I just completed the Developers Course. As a 3d Model/Asset Designer I wanted a better understanding of what works for people creating the actual games as far as assets and how they get integrated and what makes a better model/asset. I can’t help but wonder how people are creating games without being able to code, I see that a lot. Seems like you could spend months just trying to find code that would work for you. Guess it’s time to move on to coding.
Those developers who don’t know how to code start off with a visual scriptiing tool like PlayMaker. Unfortunately, while these visual tools are great for an introduction to getting game mechanics working, you eventually realize that visual scripting is more of a crutch, or training wheels, to actual text-based scripting.
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$65 for something that is free in UE4?
Also I have heard of huge projects being made in blueprints from what I understand there is no limits.
I started out using visual scripting. I tried Playmaker, and in my time with UE4 I used blueprints.
Honestly, I find them confusing, and this is coming from an artist. Some things are very easy, but as your game gets more complex or you need to do something a bit more involved, I think visual scripting can be just as hard if not more confusing than just coding.
So, I spent some time to learn c#. I’m no master, but I’ve made a lot more progress with my game since I made the switch.
One thing that helps is that there are so many tutorials in c#, not to mention sample code. Plus, some assets use code.
In some ways, well organized code is easier to maintain. Also, it’s easy to edit and add to. With the ability to add comments and organize things how you want, I think it is easier to read than a mess of visual scripting nodes which can get complex after a while.
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Its better to use both in my opinion. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of the two and figure out how you would like to implement either of the two in your project.
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Id recommend learning to code; it is not only an incredibly valuable & useful skill when making games, but it will be relatively transferable across other digital mediums (to an extent; each language varies but core themes (variables, methods, etc) exist in some form).
IMO, Visual Scripting has its uses (for quite basic ‘click on door and it opens’ situations) but you’ll very quickly begin to suffer ‘node spaghetti’ when you start to actually make a game with various systems, complexities and structures in play.
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Ding ding ding!
This is definitely a subject of much controversy as far as the Unity roadmap is concerned. While I can understand why a subset of Unity users would like a native visual scripting language, there is another subset of Unity users, including myself, that would rather not have UT resources spent on something which adds no value other than to those who cannot write code with a text editor/IDE. As @Andy-Touch mentioned,
Visual Scripting is like Duplo. How many years are you going to play with Duplo before you move on to Lego?
Also, blueprints may be great in UE4, but you still have to write the game-specific code for it, if no such specialized code exists for your own purposes.
I’m currently experimenting with blueprints and Unreal. I’m not sure I like giving up so much control. All of my ‘this is going to come back later and bite you’ alarm bells are ringing.
To the OP: Just learn to code. It’s not that hard.
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Well, we are working on Visual Scripting for Unity but its not ready yet. 
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Meh. Well, I’m still on 5.3.x. 
I’ll wait till the dust settles.
What are your thoughts so far on it being the next big thing? I have read the unreal forums and I have seen nothing but positive reviews of blueprint, I hear there are massive projects being built strictly with blueprints now and EPIC is pushing it hard, it turned out to be a run away hit. Do you think it is as great as people say it is?
if you look at BP it isnt a either or thing, yes you can make a game in unreal with no C++, but the BP system is setup to actually work nicely with code. BP classes can inherit from C++ classes and extend them really nicely and can also work with interfaces.
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Ooh I see, any chance Unity having a blueprint feature exactly like this? or will C# prevent it?
I have read that the reason visual scripting does not exist in Unity is because it will be a gimmick due to C#. So was wondering if any truth to that?
well if c# prevents it, it is only because c# is a faster to build and easier language to work with than C++. When working with unreal i tended to always build my main systems in C++ as components just like i would in unity. Than mostly used BP to either make modifications to these or to act as the glue between multiple components on one UActor. Also scenes have their own bp’s as well so they are nice for doing scripted game events.
Not true about it being a gimmick! Users already have C#, so Visual Scripting didn’t seem as high a priority as other features we have been working on in recent times (Progressive Lightmapper, 2D Tilemapper, Scriptable Render Pipeline, New NavMesh Workflows). But we do have a team working on that system now.
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I think learning to code gives you the most power and flexibility. This is coming as an artist who started with node-based programming but now I cringe when I have to look at old projects.
There are a few use cases where node-based code works better:
- simple ‘open the door’ events
- shaders
- parametric modeling ( talking about Rhino’s Grasshopper or the upcoming Unity Archimatix asset under development )
I think it’s borderline if the node graph is useful in Mecamin. Kinda, but also seems to get overly complex for simple animation tasks.
Everything else just seems easier and visually clear as code. I can see what method is called under what conditions without it feeling like a visual puzzle. And, anything really interesting requires some math, conditions, loops, etc. that need to be done as text anyway.
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Would be awesome if Unity has it built in and supported directly by Unity especially compared to new users having to risk paying $64 for something they may not end up liking.
Hopefully the Unity Blueprint comes before the end of the year.
Personally it’s easier to mix and match both native C# and visual scripting (Playmaker specifically).
I use pure code for technical stuff, and visual acting as an overview for the game flow.
Linking function calls via VS also reduces compile time, greatly improving prototyping time.
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Honestly its to early for me to call it. I’ve literally only spent a few hours playing with the system. Many of my problems may solve themselves simply by understanding the system better.
I just like being in control.
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