Unreal Engine 4 Game Development Quick Start Guide

▶Book 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 Learn
- Use project templates to give your game a head start
- Create custom Blueprints and C++ classes and extend from Epic's base classes
- Use UMG to create menus and HUDs for your game
- Create more dynamic characters using Animation Blueprints
- Learn how to create complex AI with Behavior Trees
- Use replication to create multiplayer games
- Optimize, test, and deploy a UE4 project

▶Key Features
- Learn 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 games
- Build dynamic game elements using Animation Blueprints and Behavior Trees

▶Who 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.

▶What this book covers
- Chapter 1, Introduction to Unreal Engine 4, looks into how Unreal Engine can be downloaded and installed. We will get a head start on the project's development. We will also learn how to use plugins and marketplace items to expand on the editor's capabilities and further simplify our own project's development.

- Chapter 2, Programming Using Blueprints, shows how to create custom Blueprint classes and use variables and functions within Blueprint classes. You will also gain an understanding of the differences between functions and events.

- Chapter 3, Adding C++ to a Blueprint Project, covers creating and using classes in UE4. You will also learn to create custom Blueprint Events in C++.

- Chapter 4, Creating HUDs and Menus Using UMG, teaches you how to create widgets and how to set them up as menus and HUDs. It also demonstrates some of the more advanced uses of widgets, such as adding widgets to other widgets.

- Chapter 5, Animation Blueprints, introduces a lot of information about Animation Blueprints and how to use them to make a character more dynamic. You will also learn how to modify a blueprint by taking various factors into account when creating a character.

- Chapter 6, AI with Behavior Tree and Blackboard, shows how to create some simple AI by making your own Pawn and Controller with some code to make them run around a NavMesh. You will also learn how to set up a Blackboard and how to use sequences, selectors, tasks, decorators, and services.

- Chapter 7, Multiplayer Games, talks about multiplayer games and the different designs and thought processes that go into them. We will also get a clear idea of how to go about creating a multiplayer game without getting caught in some of the common pitfalls.

- Chapter 8, Optimization, Testing, and Packaging, talks about optimization, testing, and packaging. You will also learn about debugging UE4 and packaging your game for distribution.