possible Game idea ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCf3SEOEDAo
Success in camera system
I started the unreal project with a blank template with no code, as I knew I would not need a bp_character of any sort as my movement would be simplistic.
I started by researching how I may switch between the main menu and the first level with a video by Buvesa Game Development (2021). How To Change / Load Levels – Unreal Engine 5 Tutorial. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj04QBEjc38. [Accessed 11 Apr. 2026].
I also added a reference image ontop of the map I exported from blender because I didn’t want to start on the environment art but also wanted a guide for the camera path. I learnt how from EZ Unreal (2024). Step-by-Step Guide: ADDING REFERENCE IMAGES with Translucency in Unreal Engine 5. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zt2ixd2CUM [Accessed 11 Apr. 2026].
I then started researching specific ways to make the camera system I wanted but couldn’t find anything specificly targeted to what I wanted.
So I thought of how I could create it myself and what splines I actually needed and came up with the idea of: A central spline with a object sliding along it that follows the camera. The camera is on a second spline that orbits around the central spline and always faces towards the object sliding on the centre spline.
I firstly learnt how to use splines to move the camera target with this video by JemGames (2024). Move Actor along Spline in Unreal Engine 5. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEjHHnvlLNU [Accessed 11 Apr. 2026].
Then to create a controllable pawn I learnt the basics from this by Rushcode (2023). UE5 Tutorial: Create a Flying Pawn using a Character Pawn (not raw pawn). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRwcxhF35Ig [Accessed 11 Apr. 2026].
Though I temporarily created some of the movement systems from this video I ended up removing them to create my own custom spline movement since I don’t want the camera to be free.
I then created a second spline and used the same movement system from before but changed the speed based of the A/D input from the controllable pawn and locked the pawn to this spline.
Example of the movement I created, you can orbit fully around the map and stop when you want.
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