy feat. So well done :)

[eboy799]

Great Job! I was actually thinking about how to make my own fun games and I found this video very informative, helpful, and the game looks pretty cool. You have a good point in that the core of the game needs to be fun before we start sticking Art to it. I mean I've played a fair amount of games that really lack that fun touch but are very graphic intensive. I'm going to try and apply these thoughts when I make my own game, thanks a lot! Keep up the good work!

[BrokenGlassMedia]

Does a story fit into a game like Left4dead?

[1337BOXdotWEBSdotCOM]

lol you should go to blizzard and tell them how to make a world of warcraft that doesnt suck donkey ballz

lol they did the exact opposite of what you said lol.. and ur right their game is boring. the theme and features are cool but gameplay sucks.

[dranoel1963]

how did u made the AI?

[qazwsx2541]

i never thought of it that way. thank you!

[RavingKunaiX]

Awesome looking game and great philosophy. It's pretty inspiring hearing another developer's views on gamplay and it helps a lot. Thanks :D

[Truthiness231]

I'm about half-way through completing a clone of this game in Unity; so far it's been less than a week. I'm not saying I'll beat you in completion time, but I'm at around the same pace ^.^ (though everything in Unity is about 90% faster in dev time than the old fashioned way (fuck do I hate moving objects with X,Y,Z cords and have to wait several minutes to compile to see if I have the position right XP)).

To anyone that writes or animates and hasn't tried Unity: it pwns. 'Nuff said. ^.^

[PurpleWario]

julianb188, you can play! look in the info section. :)

[PurpleWario]

lagemegnorsk, I don't think that this game is about any thing. That was sort of his point, that you don't need a story, you don't need cool looking enemies, you don't need grafics to make a game fun. It's all about the gameplay.

[freak19930]

your game sucks

[swordkilla78]

you talk to much tell us how to make all ready

[799HEAD]

you are amazing at making games i love your projects and i love those 2 arcade games they're really fun :D

[sassy123123123]

SWEET!

[godlyginger]

alright your right about the game play who cares about graphics but your fucking wrong about the story gamers want a changeling not some easy as fuck game where all u can do is shoot things that's so repetitive if you rilly want to make a good game you half to talk to real gamers out there combine you ideas with some of there's but don't just talk about what gamers want when you don't fucking no

[julianb188]

I think a mix of action and story is more fun and even sidequests for cool rewards. That's just me bu your game looks pretty cool I wish I could play.

[lagemegnorsk]

Now i realize that it is just a simple as cubes in the game, you made a really game that is enjoyable, but i have to admit, if you had given this game a story AND graphics it would have been more fun cause i think that a game is just a challenge for your brain on how much information can you pick up, and how much information can your head handle. hope not get negative replys cause this is my point of view, also, i have yet to get into my head, what is this game about? just blow things up?

[JJDominoes]

your awesome you made me understand the whole world

[InfiniteAionFun]

Is unity 3d, just for designing the 3d objects, or can it be used to make the AI, and the stuff like the start button, menu etc.?

[steamisM50]

its a game engine, not a modeling program... so it can be used for EVERYTHING EXCEPT the 3d models, textures, blah blah...

[jellymnbvcxz]

yes you can make start menu and stuth like that

[makaocloud]

It depends how you execute that story into the game. Look at games such as Bioshock, Assassins Creed, Indigo Prophecy, Final Fantasy, etc.

All these games are fun in different ways yet they all present very strong story elements and engaging storys. I believe that through story in games your supposed to not just make the player watch the stroy but also become a part of it. This is exactly what indigo phrophecy does, its extremely simple to play but it makes you 'engaged' into the

[makaocloud]

story and makes you a part of it. That is how games should be, making it extremely fun as you progress through the game. But of course you cant do that for every game because it depends on the audience. Just remember that it is up to the artist to give the audience what they need not what they want. But make sure to do it so it makes the game as engaging as you possibly can while including themes (or the icing on the cake).

Look into Half-Life 2, perfect example of pacing and story.

[steamisM50]

also half life...

[HonorsBandRules]

i can't open unity

i downloaded it

please help

[Daveriser]

Unity forums be your help

[14firelegend]

@Daveriser Hey! um i am creating a zombie morpg game like you EVAC-City but i would like to add a flashlight to my game like in this video please help me how to put a flashlight :) thanks! YOUR TUTORIAL WAS THE BEST!

[Zkrudriverz]

Yo! I just dowloaded Unity. I wonder:

1. Can i make a game like this in the free version?

2. If ive never have used Unity ever ever before, how long would it take to get to the skill point to make a game similiar to this one?

3. WHERE THE FUCK can i find GOOD tutorials that show howto make a easy game for DUMBASSES!!! Thnx...

[Daveriser]

1) the free version is the same version I used to make this, it used to be called Unity Indie and cost $200

2) All depends on how quickly you pick things up, the more time you invest in it the faster you'll learn

3) Look in 'More from Daveriser' videos for a 'How to make a game in Unity3d' tutorial.

Regards,

David

[ottarsss]

@Zkrudriverz

check out tornadowtwins's channel they have a a 3rd person wormanator game tutorial

[MorphNeutral]

@Zkrudriverz or you ould look at the TornadoTwins

[PurpleWario]

@Zkrudriverz

1 yes, the pro version only has more unity-made prefabs and scripts.

2 I would say 2-3 years, BEST case senario. I say go for it.

3 Tornadotwins, Steamism50 and i put up tutorials once in a while.

[ethanizabunny]

@Zkrudriverz you can make something like this and better on free unity but you have to know scripting witch usualy takes about a half a year to get the basics down and the tutorial by tornado twins is ok but you can just search unity tutorial and find a series you like and follow it all the way through

[Zkrudriverz]

@ethanizabunny i love, creating game plots, designing, animating, making textures but I CAN'T STAND SCRIPTING!!!!!

[ethanizabunny]

@Zkrudriverz everyone does but it must be done :( there is some good free scripts on the internet but you will have to learn scripting eventualy

[softrockification]

@Zkrudriverz torando tiwns

[Zkrudriverz]

@softrockification gaah i gave this shit up, i just can't stand coding

[technicalsuport]

game looks like a good play. how can I find it?

[FireHeartDuskinc]

this is not that good of a tutorial i still have no idea how to us unity

[technicalsuport]

this is on how to design fun game play, not on how to use unity.

[Daveriser]

What makes you think it's suppose to teach you how to use unity?

[PurpleWario]

@Daveriser

i think that it's because they think that the title says how to make games not how to make games fun.

[AllAroundBang]

Unity's easy, scripting is hard.

[FireHeartDuskinc]

i cant even figure out unity

[AllAroundBang]

Ha, i learaned it in less than a week. exept for some of the more advanced features, but im working on learning scripting which is so damn hard..(thats what she said!), but i have experiance with other 3d programs, and that helps. if your clueless, then check out some tutorials on Unitys page. Whan you start unity, you should get a 'welcome to Unity' box, just click on tutorials, they helped me! goodluck

[leonelc29]

thank for the lecture, man, thank you

[silenceyouidiot]

This reminds me of a Japanese game that had you as a tiny cube blasting away at cubes that formed ships, and they would break into tiny asteroids.

[shifter1030]

just wondering could u make a unity tutorial

[exposedfield]

I'd suggest reading Brian Sutton-Smith's book, The Ambiguity of Play as to what makes games fun (or why we play). The example above is overly simple in its approach of destruction.

[magmaman116]

lol reminds me of old gta games

[crazySinceMan]

i can help you just go to may chenel and wach how to make a game part 1

[apologiate07]

And good videos, Dave. Inspiring even :-) A lot of this is stuff we intuitively know, but we get so excited over tiny little features and distractions that the big picture is forgotten. Haha, I should watch this daily or listen to excerpts over breakfast -- hard wire this basic lesson into my mind: "Game's gotta be fun"

Keep developing.

[apologiate07]

There are plenty of open source/free engines out there -- start with a search on Google. The Source engine, for example, is decent for rapid FPS development.

You're right though -- don't go spending $1000 or even $200 on an engine license until you've played with the smaller stuff.

[SuperDoddsy]

this is pretty good and im gonna try to make a game im 12 so...

[crazySinceMan]

so wach how to make a game part 1 on my chenel its simpel made for kids so chek it out

[VBProgrammerFreak]

whats it called?

[Tallemoelf]

story is still important in action games just look at halflife

[TheMize18]

I think what he meant by that was that there are players who are more interested in BLOWING STUFF AND KILLING PEOPLE MORE than just to listen to the story.

he means in an ACTION GAME, the STORY is not what makes the game FUN.. it's the GAME PLAY that makes the game fun.... Ur not gonna play call of duty just for the story are you?? OF COURSE NOT,

ON LINE PLAY is ALL ABOUT GAME PLAY . =]

[Econon1]

yer but in halflife have u ever wanted to skip everything and get back into shooting

[TreyRust]

thats a little different.... half life is more of a mix of action adventure and puzzling...

but some action games can be good with a story... just most of them not soo much for everybody...

I don't really care though.. I would prefer to have a story

[CoauthoredStaircase]

some interesting Ideas. game play more important than what u call "theme" (I would call it features- theme to me would sugest, say outerspace/ race/ cowboy game). And ideas about motivating and rewarding players

[RaddlEanKarmA]

this looks like geometry wars for xbox 360 arcade

[jamie977]

thats were halo 3 went rong the strys ok but when you playing cortana pops up and talks about crap thay fokest to muck on the stry and made the game play crap dont post negitve coments about this it my opinon no yours.

[TehGamersBlog]

I admit you're correct in a lot, but as for no story in action games - that's incorrect.

[Ratfish7]

hey Daveriser, i recently downloaded unity pro and i was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to make a game with this game program, my dad is a computer programmer but isnt very helpful haha and u seem like a skilled game developer soo if you could give me any tips on how to use this game program to make a simple game that would be great.

[killerofporn]

how to make game fun if we dont know how to make one!

[urchinawsome3000]

What's the game called?

[Gokulio7]

This game looks great. I can't wait to start making cool games. I need to get better a programming though. :P

[harjinder14]

hey! you made this on my birthday!!!! lol

[edgeofday]

Well put! :-)

[patio87]

"What gameplay should I make"

That's some serious advice, and people don't understand how important that is.

You sound like you could be a very skilled developer, you should start programming.

[zidhartha]

one more crucial detail that you mastered quite well in your game. People and moths have one thing in common, they are attracted to light! the subtil shading on your game is magical, that's what kept me fascinated about it. the motion of the gameplay is enjoyable, and I think that's the magic about this one.

I'm starting to research for a game producing engine today, let's see how it works out for me.

Best regards, and thank you for the lesson!

[slipperydude11]

is this game on the internet? and what is it called?

[mavswi]

untiy 3d isn't that easy to use I used cryengine 2 there is a big difference cryengine2 was so easy

[1q156]

that game loooks so good

[GreensDaColour]

i really like what you said about games....

so true that too many people focus on graphics rather than gameplay... a great example is world of goo -- simple but nice graphics, amazing gameplay and brilliant idea :D

but now time for something completely different -- is it hard to make your own games with unity 3d ???

[Drgnak]

I agree with a lot of points you've made. However, I'll have to disagree on your thoughts story/theme. The past has shown us that an immersive story can carry a game riddled with bugs and bad gameplay. Not to mention, with so many carbon copies of gameplay out there these days in both the indie and professional scene, story can make or break a game. An amazing story without gameplay is at least a great book or movie.

[Drgnak]

In the end, it really just depends on your target audience. Mindlessly blowing random things up might appeal to the tween/teen audience, but it does nothing for me :D

[ShoreVietam]

I have to agree, that's what I experienced, too.

btw. nice game in the background ;-)

[Daveriser]

Thanks ShoreVietam! Long time no see, good to hear from you :)

[ShoreVietam]

Yes I've been quite busy with my job and my browser game. =)

The idea to just try to make a game this way is awesome and gives me a new side of view.

In the end, the path between both extremes should lead to success or failure.

Books/movies on the one side, pure story and entertainment and something like chess or poker with pure gameplay without any story on the other side.

[12pokepal]

nice video

[rotaercz]

what is the url for the gs forum??

[Daveriser]

Can't post urls in youtube comments, why don't you use google?

[Daveriser]

Thank you! I know there are plenty of people out there that are much better than me, and I'm sure you have skills and talents, and dedication that could out do me :) You are awesome.

[RickyHorwath]

you have inspirid me to start learning again im SUPER N00b at programing and modeling and i need some major help if anyone can help me or show me some good tutorials i would greatly appreciate it !

[Daveriser]

Check out the Unity forums, I'm sure you'll find help there. I'm glad you've been inspired keep at it cause you'll do great :)

[oystein127]

is this game coming to pc too? if i does i gonna buy it

[PuppeteerOmega]

Hi (i'm puppeteer from the gs forum xD)

I fully agree with what you just said

I also had a point when i realized that its better to start planning games with the gameplay/genre and thinking about what the player is going to enjoy and focus later on on additional features like ai and stuff :-P

I love your swarm beheaviour in the video it really looks awesome ^^

[PuppeteerOmega]

You should make a "whats fun in games"thread in the gs forum

If you want to take a look at some other small fun games take a look at building panic(!!!!) tux racer and amanagi

Btw.: I like unity too =)

Cheers Jannes

[Nehemius]

Awesome stuff, David. I really love the gameplay you got going there.

[kelarre652]

And also, I'm just wondering... Is this a theme or substance?

I was thinking of an RPG that quite simply, has the player wondering what's going to happen next.

Say if you walk into a room, see no other doors you would assume it was a dead end and turn back. But then the room lights up, door closes and the whole room moves up to the next floor like an elevator.

Basically the kind of game is weird and constantly surprising the player, yet follows some kind of logic. Is this substance or theme??

[Daveriser]

That's really interesting. I guess it is a bit of both but more of a theme than substance. For the surprises to compliment the gameplay, you would want it to add to the immersive experience of the game.

[Daveriser]

It can't be the gameplay alone, however it can support and compliment it. For example, let's say you want to pace the surprises, have areas in the game in which the player can expect surprises, be consistent with how you deal out the surprises and allow the player to expect them as a way of giving the player anticipation, a reward and motivation to progress through the game.

[Daveriser]

If they are aware a surprise is up ahead before they reach the surprise it becomes motivation to move ahead through your game. And while the player is wanting to progress through your game and not get bored and give up, they are enjoying the experience and having fun. And if the player keeps learning that if they go into a new area they are going to be surprised in new and interesting ways, as well as enjoying the core gameplay substance. Those are just my thoughts though, I hope it makes sense.

[kelarre652]

Is Unity free? :)

[PuppeteerOmega]

nope

but there is a trial version

[likizmase]

I love it..nice one man.. :-D Favorite+ 5+..

[omgimodio]

nice game! is unity 3d really that easy to use?

[Daveriser]

It still has a learning curve however I found it at much more intuitive and better documented than 3D Game Studio. And the time I spent prototyping was significantly reduced compared to 3DGS.