Chapter 11. Testing and Further Study

Over the course of this book, we have covered the essential topics to get you started in development with the Unity game engine. In working with Unity, you'll discover that with each new game element you develop, new avenues of possibility open up in your knowledge. Fresh ideas and game concepts will come more easily as you add further scripting knowledge to your skillset. In this chapter, we'll conclude your introduction to Unity by looking at:

• Approaches to testing and finalizing your work

• Measuring frame rates from test users

• Where to go for help with Unity and what to study next

With this in mind, when looking ahead to where to continue extending your skills, you should take time to expand your knowledge of the following areas:

• Scripting

• Scripting

• Scripting

That's right, it's no joke — while Unity prides itself on providing an intuitive toolset for developing in a visual manner and using the Editor's GUI to build scenes and game objects, there is no substitute...

Testing and finalizing

When considering game development, you should be very aware of the importance of testing your game amongst users who have no preconceptions of it whatsoever. When working on any creative project, you should be aware that to maintain creative objectivity, you need to be open to criticism and that testing is just as much part of that as it is a technical necessity. It is all too easy to become used to your game's narrative or mechanics, and often unable to see "the wood for the trees" in terms of how the player will respond to it.

Public testing

When looking to test your game, try and send test builds to a range of users who can provide test feedback for you with the following variations:

• Computer specification: Ensure that you test on a number of differently powered machines, and get feedback on performance

• Format: Try sending a build for both Mac and PC where possible

• Language: Do your test users all speak the same language as you? Can they tell you if you explain elements...

Approaches to learning

As you progress from this book, you will need to develop an approach to further study, which keeps a balance between personal perseverance and the need to ask for help from more experienced Unity developers. Follow the advice laid out below, and you should be well on your way to helping other community members as you expand your knowledge.

Cover as many bases as possible

When learning any new software package/programming language, it is often the case that you are working to a deadline, be it as part of your job or as a freelancer. This can often lead to a "take only what you need" approach to learning. While this can often be a necessity due to working demands, it can often be detrimental to your learning, as you may develop bad habits that stay with you throughout your time working with the software — eventually leading to inefficient approaches.

Taking this on board, I recommend that you take time to read through the official documentation whenever you can — even if...

Summary

In this chapter, we have discussed ways that you should move on from this book, and how you can gather information from test users to improve your game.

All that remains is to wish you the best of luck with your future game development in Unity. From myself and everyone involved with this book, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the ride — it's only just the beginning!