Unity Basic Course: Player Synchronization and Participant Player Character Creation

Unity is one of the latest game development platforms, providing various features and tools that help developers create games quickly and efficiently. In this tutorial, we will cover player synchronization and participant player character creation in multiplayer games using Unity.

1. Basic Concepts of Unity

Unity is a powerful engine that allows for the creation of 2D and 3D games. One of the key concepts in Unity is “Game Objects”. Game Objects contain all components of the game and can have various components including sprites, models, and scripts.

Unity scripts are written in the C# programming language. This allows developers to define the logic and behavior of the game and utilize various features through the Unity API.

2. Player Synchronization in Multiplayer Games

In multiplayer games, multiple users participate in the game simultaneously. During this process, the actions of each player need to be reflected in real-time to other users. This is referred to as player synchronization.

2.1 The Need for Network Mediation

A mediator is required in the network for player synchronization. The mediator acts as a server, collecting the data from each client and passing it to other clients. In Unity, you can easily implement multiplayer features using UNET (Unity Networking).

2.2 Setting Up UNET

To apply UNET in a Unity project, you first need to set up a Network Manager. Please follow the steps below:

  1. Add the NetworkManager component to a Game Object.
  2. Add the NetworkManagerHUD component to create a user interface.
  3. Set up a player prefab to define the player objects that each client will spawn.

2.3 Implementing Client and Server Logic

Below is how to implement the logic for both the client and server. The code below is a basic C# script for player synchronization. 

        using UnityEngine;
        using UnityEngine.Networking;

        public class PlayerController : NetworkBehaviour
        {
            void Update()
            {
                if (!isLocalPlayer) return;

                float moveHorizontal = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
                float moveVertical = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");
                Vector3 movement = new Vector3(moveHorizontal, 0.0f, moveVertical);
                transform.Translate(movement * 5 * Time.deltaTime);
            }

            public override void OnStartLocalPlayer()
            {
                GetComponent().material.color = Color.blue;
            }
        }

The above script allows the player to move through keyboard input and sets the color of the local player to blue. You can identify the current client’s player using isLocalPlayer.

3. Creating Participant Player Characters

Now, let’s explore how participants create their player characters. Character creation is one of the important elements of a game and helps immerse players in the game.

3.1 Creating a Character Prefab

The first step is to create a character prefab. In Unity’s editor, add a 3D model to the Scene and then add the necessary components. For example, you need to add Rigidbody, Collider, and NetworkIdentity components. To create a prefab, drag this object into the project window to save it.

3.2 Creating Character Selection UI

You need to create a UI that allows players to select their characters. Using Unity’s UI system, you can display various character models. After selection, instantiate the corresponding character prefab to create it. Below is a simple code example handling the character selection UI. 

        using UnityEngine;
        using UnityEngine.UI;

        public class CharacterSelection : MonoBehaviour
        {
            public GameObject[] characterPrefabs;
            public Transform spawnPoint;

            public void OnCharacterSelected(int index)
            {
                if (NetworkServer.active)
                {
                    GameObject player = Instantiate(characterPrefabs[index], spawnPoint.position, Quaternion.identity);
                    NetworkServer.AddPlayerForConnection(conn, player);
                }
            }
        }

3.3 Saving Character States

You should also consider how to save the states of characters selected by players. If multiple characters can be selected, you can save each character’s properties and state in a database or local file. To do this, you can manage each character’s information using ScriptableObject.

4. Conclusion and Additional Resources

In this tutorial, we discussed player synchronization and participant player character creation in Unity. To create multiplayer games, it is essential to understand network management, data synchronization between client and server, and the creation and management of player characters.

You can gain more information through the following additional resources:

Now you are one step closer to developing multiplayer games using Unity. If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends. If you have questions or experiences to share, please leave a comment!