In terms of the mode assets that are sold in the Unreal store, I was curious about this.
The code plugins, if I remember correctly, the code plugins are built in the same code of the engine itself, C++. I remember reading that code plugins are “stronger”.
Is there an advantage of using code plugins over blueprints? Or hiring someone to create a code plugin over making a blueprint.
I’m not too sure if I asked the right question on this subject. I just notice people are half and half on making a blueprint or a code plugin, and was curious about this. I also notice there are big projects in the store that use blueprints, or maybe that’s because the plugin support is still a bit new and people are planning to rewrite the blueprint projects into code plugins.
C++ indeed gives you unlimited access to code base of UE4 and allows to create more powerful stuff, however it’s much more intricate to create and maintain. You have to recompile plugin for each major update of UE4 and end-user can’t do it without source code which usually is not provided so you might just get stuck with outdated plugin without ability to use it if you plan to upgrade your product.
Blueprints are good for many tasks, but sometimes they are limited and you can’t go beyond this limits without C++(For example, you can’t update Lightmap res for meshes in BP, you have to use C++ for this), yet they much more easier to understand, modify and upgrade for end user. No risk to lose access due to different UE4 version
I would say that C++ is the choice if you’re making a low/middle level tool that end-user will use without ever needing to modify it or change behavior, think about a hammer or a drill. And use BP project if it’s intended for users to understand how system works and change it to fit their preference.
Also, in UE4 Marketplace case - plugin system is very young(A couple months VS 2 years of blueprints) and plugins are harder to create. I doubt that amount of plugins will surpass amount of BPs anytime soon
What consist as a “major” update with Unreal? 4.13 came out at the start of September, while 4.12 came out in June. Unreal puts these changes out pretty fast. Which is good, but if both 4.12 and 4.13 counted as major updates, then I can see that as a big problem.