Where to start

Its been a while since i completed the ue4-cpp course
But i still have a question
You might think iam dumb but
When I started a new project i did not know where to start like should i start from programming a playercontroller or a character or should I implement something in a component or an actor
like what are the general questions to ask yourself when you want to start programming

Notepad/paper and pen.

Step 1 is to write a design doc of sorts. No need for anything fancy.
So, instead of

1 level of Top down shooter game

write something like this:

Design Doc: Top down shooter game

Number of levels: 1

Movement:
 - W/A forward/backward
 - S/D turn left/right
 - Left mouse button to shoot

View:
 - top-down

Idea:
 - player needs to kill enemies before a certain time limit
 - enemies drop power ups
 - after defeating X enemies Y happens
 ...

Remember: Keep it small.

As for the actual programming, I usually start with placing cubes and spheres [or assets if I’m using an asset pack] in the world as a generic layout. Then I start with making the movement bindings in the pawn/character class. Then carry on from there to basic functionality like shooting and death mechanic.

Side note: I am a programmer. So, I have a bit of intuition when it comes to figuring out how classes relate to each other (for inheritance purposes and reusability). This thing comes with experience. So, don’t beat yourself up over it if you don’t have it.

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