Let’s talk about the most reliable platform for creating iOS games. If you are passionate about developing games, keep reading. Many popular games on iOS are built via unity including Angry Birds, Forgotten Anne, and Hitman Spider. Go through our beginner’s guide ‘iOS game development’ and try your luck.
Get started for iOS game development via Unity
First of all, you need to create an App Developer account that will give you access to the platform. You can explore different features of this game engine and it is also necessary to make full use of the platform. hEre is what you need to do after setting up an account
- Click on the install button under the Unity Hub and select the suitable version of the Unity game engine.
- Look at the right side, you will see three dots, click on them and choose ‘Add component’.
- Choose iOS build support if the game is to be developed in an iOS operating system.
- Click Next and you will see NDK and SDK tools required to build a complete game on the iOS system.
- Press done and wait for installation.
Create New Project
- Go to the windows that contain the options; Projects, Learn and Installs.
- Create a new unity project by clicking on ‘New’ and this option will show on your right side.
- Name your project and enter other details
- Select your desired template
- Now, click on ‘Create’ and let the process begin
Let’s start working
- Change the Editor platform to iOS
- On the top left corner, you see the option of ‘Files’
- Go to files and click ‘Build Settings’
- In build settings, select the iOS platform
- Press ‘Switch Platform’ after performing the above-mentioned steps.
Prepare Unity Editor for creating a game
- Preparing means you have to perform steps like adding folders, fixing the aspect ratio, importing assets, building the sequence for the game, etc.
- Add folders as per your requirement but creating three folders and naming them Prefabs, Materials, and Scripts will be ideal.
- Download particle effects and save them in the Prefab folder.
- If possible, add 3D models.
Create 3D effects
- In the Scene section of Unity, set up the scene for the 3D object.
- To find ‘3D Object’, right-click on the scene
- After you have chosen a 3D object, select a shape
- The selected shape will start showing under the Inspector Tab
- From the ‘inspector’ tab, you can adjust its dimensions as per your preference
- Use the options ‘Mesh Render’ and ‘Box Collider’ to make any additional changes
- After you are done, hit the ‘Add component’ option
Create Material
- Create new material from the option ‘Assets’ by selecting it from the Material folder.
- For instance, if the grass is the material you want to make, play around with different compositions and make the necessary changes like color, etc.
- The Unity game engine allows you to preview your changes to see if what you wanted to create has been created or not.
- Keep working on the material until you reach your desired result.
Change Lighting
- The Lighting tab can be found on the right of the Inspector tab
- Select the suitable lighting for your game. You can use Mixed lighting, real-time lighting, or simply any kind you like.
- If you want the easy way out, select Auto-Generate to generate lighting
Get the Aspect Ratio right
- It is absolutely essential to adjust the aspect ratio correctly.
- It ensures that all your game objects, assets, and materials created are visible across all devices and screen sizes.
- Click on ‘Free Aspect’ by going to the Game tap in the Unity Engine to make the desired changes
- The most used ratio is 16:9 but it may not work for everyone.
Touch Inputs
- It is crucial to select the touch inputs according to the requirements of your game.
- You need to go to the Scripts folder and choose Shades by right-clicking on the folder.
- After creating new scripts, attach them to the main camera and open them inside Visual studio.
- Include any functions you want.
- Coding for complicated functions can be done inside the Visual studio.
Work with Xcode
- The Xcode app is a must for developing games on the iOS platform. You can download it from the Apple app store.
- You can go for the automatic sign-in options from the pop-up
- The game can be built and launched in Xcode
- On the top left corner, press the Play button
- As a result of pressing the Play button, Xcode will build the game on your iPhone.
- After the completion of the building process, your game will be launched on your device
Test the App
Finally, your game is ready to be tested. Test the game in Xcode. Make sure it is running smoothly and has all the desired features. After making sure that your game is fully ready, submit it to the Apple team. They will review it and make it live if it fulfills their criteria.