In this lesson you will be shown how to install Unreal Engine on your PC.

Link to download the project.

In this lesson, students will learn how to build a simple parkour course to get the player through a hallway, and across a treacherous void. They will learn about collision detection and how important it is in computer programming, especially in game development. They will also have a chance to get familiar with navigating the Unreal Engine user interface (UI), more specifically, the Viewport. They will explore the interface in order to modify objects to include collision detection and place objects throughout the level to develop the game world.

Overview

Have you ever wondered how developers create platform games that involve running and jumping, while hopefully not falling to your demise? Now it’s your turn to become the developer and build your own 3D game using Unreal Engine, one of the industry standard tools for game development.

In this lesson, you will learn how to build a simple parkour course to get the player through a hallway, and across a treacherous void. You will learn about collision detection and how important it is in computer programming, especially game development. You will also have a chance to get familiar with navigating the Unreal Engine user interface, more specifically the Viewport. You will explore the interface in order to modify objects to include collision detection and place objects throughout the level to develop the game world.

Many games include moving platforms to add a challenging and exciting game mechanic. In this lesson, students will learn how to build a game level with floating islands, using moving platforms. To make it to safety, the player must time their jumps to traverse the sky, moving from island to island. Students will learn computer programming concepts including loops and Boolean variables, and get an understanding of how important they are, particularly in game development.

Overview

In this lesson, you will learn how to build a game level with floating islands, using moving platforms. To make it to safety, the player must time their jumps to traverse the sky, moving from island to island. You’ll learn computer programming concepts including loops and Boolean variables, and how important they are, particularly in game development.

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of loops as a computer science concept.

• Demonstrate an understanding of Boolean variables.

• Apply the understanding of loops and Boolean variables in the context of a game.

• Create and modify a game level in a true game engine (Unreal Engine) that incorporates the application of loops and Boolean variables.

In this lesson, students will add a power-up that enables the player to reach platforms that are much higher than they can currently reach. We’ll explore Blueprints, the visual-scripting system for Unreal Engine, and make changes to the variables responsible for the desired outcome. Then students will add coin pickups to entice the player to jump to these out-of-the-way places.

Overview

In games, power-ups allow the player to perform actions they might not otherwise be able to perform. For example, you can add a speed boost to help a player reach a goal faster, or you can add a boost that makes your player invincible for a period of time. Oftentimes, power-ups are a function of changing a variable to provide this short term effect.

In this lesson, you will be adding a power-up that will allow the player to reach platforms that are much higher than they can currently reach. You will explore Blueprints, the visual scripting system in Unreal Engine, and make changes to the variables responsible for the desired outcome. Then you will add coin pickups to entice the player to jump to these out-of-the-way places.

Students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of Blueprints in Unreal Engine.

• Demonstrate an understanding of variables.

• Apply the understanding of modifying variables in the context of a game.

• Create and modify a game level in a true game engine (Unreal Engine) that incorporates changing variables.

• Work with variables to determine the correct value required to achieve a desired result.

In this lesson, students will learn about and work with conditional statements. The condition is that a key is needed to open the door. Once inside, the player can complete the game.

Overview

You’ve jumped through several levels and risked everything—jumping high in the sky across treacherous, moving islands. You finally made it to the castle where you believe you will find the final treasure! You would love to just walk in, wouldn’t you? As you might expect, the door is locked and you don’t have the key! Find the key and unlock the door so you can reach the final goal.

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of loops as a computer science concept.

• Demonstrate an understanding of Boolean variables.

• Apply the understanding of loops and Boolean variables in the context of a game.

• Create and modify a game level in a true game engine (Unreal Engine) that incorporates the application of loops and Boolean variables.

In this activity, students will learn how to use elements of the user interface or heads-up display (HUD) effectively to provide a positive-user experience in a game.

Overview

Think about some of your favorite games. As a player, is the information displayed in a way that lets you know what’s going on? Are you aware of your score or health? Can you easily view what items are in your inventory? If you have special abilities, is there a way for you to see whether they are currently available or in a cooldown period? These are all elements of the User Interface (UI) or Heads-up Display (HUD). When implemented effectively, they add to the positive user experience in a game.

It’s your turn to become the developer and use Unreal Engine, one of the industry-standard tools for game development, to add this functionality to your game. You will add UI and HUD elements to enhance the player experience. In addition, you will modify your game to make it your own. Finally, you will package (publish) your game so you can share it with the world!

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the HUD and modify settings related to HUD elements.

• Demonstrate an understanding of how to incorporate widgets and work with them in the Blueprints Visual Scripting environment.

• Incorporate what they have learned to enhance a game level using Unreal Engine.

• Package and publish an Unreal Engine project so the end user can launch and play the game outside of the UE environment.

In this lesson we will show how to install Visual Studio.