Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine: The faster way to build games using UE4 Blueprints, 2nd Edition

by Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell

Develop high-quality interactive games with the power of Unreal Engine's visual scripting language and Blueprints framework

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

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2019

Reviews

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

A good book I learnt quite a bit from. Lots of detailed examples and a basic shooter game to implement. It’s a cook book so lots of very detailed recipes. But it’s comprehensive enough and easy to read. Easily the best of the four I’ve read so far.
My only disappointment ( hence the 4 rating) was that although the authors clearly know their stuff the book never rises above the level of a cook book. Scattered well working examples but no thorough and complete explication of concepts. The final section on Advanced Blueprints sounded promising but it turned out to be rushed and skimpy. So I know a lot more but I’m still looking for real understanding in many aspects.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reasonable introduction to Blueprint scripting but could be improved. Most of what they explain can indeed be found in the Unreal Engine documentation and tutorials but it is not well organised and so not easy to find until you know what to look for. The book provides a nice compilation of key concepts, however the book is heavily padded with explanations of how to create every blueprint graph. I think it would have been more beneficial to just provide finished graphs with explanations of key points rather than explaining how to create every node in every graph, which after a couple of chapters the reader knows how to do without instruction.