Introduction to C++ Programming and Unreal (Coursera)

Computer programming is really fun in general, and programming games is even better!

Caution: Introduction (starting to learn C++ and Unreal Engine) is not the same as easy (not hard to do). Learning to program using C++ in Unreal Engine IS hard to do, especially since this course is essentially the first half of a freshman-level college course. Meeting the course challenges while you master the material will be rewarding to you, but doing that will require hard work and maybe even a few expletives along the way.

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Starting to Program

In this module, you'll learn about the course and get Unreal installed and configured. You'll write your first C++ console application and your first C++ script in Unreal.

WEEK 2

Data Types, Variables, and Constants

In this module, you'll learn how information is stored in the computer using binary and you'll learn how data types tell us how to interpret the bits and memory and what operations we can perform on those bits. You'll also learn about the most commonly-used numeric types in C++, you'll get some practice reading documentation (which programmers do all the time!), and you'll learn how to use the debugger to find and fix bugs in your code.

WEEK 3

Classes and Objects

In this module, you'll learn the foundational concepts in the Object-Oriented (OO) paradigm. This paradigm is incredibly useful in game development, because it models our software system as a set of software objects that interact with each other. Those concepts map nicely to games, which typically include lots of game entities that interact with each other. You'll learn how to actually use classes and objects in your code as well.

WEEK 4

Unreal Engine Basics

In this module, you'll start learning how to use Unreal Engine. We'll explore how to import models into our games, how to set up the orthographic camera and light source for a "2D" game, how to create reusable assets (blueprints) you can add to the game either in the editor or from scripts, and how to use the physics system. You'll finally do more in Unreal than just write scripts!