Unity Game Tutorial: Match 3 - 3D Game

Discover how to build a 3D match-3 game in Unity, using a colored grid of stones, swap-and-match mechanics, gravity-based destruction, and time-based scoring.

Set up and save a productive Unity layout by arranging the console, game view, and scene view while keeping the inspector, hierarchy, and project window accessible.

Create a board manager to visualize the playfield by drawing a grid in the editor with OnDrawGizmos, exposing public width and height to define the board size.

Switch the main camera from perspective to orthographic to fit the play field. Adjust aspect ratios such as 9:16 and 16:9, and center the camera for a balanced view.

Instantiate random blob prefabs to fill the board and parent them to the board on start, using a blob list and prefab workflow.

Import and organize 3D models, set up animated blobs with fbx files, configure colors and materials, and create prefabs for a Unity match-3 game.

Lock the inspector, drag blob prefabs into the blob list to fill the board with six different colors of blobs, then press play to see random blobs with eye animations.

Finalize 3d blob physics by adding rigid body components with gravity, freezing rotations on x, y, z, and constraining blobs to the y axis while testing box collider collisions.

Create a blob selector with a centered particle system, customize a sphere emitter, and apply star glitter materials to multiple colored blobs, duplicating and parenting the selector for all blobs.

Toggle selector activates and deactivates glitter on clicked blobs using a blob script with a selector object and an isSelected flag.

Identify neighbors of a blob in the four directions using raycast checks, store them in a dynamic neighbor list, and update the list when a blob is selected.

Learn to implement a swap mechanic in a Unity match-3 3d game by wiring the board singleton, managing swap state, tracking last selected blob, and validating neighbor constraints before swapping.

Learn to implement the swap blobs mechanic in a match-3 3D game by storing blob pairs and positions, validating neighbors, and performing the swap.

Learn to implement a coroutine to swap two blobs on the board, guard with isSwapping, toggle physics, and move blobs toward swap locations using moveTowards.

In this lecture, implement a Unity find match function to detect blob matches by tracing neighbors with a direction and a ray, using a checklist and a match list.

Implement a clear all matches function that uses left-right and up-down directions to clear matches on blobs, destroy them, and report completion back to the board.

Learn to destroy found matches and blobs with a dedicated destroy function, using a while loop, coroutines, and proper removal from the blob list, creating new blobs, and scoring.

Set up blob ids for the match-3 3d game, map colors to ids, and verify three-in-a-row matches destroy; confirm matching and swapping, with new spots filled in the next video.

Create and spawn new random blobs above the play field by instantiating from a prefab list, positioning and rotating them, then add them to the blob list and test gameplay.

Implement automatic swap-back when two blobs do not form a match, and enable reporting of turn completion to the board via a turn check.

Build an on-board check to detect moving blobs and matches by looping all blobs, inspecting local positions and velocity, and returning true to trigger the auto check.

Automatically detect and clear matches on the Unity 3D match-3 board with a board check. After a three-second delay, loop through all blobs and clear matches with a 0.25-second yield.

Avoid auto play by preventing the board from starting with preexisting matches; learn to initialize the grid with randomized blobs while filtering duplicates and tracking previous placements.

Prevent player input during board movement by adding a public isMoving check, returning early to block interactions until the board stops, ensuring predictable matches.

Learn to verify at least one possible match by simulating swaps, toggling physics off, and checking neighbors to determine if the board can be cleared.

Implement a boolean check_match function to detect existing matches in a Unity match-3 3D game, evaluating left/right and up/down directions and managing swap rollback.

Optimize the match detection in a four by four Unity match-3 board by checking for possible matches, handling no matches left, and resetting the board for debugging purposes.

Refill the board when no matches remain by looping through all blobs, updating match_found, saving the board and blobs, and testing in unity.

Design a 3D match-3 UI by configuring a left-right score/matches/timer panel, setting camera and skybox, creating a scalable UI canvas, applying border sprites and sliced borders, and adding score text.

Set up and customize the matches border and score text, apply proper naming conventions, and adjust 2d mode scaling and layout for flexible ui in a match-3 game.

Learn to build a Unity game manager to track matches and score, create a game manager object with a singleton script, and update the UI through a UI manager.

Create a public function to update a private score in the game manager, update the score UI text, manage matches, and trigger game over logic when matches run out.

Learn to report the score to the game manager when destroying blobs, set per-blob points (for example 20), and ensure no score when the entire board is cleared.

Update matches when a blob forms a match, report to the game manager, and update the score UI to show remaining matches.

Implement win/lose logic by checking remaining matches and triggering score, particles, or a scene change when matches reach zero. Test with varied matches and log no matches left.

Create a star meter that fills with score in a Unity match-3 game, using a mask, anchored bottom, and basic math to place star thresholds.

Update the star meter UI by defining a max score, linking the image to the UI handler, and resizing the meter with the score over max using a y-scale transform.

Explore implementing star-based progress indicators in a 3d match-3 game by placing percentage markers on a meter and displaying bronze, silver, and gold stars at set thresholds.

Explore a score fix in a Unity 3D match-3 game, preventing points when the board clears itself with no matches, by adding a possiblePoints flag and gating score updates.

Implement a win panel GUI overlay that locks the game, shows bronze, silver, and gold stars, displays the final score, and provides play again or go to menu options.

Activate and deactivate the win panel, update the score text, and highlight bronze, silver, and gold stars when all matches are gone using the UI handler and inspector headers.

Connect the user interface handler to the win panel, stars, and score text, disable the panel at game start, and expose an activate function to show it when matches end.

Use the unity event system to block background blobs clicks when the pointer is over UI elements and overlay a wind panel to block input, enabling score updates and restarts.

Create a public getter to read the score from the game manager and display it on the win panel, formatting it as a nine-digit string.

Animate stars in Unity by creating a star activate animation that scales from small to full size with optional rotation, and trigger delayed activations when the score is reached.

Activate stars based on the score with a coroutine, waiting between reveals, and use the game manager to trigger star 1, 2, and 3 at 25%, 65%, and 90%.

Stop all core routines when games end, update the UI to hide the win panel, and propagate stop signals to all blobs for a clean repeat.

Create a background star particle system, rotate top-left to bottom-right, switch to a box, randomize start size and rotation, set lifetime and color, enable instant start behind the play field.

Create a main menu in Unity with a UI canvas and a start button that loads the game scene. Adjust the camera and background, keep text elements centered.

Create a level select menu that loads the correct game scene via button clicks. Bridge buttons to a load scene function using UnityEngine.SceneManagement to load by name or build index.

Apply final touches by removing debug logs and print messages, verify scene loading via the UI handler, and ensure levels and built settings are ready for publishing.

Explore ideas to evolve a Unity match-3 3D game, from mission goals and special blobs to bombs, rarities, and level systems, plus saving scores, stars, and leaderboards.

Fixes a Unity match-3 freeze bug by updating the blob script's match function, adding neighbor checks and a duplicate checklist guard, and remembering to save.