Any Good Unity 5 Books for Beginners?

Just wondering if there's any good books out yet for beginners that dive in Unity 5?

 

I think you are better off using the learning ressources at http://unity3d.com/learn
Those are up to date and cover a lot of basics in various fields.

 

Ah, thanks. I saw those and was planning on checking them out as well. I usually like to start off with a book that I can lug around and read wherever, but I'll definitely check out the tutorials on the site as well. Seems to be a ton of online resources for sure.

 

Yes - those ressources are super. They are very understandable and well produced, IMO. Also there are a lot of videos to acompany the texts.

I can understand that you want a book on things. I sometimes prefer reading on the bus or the train as well - or just having a book open besides the project.
Seeing just how fast things are currently moving and changeing - especially in Unity 5 - a book could include outdated information super fast. Plus I don't know of any slightly current Unity books I could recommend. So I'd say - go for /learn

 

I think that the videos and live training videos have a few really nice selections of covering specifically unity 5 with the gui changes and stuff. that has been helpful for me as i am learning. I have not seen an actual book printed yet about unity 5 specifically though

 

You could always print off the manual.

 

Or read/watch on your tablet/phone while out and about!

 

My book Unity in Action focuses on programming and is written for Unity 5. The print book is not quite out yet, but the complete book is already available as pdf downloads. All that remains is final formatting and typesetting before this book goes to the printer!

 

Nice! Congrats, too, by the way. Is this your first published book?

 

I would agree with motion_blurr. There should be a good few resources available on the Unity website. This being said, I know many people prefer to learn sequentially or offline, especially at the beginning, and a book may be best in this case (although content may become obsolete quickly for some features). Well done to you jhocking on your new book, its quite an achievement to complete such a book (quite long and detailed as I can see on the Manning website). Its also great that it includes a free access to the first chapter.

MeatballB, you would like to get started with Unity 5,I have also a modest intro to Unity here that should get you started fast with the interface and object manipulation (basic shapes, camera, and lights) as well as shortcuts. It's available online; I also have a pdf version if you prefer (just give me a shout and I can send you the link also). Best of luck!

 

First full book, yep. I've done smaller scale game dev teaching for years.

 

Well double the congrats, then!

 

thats awesome, congratulations on the book, any idea what the cost would be for someone to pick it up digitally?

 

Thanks for your interest! The website for Unity in Action explains those details http://www.manning.com/hocking/ (prices are listed at the top)

 

Awesome info across the board, thanks everyone! I'll definitely be checking out your book Joe!

Random question. How useful would it be for me to pick up a baseline of C# first before diving headlong into Unity? I have access through work to Linda.com and I know there's some C# courses (and some older Unity) courses available as well. Just wondering if it'd be better for me to take a few weeks and try to get a good foundation in C# first.

 

I wouldn't spend weeks learning C#, but yeah a couple nights to bone up on C# could help. Or even if not that language specifically, just make sure you're comfortable with the basics of programming.

Spending tons of time is kinda pointless, because you'll mostly learn the language while working with Unity

 

Hi guys i think you need already some knowledge about c language it will be easier for you to understand and i learning all Mike Geig videos they are amazing.

 

Since this thread is from back in April, I'll just point out that Unity in Action is available in print by now:
http://www.amazon.com/Unity-Action-Multiplatform-Game-Development/dp/161729232X/

 

Hi Joe,

I just bought your book (from the worst seller on Amazon. it's been two weeks and I am yet to receive it in the mail). I have some experience with Unity but I am hoping to really hone my skills with your book.

I'll let you know what I think.

 

aw that sucks about the bad seller

 

I recommend "Learning C# programming with unity 3D" By Alex Okita if you haven't taken basic programming yet. Personally I am holding myself to a standard of not using any script I don't fully understand.

"Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide" by Terry Norton also looks good.

I also purchased "C# Game Programming Cookbook for Unity3D" by Jeff W. Murray about a year ago, which includes advanced object-oriented game architecture examples. I'm having trouble understanding some of it, but feel it's influencing my progress in a positive way regardless.

"Beginning 3D Game Development with Unity 4" by Sue Blackman seems to be a consistent recommendation. It's a sort of first-person point-and-click adventure walkthrough.

Telling people to go watch YouTube tutorials when they ask for book references isn't very nice. YouTube tutorials aren't a convenient reference while also using a computer. They're useful in some contexts, but not the best learning tool for involved concepts where you'll find yourself stuck skipping back and forth again and again. Pointing them to the manual or the API is also a dick move and a non-answer. There are great resources out there.

 

I also enjoyed Alex Okita's book.

 

Picked this book up from Amazon, going it through it quite quickly, I like the fact you get a free pdf or kindle verision to download as well.
Also access to a forum where you can ask questions etc, though I have not asked any myself I do think its good to have.
Worth the money, recommended.

 

Any update on the newest books that cover Unity 5(not lower) I would be interested in. I know YT and video sources arrrrr superior but I will be out of the grid for few months soon due to my day job on the high seas. I do not want to forget what I have learnt in the past few months and the book is the easiest way to keep my brain occupied with programming. I am not completly green with coding but that would be my weakest point in the journey through the world of Unity. If you know of a good book that is up to date that puts strong emphasis on C# please share. I know that it is hard to make a book that is up to date with engine like Unity that is changing and growing so fast but buying a title from 2015, when we are half way through 2017, seems a bit pointles. So if you know of any books that are quite fresh and cover "latest" Unity futures and focus hard on C# programming , please share. I'll keep searching. Thanks a lot.
P.S. If I find some myself I will post it here.

Unity Games by Tutorials: Make 4 Complete Unity Games from Scratch Using C# This one I have found to be probably the newest , up to date with 5.5. Has little reviews though, which is normal for new relase I guess. All of them positive though.

Unity in Action: Multiplatform Game Development in C# with Unity 5
This one has great reviews but is from 2015.

 

I got started with Learn to Code by Making Games and found it a great start. It does sometimes jump around a bit (e.g., I felt their intro to the Singleton pattern wasn't all that well explained) and you will have to do some additional research to better understand some of the things it glosses over - but it certainly worked for me as someone who had no prior programming experience.

 

I'm the author of that book, and I can say that A) it's still mostly up-to-date in the latest versions of Unity (there are a few deprecated older commands used, but everything still works) and B) I am currently working on a 2nd edition!

Besides just generally making sure everything is updated, I'm adding a new chapter about 2D platformers. That said, the new edition won't be out for many months, so you should probably just get the 1st edition instead of waiting.

 

the best way to learn is by trying to do something, keep reading does not help much.

 

As i have mentioned before I will be off the grid for 3-4 months. Just want to learn something new if possible and mostly not forget what I have learnt so far. Just a means to stay as close to the subject as possible when I have limited access to the video content.
@jhocking , thanks for the info. I might give it a go.