Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine - Second Edition

Publisher's note: This edition from 2019 is based on Unreal Engine 4 and does not make use of the most recent Unreal Engine features. A new third edition, updated for Unreal Engine 5 blueprints including new topics, such as implementing procedural generation and creating a product configurator, has now been published.

Key Features:

- Design a fully functional game in UE4 without writing a single line of code

- Implement visual scripting to develop gameplay mechanics, UI, visual effects, VR and artificial intelligence

- Deploy your game on multiple platforms and share it with the world

Book Description:

Blueprints is the visual scripting system in Unreal Engine that enables programmers to create baseline systems and can be extended by designers.

This book helps you explore all the features of the Blueprint Editor and guides you through using Variables, Macros, and Functions. You'll also learn about object-oriented programming (OOP) and discover the Gameplay Framework. In addition to this, you'll learn how Blueprint Communication allows one Blueprint to access information from another Blueprint. Later chapters will focus on building a fully functional game using a step-by-step approach. You'll start with a basic first-person shooter (FPS) template, and each chapter will build on the prototype to create an increasingly complex and robust game experience. You'll then progress from creating basic shooting mechanics to more complex systems, such as user interface elements and intelligent enemy behavior. The skills you will develop using Blueprints can also be employed in other gaming genres. In the concluding chapters, the book demonstrates how to use arrays, maps, enums, and vector operations. Finally, you'll learn how to build a basic VR game.

By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to build a fully functional game and will have the skills required to develop an entertaining experience for your audience.

What You Will Learn:

- Understand programming concepts in Blueprints

- Create prototypes and iterate new game mechanics rapidly

- Build user interface elements and interactive menus

- Use advanced Blueprint nodes to manage the complexity of a game

- Explore all the features of the Blueprint editor, such as the Components tab, Viewport, and Event Graph

- Get to grips with object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts and explore the Gameplay Framework

- Learn Virtual Reality development with UE Blueprint

Who this book is for:

This book is for anyone who is interested in developing games or applications with UE4. Although basic knowledge of Windows OS is required, experience in programming or UE4 is not necessary.

Table of Contents

- Exploring the Blueprint Editor

- Programming with Blueprints

- Actors and the Gameplay Framework

- Understanding Blueprint Communication

- Object Interaction with Blueprints

- Enhancing Player Abilities

- Creating Screen UI Elements

- Creating Constraints and Gameplay Objectives

- Building Smart Enemies with Artificial Intelligence

- Upgrading the AI Enemies

- Game States and Applying Finishing Touches

- Building and Publishing

- Data structures and Flow Control

- Math and Trace nodes

- Blueprints tips

- Introduction to VR Development