Building Games with TypeScript and Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine is one of the most powerful and versatile game development engines available today. It provides game developers with an extensive set of tools and features that allow them to create stunning and immersive gaming experiences. TypeScript, on the other hand, is a superset of JavaScript that adds static typing and other features to the language, making it easier to develop large-scale applications. In this tutorial, we will explore how to use TypeScript in conjunction with Unreal Engine to build games.

Prerequisites:

Before we begin, you should have some experience with TypeScript and a basic understanding of game development. You should also have Unreal Engine installed on your computer.

Step 1: Creating a new project

To get started, open Unreal Engine and create a new project. Choose the Blank project template, and then select TypeScript as the programming language.

Step 2: Setting up TypeScript

Next, we need to set up TypeScript in our project. Open the project settings and go to the Plugins section. Search for the TypeScript plugin and enable it.

Step 3: Creating a simple game object

Now that we have TypeScript set up in our project, let's create a simple game object. Create a new TypeScript file and name it "GameObject.ts". In this file, we will define a class that represents our game object.

export class GameObject {
  private _position: { x: number, y: number, z: number };

  constructor(x: number, y: number, z: number) {
    this._position = { x, y, z };
  }

  public get position() {
    return this._position;
  }

  public set position(value) {
    this._position = value;
  }
}

This class defines a game object that has a position in 3D space. The position is represented as an object with x, y, and z properties. We also define getter and setter methods for the position property.

Step 4: Using the game object in a scene

Now that we have a game object, let's use it in a scene. Create a new TypeScript file and name it "GameScene.ts". In this file, we will define a class that represents our game scene.

import { GameObject } from './GameObject';

export class GameScene {
  private _objects: GameObject[];

  constructor() {
    this._objects = [];
  }

  public addObject(object: GameObject) {
    this._objects.push(object);
  }

  public get objects() {
    return this._objects;
  }
}

This class defines a game scene that can contain multiple game objects. We define an array to hold the objects, and we also define a method for adding objects to the scene.

Step 5: Creating a simple game loop

Now that we have a game object and a scene, let's create a simple game loop that updates the position of the object in the scene. Create a new TypeScript file and name it "GameLoop.ts". In this file, we will define a class that represents our game loop.

import { GameObject } from './GameObject';
import { GameScene } from './GameScene';

export class GameLoop {
  private _scene: GameScene;
  private _object: GameObject;

  constructor(scene: GameScene, object: GameObject) {
    this._scene = scene;
    this._object = object;
  }

  public start() {
    setInterval(() => {
      const position = this._object.position;
      position.x += 0.1;
      this._object.position = position;

      console.log(`Object position: ${position.x}, ${position.y}, ${position.z}`);
    }, 16);
  }
}

This class defines a game loop that updates the position of the object every frame. We use the setInterval method to call a function that updates the position of the object. In this case, we are simply adding 0.1 to the x-coordinate of the object's position. We also log the object's position to the console every frame.

Step 6: Using the game loop in a scene

Now that we have a game loop, let's use it in our scene. Update the GameScene class to include a method that starts the game loop.

import { GameObject } from './GameObject';
import { GameLoop } from './GameLoop';

export class GameScene {
  private _objects: GameObject[];
  private _loop: GameLoop;

  constructor() {
    this._objects = [];
  }

  public addObject(object: GameObject) {
    this._objects.push(object);
  }

  public get objects() {
    return this._objects;
  }

  public startLoop() {
    this._loop = new GameLoop(this, this._objects[0]);
    this._loop.start();
  }
}

In this updated class, we define a new _loop property to hold the game loop, and we also define a new startLoop method that creates a new instance of the GameLoop class and starts the loop.

Step 7: Testing the game

Now that we have everything set up, let's test our game. Create a new TypeScript file and name it "index.ts". In this file, we will create a new instance of the GameScene class, add a new GameObject to the scene, and start the game loop.

import { GameScene } from './GameScene';
import { GameObject } from './GameObject';

const scene = new GameScene();
const object = new GameObject(0, 0, 0);
scene.addObject(object);
scene.startLoop();

Save the file and run the project. You should see the object's position being logged to the console every frame, and you should also see the object moving slowly to the right.

Conclusion:

In this tutorial, we explored how to use TypeScript in conjunction with Unreal Engine to build games. We created a simple game object, a game scene, and a game loop, and we used them to create a simple game that updates the position of the object every frame. With TypeScript, we can take advantage of its static typing and other features to make game development easier and more efficient.