Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) is a complete suite of game development tools made by game developers, for game developers. With more than 100 practical recipes, this book is a guide showcasing techniques to use the power of C++ scripting while developing games with UE4. It will start with adding and editing C++ classes from within the Unreal Editor. It will delve into one of Unreal's primary strengths, the ability for designers to customize programmer-developed actors and components. It will help you understand the benefits of when and how to use C++ as the scripting tool. With a blend of task-oriented recipes, this book will provide actionable information about scripting games with UE4, and manipulating the game and the development environment using C++. Towards the end of the book, you will be empowered to become a top-notch developer with Unreal Engine 4 using C++ as the scripting language.

What you will learn

Build function libraries (Blueprints) containing reusable code to reduce upkeep
Move low-level functions from Blueprint into C++ to improve performance
Abstract away complex implementation details to simplify designer workflows
Incorporate existing libraries into your game to add extra functionality such as hardware integration
Implement AI tasks and behaviors in Blueprints and C++
Generate data to control the appearance and content of UI elements

Who this book is for:

This book is intended for game developers who understand the fundamentals of game design and C++ and would like to incorporate native code into the games they make with Unreal. They will be programmers who want to extend the engine, or implement systems and Actors that allow designers control and flexibility when building levels.

About the Authors

William Sherif is a C++ programmer with more than eight years' experience in the programming world, ranging from game programming to web programming. He also worked as a university course instructor (sessional) for seven years. Additionally, he released several apps on the iTunes store, including Strum and MARSHALL OF THE ELITE SQUADRON. In the past, he has won acclaim for delivering course material in an easy-to-understand manner.

Stephen Whittle is a game developer and educator with nearly 10 years' development experience, most of which has been done using the Unreal Engine. He is a community contributor to the engine, having features or bug fixes included in almost every major version of the engine since its public release.