I’m trying my best to recall if I had 6 different sessions of personal practice. I have jumped into my personal practice from multiple directions. To start I’ll recap what my personal practice was.

to learn Unreal as the medium of which my thesis will be delivered through.

So what did I do?

I signed up for C++ unreal coding class online

I started following tutorials and implementing it into my Studio class

I began playing with the blueprints and spawning events and interactions

the results?

C++ online class. I sadly hit a wall when it came to the structuring and implementing of the database structure that are used to call and draw inventories and events. I understand everything I need to do but I get very lost when I have to recall the syntax used in C++. I understand that there has to be a repository being called and that I have to assign it an id while it is in the cloud and a new id when it is in the scene and I have to then record that the id has been rendered in and cannot be drawn again by blocking it and…I think you get it. I brough up my issues with a few collogues (Thank you Laurie!) and I followed their advice and signed up for an even more beginner centric Unreal C++ class from Udemy online.

This part covered the second and third points. But lets start with the tutorials. AMAZING!!! I made an used the blueprint system to legit make triggers, tokens, events, lighting, collision and so much more with the help of Unreal’s tutorials. they even have live online tutorials every day. I’m blown away by community and how everything is just so simple to understand. I even jumped into the new Unreal 5 and tested out the new preloaded terrain to make a cave and played with the sun (its addicting to play with).

I even recorded all my hours doing this (Thank you Professor Yarbrough for making me clock my hours!) and I spend roughly 20 hours total on this alone. Could I have done more? Absolutely! But I chose to help my loving wife take care of our brand new home and take care of some very pressing issues that could not wait. I’m very happy with what I’ve learned and what I’m going to learn.