Why did we install VS 2022 CD if we are going to be using VS Code instead?
Honestly I think this course would be better off using VS 2022 CE instead of VS Code since VS 2022 CE is widely used in the industry. I also would not have purchased this course had I know that VS Code was going to be the IDE of choice.
They use VS Code for all of the courses because the interface looks the same on all three operating systems. I use VS 2022 for all of the Unity classes I have taken. It does not impact following along with the videos. Most of the intro videos tell you that using another IDS is OK. I have not done any Unreal classes, but I would imagine that it is the same.
Yeah, it’s just annoying when instructors decide to use lesser know tools & utilities, especially when using highly visible and sought after applications. The reason to use VS 2022 is so the student receives experience and understanding for an IDE. It looks a lot better during an interview to say you have experience using VS 2022 with Unreal Engine 5 (or Unity) than the extremely stripped down VS Code.
VS 2022 is needed for the libraries and older versions of VS are needed for older versions of Unreal - it is the easiest way to install everything you need for Unreal development. Installing VS Code is optional and we’ve had many discussions about this. It is a lighter editor and is cross-platform. For the mac C++, you need XCode installed too and for Linux a bunch of different stuff again.
Most importantly here, specific versions of the tools need to be installed, such as for UE5.0 you need .NET Core 3.0 and later versions require 6.0
Honestly, the IDE doesn’t matter too much as long as you have it configured correctly. I personally use Rider but would use Visual Studio over VS Code any day because it is simpler to set up and use.
I have VS 2017, 2019 and 2022 installed to support UE back to 4.24 but use Rider for all my work from UE4.25 or later as it works. I use the same editor for Unity too which is convenient.
Honestly, you could theoretically edit your code in Notepad if you wanted to and it should work.
My thought is that large game studios are going to use Visual Studio because of it’s rich features, while some medium size and small will use what is free and available, so using Visual Studio (or XCode) instead of a smaller IDE helps to familiarize the users with Visual Studio and become comfortable using it. This would give them the opportunity to state in an interview that they have some experience using Visual Studio. Oh well.
Regarding using Notepad to write C++ code. yes, You can definitely do it. 
Thank you for responding.
I would expect rider to be the IDE of choice to be honest.
Doesn’t look like any Rider IDE is free? Paying more for learning does have a disadvantage especially for those who don’t follow through over 30 days later or feeling pressure to finish before the next subscription payment. I see no community edition there although they do for other IDE(s).
I was surprised to see Rider is JetBrains though which I’ve known of but never used. Kind of cool 
No, Rider is not free. It’s about 180 a year on its own I think.