Unreal Engine 5 – Create A Zombie Survivor FPS Game from Coursera

Embark on an exciting journey into game development with this comprehensive course on Unreal Engine 5. You'll begin by learning how to set up the foundational elements of your game, such as creating the night mood for a spooky atmosphere and designing the game area. Through hands-on lessons, you'll explore key tools and assets available in the Unreal Engine Marketplace, mastering the fundamentals that bring your FPS game to life.

Next, you'll delve into character creation and animations, where you’ll build a fully functioning FPS protagonist. From basic movements to advanced controller input settings, this section will teach you how to implement smooth character controls, including the addition of dynamic animations like jumping and aiming. You'll also dive into the weapon system, learning how to attach weapons, animate firing actions, and add sound effects to bring combat to life.

Finally, you'll focus on creating AI-driven zombies. This section covers every detail from adding enemy characters and setting up AI behaviors, to designing complex combat interactions and damage systems. You’ll also learn how to enhance gameplay with health pickups, ammo management, and HUD improvements. By the end of this course, you will have built a fully functional zombie shooter, complete with AI enemies and dynamic gameplay mechanics.

This course is perfect for aspiring game developers and intermediate Unreal Engine users. A basic understanding of Unreal Engine 5’s interface and basic game design concepts is recommended. Prior experience with game development is helpful but not required.

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction

In this module, we will introduce you to the overarching concepts of game development within Unreal Engine 5, specifically focusing on the creation of a zombie survival FPS game. You'll gain an understanding of what to expect throughout the course and explore the fundamental elements of game design for this project.

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Teaches how to create a fully functional zombie shooter, which is a popular genre for beginner game developers looking to build a portfolio

Explores key tools and assets available in the Unreal Engine Marketplace, which can save developers time and effort in creating game content

Uses Unreal Engine 5, which is a leading game engine used by professional game developers and studios, making this course relevant to industry standards

Requires a basic understanding of Unreal Engine 5’s interface and basic game design concepts, which may require additional learning for complete beginners

Covers AI-driven zombies, including setting up AI behaviors and designing complex combat interactions, which are valuable skills for creating engaging gameplay experiences

Reviews summary

Unreal engine 5 fps game development

According to students, this course is a solid introduction to creating a first-person shooter game in Unreal Engine 5, particularly praised for its step-by-step guidance and focus on practical project building. Learners appreciate the detailed coverage of core mechanics like character movement, weapon systems, and basic AI for enemies. Some mention that while the course provides a strong foundation, learners may need supplementary resources or prior UE5 knowledge for more advanced topics or troubleshooting, especially regarding potential engine updates or minor bugs encountered during the build process.

Offers strong introduction to core UE5 FPS elements.

"Provides a good base for anyone looking to get into FPS game development with Unreal Engine 5."

"I feel like I have a solid foundation in creating character movement, weapons, and basic AI now."

"Learned the fundamental mechanics needed for an FPS game quite well from this course."

"The course covers essential features that give you a solid start in UE5 game dev."

Includes character, weapon, and AI systems.

"Detailed coverage of character movement, weapon setup, and zombie AI is a major plus."

"The sections on weapon mechanics and AI were particularly helpful and well-explained."

"Gained a good understanding of how to implement essential FPS features like shooting and enemy behavior."

"The course successfully covers the main pillars of an FPS game: player, weapons, and enemies."

Builds a working game, providing hands-on experience.

"The focus on building a complete game project from start to finish is very effective for learning UE5."

"Really enjoyed building the zombie shooter project. It's a great way to apply concepts."

"This project-based approach helped solidify my understanding of Unreal Engine workflows."

"Creating the actual game provided valuable practical experience I wouldn't get from just theory."

Course provides clear, sequential instruction.

"This is a good comprehensive course that guides you step by step in the creation of a First-person shooter game."

"The course covers step-by-step instructions which are easy to follow for creating the game."

"I liked how the course covered building the game step-by-step. It made the process manageable."

"Following along step by step, I was able to build a functional FPS game."

Best for those with some Unreal Engine familiarity.

"A basic understanding of Unreal Engine 5's interface and basic game design concepts is recommended."

"Might be a bit fast-paced for complete beginners with absolutely no prior UE5 experience."

"Helpful if you've opened Unreal Engine before and know your way around the editor."

"Prior experience with game development is helpful but not required."

May require adjustments for newer UE5 versions.

"Be aware that due to Unreal Engine updates, some parts may require slight adjustments."

"Had to do some minor troubleshooting because the engine version I used had some differences from the course."

"Keeping up with UE5 updates can make following older tutorials tricky sometimes."

"It's helpful to be prepared for small discrepancies if not using the exact same UE5 version."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Unreal Engine 5 – Create A Zombie Survivor FPS Game with these activities:

Brush Up on C++ Fundamentals

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Reinforce your understanding of C++ syntax and concepts, as Unreal Engine uses C++ extensively for game logic and scripting.

Browse courses on C++

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Review basic C++ syntax and data structures.
Practice writing simple C++ programs.
Familiarize yourself with pointers and memory management in C++.

Review 'Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5'

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Learn how to use Blueprints to create gameplay mechanics, enhancing your ability to prototype and iterate quickly.

View Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5... on Amazon

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Browse the table of contents to identify relevant chapters.
Work through chapters related to character movement and AI.
Experiment with the Blueprint examples provided in the book.

Review 'Unreal Engine 5 Cookbook'

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Learn practical solutions to common Unreal Engine 5 challenges, enhancing your ability to implement game mechanics effectively.

View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon

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Browse the table of contents to identify relevant recipes.
Work through recipes related to character movement and AI.
Experiment with the code examples provided in the book.

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Follow Unreal Engine's FPS Tutorial Series

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Deepen your understanding of FPS mechanics by following a comprehensive tutorial series from Unreal Engine.

Browse courses on FPS

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Locate the official Unreal Engine FPS tutorial series.
Follow each video in the series, implementing the steps in your own project.
Experiment with modifying the tutorial to fit your game's design.

Document Your Learning Journey

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Reinforce your learning by documenting your progress, challenges, and solutions throughout the course.

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Create a blog or journal to record your learning experience.
Document each module's key concepts and challenges.
Share your insights and solutions with other learners.

Prototype a Simple Zombie AI

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Solidify your understanding of AI implementation by creating a basic zombie AI system with simple behaviors.

Browse courses on AI

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Create a new Unreal Engine project.
Implement basic zombie movement and pathfinding.
Add simple attack behavior when the player is nearby.
Implement a basic damage system for the zombie.

Contribute to an Unreal Engine Project

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Deepen your understanding of Unreal Engine by contributing to an open-source project, gaining practical experience and collaborating with other developers.

Browse courses on Unreal Engine

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Find an open-source Unreal Engine project on GitHub or GitLab.
Review the project's documentation and contribution guidelines.
Identify a bug or feature to work on.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Unreal Engine 5 – Create A Zombie Survivor FPS Game will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Game Designer

A game designer is responsible for the overall vision and mechanics of a game, and this course directly contributes to that skill set. This role often involves planning the game's structure, designing the gameplay systems, and implementing core mechanics. This particular course helps build a foundation in creating a first-person shooter, a valuable experience for a game designer, since it covers level design, character animation, and AI implementation. Hands-on experience, such as that gained by creating a game with artificial intelligence driven enemies, helps a game designer to have a deep understanding of the many facets of game development, which is useful in a collaborative environment.

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Level Designer

A level designer creates the environments and layouts that make up a game's world, and the skills learned in this course are directly applicable to such work. This role involves building immersive and functional spaces, carefully considering the player's experience. This course teaches the skills behind creating the game's area, setting a mood, using assets, and placing objects. It is also an introduction to core mechanics that impact the level. These elements all contribute to creating engaging and well-structured game environments. A level designer who takes this course will understand the technical constraints and creative options available when designing a level.

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Gameplay Programmer

A gameplay programmer implements the core mechanics and systems that drive a game, and this course provides the skills for success. This role includes coding player controls, character movement, combat systems, and AI behaviors. Through hands-on experience, this course helps build a foundation in creating character movement, implementing weapon systems, and designing enemy AI. A gameplay programmer will use the experience from this course to understand how to create an immersive and functional game experience. The course also provides experience with combat and player experience.

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Technical Artist

A technical artist bridges the gap between art and programming, and this course may be useful in this endeavor. This role often involves creating tools and workflows to help artists integrate their work into the game engine, as well as optimizing assets for performance. The course covers the technical aspects of implementing animations, weapon behaviors, and AI systems. While this course is not focused on art creation, it provides a better understanding of the technical requirements and limitations that a technical artist needs to be aware of. A technical artist who takes this course would be able to better understand the challenges of implementing art assets in a game environment.

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AI Programmer

An AI programmer specializes in creating the artificial intelligence that drives non-player characters, and this course may be useful. This role designs and implements behaviors for enemies and other in-game entities. This course includes creating AI-driven zombies, complete with combat interactions. An AI programmer will take useful experience from this course. The course also covers player interaction with AI characters. This course would be a useful introduction to AI programming in a game context, and in particular, creating AI that is engaging and fun to interact with.

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Game Tester

A game tester ensures that a game functions as intended and is free of bugs. This role requires a deep understanding of different gameplay systems, and this course may be useful. This course provides exposure to a variety of game systems, including character control, weapon mechanics, enemy AI, and combat. A game tester often benefits from understanding how a game is assembled. A game tester familiar with these systems is better equipped to identify bugs and understand the potential impact they might have. This course provides useful insights into game development.

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Animation Designer

An animation designer creates the movements and visual effects for characters and objects in a game, and this course may be useful. This role involves working with animation software and game engines to bring characters to life. This course helps build the fundamental understanding for how to implement character movement and animations, and how animation state machines work. An animation designer can then better understand how their work impacts the gameplay experience, since this course goes into detail about the process of getting animations into a game. An animation designer could make use of this experience to enhance the quality of their work.

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User Interface Designer

A user interface designer creates the menus, HUDs, and other interactive elements that players use to navigate a game, and this course may be useful for one who is interested in these aspects of game development. Although a large focus of the course is not on user interface, the course does touch on this aspect of game development. This course covers the implementation of a heads-up display. A user interface designer may find that experience in this course will aid them in better understanding the technical constraints of implementing a UI in a game. Having this awareness will be useful to the user interface designer.

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Sound Designer

A sound designer creates and integrates audio into a game, and this course may be useful. This role often includes creating sound effects and integrating music. Although a large focus of the course is not sound, this course covers the process of adding sound effects to weapon systems. A sound designer may find that the experience in this course will aid them in better understanding how sound effects are implemented and impact gameplay experience. A sound designer could use this knowledge to improve the quality of their work.

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Project Manager

A project manager oversees the development process of a game, ensuring that it meets deadlines, stays within budget, and is of high quality, and this course may be useful for such an endeavor. This role requires a broad understanding of the creative and technical aspects of game development. This course provides exposure to the many systems that comprise a functional game. A project manager who goes through such a course can better understand and appreciate what it takes to create a game, and be more effective at managing game development. This course provides important context for a project manager.

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Game Writer

A game writer creates narrative content for games, such as storylines, character dialogues, and world lore. Although this course focuses on the implementation of systems, a game writer could find this course useful for its unique perspective. The course covers the mechanics for a zombie survival shooter, and the creation of such a game may help generate ideas for the game writer. This would give them a better understanding of the game development process. Having a functional, playable game may be beneficial for the creative process of a game writer.

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Producer

A producer manages the overall development of a game, overseeing timelines, budgets, and team organization and this course may be useful. Although this course focuses on the technical aspect of creating a single game, this can provide useful experience for a producer. Understanding how different systems work, and the effort needed to implement them, may be beneficial to working as a producer. The various systems of the game, such as character animation, AI enemies, and weapon mechanics, that are discussed in this course, can all inform good project management by the producer. A producer would have a broader understanding of the game development pipeline.

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Marketing Specialist

A marketing specialist develops strategies to promote a game to a target audience, and this course may be useful to them. This role involves understanding the game's unique qualities and translating them into compelling marketing campaigns. Although this course focuses on the technical aspect of creating a game, it provides a unique perspective that can be very useful. The experience of developing a first person shooter can provide insight into the genre itself. This knowledge can help a marketing specialist better understand a game and its target audience. This kind of knowledge is invaluable for a marketing specialist.

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Software Engineer

A software engineer designs and develops software applications, and this course may be useful. This role requires a strong foundation in programming and problem solving. While this course focuses on game development, the underlying programming skills are transferable to other areas of software engineering. The process of creating complex systems, such as AI behaviors and combat interactions, can be applicable in other software domains. The experience from this course will help build the foundation required for other software engineering projects.

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Community Manager

A community manager engages with players, builds a strong community, and collects feedback, and this course might be helpful in generating perspective. Understanding the development process, as well as seeing all of the different aspects of gameplay, can be helpful in a community manager's role. The course covers the creation of a fully functional zombie shooter, with player controls, AI driven enemies, and weapon systems. Going through the process of creating a game can help one better understand the players, and therefore, be a better community manager. Through this course, they may also better understand community feedback.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Unreal Engine 5 – Create A Zombie Survivor FPS Game.

Putting Knowledge to Work

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Provides practical solutions and recipes for common tasks in Unreal Engine 5. It's a great resource for learning specific techniques and workflows. It is especially useful for understanding how to implement gameplay mechanics and visual effects. This book can be used as a reference throughout the course.

Putting Knowledge to Work

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Putting Knowledge to Work

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Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5

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Provides a comprehensive guide to using Blueprints, Unreal Engine's visual scripting system. It's a great resource for learning how to create gameplay mechanics without writing code. It is especially useful for understanding how to implement character movement, AI, and combat systems. This book can be used as a reference throughout the course.

Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5:...

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Unreal Engine 5 – Create A Zombie Survivor FPS Game

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What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Unreal engine 5 fps game development

Activities

Career center

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