Rapid prototyping allows testing game concepts early using tools like Unity3D and TilEd. Prototypes can be reused and help transition from waterfall to agile development. While prototypes are not polished games, they provide a way to test level design and entity placement before full development. Tile-based editors allow quick generation and editing of 3D environments from a 2D perspective.

1. Giancarlo Todone
Rapid prototyping
with C# and Unity3D
(...and maybe some other great tools, too... notably TilEd)

2. 1. Rapid prototyping: why?
Faster prototype != faster delivery...
Isn't “quick” == “raw” ??
Can prototype be reused?
Doesn't it require time to learn how to prototype?
…......

3. Waterfall method Agile methods

4. Also: videogame is a complex medium...
“ Developing single contributes without a chance to test them
together until the end would be like running looking at your own shoes ”

5. “ canned engines ”
all-in-one
graphic engine
math library
UIs / editors
...
· No need to code every little thing
from scratch
· Guided development method
· Active communities /
documentation available
· Continuous improvements over time
· Non-developers can play, too :)
Lack of flexibility ·
Guided development method ·
Possibility of bad performances ·
”coder laziness” ·
Costs (not just $$) ·
Chances of “bad surprises” ·

6. ...and tons more (just google/wikipedia for “game engine”)
(all logos are property of respective owners)

7. A prototype is not a polished game
...and regardless: “whatever floats your boat...”

8. *
* = not to be confused with “Angry Birds (© by Rovio)”
demo

9. · Precise 3D placement of objects
· Realtime editing of entities properties
· Hierarchy handling
· 2D tile-quantized placement
· Must reload level to see changes
· Simple organization in layers
Just an example:

12. Photo by Mark Feenstra

13. Usually tiles are something like this:
...so you can do this:

14. ...or something like this:
...so you can do this:
Seamless connection of constructive elements

15. 3D tiles seem to be a natural extension

16. We can use simple 2D editing functionality and still get our 3D environment

17. 3D pieces are not necessarily bounded to square tile limits:
some tricks allow this to be reflected in 2D models

18. *
* = not to be confused with “Angry Birds (© by Rovio)”
demo

19. Automap or similar functionalities allow for complex scheme generation from simple input

20. *
* = not to be confused with “Doom (© by id software)”
demo

21. Demonstrated material is available at www.stareat.it/codemotion2013
All contents (texts, images, etc) are
by Giancarlo Todone unless otherwise specified, and available with
same license attributed to this presentation.
Thanks to Mark Feenstra to be so kind to allow his picture usage
Thanks to LEAP motion which allowed the demonstration
of their device (if i managed to save enough time to show it)