Hello! Today, we will learn how to create a simple network lobby screen using Unity. In this tutorial, we will implement the room creation feature and explain how users can enter or create rooms. Let’s understand the basic concepts of network game development and practice using Unity’s networking features.<\/p>\n
Unity is a powerful game engine that provides various features for network game development. The networking API provided by Unity, UNET (Unity Networking), helps to easily implement various networking functionalities. However, UNET is no longer actively supported, and it’s advisable to use Unity’s new networking solutions, Mirror or Photon. This tutorial will focus on creating a network room using Mirror.<\/p>\n
Create a new project in Unity. Set the basic template of the project to 3D and name the project ‘NetworkLobby’. Then, let’s proceed with the following steps.<\/p>\n
1. In the top menu of the Unity Editor, select Window<\/strong> > Package Manager<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 2. Click the +<\/strong> button and select Install from git URL…<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 3. Enter https:\/\/github.com\/vis2k\/Mirror.git<\/strong> in the URL input field.<\/p>\n 4. Once the installation is complete, the Mirror<\/strong> package will appear in the package list.<\/p>\n 1. Select File<\/strong> > New Scene<\/strong> to create a new scene.<\/p>\n 2. Create a Canvas to configure the basic UI. Right-click in the Hierarchy window and select UI<\/strong> > Canvas<\/strong> to add a new Canvas.<\/p>\n 3. Add UI elements under the Canvas. Add buttons, input fields, and text to create the lobby screen.<\/p>\n The core of a network game is the Network Manager. The Network Manager manages the connection between clients and the server. In this process, we will set up the Network Manager and write basic code for room management.<\/p>\n 1. In the Hierarchy<\/strong> window, right-click and select Network<\/strong> > NetworkManager<\/strong> to add a new network manager.<\/p>\n 2. Select the NetworkManager<\/strong> object and adjust the settings in the inspector. Remove the Fake Player Prefab in Spawn Info<\/strong> and add TelepathyTransport<\/strong> in the Transport<\/strong> section.<\/p>\n Write a controlling script to implement room creation and entry features. Create a new C# script and name it NetworkLobbyManager.cs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This script contains the basic logic for creating and entering rooms. It allows users to create or enter a room based on the room name they input.<\/p>\n To improve user experience, adjust the UI layout and styles to configure the UI elements more specifically.<\/p>\n 1. Add a Panel<\/strong> under the Canvas. This panel will be the main background of the lobby.<\/p>\n 2. Add a title text above the panel (e.g., “Game Lobby”).<\/p>\n 3. Add room name input field along with buttons for creating and joining rooms.<\/p>\n Connect the create and join room buttons to the methods of the network manager. In the Unity editor, assign the relevant methods to the buttons’ onClick()<\/strong> events.<\/p>\n Once all functionalities are implemented, it is necessary to conduct final testing. Run several instances of the Unity editor to check if clients can create and enter rooms.<\/p>\n2.2 Setting Up the Basic Scene<\/h3>\n
3. Setting Up the Network Manager<\/h2>\n
3.1 Adding the NetworkManager<\/h3>\n
3.2 Writing a Custom Script<\/h3>\n
using Mirror;\nusing UnityEngine;\nusing UnityEngine.UI;\n\npublic class NetworkLobbyManager : NetworkManager\n{\n public InputField roomNameInput;\n public Button createRoomButton;\n public Button joinRoomButton;\n\n public override void OnStartServer()\n {\n Debug.Log(\"Server started!\");\n }\n\n public void CreateRoom()\n {\n if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(roomNameInput.text))\n {\n Debug.Log(\"Room name cannot be empty!\");\n return;\n }\n \/\/ Handle room creation\n Debug.Log(\"Room created: \" + roomNameInput.text);\n NetworkServer.Listen(12345);\n }\n\n public void JoinRoom()\n {\n \/\/ Handle room entry\n Debug.Log(\"Joined room: \" + roomNameInput.text);\n networkAddress = roomNameInput.text;\n StartClient();\n }\n\n public void OnEnable()\n {\n createRoomButton.onClick.AddListener(CreateRoom);\n joinRoomButton.onClick.AddListener(JoinRoom);\n }\n\n public void OnDisable()\n {\n createRoomButton.onClick.RemoveListener(CreateRoom);\n joinRoomButton.onClick.RemoveListener(JoinRoom);\n }\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n4. UI Configuration<\/h2>\n
4.1 Configuring Inside the Canvas<\/h3>\n
4.2 Connecting Button Events<\/h3>\n
5. Testing and Debugging<\/h2>\n
5.1 Running the Server<\/h3>\n