Game Code Mastery

Interaction System Setup

3 min read

Follow these steps to integrate the Advanced Interaction System into a new Unreal Engine 5 project. These steps are necessary for custom setups, as the system is pre-configured in the default project included with Advanced ARPG Combat.

  1. Prerequisites:
    • Unreal Engine 5.3 or later.
    • A pawn (e.g., player character) to host the interaction component.
    • An actor to interact with in the project.
  2. Add the Interactable Object Type:
    • Navigate to Project Settings > Collision > Object Channels.
    • Add a new object channel named Interactable.
    • Set the default response to Block.
    • Note: This step is critical, as the system relies on the Interactable object type for tracing.

  1. Add the Interaction Component:
    • Open the Blueprint of the pawn that will perform interactions (e.g., player character).
    • In the Components panel, click Add Component and select BP_InteractionComponent.
    • Select the BP_InteractionComponent in the Details panel and configure properties as needed:
      • SearchForInteractablesTickTime: Set the interval for searching (e.g., 0.1 seconds).
      • InteractableObjectTypes: Ensure Interactable is included.
      • VisualizeInteractionTrace: Enable for debug visibility during testing.

  1. Initialize the Component:

    • In the pawn’s Blueprint, on the Event BeginPlay node, call the Initialize function on BP_InteractionComponent to start the interactable search.

  2. Set Up Input Bindings Using Enhanced Input:

    • Navigate to Project Settings > Input > Input Actions.
    • Create a new Input Action asset named IA_Interact (e.g., create a new asset in the Content Browser under Content/Input/Actions).
    • In the IA_Interact asset, add a key mapping (e.g., “E” key) under Mappings.
    • In Project Settings > Engine > Input, under Bindings, assign the IA_Interact Input Action.
    • Ensure the project uses the Enhanced Input System:
      • In Project Settings > Game > Default Classes, set the Default Pawn Class to use a Blueprint with an Enhanced Input Component (or add it to your pawn).
      • In Project Settings > Input > Default Input Component Class, select EnhancedInputComponent.
    • In the pawn’s Blueprint:
      • Add an Input Mapping Context asset (e.g., create IMC_Default in Content/Input).
      • Map IA_Interact to the IMC_Default context in the Input Mapping Context asset.
      • On Event BeginPlay, call Add Mapping Context (from the Player Controller) to apply IMC_Default.
      • Bind the IA_Interact action to a function:
        • In the Blueprint graph, add an Input Action node for IA_Interact (using the Enhanced Input Component).
        • Connect the Triggered pin to call the ToggleInteraction function on BP_InteractionComponent.

  1. Test with Default Interactable Actors:
    • Place an instance of BP_Interactable (included with the system) in the level. This actor is pre-configured with BP_InteractionInterface and a Widget Component for WB_InteractableWidget.
    • Ensure its collision settings respond to the Interactable object type.
    • Playtest to verify that the system detects the actor and displays the WB_InteractableWidget (e.g., “Press [E] to interact”).

Troubleshooting:

  • If interactables are not detected, verify that the Interactable object type is added in Project Settings > Collision and included in the InteractableObjectTypes property of BP_InteractionComponent.
  • If the interaction widget doesn’t appear, ensure that BP_Interactable has a Widget Component with the Widget Class set to WB_InteractableWidget.
  • If interactions don’t trigger, check that the IA_Interact Input Action is bound in the Input Mapping Context and that the Enhanced Input Component is set up correctly in the pawn.

Graph View