【Gamystery】EP19 | From Zero to Professional Output: How Unreal Engine Changed My Development Approach
- 彥澤 廖
- Jan 20
- 5 min read
The first article of 2025 will discuss how my development approach has evolved from my student days to now, and also share the pros and cons of using Unreal Engine for project development, aimed at those who are currently evaluating their options.
The new version of the article features two changes:
1. Clear Separation into Two Categories
a. Unreal Basics: This series introduces and shares my development experiences and learning paths in Unreal Engine, primarily targeting students and users of other 3D software.
b. Unreal Special Topics: This series will focus on more detailed technical experiences, usage processes, and troubleshooting. For instance, it will cover the deployment process and issue resolution for GoogleXR, as well as certain limitations of AI SaaS services.
I’ll be writing on these topics in an alternating manner. If you’re someone who enjoys deep dives, look forward to the next article.
2. Bilingual (Chinese and English)
Given how convenient AI tools are nowadays, providing only Chinese content would mean missing out on more opportunities. To increase both the reach and the practical application of AI tools, I will include English translations to broaden the readership.
Finally, I wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year!Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
This article is for readers who are worried about their university or graduate projects, or for those who have a strong passion for development in their spare time and want to try out some side projects.
If you happen to fall into one of these categories, you might consider a development model “based on Unreal Engine.” This approach offers three advantages and three disadvantages.
Advantages
Cross-Platform
The final product can support Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. While porting between platforms is not entirely seamless, Unreal Engine’s packaging features handle many cross-platform issues, effectively improving development efficiency.
Abundant Resources
“Fab” offers a large number of assets, including art, code, sound effects, and more. These resources provide project developers with a wealth of options. By making good use of them, developers can focus on the most important and exciting technical aspects.
Such content greatly raises the ceiling for project quality. As development evolves, if you aim for higher-quality output, you can achieve it more efficiently. Since much of this material is professionally created and uploaded, you can also learn from these high-level designs and results by downloading them.
Close to Industry Workflows
Related to the previous point, after acquiring abundant resources, effectively utilizing them becomes an important skill. Regardless of industry, once time is pressing and you also need high quality, efficiency is the inevitable outcome.
Researching and choosing the right starting point for your project heavily influences your subsequent development time. Figuring out how to achieve your goals within limited time relies on skills in “finding” and “using” resources. No matter what stage you’re in, you should adopt a mindset of standing on the shoulders of giants, avoiding starting from scratch.
Disadvantages
SaaS-Type Services
If the functions you want to implement are closer to web-based software services, such as Netflix or ChatGPT, then this development model is not ideal (in fact, it’s basically impossible).
Aside from being constrained by the development framework, web-based performance is limited (Unreal Engine 5 no longer supports WebGL, a framework that enables 3D rendering and operation in a browser). If readers are more interested in cloud streaming technology—for example, GeForce Now—you can look into Pixel Streaming or Google XR.
Google XR - Autos Demo 
Google XR - Spaces Demo Deep Learning Training
If your project involves primarily training an AI model, Unreal Engine itself will not be of much help. Its main contribution might be to solve UI needs. While Unreal Engine provides some Python-related resources, if it’s purely for the training phase, using Python within Unreal is largely unnecessary.
However, if your direction involves the application of AI, then Unreal Engine can be quite suitable. From a technical standpoint, it supports both C++ and Python, has user-friendly UI construction, and offers performance monitoring. Later, you can package and release your project on Fab, sharing it with a global community of developers—an excellent project experience.
Hardware Requirements
Among all development environments, Unreal Engine can be considered resource-intensive. Besides the large Unreal Engine itself (one version is about 80GB), if you plan to use Nanite or ray tracing, you’ll need a high-end computer.
Of course, the exact requirements depend on your project’s features. Even with an Intel i5, compiling in C++ for a basic project can take around five minutes just to open.
Unreal recommended hardware 
Unreal recommended hardware performance
A Shift in Development Mindset
After nearly four years of working, if I had to describe the development approach I used during my student days in one word, it would be “reckless.”
Reasons for That Recklessness
Lack of Guidance from Experienced Mentors
In college, there was a shortage of experienced individuals leading projects. It was not just that peers lacked experience; professors and graduate students often couldn’t provide much guidance either, sometimes due to limited team-development experience or because they were stretched thin supervising multiple people. These roles generally did not bear direct responsibility for a project’s results.
Excessive Focus on Functionality
When technical skill levels are low, developers often concentrate heavily on the methods of implementing a feature. Because of this intense focus on the “how,” they tend to ignore other factors like team structure, available resources, and the development timeline. In a non-commercial or academic setting, this might not cause too many issues—people often treat it as “learning”—but it creates a gap when transitioning to the workplace.
The Three Abilities I Most Lacked as a Student
Research Skills
This does not refer to “academic research” but rather how to start and define a project, determine the approach, analyze problems, and find suitable solutions.
Based on my own experience, when facing the problems mentioned above and trying to meet coursework or graduation project requirements, I would rush to find methods that could just “get the job done.” As long as the functionality was completed, I would jump right in, lacking any analysis or comparison of alternative approaches.
Comprehensive/Long-Term Planning
By “comprehensive,” I mean that developers should have at least some basic knowledge of areas outside their own specialty or immediate responsibilities. This helps ensure better final project outcomes. After all, even junior developers need to collaborate with people in different roles in the industry.
“Building to spec according to a requirements document,” “writing public product documentation,” and “questioning the reality or feasibility of the requirements” are examples of crucial skills I overlooked because I was too “focused” during my student days.
Listening and Explaining
“Listening” and “explaining” are, in my view, the hardest skills to learn and are highly dependent on the individual. They complement each other and significantly affect workflow.
In college, inefficient teamwork was common—even within the same group, communication quality was often mediocre. Everyone would do their own part, only scrambling to integrate everything as deadlines approached. Nowadays, with advanced AI capabilities, it’s easier than ever to tackle student assignments, which makes me think that interpersonal soft skills are even more crucial.
Now I truly understand why the media often says that fresh graduates are out of touch with industry. This becomes painfully clear when you participate in a real team for the first time. The company might say they’re “teaching new hires,” but in reality, it’s just a difficult adjustment process (in my case, I had to work overtime until 9 p.m. for about a month straight).
If you want to prepare in advance for entering the workforce, consider sharing your development approach with someone experienced and listening to their advice.
Alternatively, evaluate whether “Unreal Engine-based development” could enhance your project’s potential and efficiency.
If you're interested in the Unreal Engine development model and need a starting point, feel free to check out the introductory content compiled by a fellow community member (link). I’ll also be sharing my own learning path and recommendations in the future. If you’re interested, you can follow my fan page or subscribe to this series of articles.
