Welcome to the first development blog post for our ambitious spaceship simulation project! In this article, we'll walk through the initial project setup in Unreal Engine 5 and establish the core blueprint architecture that will serve as the foundation for our interstellar exploration experience.

Project Vision

Before diving into the technical details, let's establish what we're building: a first-person space exploration simulation where players experience real-time interstellar travel through our solar system. The core philosophy is simple: the ship itself is the game. Players will explore a fully functional multi-deck spaceship interior while traveling between planets using accurate orbital mechanics.

This is not a traditional space game with combat or resource management as the primary mechanics. Instead, it's a contemplative, educational experience focused on the wonder of space travel and the intricate systems that make it possible.

Choosing Unreal Engine 5

We selected Unreal Engine 5.3+ for several key reasons:

Lumen Global Illumination: Essential for creating realistic interior lighting and the dramatic contrast between interior spaces and the void of space
Blueprint Visual Scripting: Allows for rapid prototyping and iteration, which is crucial for a solo developer
World Partition System: Enables us to build large, seamless ship interiors without loading screens
Nanite Virtualized Geometry: Provides the detail level needed for convincing spacecraft interiors
Physics System: Built-in physics capabilities for implementing orbital mechanics

Initial Project Setup

Project Configuration

When creating a new Unreal Engine 5 project, we made the following key decisions:

Template: First Person (starter content) - provides a good baseline character controller
Blueprint vs C++: Blueprint-only project for faster iteration (can always add C++ later if needed)
Target Platform: Windows (PC) - focusing on a single platform initially allows us to optimize for that experience
Ray Tracing: Disabled initially - Lumen provides the lighting quality we need without the performance overhead

Project Structure

We've organized our content into a clear folder structure that will scale as the project grows:

Content/
├── Blueprints/
│   ├── Player/
│   │   ├── BP_SpaceshipPlayerCharacter
│   │   └── BP_PlayerController
│   ├── Ship/
│   │   ├── BP_ShipMaster
│   │   ├── BP_DoorSystem
│   │   ├── BP_ElevatorSystem
│   │   └── BP_InteractionInterface
│   ├── Systems/
│   │   ├── BP_LifeSupportSystem
│   │   ├── BP_EngineSystem
│   │   ├── BP_PowerDistributionSystem
│   │   └── BP_NavigationSystem
│   └── SolarSystem/
│       ├── BP_Planet
│       ├── BP_OrbitalMechanics
│       └── BP_NavigationComputer
├── Maps/
│   ├── Main_Menu
│   ├── Ship_Interior
│   └── SolarSystem_Background
├── Materials/
├── Meshes/
│   ├── Ship_Interior/
│   └── Props/
├── Textures/
├── UI/
│   ├── HUD
│   ├── TerminalDisplays
│   └── SystemMonitors
└── Audio/

Core Blueprint Architecture

Player Character System

At the heart of our first-person experience is the player character blueprint. We've modified the default first-person template to suit our needs:

Interaction System: Ray-casting system that allows players to interact with terminals, doors, and ship systems
Movement: Adjusted for realistic movement speeds within a spacecraft environment (slower than typical FPS games)
Head Bob: Reduced to create a more contemplative, exploration-focused feel
Camera System: Standard first-person camera with smooth rotation and optional FOV adjustments for different scenarios

Ship Master Blueprint

The BP_ShipMaster is the central nervous system of our simulation. It acts as a manager for all ship systems and maintains the overall state of the spacecraft. Key responsibilities include:

Coordinating between different ship systems (life support, engines, power)
Maintaining ship position and velocity in the solar system
Handling global ship events (alarms, system failures, successful operations)
Providing a centralized reference point for other systems to communicate

Interaction Interface

To enable smooth interaction with various ship components, we've implemented a custom interface system. The BP_InteractionInterface defines a standard set of functions that any interactable object can implement:

OnInteract(PlayerReference) - Triggered when player interacts
GetInteractionText() - Returns the UI text to display
CanInteract() - Boolean check for interaction availability
OnFocus() and OnUnfocus() - For highlighting/feedback

This interface approach allows terminals, doors, elevators, and other ship components to all use the same interaction system while maintaining their unique behaviors.

Door and Elevator Systems

Creating believable ship movement requires functional doors and elevators. We've built these as modular systems:

BP_DoorSystem: Handles sliding doors with smooth animation, sound effects, and state management
BP_ElevatorSystem: Multi-deck elevator with call buttons, floor selection, and realistic movement timing
Both systems use timeline nodes for smooth animations and include proper collision handling

Development Philosophy

As we build this project, we're following several key principles:

1. Realism Over Gameplay Convenience

We're prioritizing realistic orbital mechanics and travel times. This means journeys between planets take actual time (hours, not minutes). While this might seem unconventional for a game, it creates a unique, contemplative experience.

2. Education Through Exploration

Every system and interaction is designed to teach real concepts. The life support system uses actual principles. The navigation system shows real planetary positions. Players learn by doing, not by reading tutorials.

3. Systems Before Content

We're building robust, reusable systems first. Once the door system works perfectly, we can place doors anywhere. Once the terminal interaction system is solid, every terminal becomes easy to implement.

4. Building in Public

This blog series documents everything transparently. Successes, failures, and lessons learned will all be shared. This approach keeps us accountable and provides value to fellow developers and space enthusiasts.

Current Progress

As of this first blog post, we have:

✅ Unreal Engine 5 project created and configured
✅ Basic project folder structure established
✅ Player character blueprint modified for our needs
✅ Interaction interface system implemented
✅ Basic door system functional
✅ Ship Master blueprint framework created
✅ Simple test ship interior map started

Next Steps

In the coming weeks, we'll be focusing on:

Ship Interior Construction: Building out the multi-deck ship layout with corridors, rooms, and key areas (bridge, engineering, crew quarters, observation deck)
Elevator System Completion: Finishing the multi-floor elevator system and integrating it with the ship layout
Basic Terminal Implementation: Creating functional terminal displays that players can interact with
Solar System Foundation: Starting work on the orbital mechanics system and planet positioning

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Real-Time vs Game Time

One of our first decisions was how to handle time. Real space travel takes months or years. We've decided to implement a time acceleration system that can be controlled by the player, allowing them to experience the journey at various speeds while still seeing real-time effects when desired.

Challenge: Scale Management

The solar system operates on an astronomical scale, while ship interiors are human-scale. We're handling this through a multi-level coordinate system that separates ship-local coordinates from solar system coordinates, preventing floating-point precision issues.

Technical Insights

For fellow developers working on similar projects, here are some technical details worth noting:

Blueprint Organization: We're using parent classes extensively to avoid code duplication. BP_DoorBase serves as the parent for all door types.
Event System: Custom events are used for inter-system communication, keeping our blueprints decoupled and maintainable.
Data Tables: Ship system parameters, planet data, and other configuration values are stored in data tables for easy tweaking without recompiling.
Enum Usage: Ship system states (Online, Offline, Degraded, etc.) are managed through enums for type safety and readability.

Conclusion

Setting up the foundation for this project has been exciting and challenging. The architecture decisions we make now will shape the entire development process. By prioritizing systems and maintainability, we're building a solid base for what will become a comprehensive space simulation.

The journey has just begun. In our next blog post, we'll dive deep into the ship interior design process, showing how we're creating a believable, explorable spacecraft that feels both futuristic and practical.

Stay tuned for more updates, and feel free to follow our progress as we continue building this ambitious project. The stars await!

Resources & Tools:

Unreal Engine 5 Documentation: docs.unrealengine.com
Orbital Mechanics References: NASA Technical Reports
Spaceship Design Inspiration: International Space Station, various sci-fi references

Disclaimer

The information provided herein is for general informational purposes only and is subject to change without prior notice. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy and timeliness, no guarantees can be made regarding the completeness, reliability, or currency of the content. Please verify all details independently before making any decisions based on this material.

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Spaceship Simulation: Project Setup & Architecture January 15, 2025