Unreal Engine Game Development Cookbook

John P. Doran

Oct 2015 · Packt Publishing Ltd

About this ebook

Over 40 recipes to accelerate the process of learning game design and solving development problems using Unreal EngineAbout This BookExplore the quickest way to tackle common challenges faced in Unreal EngineCreate your own content, levels, light scenes, and materials, and work with Blueprints and C++ scriptingAn intermediate, fast-paced Unreal Engine guide with targeted recipes to design games within its frameworkWho This Book Is For

This book is for those who are relatively experienced with Unreal Engine 4 and have knowledge of its fundamentals. Working knowledge of C++ is required.

What You Will LearnDiscover editor functionalities for an in-depth insight into game designDevelop environments using terrain for outdoor areas and a workflow for interiors as well using brushesDesign various kinds of materials with unique features, such as mirrors and glowsExplore the various ways that lighting can be used in the engineBuild various level effects using Blueprints, Unreal's visual scripting systemSet up a development environment and develop custom functionality with C++ for your gamesCreate healthbars and main menus with animations using Slate, Unreal's UI solution, through the UMG EditorPackage and create an installer to get your project out into the worldIn Detail

Unreal Engine is powerful tool with rich functionalities to create games. It equips you with the skills to easily build mobile and desktop games from scratch without worrying about which platform they will run on. You can focus on the individual complexities of game development such as animation and rendering.

This book takes you on a journey to jumpstart your game design efforts. You will learn various aspects of the Unreal engine commonly encountered with practical examples of how it can be used, with numerous references for further study. You will start by getting acquainted with Unreal Engine 4 and building out levels for your game. This will be followed by recipes to help you create environments, place meshes, and implement your characters. You will then learn to work with lights, camera, and shadows to include special effects in your game. Moving on, you'll learn Blueprint scripting and C++ programming to enable you to achieve trigger effects and add simple functionalities. By the end of the book, you will see how to create a healthbar and main menu, and then get your game ready to be deployed and published.

Style and approach

This book offers detailed, easy-to-follow recipes that will help you master a wide range of Unreal Engine 4's features. Every recipe provides step-by-step instructions, with explanations of how these features work, and alternative approaches and research materials so you can learn even more.

About the author

John P. Doran is a technical game designer who has been creating games for over 10 years. He has worked on an assortment of games in teams comprising of just himself to over 70 students, mod, and professional projects. He previously worked at LucasArts on Star Wars 1313 as a game design intern. He later graduated from DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA, with a BSc in game design. He is currently working as a designer in DigiPen's research and development branch in Singapore. He is also the lead instructor of DigiPen-Ubisoft Campus Game Programming Program, instructing graduate level students in an intensive, advanced- level game programming curriculum. In addition to that, he also teaches and assists students on various subjects and gives lectures on C#, C++, Unreal, Unity, game design, and more. He is also the author of Building an FPS Game with Unity, Unity Game Development Blueprints, Getting Started with UDK, UDK Game Development, and Mastering UDK Game Development, and has co-authored UDK iOS Game Development Beginner's Guide, all by Packt Publishing. You can find more about him on his website, http://johnpdoran.com.