UnrealScript Lessons

This is a page aimed at newcomers to UnrealScript. Head over to UnrealScript for a full reference. Readers of this page are invited to create pages, suggest ideas for topics or expand on what is already here.

Introductions

These pages cover some of background knowledge you'll need before you begin.

• Unreal Engine Core describes how Unreal is setup so it can be modified
• Object Oriented Programming Overview describes OOP as the method used to modify and control all aspects of Unreal. You should read this if you never used an OOP language (like Java).
• Unreal Object Oriented Programming – How Unreal specifically defines OOP. This is where the rubber meets the road.

Tutorials

This is a sequence of tutorials. The are arranged in order of increasing complexity, starting from the very first steps in coding.

1. Setting Up UnrealScript
2. Simple mutators, starting from the very simple. These are all single classes, but there is considerable scope for modifying the game once we get started.
   1. UnrealScript Hello World
   2. Regen Mutator – a simple regenerating mutator
   3. Modify Mutator Tutorial – The Cooler
   4. Weapon Mutator Tutorial – Minigun HE
   5. New Weapon Tutorial – The Healer
   6. Bulldog Player – A tutorial for creating a player that is a vehicle instead of a normal character
3. Class-based mutators/gametypes
   1. Making A Class-Based Mod – Brief of Riftwar's method of player class creation.
   2. Spawning Your Own Bot – A intro to show you how to spawn and get control of a bot. So that you can write your own custimze AI-Controller
4. Other
   1. Stat Points System – Shows how to use stat points to change a gun speed, ammo held, etc.

Class tutorials

These tutorials look at single classes. They are in no particular order (for now).

• TriggerJumpPad - using states
• Barrel - using states (more complex)

Understanding Existing Unreal Code

• UT2003: Creating a new Weapontype
• UT and UT2003: Using LocalMessages
• UT2003: The Code References Page. Several classes have been posted and heavily commented for learning. Other classes are upcoming.

Unreal Specific Objects

• Classes and Objects
  • Package
  • Traversing Classes – Introduction to interacting and manipulating variables, functions, and values that exist in other classes
  • Input keys – Introduction to creating classes that allow user-inputted keys, and I include a trigger I made to use an Activate key (For original UT)
• UnrealScript Vector Maths – guide to using vectors

When You Get Stuck

• Compiler Errors
• Log Warnings
• Unreal Coding FAQ

Building on Previous Experience

If you already have programming experience in a different language, the following topics will help you find out the similarities and differences between the languages you know and UnrealScript.

• UnrealScript for C++ Programmers
• UnrealScript for Visual Basic Programmers

Please add pages for other languages. Just add UnrealScript questions and insights you gathered during your own learning process there as they come in.

Related Topics

• UnrealScript reference pages
• Mod Authoring (old UT version), and Making Mods.
• The UnrealScript Language Reference by Tim Sweeney
• http://mimesis.csc.ncsu.edu/Unreal/Syntax.htm
• UnrealScript video tutorials are available from [3D Buzz] (requires registration to download)

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Comments

DUc0N:Thought it might be nice to mention semi-up-front that mod authoring under Linux is NOT supported as of yet. Stay tuned though, I for one plan to gripe