Some time has passed, let's see if something changed.
Unpopular opinion:
You don't need to be a great programmer to make great games.
What's your take on this?
I now always recommend Godot instead of Unity to people starting out in Gamedev.
Unreal is cool, but can be incredibly heavy and complex, specially to someone starting out.
Sometimes you just want to make a game with tons of enemies.
But that can cause your performance to suffer due to all those skeletons animating and updating.
That is where the Animation Budget Allocator comes to the rescue.
Some quick root motion dodges!
Still need to add tons of markups to them, but they are feeling nice even with the runtime retargeting.
#unrealengine
#gamedev
#indiegamedev
I have published a new article about how to create Unreal Engine Plugins.
You will learn how to create a simple plugin and the different plugin configuration types.
( Also took some time to improve my "article image" style, now it's AWESOME style)
GAS isn't just a system, it's a superpower for your Unreal project.
But that initial setup? It's a mountain that stops most devs in their tracks.
I'm considering creating an Intro GAS Course to cut our setup time by 80%.
Interested? Let me know, and maybe I'll make it happen.
Do you want your melee attacks to track to targets like in Kingdom Hearts?
I have written a new article on how to do that using the Motion Warping plugin of Unreal Engine 5.
If you are trying to learn GAS, tackle concepts in this order:
1. Gameplay Tags
2. Attributes
3. Gameplay Effects
4. Gameplay Abilities
5. Gameplay Tasks
6. Gameplay Cues
With this order you should have a gradual understanding of concepts that will make your journey easier.
This is what's happening under the hood right now.
The Runtime IK Retargeter is taking care of transfering the animations to the cat.
That way for now I can work with a single set of animations for all of the skeletons.
#uneralengine
#gamedev
#indiegamedev
If you are using Unreal I recommend you integrate ImGui into your game.
There are many integrations.
If you want something simple use UnrealImGui.
If you like having things out of the box then govwith Cog.
ImGui will make debugging things much easier.
Character Movement settings are useful if you want to prevent your character falling off ledges.
I tweak the perch radius as well as bCanWalkOffLedges to prevent the player sliding off during a jump landing to not frustrate the player.
#unrealengine
#gamedev
#indiegamedev
I make the enemies disappear when they die to not have to deal with their bodies.
Unreal Engine is powerful, but I prefer to err on the safe side.
(PS: Don't focus on how the arms of the enemies are now completely broken )
#gamedev
#indiedev
#IndieGameDev
#indiegames
#ue5
If your UE5 game has poor tick performance due to ticking tons of actors I recommend this talk by Rare at 2019 Unreal Fest.
Their approach to aggregation ticks is really useful in those situations:
Godot really seems like an amazing Engine to move fast.
The way that scripting is directly integrated into the Engine makes it feel like a full standalone tool that requires nothing else to be productive.
You can do SO Much in Unreal using only Blueprints.
If you are a Designer or an Artist don't feel discouraged by Unreal being a C++ Game Engine.
You can create full games using BP.
✍️ Gameplay Ability System Tip! ✍️
You can use this command to display the value of any attribute on-screen:
AbilitySystem.DebugAttribute <NameOfYourAttribute>
This will allow you to see the Current Value but also the Base Value.
Useful when debugging complex modifications.
If you want to implement some attack magnetism in your attacks you can use Unreal built-in motion warping system to do so.
Here I will explain you how to do it:
I have recovered the motion warping based slide when you reach the floor.
You will slide longer or shorter distances based on your speed.
As with previous proto, it allows to mask the jump landing lag needed for gameplay balancing.
#unrealengine
#gamedev
#indiegamedev
Tried a little bit the new
@UnrealEngine
5.2 Procedural Content Tools.
For now a simple forest by sampling the landscape, the simplest thing.
I'm liking what I'm seeing, want to see how extendable the system is.
You may think that the Unreal Sequencer is useful only for cinematics.
But in the end it's a way to animate actors in the world.
You can use it to create moving platform paths, to drive a day-night cycle system or to create any kind of animated sequence of events that you need.
Omce you have GAS setup in your project it is AWESOME.
Bit that initial setup can be intimidating.
Would you be interested in a template project with GAS setup as an example?
Something simplier than Lyra.
If you want to make cool Cameras in Unreal take a look at the Camera Manager.
The camera manager has a stack of Camera Modifiers that can be used to alter the behavior of the camera.
These modifiers can also be added or removed at runtime to do specific camera changes.
To new game developers:
Play tons of games with an analytical approach.
Try to see why you are having fun when you play certain games.
This is something I wish I knew when I started. What advice would you senior devs give to those starting out?
How do you handle dealing damage in your games?
Do you use a hitbox system? Some traces? Direct damage?
Do you use Unreal Damage framework, GAS, something else?
If your game hitches or stutters in Unreal you may be reaching your Game Thread time limit.
You can check is how much time you dedicate to Async Loading.
The Engine by default allocates 5ms, but that is about 30% of your frame at 60fps.
Try to lower it and see if it works.
And now basic VFX + Sounds are in!
This gives the combat a more grounded fill, such small details can really make a difference.
Next, weapon trails.
( For this video hitstop has been increased to 10f )
#unrealengine
#gamedev
#screenshotsaturday
#indiegamedev
Great games start with a vision.
Uneral Engine GAS allows you to make that vision a reality.
Are you interested in more posts about the Gameplay Ability System?
( Potential Happy New Year btw )
I am really grateful for
@_benui
UPROPERTY and UFUNCTION pages.
It's really the Unreal Engine reference that we need.
Would love for Epic to do even more things like this.
I've posted a new article as a little text intro to Unreal Procedural Content Framework:
Thanks
@amathlog
for the info needed to learn the PCG Framework.
Since Unreal 5 Epic added some pre-made Gameplay Cues that are super useful.
Their Burst, Burst Latent and Looping cues make it easy to combine VFX, SFX, Rumble and Camera Shake into a single asset.
It's really convenient.
People liked the idea of youtube videos, but instead of GAS I ended up doing one for Component Visualizers in Unreal.
It ended up being a little bit long, but I think it has info that will help out people.
Let me know what you think.
What topics in Unreal are lacking good Tutorials?
Blueprints?
Artificial Intelligence?
Core Engine Programming?
Procedural Content Generation?
What do you think?
Blueprints are so powerful!
You need to avoid the spaghetti of course.
But then you gain incredible power.
Suddenly artists and Designers don't need programmers anymore.
Such is their power.
I'm now in the position of Lead Gameplay Programmer for an awesome game company.
But when I started long ago I did not set out to create games.
Initially, I wanted to do Visual FX for movies.
Life can take really interesting turns.
Data Tables are such a good way to store game data.
Here you can find how to create and use them.
( It's only a simple introduction but should get you started )
Rider has changed so much how I approach Unreal Engine C++ programming.
It really makes it feel right at home.
It felt similar to when I switched from 3ds Max into Blender.
Unfamiliar at first, but when you get the hang of it it rules.
Gameplay Programming is more than coding.
It requires bridging the gap between designers, artists and the ideas they have inside their heads.
You can make all that things inside their heads a reality.
Understanding your peers is one step to become a better gameplay programmer.
The trinity of super useful build-in Unreal Engine gameplay plugins:
1. Gameplay Abilities
2. Enhanced Input
3. Motion Warping
It would be difficult for me to now make games without them.
I think I will add an "Solo/Indie games spotlight" on my newsletter to help small developers get visibility.
Do you know of any solo developers that are currently developing their game?
Motion Warping useful functions in Unreal Engine 5:
• Add from Location: Set target to specified location
• Add from Component: Sets target to location of component ( Optionally tracks it and uses a bone )
• Remove Target: Removes previously set warp target
In Unreal 5.3 Gameplay effects now are created in a modular way.
This is incredibly powerful, as you can now extend GEs with new modules created by yourself!
This way you can for instance modify the movement mode of your character directly with a Gameplay Effect.
If you want to learn about simple Save Systems I will be explaining this in my newsletter in about 1h.
How I built a simple save system for my horror game in Blueprint.
You can subscribe here:
Unreal comes with a set of tools called Data Validation.
These functionalities allows you to check for errors when you save an asset or even when you want to commit it.
Prevents content creators from making errors as they will be warned while they are editing the assets.
When you create Enemy AI, always remember this!
The goals of your enemies is not to be the perfect player.
The goal of an enemy AI is to make the game fun, to provide interesting challenges and still be fair to the player.
Even Dark Souls paces it's enemy attacks with tickets.
Don't be afraid to experiment with Unreal Blueprints.
They might seem scary at first, but the payoff is worth it.
You'll be surprised how quickly you can learn.
What's your experience with Blueprints?
Lampbearer, we offer glad tidings for Lords of the Fallen has officially Gone Gold, launching October 13th.
To mark this momentous occasion, next week we'll open the HEXWORKS Dev Journals, when we’ll endevour to answer your burning questions.
Sometimes you need an AI agent to know something more than the player location.
Maybe you need cover positions or where to best attack the player from.
This is where the Environment Query System comes in.
One of the things I find most difficult about Gameplay Programming is actually architecture systemic design.
How one organizes all the systems so they can interact with each other in easy ways.
I totally feel like it's a really difficult problem to solve well.
Do you want your melee attacks to track to targets like in Kingdom Hearts?
I have written a new article on how to do that using the Motion Warping plugin of Unreal Engine 5.
Link in reply down below 👇
My Unreal Solo Game Developer newsletter just reached 300 subscribers.
That is 300 of you that are interested in learning about Game Development or working with Unreal Engine.
I will continue to share my knowledge weekly with you!
Thanks for being interested in this! ☀️
Finally added back combos to my refactored project.
And some attack magnetism like in Kingdom Hearts as well!
( Let me know what you think of little videos with captions like this to explain things in the future maybe? )
#UnrealEngine
#gamedev
#indiegamedev
A good AI ticket system can make or break a combat system.
Even Dark Souls, that people think it's "unfair" has a ticket system.
Only a certain amount of enemies are allowed to attack at a certain time.
Would you be interested in Youtube videos about GAS or other Unreal topics?
I won't promise anything but it's good to see if people would like that or prefer text content.
If you have a FGameplayTag property you can use the "meta" property "Categories" to only show certain tags in the editor dropdown.
In this simple example, all this tags will only show tags under "Quod.Animation.<Whatever>".
It's useful to keep things organized and user friendly.
Being a Lead Developer means that your life will become meetings.
You are no longer a coder, now Google Meets / Zoom / Slack / Random Communication Software 23 flows inside your veins.
There is no coming back.
📜 Unreal GAS Mini Tutorial - Executions 📜
Executions are pieces of code that will run when an effect is "executed".
That is always for instant effects or on period for periodic effects.
Executions are useful as they allow you to do two main things:
As a gameplay programmer, it's your job to make design reality:
- Awesome features
- Creative ideas
It's also your job pointing out when something is not right:
- Overscoped features
- Not multiplayer-ready
Gameplay Programming means that you have responsibilities.
When starting a new big project my main priority is defining the data setup.
Data is how the game content creators will interact with the system, so thinking first about that is top priority.
If you have a good data setup Designers will be able to create content much faster.
In GAS you can use "meta-attributes" to store a temporal calculation that can still be affected by any GAS system.
This is useful for damage calculation, as you can create a "damage pipeline" that allows external systems to act on it.
Remember that you can share animations in Unreal between characters.
With the IK Retargeter it’s easy to convert one animation for one character to another.
I have a basic introduction to it for you in the link below 👇
If you want to communicate between actors in BP...
... try to avoid Casts!
If you can, implement interfaces.
That way everything will be implementation agnostic.
If you actors implement the interface, it will work.