Please read to paragraph 3 at least where the question is stated, the rest is optional for those who have time to really dive deep into what I’m looking for/context of what I need.
This is a dreaded post from a n00bie to UE5, so I know I’ll be looking like a complete idiot. Please reserve judgment as little as possible. Also yes I get my concepts are probably too large in scope, I will trim them later. I want to see as much of my concept flushed out in docs before I decide what to trim though.
Okay, so I’m looking at several game concepts, and was looking at what resources are available for each. One option is making a space sim with sandbox elements for the ships (I’ll start it in just a “duel” mode with a much smaller world). Think Space Engineers, Empyrion, and also Dual Universe (that last game HAD promise, but there are too many big problems that completely ruin it) crossed with “Dreadnought” with much faster ships.
In short, the question is this: “If I want to make movable sandbox entities, is there a plugin for that in UE5, or do I have to make my own? What is the relative difficulty in making one if the collision mechanics are heavily simplified?” (Yes everything else is just fluff/context, please skip if this alone is enough for you to properly answer).
I’ve seen plenty of tutorials for flyable spaceships and such, but was wondering if there was a resource (or a general approach) for creating moveable sandbox vehicles. I’ve searched and searched… but can’t seem to find anything. I know I’m looking for a shortcut, but if someone has already done some good work I don’t want to “re-invent the wheel”, so to speak. This would be VERY useful if there is a resource for UE5 with this capability, but since it’s so niche and I haven’t been able to find anything I’m thinking I might just have to make my own.
I have also debated about scrapping sandbox entirely and just use a “point buy” system to customize the performance of the ship. Not ideal, but it’d probably be much easier performance wise and coding investment-wise. Additionally, as generative AI comes into fruition in the next few years, it also possible that I could create a ship “wizard” that helps players make custom ships using generative AI to create the models/textures, followed by an additional point buy system to create the slots/stats for the ship in-game. Yes, I know that this technology does not currently exist yet/available to the public (I follow AI news regularly), but if this game is gonna take 1-2 years to make, with the rate of progress in that field I wouldn’t be surprised if we have that tech by the time I finish this game concept. Just an alternative idea though. Anywho, I appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
General thoughts on existing space sandboxes:
I like space engineers’ whacky creations, but I think that the collision mechanics are WAY more trouble than they’re worth. In short, I don’t what a whole FEM system for a simple collision (in short, engineering software that models each element individually. Good results, terrible compational time). I like that Dual Universe scrapped advanced collision calculations (mostly) for a simpler model, although I do think that they dropped the ball on not allowing “Player made weapons” (player makes a missile with a “warhead” block or too that blows up when close to a target, etc.). In short, I don’t want hyper accuracy, I just want SOMETHING to be there for collisions. On a tangent, Dual universe also drops the ball in having such limited equipment and specialty blocks. The system they do have are designed to be grindy as heck, so that alone almost warrants a remake imho. Like the customization/voxel tech they have though, that’s neat. I haven’t played empyrion though, that might be a decent middle-ground, I’ll have to check. Tangent over. I also dislike space sims that have their capital ships as slow as molasses; imho, if we’re in space warping around between stars, the ships should move like they do in “Star Trek: Nemesis” (dislike the movie’s plot, love the ships and their battle though). In short, I want my own “sandbox” system, tailored to my personal preferences that I can play with my friends, even if it takes years to make.
Anywho, I have programming experience in python 3 (coincidentally hyper relevant in that I have lots of experience with meshes and operations on them), and learning UE5. I already know C++. I am also a generally fast learner, so I should be able to make something eventually, although if you have any suggestions for resources to help me learn faster, that would be much appreciated. It’s just a matter of time and dedication, I think… I could be underestimating/being too optimistic, although I will point out that this is one of several ideas I have, so I could also just put this at the end of my ideas list, get more experience on an easier tasks first (this is my current plan, btw. Just want to do the research now, plan way ahead).
Thank you for any wisdom, knowledge, resources, or techniques in advance. Sorry for the long post, but I like to be thorough in my thoughts, reasonings, and rationales. This is my first post on the forums, so please excuse my ignorance if I have done something rude, unprofessional, or ignorant.