Developing an RTS Camera System in Unreal Engine 5

After working with lower-level graphics APIs, I wanted to experience the power of a modern game engine. Unreal Engine 5 seemed like the perfect choice for building an RTS game prototype.

Why Unreal Engine 5?

UE5 offers incredible features for RTS development:

Advanced rendering with Nanite and Lumen

Robust networking capabilities

Excellent C++ integration

Powerful Blueprint system for rapid prototyping

Camera System Design

The RTS camera system I'm developing includes:

Core Features

**Smooth Movement**: Camera follows mouse at screen edges

**Zoom Functionality**: Smooth zoom in/out with mouse wheel

**Rotation**: Camera rotation around a focal point

**Boundary Constraints**: Preventing camera from going out of bounds

Technical Implementation

I'm using a combination of C++ and Blueprints:

**C++ Classes**: For core camera logic and performance-critical operations

**Blueprints**: For easy tweaking of camera parameters and integration with UI

Challenges and Solutions

**Smooth Movement**: Implemented interpolation for camera movement to avoid jerky motion

2. Zoom Constraints: Added min/max zoom limits to maintain playability

3. Performance: Optimized camera updates to run efficiently at 60+ FPS

Learning Outcomes

This project has taught me:

UE5's C++ framework and conventions

Blueprint-C++ integration patterns

Game camera design principles

Performance optimization in game engines

Next Steps

I'm planning to expand this into a full RTS prototype with:

Unit selection and movement

Basic AI for units

Resource management system

Multiplayer foundation

The combination of UE5's power and my growing C++ skills is opening up exciting possibilities for game development!