Table of contents
A bit of context
In 2018, I discovered programming with the Unreal Engine 4. I wasn’t really writing code (I mean not C++) but I was using blueprints, a visual scripting system that allowed me the same than writing code.
(Source: Unreal Engine 4 documentation)
At the time, I didn’t understand the principle of functions so there was duplicated code everywhere, it wasn’t great. But still, I was able to write games.
I don’t remember a lot of things about developing Glutton Runner 4 years ago, so I’ll make my best to find interesting things to talk about.
The game
The game is an endless runner like Subway Surfers. Seems pretty easy but it wasn’t, at least with my level at the time. I faced several challenges during its development:
Challenges
Target
First of all, I wanted to make a mobile game using Unreal Engine 4. I think it wasn’t quite ready for that at the time, Unity would have been a much better choice.
Moreover, I developed the game on desktop so it was definitely not mobile friendly nor optimized for mobile. I had to rework a lot of stuff.
Performances
I wasn’t a 3D modeler so I used a free pack on the Unreal Engine marketplace which was POLYGON - City pack from Synty Studios. It’s a low poly city with a lot of assets but I wonder if it was optimized enough for mobile.
In order to fix the performance issues, I unloaded any tiles (basically, the game is about going through modules of assets like a bridge, a town etc) too far from the player. I also added a fog (a sphere around the player with a grey texture) to load the tiles as late as possible. I also added a shader to make the view rounded and hide upcoming fog as much as possible.
I also manually worked on LODs (Level Of Detail) in order not to show too many polygons if not needed.
Wrapping up
That was definitely an interesting project and a great introduction to programming.