Again, I procrastinated getting the clips, but this time I managed to capture and optimize them without as much visual quality degradation. This one is not very exciting in terms of game content, but hopefully my storytelling makes up for it.
https://www.cylevendawson.net/showcase/gamedevtv-ue5-cpp-developer/toon-tanks
Great! 
Again super storytelling from your side, what about some additional features? Have you tried to do some for Toon Tanks or other games, it is practical how to gain some new knowledge 
woaaah! so coool! 
Hey! Seems I disappeared longer than anticipated. I have a couple things to share.
First, to answer your question for Toon Tanks in particular I was not feeling very inspired by the concept. Rather than force my way through expanding on it, I decided to leave it as is to keep my momentum up. In Crypt Raider I did challenge myself to add in the ability to interact with those coffin lids to make them open, which was an interesting twist on the “pick up” logic. I was hoping to get bolder as I went, but as I mentioned Toon Tanks was simply not an inspiring concept to me.
That said, I did finish Simple Shooter, and while doing it I had an interesting idea for a multiplayer shooter game. So, I actually started taking the multiplayer course with the idea of revealing my idea as a capstone to both this course and the multiplayer course. However, I ran into a lot of troubles during the multiplayer section with Unreal’s Linux support. I use Linux for my OS, and I did understand the risk going into Unreal given Tim Sweeney’s comments on Linux in the past. I had hoped that since they claimed Linux support and provided a Linux build it would be at least serviceable, but it got to the point I was spending more time trying to fiddle with settings and junk than actually learning anything.
So, I reached a bit of a conundrum about what to do next. I did some research on both Godot and Unity to see their respective support for Linux. I was honestly avoiding Unity given that drama with the licensing not all that long ago, but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and try it. Initial impression was strong given Unity provided a native installer for Unity Hub for my operating system (in contrast Epic Games Launcher has no Linux support whatsoever). I started taking the complete Unity course on GameDev.tv as a trial, and it has gone quite well. I just wrapped up the first game, and I had zero issues through it all.
All of this is to say I am making the switch from Unreal to Unity, which is not something I expected to happen. I do still want to do game jams with you, but I am going to need a little more time as I basically started from square one with Unity. On the plus side, I will be making the showcase for my first Unity game soon, so there is that to look forward to!
Yes Linux doesn’t have feature Parity and neither does MacOS but they claim they are working on feature parity. The majority of developers using UE use Windows for this reason. I started out with Unity and actually switched to Unreal after about 18 months because it feels basic and when working with 3D it takes 10-20x the effort to get anything looking 1/2 decent. Also, the Unity Multiplayer has changed completely I’d say 3 times in the last 3 or so years, each breaking compatibility and a required re-write of the code. I am pretty sure the multiplayer course has been re-recorded many times as a result. I know this is a common pattern of behaviour as I worked with VR and we had to lock into a specific release because there was no compatibility with ANY version, even the minor versions (i.e 2023.1 and 2023.2 as an example)
Multiplayer UE is absolutely possible in Linux but it isn’t as simple as doing on Windows, most likely the Steam side and no idea about EOS. I’d say the issue for getting Steam Support on Unity will be similar to Unreal TBH.
I also tell folks get 2 real years of experience before attempting multiplayer anyway. it is one of the most complex areas of the engine. Unreal takes some of the pain out of it. I’ve never actually attempted multiplayer in Unity.
Just be aware this could happen.
Incoming rant:
It is not even about features. It is about it just working right. I could not even get a packaged build to launch properly on either of my Linux machines, and both of them are built for gaming. Quixel Bridge would not open, either, as I learned when I tried to take a detour through the Unreal Environments course as a change of scenery. Intellisense in the editor being broken half the time was a bit of a drag as well, but I am given to understand that might be a general issue and not a Linux one. I am sure with enough fiddling I could have figured it all out, but that is not my idea of learning game development. Epic’s own CEO has a history of hostility toward Linux, so I will not bother holding my breath that it will get any better. I even posted about my issues on their forums with zero responses. Nothing about the experience instilled any amount of confidence that I could ever get into Unreal development without going back to Windows, and I left Windows for very good reasons. I like Unreal, and I like how Epic generally treats game developers with their licensing terms and incentives for launching on EGS. That said, I do not like it enough to sell my soul to Microsoft.
I understand Unity is also a gamble. If it ends up just as much a train wreck as Unreal, I will go back to Godot. I have actually used Godot before and learn a bit on my own. It is not bad and has great Linux support. Its downside for me is lack of native console support, which I was hoping to include console support in releases at some point. But ultimately, I do not want to sit around and fight with the tools (or the operating system, for that matter, which I was fighting on a daily basis with Windows) - I just want to make games. If all else fails, I will go down the arduous journey of engineless development. I have the skills for it - 20 years of software engineering experience. I was just trying to get some use out of my lifetime membership and learn game development from here.
Rants allowed.
Quixel Bridge - it is effectively retired. You need to use the FAB Plugin and I know this is easy to set up but does limit you to 5.3 and later on any Platform. My understanding is the use of marketplace with Linux is difficult at best until FAB for 5.3 was launched. Forget older versions and 5.3 too for Multiplayer as it happens. With 5.6 onwards and the inbuilt metahumans support, the last reason for Quixel Bridge is gone.
Editor - the Intellisense issues are not Unreal but rather the choice of editor. I’m going to assume VS Code here and the Intellisense sucks no matter which platform you use it on. If you’re using for personal purposes or learning, try Rider. If you’re gonna work with Unity, try Rider…see where I’m going with this?? VS Code is the worst and no-one should use it. In fact, they also retired support for it in unity a while back but a bunch of folks still fight with it to keep it working. Unless you are on Windows, there is little choice of editor other than VS Code or Rider and TBH, Rider is awesome. I’ve been using it since the day they announced UE support. I can’t say how well it works in Linux but I know for .NET development it worked well on Linux. I also pay for it FYI so not a promotion, most gamedev team members use it but then we are also all Windows Users too.
So, to be clear, Unreal is not really a train wreck. It’s actually really solid and while some releases are better than others, 5.4 to 5.6 so far are looking good minus a few little glitches here and there. It’s just I can’t say based on my lack of Linux Experience how good or bad it is. There are a number of students using it to great success in discord, both on Linux or Macs but I’d easily say over 95% are Windows users. Could it be related to the distro you’re using for example? I found setting it up to be easy but the PC I was using was hugely underepowered and so my experience ended there.
Unity is a train wreck in certain areas regardless of platform. VR is a mess and they can’t make their mind up regarding features too. It really does require greater effort to achieve remotely similar quality, and I imagine Godot is similar too given it is less mature and there are less assets out there.
In the end you have to be happy with what you’re doing. Before you change engines, try chatting with folks in Discord and also try the Unreal Source Discord too - they have a very active channel for Linux and Mac which I poke my head in occasionally to find tips and solutions.
There’s a reasonable chance it is something you’ve done incorrectly during setup or something and they would be able to guide you or at least confirm the issues.
Good luck with what ever you decide to do.
To start, I want to say I appreciate your input.
Starting with some context, I was using Unreal 5.5.4 - given my professional background I figured I could map any UI differences without much trouble. I even dove into the Enhanced Input system, which IIRC you might have helped me with when. I tried 5.6, but it just crashed on my computer consistently after about 5 minutes of operation. I planned to revisit once a patch or two came out.
The Quixel Bridge problem was less about it working and more about my ability to follow along with the course. I tried to find assets in FAB, but I simply could not see the same sorts of things the lectures were showing, which made it insanely difficult to follow along. If GDTV updates the course to use just FAB, then that problem goes away. That said, given they have a specific Linux build for Quixel Bridge I would expect it to at least kind of work. It simply did nothing on my system.
Your take on VS Code is interesting to me. I have been using it heavily for going on ten years now, albeit not without a healthy number of extensions. That is really the beauty of these tools - a solid extension community can solve most frustrations with them. I used a few IntelliJ-based editors waaay back in the day. They seem solid, but they were always rather heavy to boot. I also did not like the idea of having to install (and definitely not pay for) a separate program for every language I use, especially when feature-wise probably 80% of that binary code is identical. I have been keeping my eye on JetBrains Fleet, but it is nowhere near ready for prime-time yet. That said, I can give Rider a try and see if it wins me over. My experience with VS Code and Unity for the first section of that course went fine - Intellisense never broke, performance was fine, and all of my lovely extensions worked with it just fine. I cannot say the same of my Unreal experience with VS Code - if that is what you base your opinion of VS Code on I can see why you call it the worst. That sucked, but it is hard for me to discern how much of it was on which side of the fence. I did see the Intellisense break for the Multiplayer teacher’s Visual Studio (not Code), which led me to suspect it was more an Unreal or Unreal support problem versus a native VS Code one.
As far as my “train wreck” comment goes, This is where I was unclear - when I say it was a train wreck, I am referring to my experience with it. Unreal has countless games successfully built in it. As does Unity, for that matter. These are complex pieces of software that work in the contexts that they were built. Unreal was not built for Linux, clearly, nor does it sound like they care to make it so. Unity has worked fine on Linux thus far, but I have not gotten the same amount of experience with it to say whether or not it is better supported. All I can say is first impressions give the implication I would be less frustrated with the tooling using Unity.
For my personal set-up, all of my woes were discovered using Ubuntu Studio - an Ubuntu flavor that uses KDE Plasma. Epic says to use Ubuntu, but it does not clarify if the flavor matters. It could be that it does, but that would be highly limiting if only the main flavor of Ubuntu is supported. That said, a move to the main flavor of Ubuntu would be feasible for me, and much easier to swallow than a move back to Windows. I use the proprietary GPU drivers as Unreal made it abundantly clear it will not even attempt to run with the open source ones. And for “set-up” I followed their Linux page instructions more or less to a T, minus a couple steps that I had already done prior (like having the latest and greatest Clang installed). If I went wrong, it would be hard for me to say where, and their forums offered me no help. I will try Discord, though. I did not even realize there was one (albeit that is a rookie mistake - there is a Discord server for everything these days).
Unreal is a great engine, for sure - this was not supposed to be a shot at its capabilities. My experience with it on Linux - and the hostility of its owning company toward Linux in general - does not instill confidence that it is the right choice for any Linux user. You have convinced me of a couple avenues I could try to see if it can be salvaged without too much trouble. That said, there is only so much more struggling I am willing to put up with. I am already a month behind where I planned on being trying to work through these issues and ultimately trying to figure out my next move. I need to get the momentum back or I am doomed to fall out of it altogether.
Thank you again for your input!
The Quixel Bridge problem was less about it working and more about my ability to follow along with the course. I tried to find assets in FAB
Which course was this. There were issues with FAB and the Survival Course because the Quixel assets are no longer free - probably affects both the environment and action adventure courses too. The Character from C++ course was also affected but there are plenty of alternatives.
Your take on VS Code is interesting to me.
Well, back when the UE5 course came out I tried setting up VS Code to follow but just could not get it working. If you ask most folks, particularly on Unreal Source they’ll tell you not to use it and basically that nobody should (for Unreal)
VS Code has its uses. The company I work for uses it for work via WSL but I don’t as I have a CLion license - I pay for the ultimate bundle so have everything. It helps I have a discount having used it for so long. It’s down to personal preference but as far as UE goes, VS Code is not good. If it wasn’t for that I’d consider going back to VS Pro as you can get a genuine perpetual license for about 50USD which is pretty decent.
Epic says to use Ubuntu, but it does not clarify if the flavor matters
I know it works with other Linux as well - an ex-colleague of mine was trying out UE on Redhat I think. My son’s PC is stock Ubuntu 22 annd while the machine is really slow, seems to work fine for some basic stuff.
I appreciate the honest discussion on this. I did seriously consider Linux for my new PC (now at least a year old) but I genuinely had to go with windows as I needed to support courses and also use Vegas Pro and various other windows software extensively and even with that aside, the biggest was some assets, even with FAB, don’t work correctly on Linux.
Just one last question - did you use the packaged zip versions that you can download?
Which course was this
The environment one. I was not sure how to even find the assets in question in Fab regardless of price, honestly. I imagine that course will need some extra content to help students if you want to move it away from Quixel Bridge.
Well, back when the UE5 course came out I tried setting up VS Code to follow
Yeah, I would 100% agree VS Code with Unreal is terrible. I do not know exactly where the disconnect lies, but it is the one of the situations where I would opt for a different editor. It was a frustrating experience at best.
I appreciate the honest discussion on this.
Totally, and I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. To be frank, I was struggling with Windows regularly, and the only reason I really used it was for gaming - I either used WSL or a dual-booted Linux the rest of the time. When the Steam Deck came out and games became better supported with Proton, I decided to ditch Windows altogether. Up until this adventure with Unreal, I never really had a reason to reconsider. Even still, I would rather change my engine than change my OS at this point. But ideally, I would change neither.
did you use the packaged zip versions that you can download?
For the engine? I grabbed the builds off the Unreal website, which I believe were just ZIPs. I did notice the set-up scripts are broken, so I had to go and manually install all the dependencies I needed, unfortunately. But such is life - Epic has made their stance on Linux clear, and I would not expect anything else at this point.
As an update, I did join that Discord you mentioned and chatted with someone from the Linux community. They gave me some information and some options to try. Nothing has fixed the major issue of packaged builds / standalone launches just straight not working, but it was nice to have something to try anyway. It frankly feels like I am doomed still, but perhaps they will think of something else random to try. In the interim, as to not just straight halt my game dev journey as I try to figure this out, I am looking into some 2D development on Unity. I have an idea for a 2D game that should keep me engaged for a little while at least, and I imagine 2D in Unity should be reasonable. Correct me if I am wrong, though.
For 2D, Unity has been pretty consistent throughout the years and it has some really nice features that I know Unreal doesn’t regarding 2D - yes, UE has 2D and it is awesome but lacking in features.
I can’t even comment on Godot but I am speed running through the 2D course right now as I need to learn the basics at least for something.