{"id":997,"date":"2026-02-12T23:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T23:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/?p=997"},"modified":"2026-03-02T01:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:30:11","slug":"coding-development-item-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/coding-development-item-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Coding Development: Item System"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In this development phase, I implemented the apple collection mechanic within my Item System. The main goal<\/strong> was to allow the player to collect apples and crystals, update the UI in real time, and trigger a special event (spawning a peacock)<\/strong> once certain conditions are met.<\/p>

Item Collection<\/h4>

To centralise data management, I first created an empty GameObject in the Unity Hierarchy and named it GameManager<\/strong>. This object functions as the core data storage system for all collectable items. I then attached the ItemManager<\/code> script to the GameManager via the Inspector panel. This script is responsible for tracking item counts, updating the UI, and checking whether special spawn conditions are satisfied.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

The script begins with the declaration:<\/p>

public class ItemManager: MonoBehaviour<\/code><\/p>

This means the ItemManager is a Unity component that can be attached to a GameObject and can use Unity lifecycle methods such as Start()<\/code>.<\/p>

Next, I declared two public integer variables:<\/p>

public int appleCount;<\/code>
public int crystalCount;<\/code><\/p>

These variables store the current number of apples and crystals<\/strong> collected by the player. Making them public allows me to monitor them directly in the Inspector for debugging purposes.<\/p>

Then I declared several public references:<\/p>

public GameObject[] AppleSlot;<\/code>
public GameObject CrystalSlot;<\/code>
public GameObject Peacock;<\/code>
public Transform spawnPoint;<\/code><\/p>

The AppleSlot<\/code> array stores UI elements<\/strong> representing Apple icons. Each element in the array corresponds to one apple displayed on the screen.
CrystalSlot<\/code> controls the crystal UI icon.
Peacock<\/code> is the prefab that will be instantiated<\/strong> when conditions are met.
spawnPoint<\/code> determines the position<\/strong> where the peacock will appear in the scene.<\/p>

Next, I declared a private boolean:<\/p>

private bool peacockSpawned = false;<\/code><\/p>

This variable ensures that the peacock is spawned only once<\/strong>. By keeping it private, I prevent external scripts from modifying it accidentally.<\/p>

Start Method<\/h5>

Inside the Start()<\/code> method:<\/p>

void Start() { UpdateUI(); }<\/code><\/p>

When the game begins, the system immediately updates the UI to ensure that the display matches the initial item counts (usually zero). This prevents UI inconsistencies at launch.<\/p>

AddApple<\/h5>

The AddApple()<\/code> function is called whenever the player collects an apple.<\/p>

appleCount++;<\/code>
This increases the apple count<\/strong> by one.<\/p>

UpdateUI();<\/code>
After updating the data, the UI refreshes so the change is visually reflected<\/strong>.<\/p>

CheckPeacockSpawn();<\/code>
Finally, the script checks whether the special spawn condition has been met<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t