Mastering Project Structure in Game Development: A Guide for Beginners

The Importance of Structure in Game Development Projects

When diving into the world of game development, one quickly realizes the paramount importance of having a structured project. It's not just about avoiding spaghetti code, which admittedly plays a role, but more about the overall organization of your project. A well-organized project structure can save you years of trial and error, allowing you to kickstart your game development journey on the right foot.

The Evolution of Project Structure

Each developer's journey witnesses an evolution in their approach to structuring projects. This evolution is highly opinionated, shaped by individual experiences and preferences. What may seem like an ideal structure to one developer might appear less appealing to another. However, sharing these experiences can be invaluable, offering a template or inspiration for others to build upon or diverge from as they see fit.

Key Components of a Structured Game Development Project

Managers

Managers play a crucial role in game development projects. They are essentially scene-specific classes that orchestrate different aspects of the game. For instance, a GameManager might control the game's flow, while a UnitManager could handle the management of game units.

Setup

The setup category encompasses essential elements like the game's camera, lights, event system, and any post-processing volumes. It's a dedicated space to organize these foundational components, keeping them neatly separated from other aspects of the project.

Environment

This is where you'll spawn environmental elements such as terrain, trees, or grid tiles. An organized environment section can include subfolders for specific types of elements, such as units, enhancing the clarity of your project's structure.

Canvases

As the name suggests, this section houses all the canvases used in your game. Maintaining a separate space for canvases helps in keeping the UI elements organized and easily accessible.

Systems

Systems are unique objects within your scene that persist across loads, thanks to the 'Don't Destroy On Load' setting. Grouping all persistent objects under a single hierarchy streamlines the management of these elements, ensuring a cleaner project structure.

Diving Deeper: Scripts and Scriptable Objects

The heart of any game development project lies in its scripts. Prefacing your scripts folder with an underscore (_) ensures it remains at the top of your directory, signifying its importance. Scripts are where the magic happens, from managing game states with enums to leveraging Scriptable Objects for data storage.

Managers like the GameManager and UnitManager demonstrate the practical application of singleton patterns, facilitating easy access to a single instance of a class across your project.

Scriptable Objects serve as containers for data, allowing you to create assets that store information such as unit stats or faction types. This approach not only organizes your data effectively but also makes it accessible in-game and in menus without the need to instantiate prefabs unnecessarily.

Conclusion

Organizing a game development project might seem daunting at first, but adopting a structured approach from the outset can immensely benefit the development process. The key is to find a structure that resonates with your style and project needs, understanding that this structure will likely evolve over time. By taking inspiration from experienced developers and experimenting with your organization, you can develop a workflow that not only enhances efficiency but also makes the development journey more enjoyable.

Remember, the structure outlined here is just a starting point. Feel free to adapt and evolve it to suit your unique development style and project requirements. Happy coding, and merry Christmas!

For a more detailed walkthrough of organizing a game development project, watch the full video here.