Unreal Engine 5 Game Development with C++ Scripting

Expand your UE5 game development skills by leveraging C++ scripting and improve your game development abilities by building a game from scratch

Key Features

• Learn C++ programming as well as C++ scripting for Unreal Engine 5
• Practice the UE5 scripting APIs through a game project to improve your knowledge and skills
• Explore essential techniques and development cycles including design, implementation, optimization, and publishing

Book Description

Unreal Engine is one of the most popular and accessible game engines in the industry, creating multiple job opportunities. Owing to C++ scripting’s high performance, advanced algorithms, and engineering maintenance, it has become the industry standard for developing commercial games. However, C++ scripting can be overwhelming for anyone without a programming background. Unreal Engine 5 Game Development with C++ Scripting will help you master C++ and get a head start on your game development journey.

You’ll start by creating an Unreal Engine C++ project from the shooter template and then move on to building the C++ project and the C++ code inside the Visual Studio editor. You’ll be introduced to the fundamental C++ syntax and essential object-oriented programming concepts. For a holistic understanding of game development, you’ll also uncover various aspects of the game, including character creation, player input and character control, gameplay, collision detection, UI, networking, and packaging a completed multiplayer game.

By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to create professional, high-quality games using Unreal Engine 5 with C++, and will have built a solid foundation for more advanced C++ programming and game development technologies.

What you will learn

• Develop coding skills in Microsoft Visual Studio and the Unreal Engine editor
• Discover C++ programming for Unreal Engine C++ scripting
• Understand object-oriented programming concepts and C++-specific syntax
• Explore NPC controls, collisions, interactions, navigation, UI, and the multiplayer mechanism
• Use the predefined Unreal Engine classes and the programming mechanism
• Write code to solve practical problems and accomplish tasks
• Implement solutions and methods used in game development

Who this book is for

This book is for game designers, artists, software engineers, and students with some experience in using Unreal Engine and looking to explore the enigmatic C++ scripting. Basic experience with the UE editor is expected and blueprint scripting is a must. Familiarity with game concepts such as game level, lights, camera, actor/pawn/character, transformation, animation, and player control will be beneficial.

Table of Contents

1. Creating Your First Unreal C++ Game
2. Editing C++ Code in Visual Studio
3. Learning C++ and Object-Oriented Programming
4. Investigating the Shooter Game’s Generated Project and C++ Code
5. Learning How to Use UE Gameplay Framework Base Classes
6. Creating Game Actors
7. Controlling Characters
8. Handling Collisions
9. Improving C++ Code Quality
10. Making Pangaea a Network Multiplayer Game
11. Controlling the Game Flow
12. Polishing and Packaging the Game

About the Author

Zhenyu George Li is a passionate video game developer with 20+ years of experience. He has contributed significantly to many games and serves as a senior development consultant at Unity. His early immersion in technologies like C/C++, DirectX, OpenGL, and Windows GUI laid the foundation for his success. Notable titles in his portfolio include Magic Arena, Halo Infinity, Stela, Dead Rising 2, and The Bigs 2. He has gained extensive knowledge in programming, graphics, animation, gameplay, AI, multiplayer, and UI using Unreal and Unity engines. Additionally, he has taught UE at Vancouver Film School and has college teaching experience at College of Interactive Arts and Hefei Union University.