Marketplace and Asset Management

Unreal Engine's marketplace is a rich source of content for video games. This chapter will guide you to understand the marketplace and how to manage assets within the Unreal Engine.

On the Unreal Engine marketplace, you can find a vast array of assets, including 3D models, sounds, animations, and entire gameplay systems. For instance, imagine we're creating a movie-themed game and need a character who's a detective like Sherlock Holmes or a cityscape akin to Gotham city. We could spend days, months, or even years creating these assets from scratch, or we could visit the Unreal Engine marketplace and purchase them.

The Unreal Engine marketplace operates similarly to other digital marketplaces. If you've ever used an online store like Google Play or the Apple Store, you'll find many commonalities. After logging into an Epic Games account, you can browse various categories or search for specific assets. Once you find something to your liking, purchase the asset with a credit or debit card and add it straight to your library. Here's how to access the marketplace from Unreal Editor:

Go to Epic Games Launcher > Unreal Engine > Marketplace.

Once you've navigated to the marketplace, you can swim in a sea of assets. Using the search and filter functions, you can find any specific asset you're looking for, such as character skins, audio files, animations, and more.

After purchasing your desired assets, you need to add them to your project. This process is known as Asset Management. It's like hiring actors and getting your props together before filming a movie.

To add the purchased assets to your project, follow these steps:

Go to Epic Games Launcher > Library > Vault.
Find the asset in the Vault and click “Add to project."
Select your project from the dialog.

And voila! Your assets have been added to your project. You can now find them in the project's Content Browser.

The Content Browser is Unreal Engine's asset management system. Picture it like a massive warehouse filled with props for your movie. Every asset is categorized and placed into this warehouse.

In the Content Browser, you can create new folders and categorize your assets. For example, you could create a folder named "Characters" for all your character-related assets, and another one named "Scenery" for all your location props.

Let's create a folder named "Characters" in the Content Browser:

Open Unreal Editor > Content Browser, 
Right-click > New Folder > Name the folder “Characters."

Folders offer a structured and organized strategy for asset management. However, what happens when you've got a considerable amount of assets, naming becomes confusing like our protagonist unable to find clues in a messy crime scene?

That's where tagging comes in handy!

You can add tags to assets, making them easier to locate in the browser. Tags are keywords assigned to an asset that describe aspects of that object. For instance, if you were to add the tag 'Cityscape' to an asset, you could then search for the term 'Cityscape,' and Unreal Engine will bring up all assets with that tag.

To assign a tag to an asset in the Content Browser, follow these steps:

Open Unreal Editor > Content Browser,
Select an asset > Details Tab,
Scroll to the Asset Tag section,
Click the `+` button,
Enter your desired tag.

Now, if we search for assets using tags, Unreal Engine will bring up all assets, cutting down the franticment of searching in a vast ocean of assets.

These strategies: categorization through folders and tagging, can save enormous amounts of development time, and increase workflow efficiency. But, keep in mind, having an enormous number of unattended assets can take up considerable disk space and slow down your engine's performance. To avoid this, always delete unused assets from your projects.

To delete an asset from your project:

Open Unreal Editor > Content Browser,
Select an asset 
Right-click > Delete,
Confirm deletion.

Just like a movie director ensuring his set is clutter-free and organized for easy accessibility and efficiency, you, as the game developer must keep your assets organized.

This chapter provided an overview of Unreal Engine's marketplace, guiding you through asset searching, acquiring, and implementation into your game project via various asset management strategies. With the Unreal Engine marketplace at your disposal, creating complex and cinematic video games is more accessible than ever. Coupled with the right asset management tactics, video game development becomes less about mundane tasks and more about executing your creative vision.