What are your typical first steps?

Okay, so I have been going through a couple different courses on Unreal’s site, checked out a couple how-to’s and just curious what you guys think. I am looking to start a project for an online multiplayer survival game. I did see any true real direction, I’m sure many people have their own ways of starting projects like this, but do you find it easier to work on the online server stuff and make sure that is running pretty good and then start focusing on all the animations, harvesting, combat, building and inventory after or work all that stuff out first and then do the online server stuff after?

A good first port of call, would be to download this

It’s free, and covers most areas.

As far as what to work on next goes, it doesn’t really matter. So just choose the part that fires you up and get going… :wink:

First step is to make tiny game. Do not start with multiplayer, with probably open world (or procedurally generated map), with huge crafting system, all persistent and almost mmo size servers. You will never finish all that.

So do tiny game that will have some elements of that big one.
For you minime version of that game would be some SINGLEPLAYER dungeon crawler with dungeons created in dungeon architect plugin, some character customization and minimal crafting system (like potions and food).

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I’d say that it all depends on your experience as a game dev and especially how familiar you are with Unreal. If you have no experience, follow 's advice and start very small.

Other than that, it all depends on how important the multiplayer aspect is to your game design. If it’s a core feature, you need to start to develop it right away in a prototype with interactions between multiple players. This is because the interactions between them and the latency are going to impact how you end up making your game.

If the multiplayer is not the main feature of it, then you can take a look at it later, once the core of your game design is done.

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Definitely use the character class if you can because replicating a base pawn sucks. I know from experience.

If you’re doing a dedicated server structure, ensure it’s running at a higher rate than your base frame rate (i.e. if you’re targeting 60 fps, make sure your dedicated server can handle say, 65Hz to account for packet loss) to avoid prediction error jitter.

Unfortunately for me, cause I have a tunnel vision brain it’s hard for me to focus on a project that is not what I have in mind. So doing a more simple game like a dungeon crawler may be best for some people, just not for me. If it’s something I have learned, I kinda have to force myself through learning for what I have in mind. If that becomes an option or thought that I would want to create a Dungeon Crawler, then that may be an option later.

And that may be the “wrong way” in some peoples opinions, but it’s just the way I work.

I am new but also responded to regarding how my brain works(which is important for me and my situation). I want to have a SP and MP aspect to the game with MP being the focus. Think DayZ but with a better hit system. lol I am not under any false beliefs that this will be easy or be finished soon. I want to take my time and learn and fine tune as much as possible. I wanna work the core mechanics out and get them working great before I even worry or work on the finer detail of how the map or characters look like.