Unreal Engine: Game Development from A to Z

Develop fantastic games and solve common development problems with Unreal Engine 4

About This Book

• Investigate the big world of Unreal Engine, computer graphics rendering and Material editor to implement in your games
• Construct a top-notch game by using the assets offered by Unreal Engine, thereby reducing the time to download, create assets on your own.
• Understand when and why to use different features and functionalities of Unreal Engine 4 to create your own games
• Learn to use Unreal 4 by making a first person puzzle game, Blockmania, for Android.

Who This Book Is For

This path is ideal for those who have a strong interest in game development and some development experience. An intermediate understanding of C++ is recommended.

What You Will Learn

• Explore the Unreal Engine 4 editor controls and learn how to use the editor to create a room in a game level
• Get clued up about working with Slate, Unreal’s UI solution through the UMG Editor
• Put together your own content and materials to build cutscenes and learn how to light scenes effectively
• Get tips and tricks on how to create environments using terrain for outdoor areas and a workflow for interiors as well using brushes
• Explore the ways to package your game for Android Devices and porting it to the Google Playstore
• Know inside out about creating materials, and applying them to assets for better performance
• Understand the differences between BSP and static meshes to make objects interactive

In Detail

Unreal Engine technology powers hundreds of games. This Learning Path will help you create great 2D and 3D games that are distributed across multiple platforms.

The first module, Learning Unreal Engine Game Development, starts with small, simple game ideas and playable projects. It starts by showing you the basics in the context of an individual game level. Then, you’ll learn how to add details such as actors, animation, effects, and so on to the game. This module aims to equip you with the confidence and skills to design and build your own games using Unreal Engine 4. By the end of this module, you will be able to put into practise your own content.After getting familiar with Unreal Engine’s core concepts, it’s time that you dive into the field of game development.

In this second module, Unreal Engine Game Development Cookbook we show you how to solve development problems using Unreal Engine, which you can work through as you build your own unique project. 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. You will start by building out levels for your game, followed by recipes to help you create environments, place meshes, and implement your characters. By the end of this module, you will see how to create a health bar and main menu, and then get your game ready to be deployed and published.The final step is to create your very own game that will keep mobile users hooked.

This is what you’ll be learning in our third module, Learning Unreal Engine Android Game Development,Once you get the hang of things, you will start developing our game, wherein you will graduate from movement and character control to AI and spawning. Once you’ve created your application, you will learn how to port and publish your game to the Google Play Store.

With this course, you will be inspired to come up with your own great ideas for your future game development projects.

Style and approach

A practical collection of bestselling Packt titles, this Learning Path aims to help you skill up with Unreal Engine by curating some of our best titles into an essential, sequential collection.

Table of Contents

1. Module 1
1. An Overview of Unreal Engine
2. Creating Your First Level
3. Game Objects – More and Move
4. Material and Light
5. Animation and AI
6. A Particle System and Sound
7. Terrain and Cinematics

2. Module 2
1. Getting Acquainted with the UE4 Interface
2. Level Design – Building Out Levels or Greyboxing
3. Creating Quality Interior Environments
4. Building the Great Outdoors – Exterior Environments
5. Lights, Camera, Action – Cinematics
6. Lighting and Shadows
7. Art Pipeline – Working with Materials
8. Blueprint Scripting – Level Effects
9. C++ Programming – Gameplay
10. User Interface
11. Publishing and Deployment

3. Module 3
1. Getting Started with Unreal 4
2. Launching Unreal Engine 4
3. Building the Game – First Steps
4. Using Actors, Classes, and Volumes
5. Scripting with Blueprints
6. Using Unreal Matinee
7. Finishing, Packaging, and Publishing the Game