Unity Game Template – Highway Surfer

Introduction

Welcome to the Unity Game Template - Highway Surfer! This template is a popular and widely-used starting point for creating 2D side-scrolling games in Unity. With its pre-built assets and easy-to-follow setup, you can dive right into game development without having to start from scratch.

In this tutorial, we'll take you through a step-by-step guide on how to use the Highway Surfer template, covering everything from setting up the project to creating your own game levels and assets. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a solid understanding of how to use the template and be ready to start building your own Highway Surfer game.

Setting Up the Project

Before we begin, make sure you have Unity installed on your computer. If you don't have Unity, you can download it from the official Unity website.

To set up the project, follow these steps:

1. Open Unity and create a new project by selecting "New" from the start page.
2. Choose "3D" as the game type, and select "Highway Surfer" as the template.
3. Choose a project location and enter a project name.
4. Click "Create" to create the project.

Understanding the Template

Once the project is set up, let's take a look at the template's structure and assets.

1. The project is organized into several folders:
   • Assets: This folder contains all the template's assets, including sprites, animations, and sound effects.
   • Scenes: This folder contains the pre-built scenes, including the main game scene and the level editor.
   • Scripts: This folder contains the script files that control the game's logic and behavior.
2. The main game scene is called "MainScene.unity" and is located in the Scenes folder. This is where the game's main gameplay takes place.
3. The level editor is called "LevelEditor.unity" and is also located in the Scenes folder. This is where you can create and edit your own game levels.

Creating a New Level

To create a new level, follow these steps:

1. Open the LevelEditor scene by double-clicking on it in the Project window.
2. Click on the "Create New Level" button in the top-right corner of the LevelEditor window.
3. Choose a level name and select a level type (e.g. "Easy", "Medium", or "Hard").
4. Click "Create" to create the new level.

Adding Obstacles and Power-Ups

To add obstacles and power-ups to your level, follow these steps:

1. Open the LevelEditor scene and select the "Obstacles" tab in the Inspector window.
2. Click on the "Add Obstacle" button and select the type of obstacle you want to add (e.g. "Rock", "Hole", or "Tunnel").
3. Drag and drop the obstacle onto the level grid.
4. Repeat the process to add more obstacles and power-ups to your level.

Adding Enemies

To add enemies to your level, follow these steps:

1. Open the LevelEditor scene and select the "Enemies" tab in the Inspector window.
2. Click on the "Add Enemy" button and select the type of enemy you want to add (e.g. "Biker", "Truck", or "Helicopter").
3. Drag and drop the enemy onto the level grid.
4. Repeat the process to add more enemies to your level.

Adding the Player

To add the player to your level, follow these steps:

1. Open the LevelEditor scene and select the "Player" tab in the Inspector window.
2. Click on the "Add Player" button and select the type of player you want to add (e.g. "Surfer", "Biker", or "Walker").
3. Drag and drop the player onto the level grid.
4. Repeat the process to add more players to your level.

Configuring the Game

To configure the game, follow these steps:

1. Open the MainScene scene and select the "Game" tab in the Inspector window.
2. Click on the "Game Settings" button and adjust the game settings as desired (e.g. difficulty level, score multiplier, etc.).
3. Click "Apply" to save the changes.

Building and Running the Game

To build and run the game, follow these steps:

1. Open the Build Settings window by selecting "File" > "Build Settings" from the Unity menu.
2. Select the platform you want to build for (e.g. Windows, Mac, or Mobile).
3. Click "Build" to build the game.
4. Once the game is built, you can run it by clicking on the "Play" button in the Unity editor.

That's it! With these steps, you should now have a basic understanding of how to use the Highway Surfer template and be ready to start building your own game.