Advice for someone new to game development?

Hello, as the title states, I’m new to the concept of game development.

I have been curious of the idea of game development for some time and decided to at least venture further into the field. I have downloaded UE 4.27.2 and even managed to work around some tutorials and even managed to finish one. I imagine there was likely a better way to approach this journey, such as making use of the Unreal Online Learning webpage.

To my concern, I felt that when I approached Youtube tutorials that it was assumed that I had prior knowledge of programming. It seems that at least some understanding of C++ is a necessity, as I imagine you can only get so far from “video scripting”. I have no knowledge of programming.

Assuming programming knowledge is required, where should I start? I found a roughly 4 hour long beginner course on Youtube that would seem to teach the basics of C++. I keep hearing that learning C++ is difficult and it is advised to learn an easier coding language and… no offense to anyone here, to learn with Unity first. I am inclined to give UE a fair go first, particularly as it may meet my desire of playing around with a small FPS project.

I apologize for the unneeded paragraphs and will provide a TLDR. I just wanted to emphasize that I am brand new to this field and the tools that are associated with it.

TLDR: In a nutshell, I’m a blank sheet of paper. I’ve never used a game engine until recently touching UE4, I have no knowledge of programming, ect. I would like to know where I should start to learn from the bottom up (UE 4.27.2 , C++, ect).

Thank you for your time.

i don’t agree.
yeah, video scripting? so?
i think any way when u can solve what u want to solve, u can choice that, don’t think any more, just do more.
when u do it again and again, then u will find out other way unconsciously.

That’s a problem (not really a problem) with tutorials, they assume you have grasped certain concepts and have a rough overview of the ecosystem.

You do not need C++ to make a game. There are limitations to blueprints, though. Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, you may hit a roadblock sooner or later. Or never.

Blueprints are easier to get into and you can always add C++ to the project a bit later. Either to achieve a must-have feature, improve performance or handle logic that is cumbersome in blueprints.

  • you can’t learn the entire engine
  • but you will need some core elements (that may seem boring and complex) to progress:
    framework
    communication

Without those, you’ll be banging your head against the wall and wasting a lot of time.

  • consider focusing on learning small elements rather than jumping into fully fledged tutorials, for example:
    – spawn some actors
    – make them move
    – make them spin
    – destroy them
    – study the most common variable types
    – figure out how player input works
    – create / show / hide the most basic interface
    – experiment with some lights
    – experiment with importing assets
    make a level blockout - perhaps you’ve learnt enough to have a look at a tutorial without being overwhelmed
    – have a look at control flow, perhaps get some logic going using player input and lights
    – make a glowy material

The list is never-ending, there’s always something new to learn. More features are added than one person can ever master. Perhaps making a game as a starting project is not the best idea. But you can work towards it by learning the bits that will make the whole thing tick.


Also, people learn differently. Tutorials never worked for me, there are many other ways:

  • watching tutorials
  • reading tutorials
  • books
  • experimenting, failing
  • helping others (with the stuff you’ve already learnt - great way to solidify one’s knowledge)
  • taking projects apart (there’s a bunch of templates that come with the engine - play with those, see what you can add, see what you can ruin)
  • hit the forums, search first, can’t find it? ask

This legend and his goldmine:

Can’t recommend it enough. Bite-sized stuff.

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Thank you both for your responses. Particularly with the providing of resources that I can view to help my learning-process. I’ll be sure to dig into this information, thank you once again.

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