UE3:Setting Up a New Game Project Tutorial (UDK)

Setting Up a New Game Project in the Unreal Development Kit

This is a step-by-step tutorial explaining precisely how to setup a new Game Project for the UDK immediately after installing the software.

This tutorial was created using the January 2012 version of the UDK.

Things to remember

• I'll say it again, this tutorial was created using the January 2012 version of the UDK. There is no guarantee this will work for previous releases or newer ones that come down the pipeline. The UDK is still technically in Beta, and the basic setup can and most likely will continue to change somewhat over time. I will attempt to keep this guide updated as new editions are released.

• This tutorial assumes you know how to download and install the UDK, and have already done so.

• The UDK isn't designed for multiple games to be developed from one installation. This is something I had to find out by reading random guides around the internet. I don't believe the online documentation mentions this, and I believe this still holds true.

• Don't be afraid to start over. This means fully uninstalling the UDK and starting from scratch; if you don't have anything you want to keep, don't hesitate to blow everything away and begin again until you get it right. It took me quite a few attempts to get this right, while piecing together information from outdated tutorials around the web with incomplete and out-dated online documentation from Epic.

• I'm assuming you want to setup your game as an extension of the already provided code-base and configuration files that come with the UDK. This is how most people will setup their new game project.

• I'm not an expert yet, so if I make any mistakes, please correct them and comment as to why on the discussions page.

Step 1: Use nFringe

Forget about Notepad++. It doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned. I've found it immensely helpful to get acquainted with a shell extension for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell Edition called nFringe.

First, download and install the Visual Studio 2010 Shell from here: [Visual Studio Shell Download]

• If the link is broken, search Google for "Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell (Integrated) Redistributable Package"
• You MUST restart after installing the Visual Studio 2010 Shell, before doing anything else

Second, download nFringe from here: [Pixel Mine nFringe]

• The current version at the time this document was created was 1.1.34.193

• If you don't have Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, download it here: [.NET 3.5 SP1]

Third, install the copy of nFringe you downloaded and, once finished, launch Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.

• Don't look for nFringe in your list of programs, it just runs along with Visual Studio 2010.

Step 2: Setting Up Your nFringe Project

You should now be looking at something like this: