[Unity Tutorial] Creating a Game Using Playmaker ① From Basic Introduction to Installing

I will introduce the basic functions and how to use ‘PlayMaker’, and explain how to create an easy game with Unity in this article series.

In this article, I will introduce the basics of PlayMaker and how to install it.

You cannot use scripts with STYLY, but you can use PlayMaker to create a similar function.

One strength of PlayMaker is that the user does not need programming experience with C# in order to create Unity VR content.

Also, by combining PlayMaker with STYLY, users can create whatever they want with VR.

After you read thus article, I hope you try and create your very own VR content.

PlayMaker Basics

PlayMaker Strengths

• State transition base flows
• No need for coding to create logics
• Visualized program states, which help debugging
• Easy combining with existing code and other assets
• Users can create original ‘actions’
• Only PlayMaker is needed
• You can combine PlayMaker with C# scripts, and choose which parts you want PlayMaker to be applied

What You Can Obtain with PlayMaker

• Mock production/Rapid prototyping
• UI/State transition management system
• Tween animation control
• AI thinking routine
• Unity Engine API knowledge
  

  Cautions for Team Development

• No code means no merging (But you can use the Template Export function for some use)
• Strict capsuling is hard to achieve
• PlayMaker has lots of flexibility, and users can freely create any kind of logic, so it may be hard to create a sense of unity
  

  Countermeasures

• Limiting use to specific scenes
• Using only with existing code and for specific scenes
• Use all codes as PlayMaker actions
• Limit use to managing state transition status
• Limit use to managing iTween

What Is a FSM

PlayMaker uses UMLs called FSM(Finite State Machine) to describe state transition status.

Main Components

• State：Status of Object
• Event：Trigger for a state transtion
• Action：Action that occurs at a specific status
• Variable：Object values used by FSMs are stored

Example：Player Character

• State：’Standing’, ‘Walking’, ‘Running’, ‘Jumping’, etc…
• Event：State transition from ‘Standing’ to ‘Walking’, ‘Walking’ to ‘Running’, etc…
• Action：What the character does when ‘Standing’, ‘Walking’, etc…
• Variable：The moving direction of the Player (Vector3), the speed (float), etc…

Installing PlayMaker

Launch Unity.

Click [Window] > [Asset Store]

Search for ‘playmaker’.

Click PlayMaker from the results.

PlayMaker costs $52 (May change over time). Click [Put in cart].

Click [Proceed to checkout].

Type in your information, and click [Purchase].

After purchase, download Playmaker to Unity.

A Welcome To PlayMaker screen will popup, so click the [Install PlayMaker] button.

Click the [Install PlayMaker 1.9.0] button.

A popup message shown below will appear so click the [I Made a Backup. Go Ahead!] button.

The import process will proceed, and the Import Unity Package window will popup, so click the [import] button.

Once the [PlayMaker] menu is displayed, the import is complete. Close the Welcome To PlayMaker window with the [x] button.

PlayMaker Basic Settings

Changing Displayed Language

Click [PlayMaker] > [PlayMaker Editor].

Click the [Preferences] button on the bottom right. Choose General at the upper right, and change Language from [English] to [Language you prefer].

That’s all for the basics of PlayMaker, and how to install it.

In my next article, I will introduce the basic functions of PlayMaker.

This article was created using the slides by Unity Technologies Japan【Unity道場 2017】PlayMakerによる初めてのUnityプログラミング.