A beginner-friendly guide to collaborating on Unity projects using Git.

UnityProjectsUXDM/
├── Assignment 1/
│   ├── Assets/
│   ├── Packages/
│   └── ProjectSettings/
├── Assignment 2/
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

• Each Assignment folder = A separate Unity project
• .gitignore = Tells Git to ignore temporary Unity files
• .meta files = Unity's tracking files (important - don't delete!)

Think of branches like separate workspaces:

gitGraph
    commit id: "Initial Commit"
    branch assignment1-dev
    checkout assignment1-dev
    commit id: "A1 Setup"
    branch feature/my-new-ui
    checkout feature/my-new-ui
    commit id: "UI Changes"
    commit id: "UI Fixes"
    checkout assignment1-dev
    merge feature/my-new-ui tag: "Feature Merged"
    branch feature/enemy-ai
    checkout feature/enemy-ai
    commit id: "AI Logic"
    checkout assignment1-dev
    merge feature/enemy-ai tag: "AI Merged"
    checkout main
    merge assignment1-dev tag: "A1 Submitted"

How it works: You work on your own branch → Test it → Merge into assignment1-dev → When everything's done, merge into main

1. Clone (download) the repository

   git clone https://github.com/lvkolb/UnityProjectsUXDM.git
   cd UnityProjectsUXDM

2. Switch to the development branch

   git checkout assignment1-dev

1. Open GitHub Desktop
2. Click File → Clone repository
3. Paste this URL: https://github.com/lvkolb/UnityProjectsUXDM.git
4. Choose where to save it on your computer
5. Use the branch dropdown at the top to switch to assignment1-dev

Step 1: Start your day by getting the latest changes

git checkout assignment1-dev
git pull origin assignment1-dev

Step 2: Create your own workspace (feature branch)

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Example: feature/player-movement or feature/ui-menu

Step 3: Work in Unity

• Open the Unity project
• Make your changes
• Save scenes, prefabs, and scripts
• Unity will auto-create temporary files (Git ignores these automatically)

Step 4: Save your work to Git

git add .
git commit -m "Added player jump mechanic"

Step 5: Upload your branch to GitHub

git push -u origin feature/your-feature-name

Step 6: Request to merge your work

• Go to GitHub in your browser
• Click "Create Pull Request"
• Wait for a teammate to review
• Once approved, merge into assignment1-dev

1. Open GitHub Desktop and make sure you're in the right repository
2. Switch to assignment1-dev using the branch dropdown
3. Click "Fetch origin" to download latest changes
4. Create a new branch (Branch → New Branch)
   • Name it something like feature/my-ui-fix
5. Work in Unity and save your changes
6. Return to GitHub Desktop
   • You'll see your changed files listed
   • Write a description of what you did
   • Click "Commit to feature/..."
7. Click "Push origin" to upload your changes
8. Click "Create Pull Request" to request merging your work

• Include .meta files - Unity needs these to work properly
• Enable text serialization (makes teamwork easier):
  1. Open Unity
  2. Go to Edit → Project Settings → Editor
  3. Set Asset Serialization to Force Text
  4. Set Version Control Mode to Visible Meta Files

Git should automatically ignore these (thanks to .gitignore):

• Library/ - Unity's cache
• Temp/ - Temporary files
• Logs/ - Log files
• Obj/ - Build objects
• Build/ or Builds/ - Compiled game builds

Why? These are huge and Unity regenerates them automatically.

1. Always pull before you start working - Get your teammates' latest changes
2. Commit often with clear messages - "Fixed player jump" is better than "stuff"
3. Use feature branches - Keeps your experiments separate from the main work
4. Ask for reviews - Don't merge directly into assignment1-dev without asking
5. Communicate - Tell your team what you're working on to avoid conflicts

Q: What if I made changes in the wrong branch?
A: Don't panic! Ask a teammate or your instructor for help with git stash.

Q: What if two people edited the same file?
A: Git will ask you to resolve the "merge conflict." Open the file, choose which changes to keep, then commit.

Q: Can I delete my feature branch after merging?
A: Yes! Once it's merged into assignment1-dev, you can safely delete it.

Q: GitHub Desktop vs Command Line?
A: Both do the same thing! Use whichever feels more comfortable.

• Clone the repository
• Switch to assignment1-dev branch
• Set up Unity text serialization
• Create your feature branch
• Make your changes
• Commit and push
• Create a pull request
• Celebrate! 🎉

Remember: Git saves your work history. Don't be afraid to experiment - you can always go back!