Dear valued Unreal Engine user,
What can be useful when starting out, is to start very small and focus on getting the less creative bits out of the way first, with all of the pieces in place. Do not try to develop a specific game, instead aim to get everything set up end-to-end, so you whatever you create is downloadable and playable by a small target audience, from the beginning.
The brick analogy is good, however, it is easy to get bogged down in the detail of one specific brick (being delayed by a specific coding task or asset design) or develop bricks that do not fit (have to recode for multiplayer). Sometimes it can be useful to first create a house out of cardboard that people can actually visit, then gradually turn it into a palace of stone.
For example, if you are intending to create a multiplayer game, then the first place you may start is creating a simple scene that multiple players can join on different computers across the internet. Once you have that, then add in the game mechanics/design. If you add in the multiplayer later, it can be difficult to redesign mechanics to work with multiple players. Also if a specific mechanic becomes too difficult to code, you can always drop back a step and redesign.
Start with the most generic design then specialize the design.
For example:
1. Deploy a test project. [Generic]
You can simply start by deploying an Unreal example project for your target audience (e.g. friends and family). They can then download that via the distribution method of your choice and you can move on to creating a prototype.
2. Create and deploy an empty multiplayer prototype. [Generic]
Create an empty world prototype that you and your target audience can and move around in. Test it to make sure the connection works.
3. Create and deploy a simple multiplayer prototype. [Specialized]
Use free marketplace assets and block out a level using the BSP brushes and do not focus on the detail. There is an example project that shows how Sun Temple was created first using grey BSP brushes, then filling in the detail over time, in the Content Examples project.
4. Iterate on your design, mechanics, levels and assets. [Specialized]
Once you have a simple blocked out prototype, your process is then simply to iterate on your prototype and deploy it. The changes will then be available to your target audience for testing and you can receive feedback.
Thank you for your continued support,
