http://www.unrealengine.com/en/udk/downloads/
and download the latest. Don't worry, they're all labeled "beta". At this time, there is only a microsoft windows version of the UDK, even though resulting games can be played on multiple platforms.
A few things to keep in mind before you download:
When you run it to self-expand, it will at some point ask you if you want a "UT Sample Game" install, or an "Empty Game".
This is not the simple choice that it sounds to be.
Alternatively, if you know the name you want for your game name ahead of
time, you can set it
before you press the [Install] button. Just change
Project Options
Project Name [YourProjName]
The install directory will then automatically change from C:\UDK\Custom to
C:\UDK\YourProjName. However, source code will go in
There is another interesting side effect of running this install type: It
will leave an icon for the UDK Editor in your Start Menu (if you arent
running Windows 8, I suppose).
You might want to "Pin" it. But either way, there will be a permenant
shortcut for you under
All Programs -> Unreal Development Kit -> Custom
Because of the above, if you have the space for it, I recommend running the
installer twice, so you can choose both options, rather than one.
The nice thing is that the default location for each is slightly different:
C:\UDK\UDK-2013-02 C:\UDK\Custom (Note: If you change the default locations, it may not create the nice shortcuts under the "Programs" menu for you, so keep the defaults)
The installs live completely independant of each other. Starting UDK or UDK Editor from either location, will only look at the config files in its own location.
So, other than you getting confused when seeing "(UDK is running)" on your taskbar and not being sure which one it is.. there's not much of a downside.
If you want to save a tiny bit of disk space(1 Gigabyte or less?), but
still want all the UT assets and sample maps to play with, one option is to
install them both to the same place.
If you do this, you'll probably want to install the examples first.
The main thing is to make
copies of the directory C:\UDK\UDK-2013-02\UDKGAME\Config, to somewhere
else, for both cases.
Then you can copy in "the right one" as desired, or at minimum, be able to
compare them. The primary config file is DefaultEngine.ini
Every time you run the installer, you will get a new instance in your Windows
"Installed Programs" control panel. There will be nothing to tell them
apart, other than the install date.
Unfortunately, this seems like a double bug. First of all, it does not
alter its name based on the install location. Secondly, even if you
(re)install it over an existing one, with the same install type options,
it will not remove the prior registration with Windows (at least in my
tests on Windows 7)
Another drawback, is that it can be difficult to tell which copy of UDK is running.
The final drawback, is that only one program can be associated with map files, aka ".udk" files. So if you like doubleclicking on map files directly, choose your association carefully
Written by:Philip Brown
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