Dev Journey
From zero UE5 knowledge to a playable demo. Check off tasks as you go. Progress saves locally.
UE5 fundamentals. You can't architect what you don't understand. Spend time here — it saves months later.
Block out the level. No art, no polish. Just corridors, rooms, and a character walking through them. If it's not fun in graybox, it won't be fun with art.
Time to add the things that want to kill you. Start with the Hound — it's your core enemy. Then add the Lurker for ambient dread.
Art pass, lighting, sound. This is where graybox becomes creepy. Yellow wallpaper, buzzing lights, distant sounds.
The Hum. Footsteps. Distant crashes. Audio makes or breaks horror. Add VFX for sanity effects and entity feedback.
Juice it up. Screen effects, camera shake, transitions. Make the player feel things without knowing why.
You have a 15-minute playable demo of Level 0. That's an achievement. Record it, share it, get feedback.