C++ + Unreal Primer

Key UE-C++ concepts

• Reflection: UCLASS/USTRUCT/UENUM/UPROPERTY/UFUNCTION enable editor/serialization/GC.
• Memory: UObject is GC-managed; non-UObject types use RAII; prefer TUniquePtr/TSharedPtr.
• Modules: Build.cs defines dependencies; keep includes in .cpp, forward-declare in headers.
• Gameplay Framework: GameMode, GameState, PlayerController, PlayerState, Pawn/Character.
• Components: Reusable behavior attached to Actors; favor this over deep inheritance.

Syntax and idioms

• Use const correctness; pass by const reference or value (small POD) where appropriate.
• Prefer ranges-based for where available; avoid dynamic_cast; use Cast<> and Interfaces.
• Avoid exceptions; UE uses ensure/check/log and error codes.
• Timers via FTimerManager; Delegates for eventing; Multicast for signals.

Patterns in this project

• Component-driven: UStatsComponent, UInteractionComponent, UHealthBarComponent (optional UI)
• Interfaces for capabilities: IInteractable, IDamageable, ITalkable
• Data assets for tuning; blueprints extend visuals/FX only.

Build and tooling

• Use VS 2022 + Epic toolchain. Run Build from UE or UnrealBuildTool. UHT must succeed.
• Add modules: "EnhancedInput", "AIModule", "UMG", "GameplayTasks", "GameplayTags" (optional), "NavigationSystem".

Testing

• Use Automation Spec (C++), or Functional Tests (Blueprint) triggered in PIE.
• Prefer fast, deterministic tests; avoid latent tests where possible.

Do/Don’t

• Do keep .h small and stable; move impl to .cpp.
• Do annotate UPROPERTY with EditDefaultsOnly, EditAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly appropriately.
• Don’t tick by default; use events and timers.
• Don’t hold raw owning pointers to UObjects; rely on UPROPERTY or TWeakObjectPtr.