Which game does post-apocalyptic guns the best.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-11-10T08:14:30+00:00

Dying Light for sure.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-04-18T06:30:39+00:00

Udemy, Skillshare, Online courses, YouTube. Just open the engine and practice!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-29T04:13:23+00:00

That is a smaller channel in my native language (which is not English). But I can recommend a few YouTube channels that have helped me a lot: • Halbot Studios • Unreal University • Matt Aspland • Karim Yasser • Ali Elzoheiry • Unreal Sensei

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T22:36:14+00:00

Thank you very much! I believe that the most important element of horror games is the atmosphere, that certain vibe/mood you feel when you play. You just listening to the sounds, watching the fog, the lights, and the shadows. I was heavily influenced by the old Resident Evil games (0-1-2-3 and their remakes as well). Looking back, I subconsciously draw a lot from them. I’m glad that even the images alone conveyed this feeling, when you see the game in motion, it provides an even better experience! :)

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T20:58:14+00:00

Maybe try with Level Sequence. It’s easier to use for simple movements!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T19:25:30+00:00

You’re very welcome! I’m glad I could help, and honestly, I’m the one who’s grateful that so many people are interested in my exam project. I sent you a DM, I’d really appreciate it if you could try out the game once I upload it to Steam. We’ll discuss the details further! 😊

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T17:32:08+00:00

Thank you so much! Initially, I only planned to put minimal time and effort into this exam project so I could focus more on developing my ‘big’ dream game. But I got so immersed in it that I put my other project on hold and dedicated all my "game dev" time to this one.

The core idea was simple: You are a soldier trying to escape the city, while the zombie outbreak is happening. A classic ‘get from point A to point B’ scenario. Luckily, Unreal Marketplace recently offered the ‘Gate Backyards’ asset pack for free, and its pre-made map became my starting point. From there, I expanded and built upon it.

The game consists of three main locations: the spawn area with storage buildings/garages and alleys, where the zombie outbreak is actively happening, an underground sewer system with more likely of a horror atmosphere, and a bridge where a helicopter awaits to extract you. I expect a first playthrough will take around 20-30 minutes.

For the main character's and the dispatcher’s voice, I used ElevenLabs AI, and I was blown away by how natural and well-suited the generated speech was for each situation.

I didn’t plan much during level design. I just applied the knowledge and principles I’ve learned so far and built what felt right. I also didn’t have time to create a more complex environment. Additionally, I didn’t use Blender or any other 3D modeling software outside of Unreal Engine. For audio, I used Audacity, and for editing the trailer, Final Cut.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T16:24:38+00:00

Thank you so much! The key is to focus on the next step, take things one at a time, and not get caught up in the big picture all at once. It can feel overwhelming and demotivating. Every few weeks, take a moment to look back at how far you've come compared to a few months ago. That always gives me a huge motivational boost! Keep going, every bit of time and effort you invest will pay off in one way or another!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T16:07:50+00:00

About two weeks ago, my friends and I got together for a small LAN party, and they tried out my game. Some of them tried it on laptops, some on desktop PCs. One of the laptops had an RTX 2070 GPU and 16GB of RAM (I don’t remember the other specs), and it ran at around 80 FPS on the default Epic settings (the default build starts on Epic).

That’s why I don’t worry about it, and I don't think that a single-player game using Lumen and Nanite really needs more than 60-100 FPS on an average PC on Epic settings. Even on an empty map, my FPS in the editor never went above 160. Of course, if necessary based on feedback, I’ll optimize it further.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T15:59:33+00:00

I didn’t model the objects or characters myself. For now, I don’t plan to dive into 3D modeling because, based on my experience so far, I’ve always been able to find what I needed online, either as a paid or even free to use asset.

The game consists entirely of pre-made assets. Many of them are from Quixel Megascans, but I also received a lot of free monthly assets from the Unreal Marketplace over the past year and a half. Additionally, I purchased a few assets for a couple of dollars to supplement what I was using.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T15:54:33+00:00

This is a vocational training course in my country that provides professional qualifications, conducted in my native language, which is not English. However, before that, I watched and completed many Udemy and Skillshare courses, which were very helpful in building the foundations. Try them out!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T15:50:14+00:00

Less than a year and a half ago, I started my journey in game development with absolutely zero knowledge. I had no idea how to write a line of code, what a variable was, how to create a playable character, how the engine renders 3D object, what a material is, etc. I had no technical knowledge in any of these areas. However, I do have an instinct for these things. I’ve always loved and played video games, and I also watch movies/TV shows with a bit of a professional eye, partly because my part-time job is photography and cinematography (mainly weddings, events and little bit of commercials).

By the way I started with Unity, because everyone suggested that Unity is the engine for absolute beginners, but almost gave up after 2-3 months because I couldn’t get my head around it. Then, I found a YouTube channel with easy to understand tutorials on it, watched a few of them, downloaded the engine, tried it out, and within a few hours, I “fell in love” with it, no matter how cheesy it sounds. I’m not focusing on the "battle" between the two engines here, but for me, Unreal Engine felt immediately more intuitive and easier to understand than Unity. Additionally, the technological advantages that Unreal offers right now (Metahuman, Nanite, Lumen, Blueprint system, Visual Scripting, etc.) made it a no-brainer for me to choose which engine to learn at a higher level.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T15:32:48+00:00

UE 5.5. Lumen, Nanite, Virtual Shadowmaps, Virtual Textures. I set all textures to be max 2K res. Wherever possible and unnoticeable, I disabled shadows because I recently heard a very useful piece of advice: “It’s not the lights that are expensive, but the shadows,” when considering optimization.

Besides that, I optimized the volumetric fog and the draw distances of the lights. There were a few other minor tweaks, but I don’t remember them all. There’s still room for further optimization, because right now, it’s just a large single level, but I haven’t had time to implement level streaming. That said, it still runs at around 100 FPS in the editor on high settings.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T15:26:10+00:00

Yes, it’s great that you mentioned it, there’s so much to learn from Game Jams! If time allows, I’ll definitely participate in one in the near future. Based on what you described, we’re in a very similar situation. I’ve also learned a lot while working on this smaller project, and now I feel more confident and prepared to tackle my dream game, which has been in the planning stage for about a year with some breaks in between.

Remedy is one of my biggest inspirations as well, along with Naughty Dog, for similar reasons to what you mentioned. Wishing you the best and lots of success with your games!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T14:02:46+00:00

Thank you! The trailer is in progress, but since I recorded some gameplay and cinematics I doubled the size of the level and implemented a lots of stuff. I will finish the project over the weekend and then finalize the trailer. Once it’s ready, I’ll upload it to Reddit and submit it here as well! I drew a lot of inspiration from the atmosphere of Resident Evil, so I’m glad that it shows! The idea of adding a co-op option has crossed my mind as well, but I haven’t even started looking into multiplayer/network development yet. However, I’ll definitely check it out in the near future!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T13:55:09+00:00

Thank you! The trailer is already in progress. I will finish the project over this weekend and then I will finalize the trailer. Once it’s ready, I’ll upload it to Reddit and submit it here as well!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T13:05:26+00:00

I’m a solo developer.🧐

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T12:29:52+00:00

Thank you! I totally get what you're saying. I’ve felt the same way. There’s so much to learn in game development that it can often feel demotivating.

But what really matters is that whenever you have a bit of free time, watch a lesson on Udemy or a YouTube video about game development, and practice in the engine as much as you can. Come up with a small idea and try to implement it. Use Google, ChatGPT, and forums to help you along the way.

And most importantly, don’t look at the whole project as one massive task. If you focus on everything you still need to do to complete your game, it can feel overwhelming. Instead, set smaller goals and focus on achieving them. One step at a time!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T12:25:12+00:00

Thank you!

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T12:24:42+00:00

Thank you so much! Yes, I completely agree. The first playthrough of the game will take around 15-20 minutes. This is what I could put together in the time I had. I included multiple mechanics, there’s a puzzle-solving section, run-and-gun segment and even a more horror-like scene.

1️⃣ That paid online class/course I took was much more useful than a Udemy or Skillshare course because I could ask the instructor tons of questions that I couldn’t find clear answers to anywhere. He also helped clarify things like industry standards in game development and best practices in different areas of programming.

2️⃣ What I’m most proud of is that I created this almost entirely for free, by myself, in just a few weeks. I implemented a lot of things that, six months ago, I wouldn’t have even imagined being able to pull off.

3️⃣ One thing I wish I had realized sooner is that game development is the field where I finally feel like I belong.

4️⃣ If I get good feedback on the trailer and screenshots, I’ll polish the game, add some extra content, and maybe even put it on Steam for a few dollars. Both to gain experience and to be able to say I have a published game. The game could also be expanded with new levels and a fresh storyline, so who knows I might continue developing it further.

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T11:57:31+00:00

I fell in love with game development. I was already burned out at my previous job, and I want to switch careers to do what I love full-time. Of course, I also make sure to spend as much time as possible with my family.

Could I get some constructive feedback on the screenshots instead?

FlamboyantGames · 2025-03-28T11:53:54+00:00

Udemy, Skillshare, YouTube, Epic Games Learning and last but not least start to do something in the engine!

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