3 Game Development

• Developing in Unreal

How to Use Unreal Engine to Create Video Games

Installation:

1. Download the Epic Games Launcher:
2. Visit the official Unreal Engine website and download the Epic Games Launcher.
3. Install Unreal Engine:
   • Open the Epic Games Launcher and log in or create an account.
   • Go to the Unreal Engine tab and select the desired engine version to install.
4. Create a New Project:
   • Open Unreal Engine after installation.
   • Select New Project from the launcher and choose a template (e.g., First Person, Third Person, or Blank).

 

• User Interface:

Unreal Engine’s interface is robust and versatile, designed to facilitate game development. Key elements include:

• Viewport:
  The main workspace where you design levels and interact with your game world in real-time.
• Content Browser: A file management panel where you store and organize assets such as textures, materials, models, and blueprints.
• Details Panel: Displays properties for selected objects, allowing you to adjust attributes like position, scale, and material.
• World Outliner: Lists all the objects in the current level, providing an overview of the scene structure.
• Blueprint Editor: A visual scripting system that lets you define game logic without writing code.

 

• Creating a Basic Game:

1. Add Objects:
   • Use the Content Browser to import assets like models, textures, and sounds.
   • Drag and drop these assets into the Viewport to add them to your scene.
2. Define Behaviors:
   • Use Blueprints to create interactions and logic for your game objects.
   • Example: Attach a Blueprint to a player character to handle movement, camera control, and interactions.
3. Game Logic:
   • Open the Blueprint Editor and create nodes for actions and conditions.
   • Example: Use an Input Action Node to detect when a player presses a key and trigger a jump animation.
4. Environment Setup:
   • Add lights, cameras, and effects to enhance the look and feel of your game.
   • Use the Landscape Tool to create terrains and apply textures for realistic environments.

• Testing & Export:

1. Testing Your Game:
   • Click the Play button in the editor to test the game in the Viewport.
   • Use the debugging tools to inspect performance and fix issues.
2. Exporting Your Game:
   • Open the File > Package Project menu and select the target platform (e.g., Windows, Android, or HTML5).
   • Configure settings in the Project Settings menu, including graphics quality, resolution, and input bindings.
   • Build and export your game to the selected platform.

Unreal Engine simplifies development with its intuitive tools and powerful features, enabling you to create visually stunning and interactive games for various platforms.

Let me know if you’d like further customization or additional details!

 

Gameplay Dynamics:The core gameplay revolves around rescuing endangered species, represented as textured cubes, and transporting them to designated safe zones on the map. Players must navigate the island while evading or temporarily disabling pirates to complete their mission.

• Character Movement:Players control the islander character in a third-person perspective, exploring the island’s terrain and interacting with objects. Movement is fluid and intuitive, allowing players to focus on the task at hand.
• Pirate Interactions:Pirates spawn dynamically across the island, patrolling and attempting to stop the player. The player can pick up the animal cubes and throw them at pirates to temporarily incapacitate them, creating a window of opportunity to continue their mission.
• Animal Rescue:The three endangered species—an iguana, a sea lion, and a turtle—are represented by cubes with realistic textures. These cubes spawn in specific locations on the island, requiring the player to locate and transport them to the designated safe zones. Each successful rescue adds to the player’s score and progresses the mission.

• Game Mechanics:

1. Spawn System:
   • Pirates: Pirates spawn from marked areas across the island, ensuring consistent threats and dynamic gameplay.
   • Protected Species: Animal cubes spawn from three designated locations, creating a strategic challenge for the player to prioritize rescues.
2. Safe Zones:The map features protected areas where the player must deliver the rescued species. These zones are marked clearly to guide the player, encouraging exploration while providing clear objectives.
3. Combat Mechanic:The player can throw animal cubes at pirates to disable them temporarily. This introduces a risk-reward dynamic, as using a cube for defense delays the rescue mission.
4. Scoring System:Points are awarded for each successful rescue, incentivizing the player to protect all species while managing pirate encounters efficiently.

• Templates in Construct 2

 

Unreal Engine Templates

Unreal Engine’s templates are designed to be versatile and powerful, making it easier for both beginners and experienced developers to create high-quality games and experiences.

 

Types of Templates in Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine offers several templates that provide a strong starting point for new projects. These templates include pre-configured settings and components tailored for specific game genres and use cases. Here are some popular examples:

• First-Person Shooter (FPS): Ideal for creating action-packed games where the player experiences the world through the eyes of a character. This template includes pre-configured controls for movement, aiming, and shooting, as well as a basic weapon system.
• Third-Person: Perfect for adventure or exploration games. This template provides a fully animated third-person character with movement, camera controls, and jumping mechanics.
• 2D Side-Scroller: Designed for platformers or side-scrolling games, this template includes a 2D camera setup, basic character movement, and collision detection.
• Top-Down Shooter: Useful for games that involve a bird’s-eye view of the action. It features pre-built mechanics for player movement, aiming, and shooting, making it a great choice for arcade-style games.
• Virtual Reality (VR): Tailored for immersive VR experiences, this template includes motion controller setups and basic VR interactions, such as grabbing and teleportation.
• Vehicle Game: Focused on driving mechanics, this template includes a ready-to-use vehicle system with acceleration, braking, and camera controls.
• Puzzle Game: Aimed at logic-based games, this template provides a foundation for creating interactive puzzles, complete with player controls and environmental interactions.
• AR (Augmented Reality): Designed for AR applications, this template uses AR tracking to integrate virtual elements into the real world, ideal for mobile AR experiences.

 

• Additional Templates and Features

• Endless Runner: Templates for creating games where the character moves automatically, dodging obstacles and collecting items. Great for mobile games with continuous gameplay.
• Tower Defense: Includes mechanics for placing towers and defending against waves of enemies, providing a strong base for strategic gameplay.
• Physics-Based Games: Templates that leverage Unreal Engine’s advanced physics system for realistic interactions, such as throwing objects, dynamic destruction, or vehicle simulations.

 

Customization and Flexibility

Each template in Unreal Engine is highly customizable to match your game’s unique vision:

• Modify Assets: Replace default models, textures, and sounds with your own to give your project a distinctive look and feel.
• Adjust Mechanics: Refine gameplay mechanics to suit your design. For example, tweak character movement speed, weapon damage, or level design.
• Expand Functionality: Add new features like additional levels, custom animations, or complex AI systems using Unreal Engine’s Blueprint scripting or C++ programming.

 

Getting Started with Templates

1. Choose a Template: Select a template from the New Project window that matches your project’s genre or requirements.
2. Explore the Template: Familiarize yourself with the pre-configured assets, Blueprints, and mechanics provided in the template.
3. Customize:
   Modify the template to suit your game’s theme and mechanics. Replace assets, edit Blueprints, and introduce new elements to enhance gameplay.
4. Test and Iterate: Use the built-in testing tools to play and refine your game. Adjust elements based on feedback to ensure a polished final product.

 

• The code of the game (Unreal)

Introduction to Programming with Blueprints in Unreal Engine

Blueprints in Unreal Engine are a powerful visual scripting system that allows developers to create complex gameplay logic without writing a single line of code. It’s a great tool for beginners to start programming and for advanced users to rapidly prototype mechanics.

• Getting Started with Blueprints

• What Are Blueprints?

Blueprints use a node-based interface to create and link logic visually. Each node represents an action, function, or variable that you can connect to define game behavior. Blueprints come in various types:

• Level Blueprints: Manage events specific to a particular level.
• Actor Blueprints: Control the behavior of objects in the game, such as characters or items.
• Widget Blueprints: Handle UI elements like menus and HUDs.

• Key Elements of Blueprints

1. 1. Nodes:
      • Represent actions, events, functions, or variables.
      • Types include: 
        • Event Nodes: Trigger when something happens (e.g., BeginPlay, OnOverlap).
        • Action Nodes: Perform tasks (e.g., move an actor, play a sound).
        • Function Nodes: Reusable pieces of logic.
   2. Pins and Connections:
      • Pins on nodes allow connections to other nodes.
      • Execution Pins (white): Define the order of operations.
      • Data Pins (colored): Transfer variables like integers, floats, or vectors.
   3. Graph Panel:
      • The main workspace for designing logic by placing and connecting nodes.
   4. Details Panel:
      • Provides configuration options for selected nodes, variables, or components.
   5. Variables:
      • Store data used by the Blueprint.
      • Types include Boolean, Integer, Float, String, Vector, etc.

• Creating Your First Blueprint

• 1. Create an Actor Blueprint:

1. Right-click in the Content Browser and select Blueprint Class > Actor.
2. Name the Blueprint (e.g., “MyActor”) and double-click to open it.

• 2. Add Components:

1. In the Components Panel, click Add Component to add visual or functional elements like Static Mesh, Collision, or Audio.
2. For example: 
   • Add a Static Mesh for the visual representation of your actor.
   • Add a Box Collision to detect overlaps.

• 3. Add Logic in the Event Graph:

1. Open the Event Graph tab to start scripting.
2. Create a simple event: 
   • Drag from the Event BeginPlay node and add a Print String node.
   • Connect them. When the game starts, the string will display on-screen.

• Example: Moving an Actor

1. Create Movement Logic:
   • Drag from Event Tick (executes every frame).
   • Add a Set Actor Location node.
   • Use a Get Actor Location node and add a Vector + Vector node to increment the position.
   • Connect these nodes to move the actor continuously.
2. Adjust Speed:
   • Add a variable (e.g., “Speed”) and set its type to Float.
   • Multiply the speed by Delta Time (available as an input pin) for consistent movement.

• Tips for Using Blueprints

• Debugging: Use breakpoints and print strings to test and debug your logic.
• Comment Your Graphs: Right-click and add comments to organize your Blueprint.
• Use Functions and Macros: Break large graphs into reusable parts.
• Event Dispatchers: Allow communication between different Blueprints.

 

BLUEPRINTS DEVELOPED IN THIS GAME:

 

WIDGET UI

In this game, it was developed 18 blueprints. 

 

We will try to explain the most basics blueprints developed:

 

PLAYER

 

INCREASE COUNTERS:

 

PICKUP BOXES

 

THROUGH BOXES

 

REDUCE LIFE

 

REGENERATION POINT

 

RESETING VALUES AT BEGINNING

 

CAMERA MOVEMENT

 

PLAYER MOVEMENT

 

JUMPING 

 

LAUNCH OBJECTS

 

IMPACTS TO PLAYER 

 

GAMEMANAGER

SPAWN BOXES

 

BOXES (you need to develop this blueprint for each of different animals)

 

SAVE AREAS (you need to develop this blueprint for each of different save areas)

ENEMIES (AI TO FOLLOW PLAYER)