Augmented Reality Game Development

Micheal Lanham

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781787122888
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Programming in C#
• Index: Computer Science

Create your own augmented reality games from scratch with Unity 5

About This Book

• Create your own augmented reality game from scratch and join the virtual reality gaming revolution
• Use the latest Unity 5 VR SDK to create pro-level AR games like Pokemon Go
• Innovate and explore the latest and most promising trend of AR gaming in the mobile gaming industry

Who This Book Is For

This book is for those who have a basic knowledge of game development techniques, but no previous knowledge of Unity is required. Some basic programming knowledge would be desirable, but the book is an introduction to the topic. The book is also suitable for experienced developers new to GIS or GPS development.

What You Will Learn

• Build a location-based augmented reality game called Foodie Go
• Animate a player's avatar on a map
• Use the mobile device's camera as a game background
• Implement database persistence with SQLLite4Unity3D to carry inventory items across game sessions
• Create basic UI elements for the game, inventory, menu, and settings
• Perform location and content searches against the Google Places API
• Enhance the game's mood by adding visual shader effects
• Extend the game by adding multiplayer networking and other enhancements

In Detail

The heyday of location-based augmented reality games is upon us. They have been around for a few years, but the release of Pokemon Go was a gamechanger that catalyzed the market and led to a massive surge in demand. Now is the time for novice and experienced developers alike to turn their good ideas into augmented reality (AR) mobile games and meet this demand!

If you are keen to develop virtual reality games with the latest Unity 5 toolkit, then this is the book for you. The genre of location-based AR games introduces a new platform and technical challenges, but this book will help simplify those challenges and show how to maximize your game audience.

This book will take you on a journey through building a location-based AR game that addresses the core technical concepts: GIS fundamentals, mobile device GPS, mapping, map textures in Unity, mobile device camera, camera textures in Unity, accessing location-based services, and other useful Unity tips. The technical material also discusses what is necessary for further development to create a multiplayer version of the game. At the end, you will be presented with troubleshooting techniques in case you get into trouble and need a little help.

Style and approach

This book shows you how to create every step of the game and gives practical examples.

Augmented Reality Game Development

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Augmented Reality Game Development

Copyright © 2017 Packt Publishing

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Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: January 2017

Production reference: 1160117

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

35 Livery Street

Birmingham

B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78712-288-8

www.packtpub.com

Credits

Author Micheal Lanham	Copy Editor Safis Editing
Reviewer Derek Lam	Project Coordinator Ritika Manoj
Commissioning Editor Amarabha Banerjee	Proofreader Safis Editing
Acquisition Editor Reshma Raman	Indexer Tejal Daruwale Soni
Content Development Editor Arun Nadar	Graphics Jason Monteiro
Technical Editor Rupali R. Shrawane	Production Coordinator Shraddha Falebhai

About the Author

Micheal Lanham is a solutions architect with petroWEB and currently resides in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. In his current role he develops integrated GIS applications with advanced spatial search capabilities. He has worked as a professional and amateur game developer building desktop and mobile games for over 15 years. In 2007, Micheal was introduced to Unity 3D and has been an avid fan and developer ever since.

To the people I think about every day. My everything, Rhonda and children: Colton, Breann, Mikayla, and Charliegh.

About the Reviewer

Derek Lam is a game designer and Unity Certified Developer who has experience in game design on iOS and Android for over 5 years. In addition, he has a lot of experience in developing augmented reality as well as virtual reality applications. He's currently working in a construction company, producing AR and VR interactive applications, mostly for internal usage.

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Preface

At the beginning of 2016, most of the world had very little knowledge of augmented reality and location-based games. That, of course, all changed with the release of Pokemon Go later that year. Literally overnight, the genre became entrenched as an upcoming trend in game development. Chances are you have played Pokemon Go and the reason you are reading this book is because of your interest in the genre of AR and location-based games.

In this book we will explore in detail the aspects of creating a location-based AR game just like Pokemon Go. Location-based AR games are expensive and require multiple services for everything from mapping to spawning monsters. However, the game we develop will be done with zero budget using freely available services. While this may not be something you could release commercially, due to some licensing restrictions, it will certainly introduce you to most of the concepts. Along the way, you will also learn how to use a great tool, Unity, and introduce many other concepts in game development.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Getting Started, introduces the concepts that make up the genre of location-based AR games and our fictional game, Foody Go. This will be followed by a walk-through of downloading all the required software and setting up your mobile development environment with Unity.

Chapter 2, Mapping the Player's Location, starts by introducing the fundamental concepts of GIS, GPS, and mapping. Then shows how those concepts are applied to generating a real-time map and plotting the player’s location in a game.

Chapter 3, Making the Avatar, builds on the previous chapter and transforms our simple location marker into a moving animated character. This allows the player to see their avatar move around the map as they move carrying their mobile device.

Chapter 4, Spawning the Catch, explains that the premise of Foody Go is about catching experimental monsters. In this chapters, we learn how to spawn the monsters around the player on the map.

Chapter 5, Catching the Prey in AR, ups t...