Unity is a powerful game engine that can be used to create a wide variety of games, including puzzle games. In this tutorial, we will be building a sliding puzzle game in Unity. We will cover everything from setting up the project, to creating the game mechanics and user interface with code examples.
Step 1: Setting up the Project
The first thing we need to do is create a new Unity project. Open Unity and click on “New”. Give your project a name, such as “Sliding Puzzle Game” and select a location to save it. We will be using the 2D template for this project.
Step 2: Creating the Game Board
In this step, we will be creating the game board for our puzzle game. We will be using Unity’s Tilemap system to create the grid of tiles that the player will be able to slide around.
Start by creating a new Tilemap by going to GameObject > 2D Object > Tilemap. Rename the Tilemap to “GameBoard”. Next, create a new Tilemap by going to GameObject > 2D Object > Tilemap. Rename this new Tilemap to “Blank Space”.
Step 3: Adding Tiles
We will now add tiles to our Tilemaps. To do this, we need to create a new Tile Set. Go to Assets > Create > Tileset. Give the Tile Set a name, such as “Puzzle Tiles”. Next, select the Tile Set and import your desired image.
Step 4: Populating the Game Board
Now that we have our Tile Set, we can start populating our GameBoard Tilemap with tiles. Select the GameBoard Tilemap and in the Tile Palette, select the Tile Set you just created. Now you can paint tiles onto the GameBoard Tilemap.
Step 5: Creating the Game Logic
In this step, we will be creating the game logic for our puzzle game. We will be using C# script to handle the movement of the tiles.
Create a new C# script by going to Assets > Create > C# Script. Name the script “TileMovement”. Open the script in Visual Studio.
Step 6: Implementing the Game Logic
In the TileMovement script, we will be creating methods for moving the tiles and checking if the puzzle is solved. We will also be using Input.GetAxis() method to handle the player’s input.
Step 7: Adding the User Interface
In this step, we will be adding the user interface for our puzzle game. We will be creating a timer and a move counter to display on the screen. We will also be adding a button for the player to reset the game.
Step 8: Testing and Deployment
The last step is to test our game and deploy it. We will be using Unity’s built-in play mode to test the game and make sure everything is working as expected. Once we are satisfied with the game, we can build and deploy it to various platforms, such as iOS and Android.
TileMovement script
Here is an example code for TileMovement script.
We will name this script “TileMovement.” In this script, we will use the code provided to detect user input, such as mouse clicks or touch inputs, and then move the puzzle tiles accordingly.
First, we need to add a reference to the TileMovement script to each puzzle tile object in our scene. We can do this by selecting the tile object in the Unity editor, and then dragging the TileMovement script from the Assets panel onto the object in the inspector.
Next, we need to create a variable to store a reference to the puzzle tile’s transform component. We can do this by adding the following line of code at the top of the TileMovement script:
private Transform tileTransform;
In the Start() method, we can then set this variable to the transform component of the puzzle tile object, like so:
void Start() {
tileTransform = GetComponent<Transform>();
}
Now that we have a reference to the puzzle tile’s transform component, we can use it to move the tile in response to user input. For example, we can create a method called “MoveTile()” that takes a Vector3 parameter for the direction of movement. This method can then use the tileTransform variable to update the position of the puzzle tile.
void MoveTile(Vector3 direction) {
tileTransform.position += direction;
}
We can then call this method in response to user input, such as a mouse click or touch input. For example, we can add an OnMouseDown() method to the TileMovement script that calls the MoveTile() method with the appropriate direction vector.
void OnMouseDown() {
// Check if the tile can move in the direction of the user input
// If so, call the MoveTile() method with the appropriate direction vector
}
This is just a basic example of how to create a script for controlling the movement of puzzle tiles in our sliding puzzle game. There are many different ways to implement this functionality, and you may need to adapt the code provided to fit the specific needs of your game.
Finally, as the last step, you will need to create the script for checking if the puzzle is solved or not. You can check the positions of each tile with its original position and when all the tiles are on their original positions, the puzzle is solved.