GAME DESIGN WITH UNREAL ENGINE 5

• Instructor introduction
• Course objectives & flow
• Q&A

The hardest and most rewarding part of an interview is the test. Study typical game design tests. See what industry opportunities await. Learn how your course project will prepare you and demonstrate your applicable skills.

• Games industry & studio types
• Game design roles & pipeline
• Studio testing methods
• Case study: Game design test example
• Course project introduction

Assignment #1: Game Concept
Craft a concise game concept (1-3 sentences) in alignment with the third-person shooter or third-person action-adventure genre. Ensure it adheres to the scope constraints of the test while reflecting your preferred role in game design.

Perfect your pitch. How can you showcase your idea without going overboard? Jump into the various parts of a pitch and game design to understand what elements you need to incorporate to be successful.

• Core loop, mechanics & fail/win state
• Dramatic elements, visual target & target audience
• The MDA framework:  pros & cons
• Case study: Pitch deck
• Demo: Reference gathering in Miro

Assignment #2: The Pitch
Prepare to pitch your game concept next class. Highlight key class elements and your unique game features in a brief, impactful manner. Keep text minimal on each slide. Aim for brevity!

Put your ideas into a comprehensible text. Help developers engage with your ideas by clearly documenting what aspects of your design are the most important. With case studies, turn “aha” moments into, actionable changes.

• Workshop: Pitch the current version of your game concept in small groups of 2-3
• Case Study: Game design documents for GTA 1 & Dirty Bomb
• Demo: Creating a design document from a template.

Assignment #3: Game Design Document
Develop a design document for your game concept, completing the categories in the template. Provide necessary details, adding sections only if aspects of the game are not covered by existing categories.

There are over 100 game engines, but we’re using Unreal. Today we’ll discuss the scope of game engines, why we’re using Unreal, and compare its advantages.

• Intro to game engines & order of operations
• How Unreal Engine (UE5) stands out
• The components of creating an experience in Unreal Engine 5
• Demo: Creating a project & putting together a quick level
• Demo: Creating a Blueprint Actor using BSP converted into Static Meshes

Learn level design lingo. Put design principles into play. Craft a 2D layout for your levels, and then upgrade it to 3D in Unreal Engine 5. Pay attention to all of the demonstrations to level up!

• Terminology
• Demo: 2D layout in Photopea
• Demo: Creating a metrics zoo/gym in UE5
• Demo: From 2D to 3D

Assignment #4: 3D Level Blockout in Unreal
Produce a 3D blockout from a 2D layout for your test, aligning gameplay with the specified 3-5 minute duration. Ensure grid-aligned and properly named actors. Address testing impediments with level warps based on lesson insights. Include spawn closets as needed.

Let’s advance your final project. Learn how to bring players from the beginning to the end of your level with core progression. As we engage more with Unreal Engine 5 Blueprint, you’ll take on technical concepts and AI systems that fill out the game space.

• What is a game system?
• Demo: Use enumeration & data structures in Unreal Engine 5
• Demo: Set up AI systems using Unreal Engine 5 Blueprint

Plan to enhance the player experience. Consider the pros and cons of paper vs. digital prototyping. Practice prototyping a traversal mechanic and core combat systems. We have more demonstrations prepared and ready to explain the how-tos.

• Different types of prototyping
• Demo: Creating core combat systems
• Demo: Creating a traversal mechanic

Assignment #5: Mechanics
Integrate playable mechanics into your level for testing core aspects such as combat, traversal, progression, AI, etc. Meet production plan goals to achieve the minimal game loop and progress from start to finish.

Extra Credit:
Develop an AI movement system in Unreal Engine 5 Blueprint, applying class insights. Implement AI movement based on patrol or idle behaviors in your prototype.

Hack the process. Plan your production with precision. Your production plan will outline the steps to realize your game design. Let’s use HacknPlan to create it and lay it out.

• Making your production plan “just right”
• Demo: Creating a production plan in HacknPlan
• Breaking down the mechanics from your design doc
• Case Study: Showcasing a detailed production plan

Progress your prototype even further. Keep your players informed through scripting, helping them to understand the rules and how to play. Sit tight through several demonstrations and prepare for your game to be tested.

• Let's get scripting!
• Demo: Creating tutorials using UMG UI Designer & level scripting
• Demo: Spawning AI dynamically throughout the level
• Demo: Creating a timeline & animating a platform
• Packaging your project for playtesting

Assignment #6: Production Plan & Tutorials in Unreal

Part 1: Generate a production plan from your design document, incorporating "vertical slice" and "polish" milestones. Populate relevant tasks into HacknPlan under the appropriate milestones.

Part 2 (Extra Credit): Integrate clear tutorials into your project, verify changes through external playtesting, and submit an updated build with a brief write-up on tutorial placement and purpose.

Playtesting makes perfect. Polish your game by checking for bugs with the Unreal Engine debugger. Then use HacknPlan to take note of the existing bugs.

• Playtesting, gaining valuable insight & tasking
• Demo: Finding a bug & reporting it
• Demo: Debugging Unreal Engine Blueprints
• The polish phase

Assignment #7: Vertical Slice Build
Complete the vertical slice of your test, ensuring alignment with production plan goals. Shift unfinished or less critical tasks to the "polish" milestone for refining before the course ends. Submit a playable build as your vertical slice.

Make your narrative shine with limited time. Work with narrative frameworks that’ll captivate your audience and express them through mechanics and systems. It’s your turn to create event-based narrative moments.

• Framework: three-act structure, the hero’s journey & other formats
• Types of game narrative
• Roles within narrative
• Characters
• Demo: Implementing narrative with events in Unreal Engine Blueprint

Assignment #8: Narrative Design Document (Extra Credit)
Write a brief narrative design document based on the supplied course materials to complement your game design test.

You have all of the pieces to the puzzle. Now it’s time to put it all together into a comprehensible portfolio. Format your creation, include gameplay capture, and learn how to present.

• Cleaning up the project & portfolio building tools
• Demo: Taking portfolio-worthy screenshots & using cinematic cameras
• Writing & explaining a contribution breakdown
• Case Study: Showcasing portfolio breakdown
• Playable demos debate

Discuss the difference between leading and implementing. Take the skills you’ve learned till now and figure out where they fall in the development spectrum. Welcome your guest speaker and take in as much as you can from their experiences. Apply tips to outshine your competition and get hiring managers’ attention.

• Introductions & guest speaker’s career path
• What makes a good designer & what is expected from juniors?
• Differences in roles within the design team
• Interview tips
• The ideal candidate for interviews

Hack the hiring process. As a game designer, you have limited time to impress studios. You have to present yourself and your work in the most marketable way. Take this final opportunity to learn how to land interviews at different studios and then ace them. Good luck!

• Creating, maintaining & showcasing your resume
• Creating a useful & sustainable cover letter
• Social media presence
• Additional skills to gain a competitive advantage

Assignment #9: Job Application Package
Build or update your portfolio using platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or a custom host. Refine your game design resume and craft a template cover letter. Submit your finalized game design test, along with your resume, cover letter, and portfolio, for comprehensive feedback, treating it as a "job application."