by doxcf434 on 3/2/15, 4:54 PM with 240 comments
by scott_karana on 3/2/15, 5:08 PM
1 https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/welcome-to-unreal-engine-4
by outworlder on 3/2/15, 5:12 PM
My understanding, from previous versions, is that Unity offered a lot more tooling than Unreal. Also, Unreal's SDK demanded a lot of C++ code, which can be unappealing for small studios compared to Unity's Mono and several possible (managed) language choices.
However, Unreal appears to be much more capable, and better performing.
Also, is Crytek still competitive? It used to be competitive with Epic's offering, but was Windows-only.
EDIT: Unreal does have a comparison page for Unity developers: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/GettingStarted/From...
by SloopJon on 3/2/15, 5:19 PM
by gfodor on 3/2/15, 5:10 PM
by jokoon on 3/2/15, 8:52 PM
What I hate about unity is the whole interface editor thing, it's big and you must use everything to use it. Is this Unreal Engine more earth to earth when it comes to programming ?
If it's a powerful 3D renderer but it's hard to use for simple things and it's not easily extensible, it's not really worthwhile.
I see it's very powerful, but I'm still wondering about the real utility of an "engine" versus a library.
For example, if you have some new idea and you are a programmer, and you want to be able to experiment and not be constrained by the design of the engine, I doubt such engine would really be relevant. Programmers need simple tools and frozen platforms.
I guess this engine is great for small studio who want to make a real 3D game quickly, if their programming style fit well, but if you're an indie or a demoscener and you're just experimenting, this engine is just too powerful.
I mean it's great to have such great and powerful tools (if they can last at least 5 year and not make projects obsolete) for free, but I don't see becoming a standard in the game programming community, and I don't know why...
by jrlocke on 3/2/15, 5:21 PM
by cdnsteve on 3/2/15, 7:37 PM
Is it just me or is the source not public yet? https://github.com/EpicGames - No public repos
by nailer on 3/2/15, 5:44 PM
by mattdotc on 3/2/15, 5:20 PM
by bladedtoys on 3/2/15, 6:08 PM
...technically all they did was lower the price by $19 a month.
...and bought a lot of press for that
...and a lot more shots at the 5% revenue.
It's really great of course. But better yet, it's really very clever.
by rl3 on 3/2/15, 7:07 PM
What a great way to handle it.
by johntaitorg on 3/2/15, 5:05 PM
by antihero on 3/2/15, 8:55 PM
Say, hypothetically you had an advanced visualisation component that you wanted to build in UE, or a virtual tour part of a much larger app. Or even using it to provide some sort of AR experience, however this was just one feature of a much much larger project, which revenues could be in the millions. Does that mean they get 5% of the whole thing? Or just the part that directly relates to the game engine?
Not knocking it, I think it's a great model, but it does make for an interesting problem. I think Unity is a better choice for this sort of scenario, of course, but still.
by sago on 3/2/15, 11:29 PM
Your move Unity. $4500 per seat up front or $225 per seat per month for all-platform access is looking even less appealing for small Indies.
by toufique on 3/3/15, 4:09 AM
by arca_vorago on 3/2/15, 11:09 PM
Epic is really getting ready to eat Unity's lunch I think. The graphical quality of Unity 5 is comparable, but Epic is making huge updates on short timeframes and they keep doing stuff like this.
For anyone interested, blueprints are great for prototyping, but once you have too much complexity in a BP it can easily cascade inefficiencies to the point it becomes very noticeable, so I would suggest using C++ with VS 2013 community edition, which now works with the plugin the Epic provides.
Also, there are some features that you can only access if you compile the engine yourself, so that is probably also a good idea for anyone serious about their project.
by keyle on 3/2/15, 10:31 PM
However, while I like Blueprints and hate C++, I still think it needs something in between such as Lua or C# (I'm fluent in both, both come with pro/cons)
Also, with this news I'm a bit concerned about it being free, the growth that may lead in a lot of trolling on forums and misinformation. By that I mean, if you have a financial commitment to something, you're a lot less likely going to bash it publicly since you've put your money down towards it. I hope that they can keep the quality of the community to high standards like they have, with clear questions and answers.
by MrDosu on 3/3/15, 12:54 PM
About time we stop the 500 monkeys reinventing 500 wheels in parallel (at least it's concurrent monkeys, they smell nicer).
by jstelly on 3/2/15, 6:45 PM
by legohead on 3/2/15, 5:35 PM
by archagon on 3/2/15, 6:11 PM
by itsbits on 3/2/15, 6:32 PM
would love if they support WP8.1 as well..
by bpg_92 on 3/3/15, 12:53 AM
by LeicaLatte on 3/3/15, 6:21 AM
by sparaker on 3/3/15, 1:15 AM
by zerr on 3/2/15, 7:22 PM
by hosseingt on 3/3/15, 7:30 AM
by wampler on 3/3/15, 4:56 PM
by kirillp on 3/2/15, 6:23 PM
by sillyryan on 3/3/15, 6:41 AM
by curiously on 3/2/15, 7:23 PM
Can you use UE4 to build large online worlds like those in Rust and The Forest? Or is there a limitation like some people have suggested? What is the specific limitation exactly it hasn't been clear.
Can you use UE4 to build cross platform games, on mobile and browser?
Does UE4 have something like Crytek's terrain editor? That's my one favorite thing about Cryengine is their environment editor.
by benihana on 3/2/15, 7:06 PM
The last barrier to entry to someone who's trying to explore game making with Unreal has been removed. Thank you, Epic!
by curiously on 3/2/15, 7:17 PM
by PinnBrain on 3/2/15, 6:32 PM
by valarauca1 on 3/2/15, 5:11 PM
Its free as in a mob protection money is given freely, with a lot of strings attached.
Overall a very smart strategy. Free Software Walled Gardens I highly believe will start to become a common thing in the software industry. As you get most the benefits of Free Software, without the normally feared industry risks.