I Made a Game in Unreal in 14 Days... (No Experience)
Jack Sather
32 min, 59 sec
A detailed chronicle of a YouTuber's two-week endeavor to learn game development and Unreal Engine.
Summary
- The YouTuber is passionate about video games and aspires to create his own while continuing to run his YouTube channel.
- He documents the process of learning Unreal Engine, addressing both the triumphs and struggles encountered along the way.
- Despite numerous challenges, including technical difficulties and distractions, he ultimately creates a simple game.
- The experience is educational and culminates in a sense of accomplishment and a desire to continue learning and developing games.
Chapter 1
The YouTuber expresses his passion for video games and his desire to start making his own games alongside his YouTube channel.
- Video games greatly interest the YouTuber, and he aims to invest time in developing them.
- He is not aiming to start a large studio right away but wants to gradually build up to that.
- There is an intention to potentially look for a team if the YouTube channel continues to be successful.
Chapter 2
The YouTuber reflects on the guilt of critiquing games without having participated in game development, and expresses a desire for a deeper understanding by creating games.
- The creator feels guilty for critiquing developers' work without having made games himself.
- While he believes that one doesn't need to create games to have a valid opinion, he feels that participation could lead to a better understanding of the medium.
Chapter 3
The YouTuber outlines his personal motivations and relevant skill sets that he believes will contribute to his success in game development.
- The YouTuber believes he has good ideas for video games and relevant skills from various life experiences.
- His background includes graphic design, team collaboration, extensive gaming, video creation, and having an audience for feedback and potential support.
- He's excited about the prospect of creating games and starting a studio before turning 30.
Chapter 4
The YouTuber shares his vision for the game development studio, including the types of games he wants to make and his recruitment plans.
- He envisions making third-person co-op adventure games and aims for a collaborative early-stage development process.
- The goal is to start with two positively reviewed Steam games before taking on a larger project for the third game.
- He has set up an email for interested game developers and 3D modelers to get in touch.
Chapter 5
The YouTuber details his initial steps in learning Unreal Engine 5, including watching tutorials and dealing with distractions.
- He started with a 5-hour long tutorial by Unreal Sensei to grasp the basics of Unreal Engine 5.
- While making progress, the YouTuber frequently got sidetracked by other videos and distractions.
- He faced issues like 'over-downloading' assets and struggled with certain aspects of the engine due to a lack of tutorials.
Chapter 6
The YouTuber encounters various challenges while trying to create and implement game assets, leading to frustration and setbacks.
- Difficulties arose with texture repetitions, virtual textures, and plugins that were not well-documented.
- The YouTuber also struggled with focus, often getting distracted and feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of tasks.
Chapter 7
The YouTuber focuses on creating a playable character and learning animation, finding joy in the progress made.
- Using MetaHuman, the YouTuber created a character and managed to import him into the game.
- He enjoyed the animation process in Cascader, even filming himself for reference to create realistic movements.
Chapter 8
In the final days of the two-week challenge, the YouTuber makes a last effort to produce a playable game and reflects on the learning experience.
- Despite feeling like he was failing, the YouTuber continued to learn and decided to extend his efforts beyond the two-week period.
- He restarted from scratch, avoiding past mistakes, and eventually created a simple game, finding the entire process rewarding.