Unreal FPS Development: Combat, AI, and UI Systems Course

Lesson 1 • Blueprint vs. C++ Decision Framework

Evaluate when to use Blueprints versus C++ for each system type in this course. Students apply a consistent decision rule throughout all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 2 • Version Control for Unreal Projects

Integrate source control into the project workflow to protect work across all course modules. Students commit their initial project state before adding any gameplay code.

Lesson 3 • Engine Setup and Project Configuration

Configure Unreal Engine for an FPS project, including input bindings and rendering settings. Correct setup here prevents rework in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Character Movement Component Deep Dive

Explore every relevant property of the Character Movement Component to tune FPS feel. Mastery here eliminates the need for custom physics hacks later.

Lesson 2 • Head Bobbing and Camera Shake

Add procedural head bob and camera shake to reinforce movement feedback without nauseating players. These effects are later reused for weapon recoil.

Lesson 3 • Movement State Machine

Formalize movement states into an enum-driven state machine to keep logic readable as complexity grows. This architecture is extended in the animation chapter.

Lesson 4 • Crouching and Capsule Resizing

Implement smooth crouch transitions by interpolating capsule half-height and camera position. Correct collision handling prevents clipping through geometry.

Lesson 1 • Weapon Data Asset Design

Store all weapon parameters in Data Assets to decouple data from logic. This separation allows designers to add weapons without touching code.

Lesson 2 • Ammo, Reloading, and Magazine Logic

Track current and reserve ammo with a reload state that blocks firing. Correct state management here prevents desync bugs in multiplayer later.

Lesson 3 • Weapon Sway and Aim-Down-Sights

Add procedural weapon sway driven by mouse delta and a smooth ADS transition that narrows FOV. These visual systems reinforce weapon weight and precision.

Lesson 4 • Hitscan and Projectile Fire Modes

Implement both hitscan line-trace and physical projectile fire modes within the same weapon interface. Students choose the correct mode per weapon type based on gameplay needs.

Lesson 1 • Hit Reactions and Ragdoll Death

Trigger directional hit reaction animations and transition to physics ragdoll on death. Visual feedback confirms hits and reinforces combat impact.

Lesson 2 • Combat Feedback and Hit Markers

Add screen-space hit markers, damage numbers, and directional damage indicators to close the combat feedback loop. These UI elements are wired to the HUD chapter.

Lesson 3 • Explosive and Area Damage

Implement radial damage with falloff for grenades and explosive projectiles. Falloff curves allow designers to tune lethality without code changes.

Lesson 4 • Unreal Damage System Integration

Use Unreal's built-in Apply Damage pipeline to route all damage through a single interface. Centralizing damage enables easy modifiers and logging.

Lesson 1 • Patrol, Chase, and Attack States

Compose patrol waypoint following, player chase, and attack sequences into a single Behavior Tree. State transitions are driven by Blackboard perception keys.

Lesson 2 • AI Controller and Blackboard Setup

Configure an AI Controller with a Blackboard to store shared knowledge between the tree and the environment. The Blackboard is the data backbone for all AI decisions.

Lesson 3 • AI Perception: Sight and Hearing

Configure sight and hearing senses on the AI Perception Component to detect the player. Perception events update Blackboard keys that drive tree transitions.

Lesson 4 • AI Difficulty and Reaction Tuning

Expose reaction time, accuracy, and aggression as tunable parameters to support multiple difficulty levels. Designers adjust difficulty without modifying tree logic.

Lesson 1 • Squad AI and Role Assignment

Coordinate multiple AI agents through a Squad Manager that assigns roles such as flanker, suppressor, and medic. Role-based coordination creates emergent tactical behavior.

Lesson 2 • Environment Query System for AI Decisions

Use the Environment Query System to let AI evaluate spatial options such as flanking routes and retreat positions. EQS queries replace hard-coded position logic.

Lesson 3 • AI Animation and Locomotion Integration

Drive AI skeletal mesh animations from movement speed and combat state using an Animation Blueprint. Animated AI reads as more believable and responsive.

Lesson 4 • NavMesh Configuration and Dynamic Obstacles

Tune the Navigation Mesh for indoor FPS environments and handle dynamic obstacles at runtime. Correct NavMesh setup is a prerequisite for all movement tasks in this chapter.

Lesson 1 • Minimap and Objective Tracker

Render a top-down minimap using a Scene Capture Component and overlay objective markers on it. The minimap updates dynamically as the player and objectives move.

Lesson 2 • Health and Armor HUD Display

Wire the Health Component's broadcast events to animated progress bars and numeric labels on the HUD. Real-time feedback confirms damage and healing to the player.

Lesson 3 • UMG Widget Architecture and Best Practices

Structure UMG widgets with a clear parent-child hierarchy and event-driven data binding. Good architecture prevents spaghetti widget graphs in later sections.

Lesson 4 • Ammo Counter and Weapon Info Display

Show current magazine count, reserve ammo, and active weapon icon, updating on every weapon event. This section connects the weapon inventory system to the UI layer.

Lesson 1 • Performance Profiling and Optimization

Use Unreal's profiling tools to identify and fix CPU and GPU bottlenecks before final delivery. Optimization ensures the prototype runs at target frame rate on minimum hardware.

Lesson 2 • Main Menu and Level Loading

Build a main menu with play, settings, and quit options that loads levels asynchronously. Async loading prevents hitches when transitioning from menu to gameplay.

Lesson 3 • Game Mode and Win/Loss Conditions

Define win and loss rules in the Game Mode class and broadcast outcomes to all listening systems. Clear game state management prevents undefined behavior at round end.

Lesson 4 • Audio Design and Sound Cue Integration

Integrate weapon, footstep, ambient, and UI sounds using Sound Cues and an Audio Manager. Layered audio dramatically improves perceived game quality.