Game Development And Simulation With Unreal Technology

Game Development and Simulation with Unreal Technology explores the use of Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) for the development of real-time digital interactive contents to be used in computerized games or simulations. The engine is considered in three main iterations: from the basic use of the engine to build games and simulation content out of the box, to i

Dr. Alireza Tavakkoli’s Game Development and Simulation with Unreal Technology covers the latest version of Unreal Technology. Since the 1990s Epic Games, Inc. has been leading the revolution of gaming graphics and Artificial Intelligence. Now, unreal technology is one of the most potent and prominent engines that is currently used in games. Its influence can be spotted in classic triple A titles like, Fortnite, Gears of War 2, Borderlands 2, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Tavakkoli goes into detail concerning the creation of game level designs, blueprint coding, shader programing, as well as artificial intelligence concepts to help readers in creating their own games. Game Development also includes a number of practice friendly extensions and concept modules to help solidify the reader’s understanding of concepts and techniques. The book is divided into three sections that act as building blocks in order to facilitate the comprehension of the material. Key Features: Provides beginner level through advanced concepts in blueprint programming with the Unreal Engine 4.18 Hundreds of small/mid-scale projects developed as concept examples throughout the book which can be utilized in more comprehensive entertaining interactive computer simulations and games Chapter exercises will take the readers’ understanding of Unreal Engine to the next level.

Learn how to use Unreal Engine 4 by building 3D and multiplayer games using Blueprints Key FeaturesLearn the fundamentals of Unreal Engine such as project templates, Blueprints, and C++Learn to design games; use UMG to create menus and HUDs, and replication to create multiplayer gamesBuild dynamic game elements using Animation Blueprints and Behavior TreesBook Description Unreal Engine is a popular game engine for developers to build high-end 2D and 3D games. This book is a practical guide, starting off by quickly introducing you to the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) ecosystem. You will learn how to create Blueprints and C++ code to define your game's functionality. You will be familiarized with the core systems of UE4 such as UMG, Animation Blueprints, and Behavior Trees. You will also learn how to use replication to create multiplayer games. By the end of this book, you will have a broad, solid knowledge base to expand upon on your journey with UE4. What you will learnUse project templates to give your game a head startCreate custom Blueprints and C++ classes and extend from Epic's base classesUse UMG to create menus and HUDs for your gameCreate more dynamic characters using Animation BlueprintsLearn how to create complex AI with Behavior TreesUse replication to create multiplayer gamesOptimize, test, and deploy a UE4 projectWho this book is for Readers who already have some game development experience and Unity users who would like to try UE4 will all benefit from this book. Knowledge of basic Object-Oriented Programming topics such as variables, functions, and classes is assumed.

Dr. Alireza Tavakkoli’s Game Development and Simulation with Unreal Technology covers the latest version of Unreal Technology. Since the 1990s Epic Games, Inc. has been leading the revolution of gaming graphics and Artificial Intelligence. Now, unreal technology is one of the most potent and prominent engines that is currently used in games. Its influence can be spotted in classic triple A titles like, Fortnite, Gears of War 2, Borderlands 2, and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Tavakkoli goes into detail concerning the creation of game level designs, blueprint coding, shader programing, as well as artificial intelligence concepts to help readers in creating their own games. Game Development also includes a number of practice friendly extensions and concept modules to help solidify the reader’s understanding of concepts and techniques. The book is divided into three sections that act as building blocks in order to facilitate the comprehension of the material. Key Features: Provides beginner level through advanced concepts in blueprint programming with the Unreal Engine 4.18 Hundreds of small/mid-scale projects developed as concept examples throughout the book which can be utilized in more comprehensive entertaining interactive computer simulations and games Chapter exercises will take the readers’ understanding of Unreal Engine to the next level.

This is a practical hands-on book with clear instructions and lot of code examples. It takes a simple approach, guiding you through different architectural topics using realistic sample projects.

A step-by-step guide that paves the way for developing fantastic games with Unreal Engine 4 About This Book Learn about game development and the building blocks that go into creating a game A simple tutorial for beginners to get acquainted with the Unreal Engine architecture Learn about the features and functionalities of Unreal Engine 4 and how to use them to create your own games Who This Book Is For If you are new to game development and want to learn how games are created using Unreal Engine 4, this book is the right choice for you. You do not need prior game development experience, but it is expected that you have played games before. Knowledge of C++ would prove to be useful. What You Will Learn Learn what a game engine is, the history of Unreal Engine, and how game studios create games Explore the Unreal Engine 4 editor controls and learn how to use the editor to create a room in a game level Understand the basic structures of objects in a game, such as the differences between BSP and static meshes Make objects interactive using level blueprints Learn more about computer graphics rendering; how materials and light are rendered in your game Get acquainted with the Material Editor to create materials and use different types of lights in the game levels Utilize the various editors, tools, and features such as UI, the particle system, audio, terrain manipulation, and cinematics in Unreal Engine 4 to create game levels In Detail Unreal Engine 4 is a powerful game development engine that provides rich functionalities to create 2D and 3D games across multiple platforms. Many people know what a game is and they play games every day, but how many of them know how to create a game? Unreal Engine technology powers hundreds of games, and thousands of individuals have built careers and companies around skills developed using this engine. Learning Unreal Engine 4 Game Development starts with small, simple game ideas and playable projects that you can actually finish. The book first teaches you the basics of using Unreal Engine to create a simple game level. Then, you'll learn how to add details such as actors, animation, effects, and so on to the game. The complexity will increase over the chapters and the examples chosen will help you learn a wide variety of game development techniques. This book 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 book, you'll have learnt about the entire Unreal suite and know how to successfully create fun, simple games. Style and approach This book explains in detail what goes into the development of a game, provides hands-on examples that you can follow to create the different components of a game, and provides sufficient background/theory to equip you with a solid foundation for creating your own games.

Learn the tools and techniques of game design using a project-based approach with Unreal Engine 4 and C++ Key FeaturesKickstart your career or dive into a new hobby by exploring game design with UE4 and C++Learn the techniques needed to prototype and develop your own ideasReinforce your skills with project-based learning by building a series of games from scratchBook Description Game development can be both a creatively fulfilling hobby and a full-time career path. It's also an exciting way to improve your C++ skills and apply them in engaging and challenging projects. Game Development Projects with Unreal Engine starts with the basic skills you'll need to get started as a game developer. The fundamentals of game design will be explained clearly and demonstrated practically with realistic exercises. You’ll then apply what you’ve learned with challenging activities. The book starts with an introduction to the Unreal Editor and key concepts such as actors, blueprints, animations, inheritance, and player input. You'll then move on to the first of three projects: building a dodgeball game. In this project, you'll explore line traces, collisions, projectiles, user interface, and sound effects, combining these concepts to showcase your new skills. You'll then move on to the second project; a side-scroller game, where you'll implement concepts including animation blending, enemy AI, spawning objects, and collectibles. The final project is an FPS game, where you will cover the key concepts behind creating a multiplayer environment. By the end of this Unreal Engine 4 game development book, you'll have the confidence and knowledge to get started on your own creative UE4 projects and bring your ideas to life. What you will learnCreate a fully-functional third-person character and enemiesBuild navigation with keyboard, mouse, gamepad, and touch controlsProgram logic and game mechanics with collision and particle effectsExplore AI for games with Blackboards and Behavior TreesBuild character animations with Animation Blueprints and MontagesTest your game for mobile devices using mobile previewAdd polish to your game with visual and sound effectsMaster the fundamentals of game UI design using a heads-up displayWho this book is for This book is suitable for anyone who wants to get started using UE4 for game development. It will also be useful for anyone who has used Unreal Engine before and wants to consolidate, improve and apply their skills. To grasp the concepts explained in this book better, you must have prior knowledge of the basics of C++ and understand variables, functions, classes, polymorphism, and pointers. For full compatibility with the IDE used in this book, a Windows system is recommended.

Master the basics of Unreal Engine 4 to build stunning video games About This Book Get to grips with the user interface of Unreal Engine 4 and find out more about its various robust features Create dream video games with the help of the different tools Unreal Engine 4 offers Create video-games and fully utilize the power of Unreal Engine 4 to bring games to life through this step-by-step guide Who This Book Is For If you have a basic understanding of working on a 3D environment and you are interested in video game development, then this book is for you. A solid knowledge of C++ will come in handy. What You Will Learn Download both the binary and source version of Unreal Engine 4 and get familiar with the UI Get to know more about the Material Editor and how it works Add a post process to the scene and alter it to get a unique look for your scene Acquaint yourself with the unique and exclusive feature of Unreal Engine 4—Blueprints Find out more about Static and Dynamic lighting and the difference between various lights Use Matinee to create cut scenes Create a health bar for the player with the use of Unreal Motion Graphics (UMG) Get familiar with Cascade Particle Editor In Detail Unreal Engine 4 is a complete suite of game development tools that gives you power to develop your game and seamlessly deploy it to iOS and Android devices. It can be used for the development of simple 2D games or even stunning high-end visuals. Unreal Engine features a high degree of portability and is a tool used by many game developers today. This book will introduce you to the most popular game development tool called Unreal Engine 4 with hands-on instructions for building stunning video games. You will begin by creating a new project or prototype by learning the essentials of Unreal Engine by getting familiar with the UI and Content Browser. Next, we'll import a sample asset from Autodesk 3ds max and learn more about Material Editor. After that we will learn more about Post Process. From there we will continue to learn more about Blueprints, Lights, UMG, C++ and more. Style and approach This step-by-step guide will help you gain practical knowledge about Unreal Engine through detailed descriptions of all the tools offered by Unreal Engine.