Day 01 -- Dev Log for My Game

Source: Dev.to

Overview

My game ideas so far have been too ambitious for a first title, so I’ve decided to develop a 2D, top‑down game in Unreal Engine using PaperZD. I know there are much simpler engines out there for 2D games, but I continue with UE for pedagogical reasons alone.

I thought I’d own a better GPU by now, but AI has killed that dream. I’m moving forward with my GTX 1070 Ti that I bought on a whim at the computer store down the street in Watauga, Texas during the pandemic. It’s loud, so I game on my PS5 Pro and sometimes my Switch 2.

Today I realized I had installed the “insider” version of Visual Studio 2026, which wasn’t great because I’m not about to be the Internet’s guinea pig for Visual Studio. I downgraded, but now a certain VS Integration Tool isn’t working. I’m convinced I can fix it later.

Naming Conventions

Development Plans

I am creating my main assets for an entry to the game. I plan on building an environment from my past, making it personal to help drive me. I am designing the code for the battle mechanics I’ll be using. While I’ll rely on UE’s built‑in classes, I also intend to heavily utilize my advanced C++ skills to write custom classes, which I plan to expose as Blueprints and possibly package as a plugin for the marketplace.

I’m obsessed with algorithms and want to incorporate many into the game in fun ways that I’m still figuring out.

Personal Notes

• There is a squirrel that lives in the tree outside my office window. I’m convinced he loves me. He just ran by. His name is Fabian because I said so.
• My convertible’s top got stuck in the down position, and my appointment to get it fixed was at 8:00 AM on literally the coldest day of the year—35 °F (1.66 °C).

Ok, back to creating assets.