Bonus: FastForward de la creación del escenario, sorting layers y creación de colliders

How to organize layers in Unity for a video game scenario?

The goal of organizing layers in Unity is crucial to develop an attractive and well-structured game. By mastering the painter's algorithm, you will be able to control the order in which elements are rendered, ensuring that they are displayed correctly according to their importance in the level.

What is the painter's algorithm?

The painter's algorithm is a concept used in computer graphics to determine the order in which the layers of a scene should be drawn. This method involves drawing the furthest layer first, and then the layers closest to the viewer, ensuring that objects closer to the viewer are correctly overlaid on top of those farther away. In Unity, adjusting the layers correctly is essential for the game to look as it should.

How do I set up the layer ordering?

1. Set Custom Layers:

• Open the layer settings in Unity.
• By default, you will see only the "Default" layer. Here, you will need to add new layers for background, middle ground, foreground and player. This allows full control over the rendering order.

1. Assign the Layers Correctly:

• Background: assign the background items to the background layer.
• Middle ground: items that do not interfere with the gameplay (e.g., roads and flowers) belong to this layer.
• Foreground: items that can be interacted with, such as trees or buildings, belong to this layer.
• Player: place playable characters on this layer to make sure they are always visible.

What to do with collision layers?

Collision layers are critical in determining how the player interacts with the world. In Unity, the use of collisions is facilitated by the "Tilemap Collider 2D" component. This can be applied to any layer that requires collisions, allowing objects such as walls or trees to impede passage.

• Place Tilemap Collider 2D:
• For the foreground layer, add the "Tilemap Collider 2D" collider. This automatically creates boundaries around every object in this layer.
• It ensures that the player has a collider, allowing dynamic adjustments to reflect the shape and size of the character.

How to optimize the stage boundaries?

To prevent the player from leaving the boundaries of the level, an effective strategy is to surround the area with non-crossable objects, such as a forest. This method is visually consistent and simple to implement.

1. Place a natural barrier:

• Surround the level with trees or any other natural visual obstacle.

1. Use of additional tricks:

• You can implement additional techniques later, but a natural barrier is an effective and simple way to keep the player within the desired area.

By applying these techniques, you will be one step closer to creating an immersive and visually appealing game. The organization and proper use of layers and collisions significantly improve both the development and the player experience. Keep exploring and perfecting your skills in Unity, the limit is your creativity!