I’m thinking and planning about some time now, to create some UE4 video tutorials.
I have checked thoroughly the market and came to the conclusion that there are too many which explain all the basics, but rarely - if ever - go further in depth. And often, the things taught there are simply not enough, to scale them up to create a whole and mostly maintainable game. As a 25+ years developer (I started coding at 11 years!) - even though I’m somewhat new in game making - I see and know how those tutorials are missing quite some essential aspects in writing blueprints/code and I thought, I would like to go into deeper detail and strategies as well patterns in that matter.
However, I would like to check back with the community, which things are you struggling with. What is in your opinion truly missing?
I want to understand, what would be most helpful for the UE4 users, that’s why I’m reaching out to you and hope, you give me some feedback, which things you would like to see either because they are missing or not diving into enough depth or for another reason.
I have some additional ideas for tutorials which I believe could be interesting: Reviews and how to work with specific marketplace plugins, most useful plugins, where and how to to find assets and so on… and I’m open to consider anything else, which I haven’t thought about. Please let me know, what are your thoughts in that regard?
Please share with me, what is it you would to learn/know about more in some tutorials or videos?
Where do you think should be my focus on these tutorials and videos?
Thank you UnrealEnterprise for your feedback! Very appreciated!
Your links contain useful things to consider.
I know what you mean, I’ve seen this too happening, that creators give up after a few tutorials.
Generally, I thought I may combine my tutorial series with a game that I would work on. This way, these tutorials would easily dive deeper and go into real-game techniques and problems that need to be solved and show, how to make these things work for a real game, rather than just for the requirements of some example or mini-prototype (which 95% or more of the tutorials are about). This too would fuel for me the motivation for both, to not give up early.
Additionally, I thought about the funding too. I would do quite some for free, also to gather a following. And then I could place some of the even more advanced and bigger tutorials were a large effort would go in, behind something like patreon. Or I could add some downloads and share part of the project for those who would be willing to pay for this additional value. People pay anyway all the time for things which may be free elsewhere, because it is convenient, don’t want to watch ads, would like something rather ready than doing it themselves and so on, and because it helps them focus on what they want, rather than trying hard to find the same information all over the place and filter it from all the rest they are not interested in - especially if it’s rare and hard to find in such a case. I believe that will work. However, I welcome and consider ALL feedback, because this would be the first time I go into doing such a tutorial project (I’ve done tutorials previously, but they were sponsored by companies, rather than depending on followers).
Some years back there were not many tutorials on unreal. But as of 2020 there are too many tutorials on basic and medium level things. Also some of those tutorials are just parroting. Many of these tutorials are not showing the ways to achieve something.
It will be good if you make tutorials on very advanced topics which others have not yet made. You should include link to asset if the asset is difficult to make or take lot of time to make. But if you stick with advanced tutorials only you will only get few followers. If you wan’t to get lot of followers then you will have to make basics. If you make such basic tutorials new users will start asking for project file for that specific video.
I’ve developed a list of tutorials on youtube that is at least 150-200 so far. Lots of those cover basics, some a bit more advanced, but few are of highly advanced things, and even less are of solving particular problems with features in the engine. Hence, it would probably be far better for you to create tutorials that are about different ways of solving problems in the engine, particularly problems that are frequently posted about in the forums / AnswerHub. There’s a dozen or so I could probably list simply by memory of the ones I remember posted most frequently. Yet, if you care to invest in the idea of these kinds of tutorials, then tell me and I’ll send you a list via messaging. There’s a number of problems that are not easily solved in the engine, especially as a beginner or perhaps intermediate user, too.
One thing I missed a lot when doing tutorials, was professionally produced content and a “full series” where you end up with something that can be grown into a game. Many tutorials seem to be recorded without a script in one go, then edited and mistakes sometimes end up in one video and get fixed in a later video. For the noob, that can cause hours of blindfolded research.
I guess a good approach would be to finish the product first and then make the tutorials where you repeat it, with good consistent sound, proper zooming in and clean editing. That might even lead to you being able to sell the project for lazier students, or use it to promote paid tutorials somewhere else.
One thing I have never seen, is a template you can buy, but with a full tutorial. That way, if it’s really good, the tutorial can teach how to make it from scratch, but also work as an in-depth explanation of the product, which might be great when people want to start replacing elements in the template.
Lastly, it probably wouldn’t hurt if you cut a deal with other asset creators, so that anyone who uses your work, can get discounted assets to beef up their work and be shown in additional videos how to import and add more assets.
A classic problem are shooter tutorials where you need a pistol aim offset and FPS arms that come from the same model as the third person character.
Just some ideas, but basically, many tutorials leave you hanging dry and dumfounded, are the same as many others, are outdated or don’t finish with a proper template.
SigmaGames, you are absolutely right on this. I’ve been always editing tutorials or guides in the past before publishing (I’ve created some for professional video platforms or products for developer topics non-related to gaming). I were a bit shocked to see when I started delving into game development, how many tutorials have been done with little to no preparation, and worse, any editing afterwards. Some I checked have been left behind with obvious bugs in the coding/blueprints, that made things not work as described - some of them are even sold on Udemy and very popular.
Especially, this “full series” and allowing the viewer to grow it into something bigger like a game, is what I missed a lot on almost any of them and one of the main reasons I felt, I want to make some for those looking into these. But I weren’t certain, if people really needed them, or after awhile they would figure out things on their own - like I’m capable to do.
After all, myself, even though I’m “young” in game development, I’m a developer for 25+ years and in several areas, and I have no trouble delving into new things superfast, as such I cannot be sure if I may see things different. It’s good if I can confirm, that others think alike and as such, the need for that kind of advanced material and tutorials exists. I like the feedback, to know, that what I’ll be doing is what and how it’s much needed!
Also, your idea with the asset creators is very interesting. I may very well look into this.
sam.new, thank you for your feedback. Yes, I think you may be correct. A good mix of basics and then advanced tutorials building on them may be the better approach.
I’m uncertain though yet, how far in the basics I should start. Most tutorial series start from the very start, explaining the unreal engine viewports and such. Things which have been done a hundreds of times, and imho sometimes so detailed as they are not needed (but then again I’m an advanced dev for too long and not a newbie to judge that maybe correctly). Something still to figure out: How early in the basics should I probably start and how detailed explain those?