Highlighting UI Fields in Unity

It sounds like you’re on the right track with your Unity project! For changing the opacity of specific fields in your UI without affecting the whole image, you have a few options.

1. Using Canvas Groups

A simple way to manage opacity is to use a CanvasGroup. You can create a CanvasGroup component for each of the fields you want to highlight. The alpha value of the CanvasGroup can be tweaked based on user interaction or conditions:

    // Example of changing alpha on interaction:
    CanvasGroup canvasGroup = GetComponent<CanvasGroup>();
    canvasGroup.alpha = 0.5f; // Change to desired opacity
    

2. Custom Shaders

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to go down the shader route, you can create a simple shader that only modifies the opacity of certain areas of your UI. You don’t have to go for something too complex!

    Shader "Custom/OpacityShader" {
        Properties {
            _MainTex ("Texture", 2D) = "white" {}
            _Opacity ("Opacity", Range(0, 1)) = 1
        }
        SubShader {
            Tags { "RenderType"="Opaque" }
            LOD 100
            Pass {
                CGPROGRAM
                #pragma vertex vert
                #pragma fragment frag
                #include "UnityCG.cginc"
                
                struct appdata_t {
                    float4 vertex : POSITION;
                    float2 uv : TEXCOORD0;
                };
                
                struct v2f {
                    float2 uv : TEXCOORD0;
                    float4 vertex : SV_POSITION;
                };
                
                sampler2D _MainTex;
                float _Opacity;

                v2f vert (appdata_t v) {
                    v2f o;
                    o.vertex = UnityObjectToClipPos(v.vertex);
                    o.uv = v.uv;
                    return o;
                }

                fixed4 frag (v2f i) : SV_Target {
                    fixed4 col = tex2D(_MainTex, i.uv);
                    col.a *= _Opacity; // Multiply by opacity
                    return col;
                }
                ENDCG
            }
        }
    }
    

In your UI, you can set the _Opacity value dynamically when the user interacts with specific fields.

3. Using Animator Components

An alternative might be to use Unity’s Animator. You can create animations that change the opacity of your UI elements. This might be an easier path if you aren’t comfortable with coding and shaders!

Final Thoughts

Choose the method that fits best with your skill level and the complexity of your project. If you’re just starting with shaders, the CanvasGroup method might be the best and simplest option to get you going without getting too deep into shader programming. Good luck, and have fun making your UI shine!

Setting up a dedicated game server with Unity and Docker sounds like quite the adventure! I feel you on the confusion around the whole process, especially with how Unity handles builds. First off, the two-stage build can seem like a hassle, but it’s there to help keep your final image size down and separate the build dependencies from the runtime. Here are some thoughts and tips that might help.

Managing the Two-Stage Build

One way to handle the two-stage build more effectively is to create a Dockerfile that does the heavy lifting in the first stage. For instance, you can start by installing the necessary build tools and dependencies, then copy over your Unity project files for building in the second stage. Here’s a basic idea:

    FROM unityci/editor:latest AS builder
    WORKDIR /app
    COPY . .
    RUN ./build.sh  # Your build script

    FROM ubuntu:20.04
    WORKDIR /app
    COPY --from=builder /app/build .
    CMD ["./your_unity_server_executable"]
    

This way, you keep your runtime environment clean and slim.

Command Line Control

Using the command line is definitely the way to go for managing your server! After running your server, consider setting up a simple API with something like Flask or Node.js. That way, you can send HTTP requests to manage the server—starting, stopping, or even sending game commands. Just make sure your server’s firewall allows those requests!

Useful Tools

Check out Docker Compose as it’s super handy for managing multi-container apps if you need a database or other services alongside your game server. Also, some people use shell scripts for managing server state or configuration; they can make repetitive tasks much easier.

Community and Resources

Don’t forget to dive into developer forums or communities like Reddit or Stack Overflow. There’s a chance someone else has had the same struggles and can share what worked for them. Plus, there are plenty of video tutorials and blog posts out there that can offer step-by-step guidance!

Hope this helps a bit! Best of luck with your server setup!