UE4 in Web Browser?
Hey guys!
I've found this article where Mozilla runs UE4 in web browser: https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/03/12/mozilla-and-epic-preview-unreal-engine-4-running-in-firefox/
I've been looking into how to do this, and I've figured that you need Emscripten in order to make it work. However, I'm an environment artist with no programming skills whatsoever, so the tutorial on their site might as well have been written in Ancient Greek.....
Does anyone have any useful tips to give me? For instance where I should start, what programs to use? If it's even possible yet with the new engine, or if I have to stick with UE3...?
I'd be most grateful for any response!
Adrian
I've found this article where Mozilla runs UE4 in web browser: https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/03/12/mozilla-and-epic-preview-unreal-engine-4-running-in-firefox/
I've been looking into how to do this, and I've figured that you need Emscripten in order to make it work. However, I'm an environment artist with no programming skills whatsoever, so the tutorial on their site might as well have been written in Ancient Greek.....
Does anyone have any useful tips to give me? For instance where I should start, what programs to use? If it's even possible yet with the new engine, or if I have to stick with UE3...?
I'd be most grateful for any response!
Adrian
Replies
You'll want an intermediate/advanced knowledge of javascript in order to make something like this work. Asm.js is a "javascript library", basically a set of custom functions and tools that do most of the legwork for getting the UDK level in browser. Usually something like that will come with documentation, which you'll need coding knowledge just to interpret.
It looks like they're trying to make UE4 work as well. There's some push from both Epic and Unity to get their engines to work in browser, without plugins, but it's a long way from being practical. (Too much to download, slow response times, etc.)
Browser based games are seldom the most economical either, especially when so many people are walking around with smart phones. Usually browser based games accompany a larger project, like a TV show or ad campaign, and are part of a larger site. The best example I've seen are the adult swim games.
In any case, I've NEVER regretted learning to code. Being a former Flash developer, oddly enough, played a key role in my ability to learn UDK and Substance as quickly as I did. If you want to get started with web based coding, codeacademy.com is my favorite resource. It'll take you from beginner to advanced, let you track your progress, and there's even achievements. Doing "HTML & CSS", followed by "Javascript", and then "JQuery" should get you in a position to tinker with asm.js. (And teach you to code your own portfolio site from scratch!) Just do a few lessons a day, it's like a free college course.
Good luck!