Gate Asset 2
Gate Asset 3
Gate Asset 4
Tunnel Asset
Building your First Game: An Infinite Runner
Overview
Course Overview: Building an Endless Runner Game in Unreal Engine
This course is designed for aspiring game developers and educators looking to learn Unreal Engine through a hands-on project: building an endless runner game. The course introduces essential game development concepts, focusing on visual scripting using Blueprints, and provides a step-by-step guide to creating an engaging and functional game.
Students will build a game where a ball character navigates through a procedurally generated tunnel, avoiding obstacles and passing through gates to score points. By the end of the course, learners will have developed a fully functional endless runner and gained foundational skills to expand their game development knowledge.
Course Overview
The course is designed to help those without a ton of video game experience to be able to not only get started making video games, but also help the instructors with suggestions for how to teach this. You as the instructor should not have to do a lot of trouble shooting or bug fixing, this game is extremely simple and can be replicated by anyone. I will attach resources that students can use without making their own, such as the tunnel or obstacles, but you can choose to provide those or not if you are also teaching 3D modelling.
This beginner-friendly course teaches students to create a fully functional endless runner game in Unreal Engine, no prior experience needed. Starting with basic familiarity with computers, students will learn to build, program, and export a game from scratch using Unreal’s visual scripting system, Blueprints.
Course Highlights:
- Software Setup: Get familiar with Unreal Engine by setting up the project and learning the essentials of navigation and scene setup.
- Creating Gameplay Elements: Use Unreal Engine’s pre-made shapes to represent the player character and obstacles, eliminating the need for external modeling software.
- Programming with Blueprints: Dive into Unreal’s Blueprints to set up player movement, controls, and infinite spawning for the tunnel, creating an endless runner effect.
- Dynamic Obstacle System: Add randomly changing gates to increase difficulty and create excitement.
- Implementing Scoring and Final UI: Set up a scoring system and display it on the screen to track player progress.
- Final Export: Package the game into a playable format, allowing students to enjoy and share their game.
By course completion, students will have a working endless runner game, gaining practical experience with game mechanics, programming logic, and Unreal Engine’s powerful toolkit.
Content Sections
If you would like to include a 3D modelling component to this, you could either have the students create objects for the game at the start of the course, or you can introduce it when you reach chapter 4 and begin designing obstacles. Either way should flow naturally.
Chapter 1: Setting Up Unreal Engine and Your Project
- Learning Objectives: Download, install, and configure Unreal Engine; understand basic navigation and project setup.
- Content: Guide to setting up a new project in Unreal Engine, and configuring the environment for an endless runner.
Chapter 2: Building Basic Gameplay Elements Using Blueprints
- Learning Objectives: Introduction to Unreal’s Blueprints visual scripting system; creating a player character and basic controls.
- Content: Setup of a simple player character using Unreal’s built-in shapes and adding controls.
Chapter 3: Creating the Infinite Tunnel System
- Learning Objectives: Understand procedural generation and use Blueprints to spawn level segments continuously.
- Content: Set up Blueprint logic to create an infinitely spawning tunnel effect, enabling the player to progress endlessly.
- Hands-On: Adjust movement speed to experiment with gameplay pace.
Chapter 4: Adding Obstacles for Dynamic Gameplay
- Learning Objectives: Introduce randomly changing gates to add challenge and excitement.
- Content: Design Blueprint scripts to spawn gates, configure collision detection, and test obstacle interactions.
Chapter 5: Implementing a Scoring System and Final UI
- Learning Objectives: Set up a scoring mechanism that rewards player progress or actions.
- Content: Build scoring logic in Blueprints, display score on the UI, and add feedback to encourage players.
- Try It Out: Adjust scoring to test different ways to incentivize gameplay (e.g., number of points for obstacles avoided).
Chapter 6: Packaging and Exporting the Finished Game
- Learning Objectives: Export the project as a playable file, allowing students to play and share their game.
- Content: Overview of packaging options, adjusting final project settings, and exporting for PC or other platforms.
- Wrap-Up: Review the complete game and discuss ways students could expand it on their own.
Chapter 1: Setting Up Unreal Engine and Your Project
Thankfully when Epic made the switch to Unreal Engine 5, they kept much of how Unreal Engine 4 worked. If you understand Unreal Engine 5, you'll understand 4, and vice versa. Unreal Engine 5 has some new tools, but we won't be using them and they do not interfere with the core concepts.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, students will:
- Install Unreal Engine (version 5 or an alternative version if needed).
- Create a new project with starter content.
- Familiarize themselves with navigating Unreal Engine’s interface.
1.1 Installing Unreal Engine
Step 1: Download and Install the Epic Games Launcher
- Go to Epic Games’ Unreal Engine page.
- Click on Download and install the Epic Games Launcher.
Step 2: Install Unreal Engine 5 or an Alternative
- Once installed, open the Epic Games Launcher.
- Go to the Unreal Engine tab in the left sidebar.
- Under Engine Versions, click Install next to the latest version, which should be Unreal Engine 5.
- If your computer can’t run UE5, choose Add Versions in the Engine Versions dropdown and select Unreal Engine 4.27 as an alternative.
Step 3: Launch Unreal Engine
- After installation, click Launch next to your chosen engine version.
1.2 Creating a New Project in Unreal Engine
Step 1: Open the New Project Window
- When Unreal Engine launches, you’ll see a Project Browser window. This is where you’ll start new projects or open saved ones.
- In the Project Browser, go to the Games category, then select Blank to create an empty game project.
Step 2: Configure Project Settings
- Select Blueprint as the project type, since this course will focus on Unreal’s visual scripting system.
- Ensure Starter Content is enabled to have access to basic assets, which will be helpful for beginners.
- Leave Ray Tracing disabled for performance, unless you have a high-end PC.
- Under Target Platforms, select Desktop/Console and Maximum Quality for graphics settings.
Step 3: Name and Save the Project
- At the bottom of the window, type in a project name like “EndlessRunner.”
- Choose a file location where the project will be saved, and then click Create.
1.3 Navigating the Unreal Engine Interface
Once the project opens, you’ll see the Unreal Editor interface. Here’s a quick overview of key sections:
Main Interface Areas
- Viewport: The large central area where you’ll see the game world. You can rotate, move, and zoom to view your scene from any angle.
- Outliner: Located on the right, this lists all objects in your current scene. Think of it as a directory for managing everything in your level.
- Content Browser: At the bottom, this is your asset library, where you’ll find textures, models, sounds, and more.
- Details Panel: To the right, showing detailed properties of any object you select in the viewport.
Basic Navigation Controls
- Moving the Camera:
- Use the right mouse button to look around.
- W, A, S, D keys allow movement like in a first-person game, while holding the right mouse button.
- Zooming In and Out:
- Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
- Adjusting Speed:
- You can change the camera speed in the top-right corner of the viewport if movements feel too slow or too fast.
1.4 Saving Your Project
- To save, go to File > Save All. Make a habit of saving often as you work!
Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to install and launch Unreal Engine, create a new game project, and navigate the interface. With these steps complete, you’re ready to start building your endless runner game.
Chapter 2: Building Basic Gameplay Elements Using Blueprints
Students may comment about how dark their scenes may be, encourage them to play around with the settings within the player character's Point Light. Even without changing object materials or setting up emissive textures, students can achieve fun lighting effects off of this one light.
Students can also experiment with changing the size of the player, but this can have additional unintended effects when not scaled with the other objects.
1. Create a New Player Character Blueprint
- Open Unreal Engine and navigate to the Content Browser.
- Right-click in the Content Browser, select Blueprint Class, and choose Pawn as the base class.
- Name this Blueprint BallPlayer.
2. Set Up the Ball Shape for the Player Character
- Open the BallPlayer Blueprint.
- In the Components panel, click Add Component and select Sphere.
- Rename it to BallMesh (or any descriptive name).
- Adjust the sphere’s size if needed using the Transform panel on the right.
- In the Components panel, click Add Component and select Point Light.
- Set the Point Light's Intensity to 50,000, and the Attenuation Radius to 20,000. This can be adjusted to get the area lit up as needed.
3. Add a Camera Component
- To give players a view of the ball, add a Camera component:
- Click Add Component and select Camera.
- Position the Camera Directly Behind the Ball: In the Details panel, set the X-axis to a moderate distance (like -20 – -30) to keep it close behind the ball.
- Set the Rotation of the Camera:
- Set Pitch to 0 (this keeps the camera level).
- Set Yaw to 0 to align it directly behind the ball.
- Roll should also be 0.
Update the Ball Movement to Move Forward Automatically:
- Go back to the Event Graph in the Ball Character Blueprint.
- Add a new Tick Event:
- Right-click and type Event Tick to place it in the Event Graph.
- Connect this to two Branches checking two boolean values that you need to create, Is Started and Is Dead.
- Multiply your Delta Seconds from your Event Tick by a float variable you should name Move Speed.
- Run the false Branch into a Add Actor World Offset. Run the multiplication result into the Delta Location X.
- This will cause the ball to constantly move forward, and the camera will follow right behind, creating the classic endless runner feel. For now, click on the Move Speed variable and set its value to 900.
- Click Add Component and select Camera.
4. Set Up Basic Controls for Mouse-Based Movement
- We’ll use input from the mouse to control the ball’s movement on the screen.
- Unreal Engine allows for input mappings through Project Settings.
Set Up Input Mappings:
- Go to Edit > Project Settings > Input.
- Under Axis Mappings, add two new axes:
- Name the first MoveRight. Assign Mouse X to it with a Scale of 1.0.
- Name the second MoveUp. Assign Mouse Y to it with a Scale of 1.0.
Implement Mouse Controls in Blueprints:
- Return to the BallPlayer Blueprint.
- In the Event Graph, create two nodes for movement:
- InputAxis MoveRight and InputAxis MoveUp.
- Connect these to add lateral movement to the ball:
- From InputAxis MoveRight, drag out and connect to an Add Movement Input node.
- For the Direction vector, get it from a Get Actor Right Vector node.
- For the Scale, use the Axis Value from InputAxis MoveRight multiplied by Move Speed.
- Repeat this for InputAxis MoveUp, setting the Direction from a Get Actor Up Vector node.
- Both of these node can then be ran into Consume Movement Input Vector. This is being done so that player sensitivity can be set.
- From that return node, multiply it by a new float variable called Sensitivity. This should be set to 0.05 to start but can be changed for what feels best.
- The result from that multiplication and the executable from Consume Movement Input Vector into Add Actor Local Offset.
5. Test and Adjust
- Click Compile and Save in the Blueprint Editor.
- Place the BallPlayer Blueprint into your level from the Content Browser.
- Play the level and test the mouse controls.
- Adjust the input sensitivity or camera position if needed to get the movement feel you want. If it gives you any issues, make sure your boolean variables are set to the right state for testing.
Chapter 3: Creating the Infinite Tunnel System
The measurements in this course are based upon the provided Tunnel Asset. Students are free to use whatever asset they would like for their tunnels, but ensure they understand that numbers will need to be changed for the game to work properly.
If students have issues with collision, please make sure they know to remove their Simple Collision and set their objects to Use Complex Collision as Simple. If they continue to have problems, they can delete the Simple Collision.
1. Setting Up the Blueprint for Spawning Segments
Blueprint Setup: Create a Blueprint Actor specifically for your tunnel segment:
- Name this Actor
BP_TunnelSegment
.
Adding Components: For each BP_TunnelSegment
, include:
- Tunnel Mesh – A visible tunnel mesh or shape to represent the segment.
- Box Collision – Positioned at X = 2532 to detect when the player reaches the end of the segment. This triggers the next tunnel segment to spawn.
- Spawn Point (Scene Component) – Position this component at X = 2500 on the X axis at the end of the segment. This will serve as the location from which new tunnel segments will spawn.
2. Building the Infinite Spawning System
We’ll now set up Blueprint logic in BP_TunnelSpawn
to spawn tunnel segments endlessly as the player progresses.
Step 1: Set Up the BP_TunnelSpawn Blueprint
Create a Blueprint Class:
- Go to the Content Browser, select Blueprint Class, and choose Actor. Name this Blueprint
BP_TunnelSpawn
.
- Go to the Content Browser, select Blueprint Class, and choose Actor. Name this Blueprint
Set Up the Initial Spawn Function:
Within
BP_TunnelSpawn
, create a function called Spawn Initial Tunnels.Add a Sequence node at the start to run two processes:
- First Sequence Pin: Plug this into Get All Actors of Class and select
BP_TunnelSegment
. This should flow into a For Each Loop with its loop body connected to a Destroy Actor node, clearing any lingering tunnel segments from previous sessions. - Second Sequence Pin: Connect this to a For Loop with a first index of 0 and last index of 2, ensuring there are always two segments in front of the player to prevent them from seeing the end of the tunnel.
- First Sequence Pin: Plug this into Get All Actors of Class and select
Create Validity Check and Spawn Function:
- Within the For Loop, add an Is Valid node.
- Create a variable called NewestTunnel of the actor type
BP_TunnelSegment
and plug this into the Is Valid node to check if there is an existing tunnel.
Step 2: Building Your First Spawn Function
- Create the SpawnTunnel Function:
- If the Is Valid node is False, create a new function called SpawnTunnel with a vector input named Spawn Location.
- Within this function, add Spawn Actor From Class and connect the Spawn Location vector to Spawn Transform Location. Set this to spawn the
BP_TunnelSegment
class. - Promote the return value of the spawned actor to a variable called NewestTunnel.
- In
BP_TunnelSegment
, create a variable named Tunnel Spawner of actor typeBP_TunnelSpawn
. - Return to
BP_TunnelSpawn
and use NewestTunnel to set Tunnel Spawner to a reference of self.
- If the Is Valid node is False, create a new function called SpawnTunnel with a vector input named Spawn Location.
Step 3. Spawning Continuous Tunnels
- Add Spawn Tunnel at Spawn Point Function:
- After checking Is Valid, create another function called Spawn Tunnel at Spawn Point.
- Connect this function’s executable to the SpawnTunnel function created earlier.
- Use NewestTunnel to get the Spawn Point Scene Component created in
BP_TunnelSegment
, and use Get World Location to feed into Spawn Location in theSpawnTunnel
function.
- After checking Is Valid, create another function called Spawn Tunnel at Spawn Point.
Step 4. Spawning Tunnels on Overlap
On Component Begin Overlap Event:
- In
BP_TunnelSegment
, add an On Component Begin Overlap event to the Box Collision component. - Use Cast To BallPlayer to ensure that it’s the player overlapping with the Box Collision.
- If the overlap is valid, use Tunnel Spawner to call Spawn Tunnel at Spawn Point.
- After spawning a new segment, connect this executable to a Destroy Actor node to delete the old tunnel segments behind the player.
- In
Add BP_TunnelSpawn to the Map:
- Finally, place the
BP_TunnelSpawn
Blueprint into the map at the player spawn location. It will now know to spawn the initial tunnels at the start of gameplay.
- Finally, place the
Chapter 4: Adding Obstacles for Dynamic Gameplay
Feel free to add more static meshes as gates, these objects are just a starting point. This would be a great point to pivot into 3D modelling, as they gates can be any kind of an object. Our studio had a lot of success with using abstract objects as the gates, those offer a lot of freedom in creative design.
If students have issues with collision, please make sure they know to remove their Simple Collision and set their objects to Use Complex Collision as Simple. If they continue to have problems, they can delete the Simple Collision.
Chapter 4: Building and Configuring Gates for Scoring
In this chapter, we’ll set up gates within each tunnel segment for players to pass through. These gates will play a central role in the game’s scoring system, as they’ll be used to track player progress and calculate points. We’ll also cover collision detection to handle game-over events and create a simple restart interface for a seamless gameplay experience.
1. Building Obstacle Gates
Setting up the Gate Mesh
- In the
BP_TunnelSegment
blueprint, add a newStatic Mesh
component and name it “Gate.” Set the default mesh to one of the provided gate meshes. - Position the gate within the segment by setting its X location to
2470
to align it correctly within the tunnel.
Randomizing the Gate Appearance
- Create a new function within
BP_TunnelSegment
calledRandomize Wall
. - Within this function, reference the
Gate
static mesh component and add aSet Static Mesh
node to it. - Next, add a
Random Integer in Range
node, setting its minimum to0
and maximum to the total number of gate meshes minus one. - Connect the integer output to a
Select
node. - Right click one of the Option pins on the Select node and select Change Pin Type.
- Select a Static Mesh Object Reference type to change the Option pins to Static Mesh selectors.
- Assign each option to one of the different gate meshes available. This will allow the gate to randomly select from multiple designs.
- Connect the output of the
Select
node to theNew Mesh
input of theSet Static Mesh
node to finalize the randomization. - After the gate mesh is set, add an
Add Local Rotation
node to apply a random rotation to the gate:- Create a
Random Float in Range
node with values between0.0
and360.0
. - Use this float output to set the Delta Rotation X in the
Add Local Rotation
node, giving each gate a unique rotation within the tunnel.
- Create a
Integrating Randomization with the Spawner
- In
BP_TunnelSpawner
, within theSpawnTunnel
function, call theRandomize Wall
function from theNewest Tunnel
variable reference. This will ensure each spawned tunnel has a unique gate.
Adding Continuous Rotation
- Return to
BP_TunnelSegment
and locate or add theEvent Tick
node. - Multiply the
Delta Seconds
value fromEvent Tick
by a new float variable calledRotateSpeed
, with a default value of30
. This can be modified and randomized later. - Use the result to control the X-axis rotation in an
Add Local Rotation
node. Connect both the tunnel and gate static mesh references to this node, allowing them to rotate continuously throughout gameplay.
2. Configuring Collision Detection
Setting up Collision for Gates
- In
BP_TunnelSegment
, select the static mesh component used for the gate and add anOn Component Begin Overlap
event. - To ensure collision only triggers when the player hits the gate, use a
Branch
node with a condition to check that the overlapping actor is the player character. - When the condition is met, set the player variable
Is Dead
totrue
to stop movement. - Then, use a
Set Hidden In Game
node to hide the player character model, marking the end of the game-over sequence.
3. Creating the Restart UI
Designing the Game-Over Menu
- In the Content Browser, create a new Widget Blueprint (e.g.,
BP_RestartMenu
). - Within the widget, add a Canvas Panel from the Palette in the top right. Then, add a
Text
component and aButton
. - Click on the Text Component and drag the white Anchor to the center of the Canvas Panel. Do this again with the Button.
- Drag the Text and Button where you would like them on the Canvas Panel.
- Select the Text Component and using the Text option in the Details panel on the right, add a message like "Game Over" to your Text Component. You can use the Font options and the handles around the Text to change the size of the component.
- Drag a Text Component from the Palette on top of the Button to nest a new Text Component inside the Button. Change the text of that Text Component to "Restart".
- Select the Button and check the box for "Size to Content" to resize the Button to fit around your Restart text.
Adding Restart Functionality
- Select the button and create an
On Clicked
event. Within this event, use anOpen Level (by name)
node and type in the exact name of your level to reload the current level, resetting the game to its starting state.
4. Displaying the UI on Collision
- At the end of the game-over sequence in
BP_TunnelSegment
, add a Create Widget node and select theBP_RestartMenu
widget. - Connect the widget’s return value to an Add to Viewport node, ensuring the game-over screen displays when the player collides with a gate.
- At the end of the Add to Viewport node, add a Cast to PlayerController node and add a GetPlayerController node to the Object pin. Drag off As Player Controller and create a node called Set Show Mouse Cursor. Set this to True.
NOTE: If your static meshes for the gates are giving you collision problems, be sure to open up the static mesh and ensure it is using Complex Collision and not Simple Collision.
Chapter 5: Implementing a Scoring System and Final UI
Encourage students to look beyond what they set up in this chapter. This establishes a great framework with the scoring system as well as an easy to use UI that can be expanded upon. See if students can think of ways to track streaks, or multipliers, this can help form more complex math equations to produce more interesting feedback.
1. Setting Up the Gate-Based Scoring System
Add a Score Variable
- In the player character Blueprint, create an Integer Variable called Score to track the player’s current score.
2. Displaying the Score on the UI
Create a Score Widget
- In the Content Browser, create a new Widget Blueprint called BP_ScoreUI.
- Inside the Widget, add a Canvas Panel and a Horizontal Box for organizing score information.
- Add a Text component to the Horizontal Box and set its text to say "Score:".
- Add a Spacer immediately after the text component, setting the X size to 10.
- Add another Text component after the spacer for displaying the score.
- In the Event Graph, create an Event Construct node.
- From this node, cast to BallPlayer using Get Player Pawn as the object reference.
- Promote the return variable to a variable named PlayerRef.
- In the Widget Designer, select the second text component (the one for the score data), scroll to the Text input, and create a binding.
- In the binding, use PlayerRef to access the Score variable. Connect the Score variable directly to the Return Node. This automatically converts the integer to text and updates it whenever the score changes.
- In the binding, use PlayerRef to access the Score variable. Connect the Score variable directly to the Return Node. This automatically converts the integer to text and updates it whenever the score changes.
- Move the Horizontal Box to the top-left corner and set its anchor to the top-left. If needed, enable Size to Content for the Horizontal Box.
Add the UI to the Viewport
- In the Level Blueprint, create an EventBeginPlay to display BP_ScoreUI at the game start.
- Use a Create Widget node to create an instance of BP_ScoreUI, then an Add to Viewport node to show it on screen.
3. Adding Score Functionality for Passing Through Gates
- In BP_TunnelSegment, add a Box Collision component named TriggerZone.
- Set its Location on the X-axis to 2532 and Box Extent to 32, 500, 500.
- In the Event Graph, create an On Component Begin Overlap node for TriggerZone.
- Connect the executable and other actor nodes to a Cast to Player Character node.
- Use the Score variable to increment the player’s score by 1, then set it using the Set Score node.
- At the end, add a reference to the Tunnel Spawner and call the Spawn Tunnel at Spawn Point function.
- Run the executable into a Destroy Actor node.
4. Setting Up a Start UI
Create the Start Widget
- Create a new Widget called Start.
- Add a Canvas Panel and a Button in the center of the Widget, setting its anchor to center as well.
- Attach a Text component to the Button, and set the text to say "Start".
- Resize the Button to fit the "Start" text.
Configure Start Button Actions
- In the Event Graph, add a Event Construct node.
- Cast to the Player Controller and use it to create a Set Show Mouse Cursor node, setting it to True.
- Back in the Designer, select the Button component, go to Events, and create an On Clicked event.
- From this event, cast to BallPlayer using a GetPlayerPawn node.
- From the BallPlayer cast, set the Is Started variable to True.
- Reference the Player Controller to create a Set Show Mouse Cursor node, setting it to False.
- Finally, add a Remove from Parent node to remove the Start widget from the screen.
Display the Start Widget
- In the Level Blueprint, add a Create Widget node to display the Start Widget at game start, followed by an Add to Viewport node.
- Place this code immediately after the Score Widget creation.
Try It Out: Testing Scoring and Feedback
Your game should now be fully functional and playable. If you encounter any issues with starting the game, check the BallPlayer Blueprint:
- Ensure Is Started is set to False by default.
- Ensure Is Dead is set to False by default.
Chapter 6: Packaging and Exporting the Finished Game
This should be one of the shortest lessons and should give a lot of time for reflection and feedback, here is a sample guideline of how to have students evaluate what they have created:
Wrap-Up: Reviewing and Expanding the Game
Game Review:
- Encourage students to review their game and consider what they’ve built. Let them play through it to observe any areas for refinement, such as scoring, UI, or obstacles.
Discussion on Expanding the Game:
- Suggest ways to expand the project, such as:
- Adding new tunnel designs or backgrounds.
- Implementing power-ups or new scoring mechanics.
- Experimenting with more complex obstacles or an evolving difficulty level.
- Suggest ways to expand the project, such as:
1. Preparing the Project for Export
Check Project Settings:
- Open Project Settings from the Edit menu. Here, you’ll set the target platform and optimize settings.
- Maps & Modes: Ensure the correct Game Mode is selected and set the appropriate Default Map for the game’s opening level. Under Maps & Modes, set both the Editor Startup Map and Game Default Map to the starting level of the game.
- Open Project Settings from the Edit menu. Here, you’ll set the target platform and optimize settings.
2. Configuring Packaging Options
- In Project Settings > Packaging:
- Build Configuration: Set to Shipping for a final build, which removes debug information and optimizes performance.
- Full Rebuild: Enable this option to ensure a clean build, free of temporary or old data.
- Use Pak File: Enabling this option packages all game content into a single file, which makes distribution cleaner and can improve load times.
- Include Prerequisites: Enable this if you want the installer to include necessary components like DirectX for Windows or Metal for Mac.
3. Packaging the Game for Windows
Select Build Configuration:
- In the Main Editor, go to Platforms > Windows and choose Package Project.
- Choose a target directory where the packaged game will be saved.
Initiate Packaging:
- Click on the chosen Windows option, and Unreal Engine will begin the packaging process. This may take a few minutes depending on the complexity of your game.
Testing the Packaged Game:
- Once the packaging completes, go to the saved directory and test the executable file (
.exe
) to ensure the game runs as expected. - Verify that all gameplay elements, graphics, and sound work correctly outside the Unreal editor.
- Once the packaging completes, go to the saved directory and test the executable file (
5. Creating a Final Build for Sharing
- Folder Structure:
- For both Windows and Mac, package all the files within the build folder into a single zip file to simplify sharing. Include any ReadMe files or controls guides if necessary.
6. Testing and Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Test on different machines if possible to identify any platform-specific issues.
- If you encounter errors, return to Project Settings and verify that your settings match the target platform requirements.
Conclusion
A few years ago, I stumbled upon a Twitter thread that easily explained how to build an entire game from scratch in just six posts. Unfortunately, that thread has since disappeared, as well as any trace of it on the internet. Inspired by that simple resource, I wanted to recreate it to the best of my ability. My goal is to provide a tool for aspiring game developers—one that enables anyone, regardless of prior experience, to create a great first project.
Massive thanks to Dogwood Gaming for making this all possible!
Created by:
Samuel Martino
Tyler Ulsch