MMO Starter Kit

[schmozzzle]

any improvements with replication graph?

[CodeSpartan]

What's a replication graph?

[Albert Nguyen]

MMO Starter Kit is available for purchase on Sellfy!
Online documentation for version 1.15
Unofficial Discord channel

older documentation: 1.14 | 1.13 | 1.12 | 1.11 | 1.10 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.0

2018
Update 20/07: 4.20 port link
Update 17/03: 4.19 port + bug fixes link

2017
Update 08/12: Minor tweaks and bug fixes link
Update 31/10: 4.18 port
Update 19/08: 4.17 port
Update 26/05: 4.16 port, bug fixes link
Update 23/02: 4.15 port

2016
Update 16/12: Bug fixes, 4.14 port link
Update 04/09: Animated loading screen, 4.13 port link
Update 28/07: Clans, clan chat, 4.12.5 port link
Update 06/04: A reworked Launcher, aggressive behavior tree, ability to delete characters, 4.11 port link

2015

Update 15/11: Group mechanics, private and group chat, 4.10 port link
Update 04/09: Hotbar, localization support, 4.9 port link
Project Genom - a sci-fi MMO built using MMO Starter Kit has been Greenlit link
Update 26/06: Quests, health regen, 4.8.1 port link
Update 01/03: Equipment and better security, 4.7 port link

2014

Update 24/12: Inventory and loot link
Update 6/12 140+ active players confirmed running smoothly! link

Download demo client
(330 MB download, 1.5 GB free space required for the install)

Demo controls: I - inventory, C - equipment, P - abilities

The first video: (pretty outdated!)

Hi everyone,

I would like to present the project that I've been working on for quite some time already - MMO Starter Kit. I have been carrying the idea of an MMO kit for more than a year now, and have tried different engines and approaches, but only when I saw Unreal 4 this became a serious project for me. I believe that Unreal Blueprint system can truly allow anyone to create their own MMO game, and with the engine's next-gen graphics that game can turn out to be truly fantastic.

Anyways, let me sum up the features that are already present in the MMO kit:

• All source code included
• Fully in Blueprints. I'm an experienced programmer but Blueprints have totally won me over. The only subsystem that I had to code was the connection to the socket chat server and I made it into a plugin so it's still being accessed from Blueprints.
• Persistent storage of data in a mySQL database. Character position and stats are saved when the character logs off and restored when it enters world again.
• No third-party solution (such as Photon or RakNet) required - so no monthly fees and you are free to host your server anywhere you want. I'm hosting the demo server on Softlayer and will provide detailed instructions on how to set up a server for those who are new to dedicated servers in general.
• Registration, login and character creation.
• Authoritative server
• Launcher/autoupdater that can update the game and itself (separate application, in C#). Because you don't want to make your users download the full game over again after each minor update
• Combat and targeting
• Roaming and aggressive NPCs that fight back and chase after the player if attacked
• Inventory and loot, droppable items
• Equipment
• Quests
• Player and NPC respawn
• Combat log
• Classic MMO controls (think World of Warcraft)
• Groups and clans
• Global, private, party and clan chat
• UMG user interface

Closing note: MMO's are pretty feared in indie gamedev community and new users who have a MMO dream are often laughed at. There's also an aura of secrecy about them, maintained by people who have once dived into MMOs a little but failed and are unwilling to share their knowledge with the others, prefering to discourage them instead. Well, they are wrong. It is possible to create an MMO, and it doesn't necessarily cost millions. Just as Unreal 4's graphics would cost millions to achieve some few years ago, those things just become more available as the time goes. My goal is to create the best MMO kit for Unreal, with extensive documentation that covers not only how to work with the kit from within Unreal, but also things like how to order and set up a dedicated Softlayer server.

Credits: I would like to say thank you to Vladimir Alyamkin (ufna) for his wonderful VaRest Plugin, released under MIT license. It's people like this who move the indie gamedev community forward.

The authors of the free assets that are used in the demo:

Sword Girl model (used only on the demo server, not distributed) - Bunt Games
Inventory icons - Ravenmore, Flare icons
Black & white icons for empty slots - game-icons.net
Inventory sounds - qubodup, Akeroyc
female voices - AderuMoro, MadamVicious
male voices - Michel Baradari

The map used in the demo is by Epic Games.

Hi,

Can I use this project for Android application? How much does it cost? Can you help me to build my own project?

[schmozzzle]

What's a replication graph?

replication graph is a new tool that deals with replication for large actor count muliplayer games they developed it for fortnite. New in 4.20.

[CodeSpartan]

replication graph is a new tool that deals with replication for large actor count muliplayer games they developed it for fortnite. New in 4.20.

Thanks, I'll be reading up on that.

One thing that the 4.20 version improved dramatically is that they finally fixed the situation where reliable multicasts would forcibly open replication channels to actors that are netculled, forcing EVERYONE to create an actor, receive the multicast, and then allow the actor to be netculled again. It was very resource intensive, and if you wanted to go around it, you had to perform multicasts unreliably or to do them through variables' OnRep functions. Neither of those are great. Thankfully it's finally fixed.

[CodeSpartan]

Ok, so I've watched the video on replication graph and got the gist of it. It's a flexible system that allows you to define rules for when, how often and what to replicate to what connection. It's nice, but it's really supposed to be configured once you have most of your game with all the classes, because you define replication rules on the per class basis. It's supposed to be done late in development. It wouldn't be of much use for the MMO Kit, because the kit is only the foundation for a game.

Personally, I'll wait till it's out of the experimental phase and has some more documentation, then I'll implement it for the MMO I'm working on. And we're always one version behind the latest ue4 version. So I'll probably really dive into it in half a year or so.

[Althaen]

Getting a weird issue and I have no idea why.

LogScriptCore: Warning: Script Msg: Attempted to access index 0 from array 'CallFunc_GetAllActorsOfClass_OutActors' of length 0 in '/Game/MMO/Blueprints/Inventory/Equipment.Equipment_C:ExecuteUbergraph_Equipment'!
LogVaRest: Response (200): 
JSON(
)JSON
LogVaRest: Error: UVaRestJsonObject::SetRootObject(45): Trying to set invalid json object as root one. Reset now.
LogVaRest: Warning: No field with name status of type String
LogVaRest: Warning: No field with name status of type String
LogBlueprintUserMessages: [GWPlayerState_C_0] Server: 
LogBlueprintUserMessages: [GWPlayerState_C_0] Server: ID: 0
LogVaRest: Request (json): POST http://localhost/gb/mmogetcharacters.php 
JSON(
{
    "sessionkey": "",
    "userid": 0
}
)JSON
LogVaRest: Response (200): 
JSON(
)JSON
LogVaRest: Error: UVaRestJsonObject::SetRootObject(45): Trying to set invalid json object as root one. Reset now.
LogVaRest: Warning: No field with name status of type String
LogBlueprintUserMessages: [GWPlayerState_C_0] Server: Get all characters failed status check.

[FoxxTrax]

I got these weird errors when I tried to upgrade my project to 4.20. I made the changes in to VaRestPlugin.

[CodeSpartan]

Getting a weird issue and I have no idea why.

LogScriptCore: Warning: Script Msg: Attempted to access index 0 from array 'CallFunc_GetAllActorsOfClass_OutActors' of length 0 in '/Game/MMO/Blueprints/Inventory/Equipment.Equipment_C:ExecuteUbergraph_Equipment'!
LogVaRest: Response (200):
JSON(
)JSON
LogVaRest: Error: UVaRestJsonObject::SetRootObject(45): Trying to set invalid json object as root one. Reset now.
LogVaRest: Warning: No field with name status of type String
LogVaRest: Warning: No field with name status of type String
LogBlueprintUserMessages: [GWPlayerState_C_0] Server:
LogBlueprintUserMessages: [GWPlayerState_C_0] Server: ID: 0
LogVaRest: Request (json): POST http://localhost/gb/mmogetcharacters.php
JSON(
{
"sessionkey": "",
"userid": 0
}
)JSON
LogVaRest: Response (200):
JSON(
)JSON
LogVaRest: Error: UVaRestJsonObject::SetRootObject(45): Trying to set invalid json object as root one. Reset now.
LogVaRest: Warning: No field with name status of type String
LogBlueprintUserMessages: [GWPlayerState_C_0] Server: Get all characters failed status check.

Looks like your php scripts don't return anything, your local scripts/db aren't set up correctly.

[CodeSpartan]

I got these weird errors when I tried to upgrade my project to 4.20. I made the changes in to VaRestPlugin.

Did you back up your project before upgrading and can you confirm that these errors weren't present in your previous version?

Upload the project to google drive and send me a link in PM, I'll have a look at it.

[FoxxTrax]

Did you back up your project before upgrading and can you confirm that these errors weren't present in your previous version?

Upload the project to google drive and send me a link in PM, I'll have a look at it.

Yeah in the previous version I didn't get these errors. I'll upload it and send it over shortly thanks so much!!

[CodeSpartan]

Yeah in the previous version I didn't get these errors. I'll upload it and send it over shortly thanks so much!!

I inspected your project. You forgot to check the "Run Dedicated Server" checkbox after migrating to 4.20

[FoxxTrax]

I inspected your project. You forgot to check the "Run Dedicated Server" checkbox after migrating to 4.20

Yeah sorry to trouble you, a friend just told me the same thing. Thanks for the support.

[Realm Games]

Hi, I downloaded the new mmokit version 4.20 and Iv done all the setups but when I go to start map I can not make a username or password, the password just diapers.I have added my domain name and everything checks out right I clicked run dedicated server, this is a fresh install of mmokit. Version 4.19 works great just cant get passed the making a username and password in 4.20

Thank you

[CodeSpartan]

Hi, I downloaded the new mmokit version 4.20 and Iv done all the setups but when I go to start map I can not make a username or password, the password just diapers.I have added my domain name and everything checks out right I clicked run dedicated server, this is a fresh install of mmokit. Version 4.19 works great just cant get passed the making a username and password in 4.20

Thank you

Is this happening in editor or in cooked build?

If in editor, then "run dedicated server" should not be checked when running the start map, because you're just supposed to be a client here. But anyway, what happens in the log when the password disappears and nothing happens? You should see an error coming back from php.