Getting started with UDK

Paladins runs on Unreal Engine 3, and the Unreal Development Kit (UDK) is the public release of that engine. You use it to compile UnrealScript mods against the game's classes and to work with the game's .upk packages, for example to edit animations. This page sets up the environment, and Hello World walks through a first mod.

If you only need to change how the game behaves while it runs, Lua scripting is simpler: no compiler and no UDK project.

Prerequisites

Use Windows if you can. UDK should run under WINE, but if something breaks there, you're on your own.

You'll need:

• UDK 2013-BETA2
• Basic knowledge of Unreal Script

Installation

1. Run the UDK installer and finish the setup. The source code ends up in C:\UDK\<PROJECT>\Development\Src. Each folder in there is a package, with a Classes folder holding its .uc files.
2. Create a package named after your mod, with a Classes folder inside it.

Editor setup

Visual Studio Code works well. This extension adds UnrealScript syntax highlighting and code completion.

Tempest Launcher

You don't need it, but Tempest Legacy speeds up development: its developer mode compiles your scripts and adds the mod to the game for you. Hello World shows how to set it up.

Next steps

• Hello World: compile and test your first mod.
• Decompiling scripts: read the game's own UnrealScript from its .upk files.
• Editing animations: export an animation, edit it in Blender and inject it back.
• Resources: documentation, tutorials and community servers.