I have just started my game dev journey and decided to go with UE5 as my engine of choice. With that said, I started watching tutorials on how to make certain things, but most of the time keywords are mentioned that I have no clue what they mean.
I was thinking maybe note-taking is a good idea, but I’m not really sure how to even start note-taking when learning a game engine, as it’s such a hands on thing.
I was wondering how do I format the notes. Do I take notes on a tutorial (like making a mechanic) or do I just write keywords down and do flashcards? Do I take notes by hand or draw? Do I do hierarchal or mind maps? How do I take notes on Blueprints and what each thing does? What should my workflow look like?
I overall have more questions than answers when it comes to note-taking when learning UE5. If anyone could share their workflow, what worked for them, or any suggestions it would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Just write down keywords, and then use chat gpt (as dumb but fast) source of such information. You can always ask it what such keyword means, where it is used etc. , and it will spew even more keywords.
With me, at least, I either write stuff down or just build an copy of whatever I watched off of YouTube. But for starters, it would be incredibly cumbersome to write down how everything works. Mainly because an ton of stuff gets added, with each update and it would take an few weeks to completly document each change to the engins. But the good news is that we have a wiki on here that’s supposed to cover most of the functionality of Unreal; but I can’t make any guarantees if it’s completely up to date, though
But the bottom line is that this is something that you might have to memorize on your own and occasionally doing your own research. Because the wiki normally doesn’t address on how to make an specific type of game or fixing the occasional glitch
It’s great to see you’re diving into game development with UE5! Note-taking can indeed be a bit daunting at first, especially with something as complex and hands-on as a game engine. Here are some tips that might help:
Keywords and Concepts: Start by jotting down keywords you encounter in tutorials. You can create flashcards for these terms to help reinforce your understanding. Tools like Anki can be useful for digital flashcards.
Tutorial Notes: For more extensive tutorials, consider taking notes on the overall process and breaking down the steps involved. This can help you understand the sequence of actions needed to achieve certain mechanics.
Blueprints: For Blueprints, create a visual map of how nodes are connected. Tools like draw or even hand-drawn diagrams can be beneficial. Make notes on what each node does and how they interact with each other.
Note-taking Format: Use a combination of hierarchical notes for structured information and mind maps for more conceptual or interconnected ideas. Experiment with both to see what works best for you.
Digital vs. Handwritten: Digital notes are easier to organize and search through. Applications like Notion or OneNote can help you keep everything in one place. However, some people find that handwriting helps with memory retention, so you might want to mix both methods.
Workflow: Develop a consistent workflow where you:
Watch a tutorial
Take initial notes
Implement what you learned in UE5
Refine your notes based on hands-on experience
Review and update your notes regularly
Remember, note-taking is a personal process, and what works for one person might not work for another. Feel free to adapt these suggestions to fit your style. Good luck with your game development journey!
