October 15, 201411 yr /monthly_10_2014/post-2-0-65602600-1413394744_thumb.pngOver 40 new features and a new tutorial system Good news for all of the aspiring video game developers out there. Epic Games has released Unreal Engine 4.5, a massive update for the game engine that includes over 40 new features, contributed by developers outside of Epic, along with a new tutorial system, game templates, and better support for mobile platforms and consoles. One of the newest, and biggest, features is automatic C++ hot reloading. Unreal Engine 4.5 will automatically apply the necessary C++ changes after a programmer has compiled the gameplay code from Visual Studio or Xcode. Additional new features include ray-traced shadows, a new dynamic shadowing method that traces a ray through mesh distance fields straight to the light, and screen-space subsurface scattering that allow programmers to create realistic skin materials and other effects. Upgrades to the engine’s UI and animation systems have also been made. A couple of templates have been added to the game engine as well. There is an advanced vehicle template, that can work with a VR headset, which shows a vehicle with double wishbone suspension and comes with a test track replete with terrain, ramps, and loops. For those who wish to program their game for controller support, Epic Games added in a new twin stick shooter blueprint template to help create fast-paced, top-down shooter games. The Unreal Engine’s tutorial system has also gone through an overhaul. The overhaul has done away with popup windows, features unobtrusive text bubbles over the editor to help walk a person through the interface elements and engine’s various features, and the editor will even alert a user about tutorials that haven’t been tried. For those of you who are interested, Epic Games has posted the full list of changes and additions that comes with Unreal Engine 4.5 on its forums. Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook View the full article
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