Support Network/Resources: Do They Require Improvement? Share Your Thoughts!

General Feedback & Requests
1

Hi everyone,

This [the current state of support for Unreal Engine 4 users] was a hotly debated topic within the IRC channel, so I figured I would create a topic on the forums for further discussion.

I’ll provide a brief background on my situation, which should hopefully add some context. I’ve been an Unreal Engine 4 subscriber since April 2014. Prior to this, I had no game development experience. I’ve always wanted to develop my own game (especially since the industry has stopped developing the genre of games I enjoy playing), but it always seemed inaccessible. That changed when Unreal Engine 4 (and subsequently Blueprints) was released. I truly consider Unreal Engine 4 to be a fantastic software product and — most days — launching it fills me with a level of excitement that only kids opening presents on Christmas morning could relate to. However, there are other days that are filled with frustration, where desired functionality seems unachievable, and the advanced concepts that are required for progression seem too complicated to comprehend (hopefully, I’m not the exception). On these days, having an accessible support network is critical. I’m ashamed to admit it, but after a few too many frustrating days, I threw in the towel and stopped my endeavours with Unreal Engine 4 for a period of several months (although, I kept paying the monthly subscription, as I wanted to support Epic’s initiative), as I felt like I couldn’t get the help that I desperately needed. I thought it then and I still think it now… the support network for Unreal Engine 4 needs an overhaul.

Disclaimer: Continue reading at your own risk if you’re easily offended and will perceive criticism as selfishness/ungratefulness.

On the surface, getting assistance appears to be a painless process with an abundance of support resources: AnswerHub, Documentation, Forums, IRC, Marketplace (i.e. Content Examples), Wiki, YouTube (i.e. Tutorial Videos), and Third Parties (such as Digital Tutors). Even the main website states: “Using Unreal Engine 4 is easier than ever. Whether you’re just starting out or part of a 500-person studio, our weekly Twitch streams, videos tutorials, documentation and an active community help you get started and ship your game.” However, that isn’t the reality of the situation. The percentage of questions getting acknowledged/answered on AnswerHub is abysmally low (I’ve personally had questions that have been unanswered for 6+ months and others have reported similar outcomes), but this doesn’t surprise me considering the onus is on the developers to provide answers (which is an unreasonable expectation) and there is no incentive for non-staff to assist (unless they’re feeling especially charitable). The documentation is lacking and — in some cases — non-existent. Essentially, we (new developers) are shown the basics concepts, but then expected to understand the advanced concepts without any additional explanation. There is no gradual layering of information. If I was teaching you how to play golf, I wouldn’t introduce a basic concept (such as how to grip/hold the club) and then expect you to immediately digest advanced concepts such as angle of attack, clubface angles, swing paths, and how it relates to (and influences) the ball’s spin axis. Your eyes would glaze over and you’d likely quit out of frustration due to a lack of progress and understanding.

From an outsider’s perspective (and please correct me if I’m wrong), it seems like Epic is overwhelmed by the popularity of Unreal Engine 4 and has an insufficient quantity of support staff to deal with the influx of new developers. In my own head, I concluded that profits attributed to Unreal Engine 4 subscriptions mustn’t have been significant enough to justify the costs associated with hiring more support staff (which makes sense if a significant portion of subscribers make hit-and-run payments that coincide with major releases). However, that theory goes out the window when $5M is being handed out in grants (which is fantastic for existing developers, but doesn’t do much for new developers wanting to expand their knowledge of Unreal Engine 4).

So, what is the solution? How can new developers get direct access to Epic (short of paying AAA development studio prices for the privilege) and get answers/solutions in a timely manner? I’ve tried training from third parties (such as Digital Tutors) and have been disappointed to find that most of it is repackaged content that doesn’t go beyond the basics. I would gladly welcome a premium subscription option at an increased monthly cost (or a contract based subscription) if it meant I could get the help I need when I need it.

Anyway, I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts. Thanks!

2

You do got a point there, but i think this is the case with every game engine used by indies like Unity3D for example, when you have to do all of the developing yourself, you are probably to invest a lot of time on researches/trial and errors, I can personally say that i use the forum for my questions and get a great help and fast, i don’t like AnswerHub because it feels disconnected from the community ( most of the time i get answered by community members that are just very nice and want to help ).

3

I’ve posted twelve questions on AnswerHub so far. For two of them, the response was “that’s a bug, I’ll report it”. For two of them, the response was “no, you can’t do that”. Five of them I answered myself, and the remainder were never answered. I have never gotten an actual solution off AnswerHub. At this point I “use” it just because writing out my thoughts can be helpful, and once they’re written, I may as well hit the “post” button for laughs.

It’s pretty much useless, sadly.

The documentation is definitely inadequate, error reporting is nearly nonexistent, and the game engine prefers to crash rather than recover sanely with a diagnostic report. It’s very frustrating to work on. If I were a larger studio I’d have more person-hours to devote to tracking down UE4 bugs - as is, I think I spend about a quarter of my time fighting the engine instead of actually developing.

Solving these issues is certainly not easy, but I think it’d make every consumer of the engine a lot more productive.

4

I wanted to follow up on this topic, as today Epic announced that the subscription model will be “free”. Understandably, there will be an influx of new developers using Unreal Engine 4. Now, call me pessimistic, but this is going to amplify everything that I mentioned in the original post. The support network/resources are already at a substandard, and it’s likely going to get worse (unless, of course, Epic are mass recruiting to coincide with the subscription model changes). More questions, less resources, less answers. I really hope that Epic consider a premium subscription option for small development teams and solo developers that require direct access to Epic staff.

My intention wasn’t to put down the helpfulness of the community. There are many charitable and knowledgeable community members, some of which have assisted me previously. However, the point I was making is that there is no incentive or obligation for community members to provide assistance, especially if they are busy with their own projects.

I agree. Unreal Engine 4 is obviously an extremely capable and powerful piece of software. However, that doesn’t account for much if the documentation and training is lacking.