Game Development and Simulation with Unreal Technology

UNREAL TECHNOLOGY BASICS: INTRODUCTORY DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES

Setting Up Unreal Project Templates
Introduction
Unreal Project Types
Blank Projects and Content Migration
First Person Projects
Third Person
Side Scroller
Top Down Templates
Summary
Exercises

Introduction to Level Design in Unreal
Introduction and Objectives
Establishing the Geometry
Improving the Level Aesthetics with Materials
Refining the Geometry and Adding Meshes
Refining the Level with Lighting
Adding Functionality
Summary
Exercises

Unreal Blueprints
Introduction to Unreal Blueprints
A Tour of Unreal Blueprint Editor
Types of Blueprints
Variables, Functions, and Events
Class Blueprints Vs. Level Blueprints
Construction Script
Components Mode
Creating Your Own Class Blueprints
User Input and Interaction
Summary
Exercises

Materials in Unreal Technology
Introduction
What is a Material
Unreal Material Editor
Physically Based Materials in Unreal Engine 4
Anatomy of an Unreal Engine 4 Material
Material Expressions in Unreal 4
Summary
Exercises

MAKING GAME WORLDS STAND OUT: INTERMEDIATE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS

Advanced Material Concepts
Introduction
More About Unreal Engine’s Shading Models
Material Blend Modes
More Advanced Material Expressions
Blends
Physically Based Materials In Unreal Engine 4
Material Functions in Unreal Engine 4
Material Attributes Expressions
Layered Materials
Material Instances and Dynamic Material Modifications
Decals
Post Process Materials
Refraction and Reflection
Summary

Visual Effects in Unreal
Introduction
Anatomy of Visual Effects
Unreal Cascade Particle System Editor
Particle Specific Materials Setup
CPU-Based Sprite Emitters
GPU-based Sprite Emitters
Working with Sub UVs
Particle Type Data Modules
Summary
Exercises

Designing Terrains and Outdoor Environments
Introduction to Landscapes
Landscape Setup
Landscape Materials
Editing Landscapes
Landscape Splines
Foliage and Foliage Editor
Water in the Landscape
Summary
Exercises

EXAMPLE GAMES: ADVANCED GAME DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS

Advanced Blueprint Concepts
Introduction
Communication Between Blueprints
Chapter Synopsis
Creating The HUD
Saving and Loading Game Data
Summary

A Top-Down Game With Blueprints
Synopsis
Setting Up the Level
Character, Controller and Game Mode Blueprints
Character Movement and User Input
Projectile Class Blueprint and Functionality
Creating the Enemy Class and Implementing Damage
Implementing Game Over!!!
AI and Enemy Spawning
Particle Systems and Visual Effects
Summary

Appendices:

Unreal Engine 4 Material Expressions Reference
Introduction
Atmosphere Expressions
Color
Constant Expressions
Coordinate Expressions
Depth Expressions
Font Expressions
Function
Material Attributes Expressions
Math Expression
Parameters Expressions
Particles
Landscape
Texture
Utility
Vector Operations
Vector Expressions

Distributions in Unreal Engine 4
Introduction
Float Distributions
Vector Distributions

The Curve Editor in Unreal Engine 4
Introduction
Curve Editor Layout
Curve Editor Controls
Interpolation Modes

References

Index