Learning UE 5.3 and Linux Mint 21.1

Hello everyone, not sure this is the best place to post but I wanted to start a discussion and series of updates about my journey learning UE 5.3 using Linux Mint 21.1 So far, so good. UE loaded without problems but as is well known, I don’t have access to the launcher. I can still get to the marketplace but I am wondering how I will be able to get the free assets I just downloaded. I am following the tutorials of the YouTuber Smart Poly (on 1 out of 9) but I still would wish that Epic Games would publish a real, physical BOOK manual for the program. The tutorials on the website have so many links that it is easy to get lost. Is anyone else using Linux Mint or Zorin for their UE projects? How is it working for you?

Day 2. Introduction to Blueprints. Ran into the problem of not being able to access the detail panels for booleans until I realized that I had the simulation button active by mistake. When I turned it off, everything worked as described. The tutorial project uses the 3rd person game layout which is useful in seeing the entire actor- player character- as they move around the level.

Day 3. Upgraded to Linux Mint 21.3. Still stable. Continuing with Blueprints: Today’s tutorial involved making an actor[player character] pick up a hat [static mesh] and making a door swing open and closed after pressing the [E] key. So many panels and tabs to remember! Small steps. Small steps.

Day 4. Noticed that if I am in either a viewport or blueprint window, if I hold down the right mouse button, occasionally moving the mouse causes the view to zoom in and out. Still investigating to see what causes this.
Successfully completed another tutorial in which the player character lost “health points” by walking into a “Damage Box” and gained health by walking into a “Health Box.” Since I didn’t have access to magical FX particle systems referred to in the video I replaced them with sparks for the damage box and smoke for the health box.
Finally and most importantly fellow Linux Mint users, I was able to install Epic Games Launcher by installing Lutris! Check your software installer on your Linux version for it and install it. It simply works! Now I have access to all of the free assets I selected.

Day 5. First Question to the community: For the tutorial, viewers are asked to make a BluePrint that allows the player character “Actor” to open a door by pressing the [E] Key when the player “actor” is within the collision box of the door. It does work but I noticed that after the player character makes the first contact, as it were, with the door collision box, once the character moves away from the door, the door can still be opened or closed from a distance by the [E] key. How is this happening? I have included a screen shot.

As you can see, the input should be disabled by the OnComponentEndOverlap(Box) node group that leads to Disable Input node at the bottom. Is there an extra node required somewhere?

you’ve connected your player controller variable to different parameter pins

1 Like

JPritchard1010, thank you! It was right in front of my eyes but I didn’t see it. I appreciate the input. For anyone else who was confused as much as I (being totally new to this) the “GetPlayerController Return Value” output was connected to the “Enable Output Player Controller Input” and also to the “Disable Input Target” input. This last should have been actually the “Disable Input Player Controller” input. Once I connected it thusly, and Alt+P to play the game, the [E] key only worked when the player character was within the collision box of the door. No more remote controlling of the door.

Day 5-Part2: Today’s conundrum is the fact that when I try to duplicate an object in the Third Person Viewport by using ALT+ Right Click, it worked only one time. After that, the same combination of keys would reduce my Editor screen size. Then I would have to resize my screen to fill the entire window. Nothing wrong with the keyboard - it works fine with other programs. And the key combination did work once. So what’s going on here?
Also, is there a way like in 3D programs to center your focus on (object/mesh etc. whatever ) you are working on in the Viewport?

Day 6: Introduction to Enumerators. I get the basic idea ; instead of using several booleans to create variables for an actor (or whatever), all of the variables can be stored within one Enumerator and accessed via the drop down menu. Comment (boxes?) were also addressed. They are used to “containerize” (my word, not the tutorials) or rather keep separate the various blueprint functions for an actor. I can see this becoming very unwieldy for more complex projects. And will there be a way to search on the blueprint page for specific items?
BTW- I found out that using the [F] key “focuses” the camera onto the item you select, answer my question from yesterday.
I still don’t understand why the ALT key no longer works; again, this is exclusive to Unreal Engine 5.3.2. Every other program I have on my system uses the ALT key without a problem. I haven’t fiddled around with any keyboard settings, and like I mentioned before, the ALT+LMB+Drag on arrow worked once- and then stopped.

I think these type of posts are more suitable either on your profile, you can create tutorials, articles, ecc, but best on twitter and similar, if you can create videos youtube is also a good place to do it. There is an audience for people following and watching indie(usually) developers working on their games.

Doing the above will give you two advantages, first you are more likely to find other developers that are interested in the Linux+Unreal development and you can build a potential player base that could end up purchasing the game when it will be released (or support you on patreon)

you can still ask questions here obviously about specific issues or tasks you want to know more about, because this is the main purpose of this forum :slight_smile:

Hi dorussoftware and thank you for your advice. As you can tell I am new to all this. I’m a LOOOOONG way for offering any type of tutorials or game builds. :slight_smile:
I will do as you suggest and move this to my profile. For those who are interested, follow along… please :slight_smile:

This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.