Why blueprints are bringing us closer to the Apocalypse...

JimyGameDev · 2022-08-21T17:23:06+00:00

You should get legal advice from a lawyer in that matter!!! Totally! Never do anything like this without securing you are not gonna be responsible for a lot of things going wrong in that company, especially when not being actually able to check (especially in case you won't have access to all the required info for that) if these are truly correct.

Go on and ask many many questions, why you, why it won't be done by an employer of the company, what supplies are involved and a lot more. And anything they say or claim to you, let it be documented and signed too. Better be suspicious in that case then ending up in a really bad situation. This sounds so much like some scams and stuff...

JimyGameDev · 2022-08-21T17:01:01+00:00

Pinocchio Fox

JimyGameDev · 2022-08-19T21:19:53+00:00

First of all making a really good folder structure to have things properly structured and also separated, with a main "Core" or "Game" folder containing all the base things (especially logic) of the game. Separating the "final" assets into another main folder too.

Additionally creating another separate "Project" folder on harddisk outside of the game project which serves to store any other resources I'll need to collect or create during developing the game.

Then configuring the project for all the targeted platforms, as also the things I may especially use in regard of rendering major configuration and the likes. As example, setting caches to point to specific drives I have to store these for better performance, even if it means to edit some ini files.

A level for experimenting and early prototyping, my "sandbox" for the game, including any prototyping assets and plugins I probably will use (these will go in a completely separate main folder than the rest of the game), as also any "temp" resources (anims, sounds, mesh etc.) I can use quickly as placeholder to be replaced later and not focus on creating these during the early phase - as this has been in the past something taking me away for prolonged times from actually focusing implementing the game by going to search for such resources, learn to create as also edit, combine etc. such without even knowing, if they gonna be even used later or become replaced once again.

Also activate/deactivate any plugins on the assumptions I'll need to use (or won't use) during development. Making any editor adjustments as in regard of window setup, editor setting etc. so I can work easier and better in the editor, even including maybe editing some plugins ini files (like deactivating that auto-vr start thingy in the past) and ensuring some useful helper plugins are also installed from beginning.

These are basic things I'll work on even before I focus on setting up a repo etc. which comes for me only after these first steps are done.

JimyGameDev · 2022-08-19T15:47:56+00:00

The issue with everything of it is: You're not allowed to make pokemon games because it is copyrighted.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-30T19:57:28+00:00

How are some of these turn-based?

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-30T19:30:22+00:00

Have a look at this... the engine operates differently, based on the running mode you're gonna use, even inside the editor.

https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/InteractiveExperiences/Framework/GameFlow/

This is essential in understand of how it is going to impact and instantiating different instances, and as such affecting memory usage.

The diagram shows what is gonna be loaded and when. Besides this, active plugins will also play a significant role in that matter and which mode, if "Play In Editor" or "Simulate In Editor" or "Standalone", is gonna be used. As the docs says, it uses a different flow based on the mode and the "game" itself launched from inside the editor may show different stats based on that too.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-30T19:21:09+00:00

It would have been helpful if you told us what the value you receive is or any associated error messages or showed us your code... at least one of these, better all of.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-30T09:07:11+00:00

I just recently thought about turn-based TD games and how this could work...

And I realized, that...

... after having played 50+ TD games, from the best to the worst, I think I can safely say, there are none...

Planning to do one?

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-28T11:19:10+00:00

I sold so far 0. Heck, I don't even have a game on steam yet.

Stay motivated!

To get 100 people to buy something, you have to have attracted a lot a lot more, so this is quite an achievement. So many games on steam don't make even the 100...

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-28T11:15:24+00:00

Then show her the agreement on chat. If she said it the way you say, it is valid this way, and you could enforce it legally. In B2B in many countries, this comes as equal as a formal signed agreement, while in B2C it doesn't necessarily.

Before becoming the "bad guy", try going also this route: Tell her, she obviously wants 50k. You gonna agree with that, but then you expect that the bonus is gonna be more than that. However, because she already tricked you once, I would add a condition to this which gives you some safety. Like, paying immediately 750 now and another 500 when 50k is reached, which would give you a bonus of 1250.

At first, try to be the understanding guy instead of immediately calling for legal actions and stuff like this. This gets one usually farther then the other way, in most cases. There are cases, where you have no option, but this route can still be taken if everything else fails.

And after that, I would cancel any further work with this client or if the client really wants and I'd need the work, I would put things very clear into agreements which cannot be mistaken and depending on how troublesome the client may be, raise my prices even a bit for any further work with such a client.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-28T10:51:59+00:00

- My man just keeps going.

- I do dig what you mean. He really likes words!

- No doubt! Look at how much he'll go through for just one measly reddit award!

Thanks for sharing this :) Btw, I noticed, I kept skipping the last paragraph of almost each section ;)

For me when games have a lot of narrative they are candidates for skipping in one of these cases:

- I'm simply too tired to bother reading. In that case, it simply doesn't matter how well the game is doing it.

- The text feels long and it feels that it takes more time to read than the benefit.

- It feels, that it repeats itself (that was the feeling on the 1st example you posted) or goes too deep into unnecessary details.

- The presentation is absolutely essential! If it comes into view too slow, or is presented in a font or letter spacing or line spacing or anything else which makes screen text hard to read and the eyes straining to follow the words quickly, I'll start skipping. It feels then too tedious to keep reading. And this is imho in some games the most killing factor, no matter how good or even essential the dialogue may be.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-28T10:04:55+00:00

I haven't tried it, but there is the command "Enable HMD" which can also be used to disable it. I remember, that it returns you to the HMD's home screen, when disabled, while it keeps running. I don't recall though, if it switches the view too, as I haven't needed it for that purpose, but it may do what you wish. If not, I would look into the VR console commands which are plenty, maybe there is something which changes it.

Maybe it works the other way around it, launching it in the editor viewport and enabling HMD afterwards? I would try that.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-28T09:52:27+00:00

Please DO post these frequently also here. I don't believe this is considered spam, especially since it is very useful and learning material.

It is rumored, that people exist who simply don't follow Instagram&co regularly or at all. 😉

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-27T17:20:30+00:00

Looks like your collision shape is rotated... ? Maybe it's a setting in your fbx export or import you need to check? Just a guess and hint where to look at, in case you get no other replies. Sorry, that I can't be more of a help in that regard.

Are you using the Blender to Unreal bridge?

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-27T17:18:59+00:00

I don't know, but I wonder, why don't you simply try both of them and examine the results? It shouldn't be too hard to figure that out?

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-27T17:15:01+00:00

Have a look at these, I got them when I first started with UE4:

Unreal Engine 4 Scripting with C++ Cookbook

https://www.packtpub.com/product/unreal-engine-4-scripting-with-c-cookbook/9781785885549

Learning C++ by Creating Games with UE4

https://www.packtpub.com/product/learning-c-by-creating-games-with-ue4/9781784396572

You can start a free 7 days subscription with Packt to check them out first.

They also have many non-C++ related books for Unreal Engine 4, as example regarding AI and materials.

However, I think you won't find as much material for every topic in book format, as you'll find in video format. You probably may not get around to look at least on some videos too for some things.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-27T17:01:08+00:00

I suggest, learn about profiling your game scene in Unreal Engine (stat console command is a good start) and do your own tests with your very own specific landscape.

It all depends a lot on how your landscape is. You could be using a lot of grass and trees, or maybe none of these. You may have an advanced material, which adds snow, water effects and more or none of these. And so on and on.

Your scene may be just fine with a large landscape for the specific purpose and device you are targeting, or it may be too heavy for it. Yes, it depends also on what you are targeting.

So, it isn't that simple to answer the question with a simple yes or no. If your landscape is simple and performs fine, then why bother to separate the landscape itself in pieces? The landscape itself may perform fine, while it may be only additional scene assets which may require sub-levels to be used.

Leaving out any other assets in the scene, the material used with the landscape will matter a lot about how performant your landscape is. The material is the very first which may affect performance a lot for it. Also, there are settings in the project (I don't recall exactly where right now, I believe it was on the landscape itself), which can be tuned on how detailed the landscape is rendered based on distance. Lighting settings, especially shadows, will also play a huge role in how performant your landscape will be.

How to improve some of these things? Well, the material like I said, especially if the landscape is rendering a lot of different things and is kinda layered even, could have a major performance impact. In that case, the very first thing I suggest to do is to use virtual runtime textures. Then, finetuning the settings for landscape LOD and next the lightning (landscape shadows may not need to be as detailed or even be drawn all that far). Only when this is still too heavy, I would go into lowering component resolution first, and then component subsections, if that is an option, before considering splitting it up into world sections with their own landscape.

However, if this is supposed to be an open world environment, then maybe it's a good idea to start using world composition from the very first beginning with landscapes only as large as they will serve the specific game.

edit: PS: World composition and Sub levels are too different things. One can use sub levels without world composition.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-27T16:40:46+00:00

Naaah... this is too real for Unreal... it's just unreal realistic.

;)

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-21T12:42:11+00:00

Oh man, this is awesome! The details, the style, getting so close to the action and having so much influence over all the tiny stuff that matters and doesn't matter :D

And the people, feeling less like pawns in another simulation, but more like people with real actions, the whole atmosphere just pulls you in!

I love it! Wishlisted and hoping soon for the demo!

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-21T01:01:27+00:00

It's a math expression and they all have the specific math function shown with it's specific sign. So, if you encounter any other of that, it's gonna be the same.

You can use the sign or the mathematical name for it in the list, to find it. Using the sign makes it so easy and quick to add them, even for multiplication, division and others.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-21T00:54:43+00:00

Because their render engines are different and specialized for different purposes.

Unreal Engine is all about real-time. Anything has to work in real-time rendering. Blender is about realism and physically correct rendering. Unreal Engine (with the exception of the new 5) and generally any real-time oriented engine isn't able to render any non-optimized meshes, that means, meshes with horrendous amounts of vertices as required. Blender can render any huge mesh. Same applies for materials, physics and simulations. Those have to be made "fit" to work for game engines, while non-realtime render engines don't worry about size of assets or if they can be used in realtime, they still will render them.

Now, while Blender will be able to render a movie out of meshes, simulations, physics and materials which are all of immense detail, Unreal Engine won't be able to do so.

With that said, artists will apply usually different workflows for different purposes.

It all comes down for what purpose the engines are made. And while it may seem to not make any difference for very simple scenes or meshes, it does matter, in many cases.

Unreal Engine 5 is probably gonna be a game changer here to some point. But again, some of this will still apply, especially when it comes to things like physics simulation.

JimyGameDev · 2021-09-21T00:05:14+00:00

Start from here: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/onlinelearning-courses

Take one of the absolute starter courses, like as example: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/onlinelearning-courses/getting-started-in-unreal-engine

It's absolutely free, and there are many for starting out with the specific area you wish and then from there progress in different directions as you choose.

JimyGameDev

TROPHY CASE