Book Image

Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine - Second Edition

By : Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell
Book Image

Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine - Second Edition

By: Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell

Overview of this book

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.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Section 1: Blueprint Fundamentals
6
Section 2: Developing a Game
11
Section 3: Enhancing the Game
16
Section 4: Advanced Blueprints

Creating Screen UI Elements

At the core of any gaming experience is the method the game designers use to communicate the goals and rules of the game to the player. One method of doing this, which is common across all forms of games, is through the use of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to display and broadcast important information to the player. In this chapter, we will set up a GUI that will track the player's health, stamina, and ammo, and we will set up a counter that will display the objectives to the player. You will learn about how to set up a basic User Interface (UI) using Unreal's GUI Editor and how to use Blueprints to tie that interface to gameplay values. We will create UI elements using the Unreal Motion Graphics UI Designer (UMG).

In the process, we will cover the following topics:

  • Creating simple UI meters with UMG
  • Connecting UI values to player variables...