Geoff Sholler - Build a Game with UDK

Geoff Sholler has an interest in video games since he first started playing them around the age of five. Many of his educational decisions were geared towards the end goal of getting into the business of making them, and as such, he attained a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a focus on Videogame and Graphics Programming from the University of Miami in 2008. After that, he went to the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) at UCF and earned a Master's degree in the field of Interactive Entertainment. While attending FIEA, he learned to use several professional-scale development toolsets, chief among them UDK. Upon graduating, he was hired by Trendy Entertainment, the makers of the hit game Dungeon Defenders, in a position which nobody can seem to find a proper title for, but Asset Integration Specialist, Level Scripter, and Technical Designer tend to be the most common ways to which he is referred. They all sound better than ''the guy with a technical mindset who knows nearly all of the engine tools really well", which is possibly the most accurate description of his job. He has been working there since January 2012, which means he has been elbow deep in UDK nearly every day for the past two years, including school.

I'd like to thank my parents for always believing in me, my friends for always being there with me, and Kristin, for brightening my life.

John Preston Doran is a Technical Game Designer who has been creating games for over 10 years. He has worked on an assortment of games in teams of just himself to over 70 in student, mod, and professional projects. He previously worked at LucasArts on Star Wars 1313 as a Game Design Intern. He later graduated from DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Game Design. John is currently a Software Engineer at DigiPen's Singapore campus, while also tutoring and assisting students with difficulties in computer science concepts, programming, linear algebra, game design, and advanced usage of UDK, Flash, Unity, and ActionScript in a development environment.

Robert Hamilton is a composer and researcher actively engaged in the development of interactive musical systems. He is currently pursuing his PhD at Stanford University at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. His research focuses on using immersive game-based environments as tools for musical collaboration, mixed reality performance, and the musical sonification of gamespace actors.

Dan Weiss is currently a programmer working at Psyonix Studios in San Diego, CA. He is a 2010 graduate of DigiPen Institute of Technology, having worked on titles such as Attack of the 50ft. Robot! during his time there. He has been working with the Unreal Engine since 2004, independently producing the mod Unreal Demolition for Unreal Tournament 2004 and Unreal Tournament 3. At Psyonix, he has been involved with Unreal Engine work on mobile devices, having released ARC Squadron for iOS devices.

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Preface

The Unreal Engine is used in many games out on the market. It's also used in other industries for things such as simulation. Regardless of the use, any product using the Unreal Engine will also use the Unreal Development Kit and the tools within it. This book will cover most of the tools included in the Unreal Development Kit.

What this book covers

, Hello UDK! , gives you a brief rundown of what the book will cover and walks through the process of installing the Unreal Development Kit.

, Moving Around in the Development Environment , goes over basic navigation within the editor.

, Building the Geometry of the World , covers the usage of the tools utilized to create terrain and basic structures.

, Fill out your Worldwith Details , covers the usage of tools dealing with the use of things like meshes, visual effects, lighting, and post-processing to make the world feel more alive.

, Kismet and Matinee , covers the use of Kismet, Unreal's visual level scripting tool, and Matinee, Unreal's cinematic and cut-scene creation tool.

, AI Navigation, Pathing, and Enemy Setup