Augmented Reality Game Development

Key Features

• Get into the Augmented Reality (AR) bandwagon by creating a Pokemon Go like game from scratch
• Use the latest Unity 5.X VR SDK and create pro-level AR games
• Innovate and explore the latest and most promising trend of AR gaming in the mobile gaming industry

Book Description

Have you been bitten by the Pokemon Go bug yet? If yes, then this is the right book for you. Location-based AR games have been around for a few years. They have struggled to gain popularity until just recently with the monumental release of Pokemon Go. Now, with the explosive popularity of the genre, novice and experienced developers alike will be rushing to publish an app that will be the next trend in mobile games.

If you are keen on developing a VR game with the latest Unity 5.X toolkit, then this is the right book for you. The genre of location-based AR games introduces a new platform and technical challenges. This book will simplify those challenges and broaden the appeal of the genre to even casual novice game developers.

In this book, you will go on a journey through building a fictional location-based AR game that addresses the core technical concepts such as: GIS fundamentals, mobile device GPS, mapping, map textures in Unity, mobile device camera, camera textures in Unity, accessing location-based services and several other general useful Unity tips.

Rounding out, the technical material will open a discussion of further development that will present a multiplayer version of the game. At the end, you will be presented with troubleshooting techniques in case you get into trouble and need a little help.

What you will learn

• Build a location-based AR game called Foodie Go
• Animate a players avatar around a map
• Use the mobile device’s camera as a game background
• Implement database persistence with SQLLite4Unity3D to persist inventory items across game sessions
• Create basic UI elements for the game, inventory, menu, and settings
• Perform location and content searches against the Google Places API
• Enhance the game’s mood by adding visual shader effects
• Extend the game by adding multiplayer networking and other general enhancements to the game

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Getting Started
Chapter 2. Mapping the Player’s Location
Chapter 3. Making the Avatar
Chapter 4. Spawning the Catch
Chapter 5. Catching the Prey in AR
Chapter 6. Storing the Catch
Chapter 7. Creating the AR World
Chapter 8. Interacting with an AR World
Chapter 9. Finishing the Game
Chapter 10. Troubleshooting