T1-L17 — Sprint 1: Core Mechanics

1

Sprint Planning — Set Your Goals

~10 min

+10 XP

▶

💡

Sprint methodology: In professional game development, a "sprint" is a focused work session with clear goals. You decide WHAT to build, work on it, and at the end you should have something PLAYABLE. Today is Sprint 1 — the most important sprint because you're building the core foundation.

1.1

Open your GDD. Pull up your Game Design Document from L16. Re-read Section 11 (Development Timeline) and Section 6 (Core Mechanics). These are your blueprint for today.

1.2

Write your Sprint 1 goals. Choose 3-5 specific tasks from your GDD that you MUST complete today. Be realistic — you have ~60 minutes of work time.

✅

Checkpoint: You've reviewed your GDD and written 3-5 specific Sprint 1 goals. Show your teacher your goals before starting work.

2

Quick Reference — Core Features

Reference

+10 XP

▶

💡

This section is a reference sheet. Don't read it top to bottom — find the code you need for YOUR features and copy it into your project. Refer back to previous lesson tutorials (L04-L15) for detailed instructions.

2.1

Player Movement (from L06)

public float moveSpeed = 7f;
public float jumpForce = 12f;
private Rigidbody2D rb;

void Start() { rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody2D>(); }

void Update()
{
    float moveX = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
    rb.velocity = new Vector2(moveX * moveSpeed, rb.velocity.y);

    if (Input.GetButtonDown("Jump") && isGrounded)
    {
        rb.velocity = new Vector2(rb.velocity.x, jumpForce);
    }
}

2.2

Ground Check (from L08/L10)

public Transform groundCheck;
public float groundRadius = 0.2f;
public LayerMask groundLayer;
private bool isGrounded;

void Update()
{
    isGrounded = Physics2D.OverlapCircle(
        groundCheck.position, groundRadius, groundLayer);
}

2.3

Coin Collection (from L10)

void OnTriggerEnter2D(Collider2D other)
{
    if (other.CompareTag("Coin"))
    {
        score++;
        SoundManager.Instance.PlayCollect();
        Destroy(other.gameObject);
    }
}

2.4

Enemy Patrol (simple)

public float speed = 2f;
public float distance = 3f;
private Vector3 startPos;
private int direction = 1;

void Start() { startPos = transform.position; }

void Update()
{
    transform.Translate(Vector2.right * speed * direction * Time.deltaTime);
    if (Mathf.Abs(transform.position.x - startPos.x) > distance)
        direction *= -1;
}

2.5

Camera Follow (from L12)

public Transform target;
public float smoothSpeed = 5f;
public Vector3 offset = new Vector3(0, 2, -10);

void LateUpdate()
{
    Vector3 desired = target.position + offset;
    transform.position = Vector3.Lerp(
        transform.position, desired, smoothSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
}

✅

Reference check: You've identified which code snippets you need for your Sprint 1 goals and are ready to implement them.

3

Build Time — 30 Minutes

~30 min

+10 XP

▶

⏰

FOCUSED WORK TIME. You have 30 minutes to work on your Sprint 1 goals. Stay focused! Refer to previous tutorials if you get stuck. Raise your hand if blocked for more than 3 minutes.

3.1

15-minute check-in. At the halfway point, review your progress:

How many goals have you completed?
Are you on track to finish Sprint 1?
Do you need to adjust your remaining goals?

Mid-Sprint Check: What's working? What's stuck?

3.2

Save frequently! Press Ctrl+S every few minutes. Nothing is worse than losing work because Unity crashed.

⚠

Common Sprint 1 blockers: (1) Player falls through ground → check Collider2D on ground and Rigidbody2D on player, (2) Can't jump → check isGrounded, groundCheck position, and Layer settings, (3) Coins don't collect → check tag is "Coin" and collider Is Trigger is ticked, (4) Enemy doesn't move → check speed > 0 and script is on the enemy.

✅

Checkpoint: You've completed at least 2 of your Sprint 1 goals and have a playable game foundation.

4

Build Time — Final 20 Minutes

~20 min

+10 XP

▶

4.1

Continue building. Push to complete your remaining Sprint 1 goals. If you've finished all 5, start on Sprint 2 features from your GDD.

4.2

Test as you go! Press Play after each feature addition. Check:

Does the feature work as described in your GDD?
Are there any bugs? Note them down.
Does it FEEL good? (controls responsive, speed right)

4.3

Quick bug fix session. If you have known bugs, spend the last 5 minutes fixing the most critical ones. A playable game with bugs is still better than a non-playable game without bugs!

✅

Checkpoint: Your game has a playable core — player can move, interact with the level, and there's at least one game mechanic working.

5

Sprint Review & Plan Ahead

~5 min

+10 XP

▶

5.1

Sprint Review. Check your goals from Section 1. How did you go?

Sprint 1 Review

5.2

Plan Sprint 2. Based on today's progress, what should you focus on next lesson?

Sprint 2 Preview Goals

5.3

Save and submit. Save your project (Ctrl+S). Take a screenshot of your game in Play mode and submit to Google Classroom with a note about what you completed.

✅

Checkpoint: Sprint 1 complete! Goals reviewed, Sprint 2 planned, screenshot submitted.

SPRINT 1: Core Mechanics

My Sprint 1 Goals (tick when done)

Mid-Sprint Check: What's working? What's stuck?

Sprint 1 Review

Sprint 2 Preview Goals

Progress Tracker