Mastering Game Development With Unreal Engine 4

A comprehensive guide with coverage on AudioFX, Particle system, shaders, sequencers, and the latest features of Unreal 4.19 that will take your game development skills to the next level Key Features Create a high-performance Combat game using the essential features of Unreal Engine 4.18+. Master the complex competitive features needed in modern games such as Volumetric Lightmaps and Precomputed Lighting on Volumetric Fog, and build an impressive UI. Experience not only VR support for your game but also the inbuilt support of Apple's ARKit and Google's ARCore with UE4's newly released support for these platforms. Book Description To make a basic combat game from scratch, you will quickly override existing UE4 classes, and add and implement simple C++ functions while running and building them. These are all discussed as a short summary for new developers and as a quick refresher for experienced developers. Next, you will build a combat player character with expanded controls, create logic for a character, swap weapons, attack and move, bridge over scene changes and transitions, retain data between scenes, and manage the scene-change process. You will then build an intelligent enemy AI and add physics based particles for weapon impacts. You will also get acquainted with cutting-edge features such as Volumetric Lightmaps for precomputed lighting, and Atmospheric and Volumetric Fog, to build advanced visuals in our ongoing GitHub project. Moving on, you will explore the tools required to build an in-game cut-scene for a more professional gameplay experience and story direction. Along the way, you will implement a solid game UI, including writing a full in-game load and save system that will enable players to resume their game from any point. You will also prepare, build, and work on VR and AR taking them from editor to real-world, building two new projects one in each of these brand new areas of UE4 and integrate classes from the main project into AR! By the end of the book, you will have mastered all major UE features and will be able to bring self-imagined games to life through Unreal Engine 4.18+. What you will learn The fundamentals of a combat-based game that will let you build and work all other systems from the core gameplay: the input, inventory, A.I. enemies, U.I., and audio Manage performance tools and branching shaders based on platform capabilities in the Material Editor Explore scene or level transitions and management strategies Improve visuals using UE4 systems such as Volumetric Lightmaps, Precomputed Lighting, and Cutscenes Implement audio-to-animation timelines and trigger them from visual FX Integrate Augmented Reality into a game with UE4's brand new ARKit and ARCore support Perform almost any game logic needed via Blueprint Visual Scripting, and know when to implement it in Blueprint as opposed to C++ Who this book is for This book is for game developers who want to build high-performance games with amazing UIs. Experience with C++ is required and some knowledge of working with Unreal Engine 4 would be an advantage.

Take your game development skills to the next level with one of the best engines on the market About This Book Build an entire AAA game level throughout the book Take your C++ scripting skills to the next level and use them extensively to build the game An advanced practical guide with a tutorial style approach that will help you make the best of Unreal engine 4 Who This Book Is For This book is for game developers who have a basic knowledge of Unreal Engine and C++ scripting knowledge. If you want to take the leap from a casual game developer to a full-fledged professional game developer with Unreal Engine 4, this is the book for you. What You Will Learn Script your player controls in C++ Build a superb and engaging level with advanced design techniques Program AI with C++ Use Cascade to add life to your games Use custom shaders and advanced shading techniques to make things pretty Implement an awesome UI in the game Control gameplay using data tables In Detail Unreal Engine 4 has garnered a lot of attention in the gaming world because of its new and improved graphics and rendering engine, the physics simulator, particle generator, and more. This book is the ideal guide to help you leverage all these features to create state-of-the-art games that capture the eye of your audience. Inside we'll explain advanced shaders and effects techniques and how you can implement them in your games. You'll create custom lighting effects, use the physics simulator to add that extra edge to your games, and create customized game environments that look visually stunning using the rendering technique. You'll find out how to use the new rendering engine efficiently, add amazing post-processing effects, and use data tables to create data-driven gameplay that is engaging and exciting. By the end of this book, you will be able to create professional games with stunning graphics using Unreal Engine 4! Style and approach An advanced guide that will take you to the next level of developing games with Unreal engine with illustrative examples that will make you confident of creating customized professional level games on your won.

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.

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.

Mastering Unreal Engine: A Beginner's Guideintroduces developers of all ages to the beautiful and valuable world of Unreal Engine in particular and game development in general. Unreal Engine is a complete development suite for anyone working with real-time technology when it comes to game development. It provides flexibility and power to artists across many sectors to generate cutting-edge entertainment, engaging visualizations, and immersive virtual environments for games and infotainment alike. Unreal Engine is a prominent game creation engine that is free to use. The majority of people associate Unreal Engine with 3D games. However, it may also be used to create 2D games with ease. It is the de facto standard in the world of game development. That said, it is not hard to be confused when getting started with Unreal Engine because of the wide range of features that it provides. Mastering Unreal Engine will teach you exactly where to begin. You will learn how to download Unreal Engine, construct your first game, start your game, receive an introduction to blueprints, and ultimately, develop a workable framework. Unreal Engine is a robust game development engine that offers a wide range of features for creating 2D and 3D games on various platforms. Unreal Engine technology powers hundreds of games, and thousands of people have created careers and businesses on the skills they learned while working with this engine. To help you get the most out of this powerful piece of technology, Mastering Unreal Engine begins with simple game ideas and playable projects that you can complete at your own pace. The book starts by covering the foundations of using Unreal Engine to build a simple game level. You will also learn how to add such details to the game as actors, animation, and effects. Mastering Unreal Engine talks at length about the various features of the Unreal Engine game engine, how to install it and how to construct a project in C++, and good coding practices for game development. Furthermore, the book also covers certain niche areas, such as how to utilize Visual Studio in gaming, and how to use existing predefined blueprints to grow and foster a game. More importantly, Mastering Unreal Engine is perhaps one of the first beginner-level books in its league that covers topics related to the Behavior Tree and Blackboard with Artificial Intelligence and multiplayer gameplay in Unreal Engine. Note: This book assumes you have a working knowledge of C++ programming. Learn more about our other Mastering titles at: https://www.routledge.com/Mastering-Computer-Science/book-series/MCS

Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3 is your start-to-finish guide to modding and level design with the world’s hottest new gaming engine: Unreal Engine 3. Here’s everything you need to know to jumpstart your skills and create stunning new content and games for consoles and PCs alike! Your authors aren’t just the world’s #1 Unreal game development trainers: They’ve even built the training modules that shipped with Unreal Tournament 3: Limited Collector’s Edition. Now, working with the full cooperation of Unreal Engine 3’s creators, Epic Games, they introduce every facet of game development—from simple level creation to materials, lighting, and terrain...even advanced level optimization and streaming! Packed with tips, hands-on tutorials, and expert techniques, Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I is all you need to create levels that look spectacular and work brilliantly...levels that gamers just can’t stop playing! You’ll find expert tips on Understanding the game development process from start to finish Planning projects for greater efficiency, faster delivery, and better quality Crafting worlds with stunning beauty and clarity Bringing amazing realism to characters, objects, and props Making the most of Unreal Engine 3’s massively upgraded lighting system Scripting complex gameplay quickly and easily with Unreal Kismet Building animated game assets with Unreal Matinee Testing game performance during live gameplay Optimizing levels by improving the interaction between lights and surfaces Using advanced level streaming to create vast, rich, highly playable levels Winner of the Front Line Award for best game development book of 2009!

Over 40 recipes to accelerate the process of learning game design and solving development problems using Unreal Engine About This Book Explore the quickest way to tackle common challenges faced in Unreal Engine Create your own content, levels, light scenes, and materials, and work with Blueprints and C++ scripting An intermediate, fast-paced Unreal Engine guide with targeted recipes to design games within its framework Who 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 Learn Discover editor functionalities for an in-depth insight into game design Develop environments using terrain for outdoor areas and a workflow for interiors as well using brushes Design various kinds of materials with unique features, such as mirrors and glows Explore the various ways that lighting can be used in the engine Build various level effects using Blueprints, Unreal's visual scripting system Set up a development environment and develop custom functionality with C++ for your games Create healthbars and main menus with animations using Slate, Unreal's UI solution, through the UMG Editor Package and create an installer to get your project out into the world In 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.

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.