Advanced TopDown Template - Features

Community Marketplace
1

Hi all,

i just wanted to ask if there would be any interest in some kind of “Advanced Top-Down Template”, including a Top-Down Camera (with Zooming, Rotation, various angles, smooth snap-back to origin angles), a basic PlayerController with movement and a basic skillsystem, a basic EnemyController with configurable properties (shouldChasePlayer, aggroRange, isMelee, meleeRange, isRanged, etc…), highlighting of enemies/objects on mouseover, highlighting of characters if they are behind some obstacles that block the view, etc?

If yes, what would you like to see inside that template additionally?

UPDATED:
TopDown Toolkit is on the marketplace now!

**Please be aware that there is an issue **right now with the way the content is added to an existing project!
Since the toolkit was created as a sample project to build from, it has config files with it. When Adding the toolkit to an existing project, the files in the Config - directory will be overwritten!
I am already working with Epic on fixing the issue, for now i would recommend to create a new empty project with the name TopDownToolkit (any other name will result in an error when opening the project, since its the name in the configs), add the toolkit there, and then migrate from there.

I am sorry for these issues and hope that these are soon resolved!

Added a quick video of one of the sample levels, showing some of the functionality. Please dont judge me for the animations, they will be replaced by better looking ones in the final product :wink:

This Asset will be renamed, because of a possible naming clash with Epic’s default TopDown Template.
From now on it’s the TopDown Toolkit (i know i’m really creative with names…).

More detailed description of the current implementation:

**Camera **is done through PlayerCameraManager and will have the following features:

  • Zooming in and out
  • smooth zooming yes/no
  • smooth zoom factor
  • rotation through i.e. middle mouse button in all directions (pitch/yaw)
  • clamping of rotation to min and max values (pitch and yaw)
  • snapback of camera rotation to. original settings yes/no
  • snapback smoothing factor
  • possibility to set a different target to view than the current player from outside (i.e. playercontroller, level blueprint, etc)
  • configurable camera lag

Sample PlayerController containing the following features:

  • click to move
  • highlighting of enemies on mouseover (through rendercustomdepth)
  • highlighting of player if behind a wall or anything that blocks sight
  • target click coordinate detection based on a virtual plane on height of the player (instead of tracing the first hit, so a click into “nothing” is also supported)

Basic EnemyController utilizing a **behaviourtree **with the following settings:

  • aggroRange
  • isMelee
  • meleeRange
  • isRanged
  • rangedRange
  • rangedSkill
  • shouldChasePlayer
  • shouldPatrol
  • waypointgroup
  • waittimebetweenwaypoints

Everything that is utilized in the BehaviourTree will be inside a Function Library for easier customizing of your own BehaviourTree.

**Waypoints **are basically implemented, AI that has a group of waypoints assigned will go to one after another utilizing the navmesh inbetween (useful for patrolling)

Also there will be 2 or more sample levels to demonstrate the usage of everything, e.g. Enemies at follow you and try to kill you (so yes, basic health / damage stuff will be in).

There will be a basic implementation of some skills (FireboltSkill, IceboltSkill with FreezeEffect, MeleeSkill), but nothing that resembles a real skillsystem for now; This is planned for the first update i will deliver, along with any additional requests from customers that come in.

Cheers,

2

Hi there.

This sounds like something that many people would be interested in, especially those developing RTS or dungeon crawler type games. I, for one, would be very interested in seeing something like that.

I’m not sure what else you could add, as that already sounds like quite a considerable amount of things to include.

3

if template will be done in BP sign me up for this beauty!

4

Hi,

my original plan was to code at least the camera in C++, make it blueprintable and expose everything as a custom blueprint, since the according calculations for rotation etc. are (at least for me) much easier to do in C++.

But if there’s a demand to have everything in pure Blueprints, i would of course do that too :slight_smile:

Cheers,

5

At the moment you can’t put anything that has C++ code on the marketplace. You either need to do all your logic in BP, or wait for Epic to figure out how they want to handle assets having code.

6

I’m fully aware of it, but in the end Epic has to find a way to figure out how to provide C++ templates too.

When i’m thinking of PlayerController Templates that provide specific implementations for i.e. Top-Down / RTS / other stuff, this could be quite a pain when done in Blueprints when talking about easy extendability and usage.
Though of course that could be just my own impression.

Cheers,

7

Personally, I would love to see this become a reality. I think that you should make it in whatever form allows you to make the best product, both for yourself and for those who use it (I really like the idea of custom nodes and such). One thing I would like to see implemented is possibly additional functionality in the skill system that allows for skills that are both stationary (where the character doesn’t move when using the skill) and skills that move the character as part of the animation/skill (think leap, or whirlwind of barbarians in diablo games).

In any case, I would be sure to use this. It would be a great help when I get around to showcasing my vfx work (I am in the middle of attempting to replicate the spell fx in Diablo 3, a daunting task to say the least). Good luck and take all the time you need to get in everything you want to. :smiley:

8

Now thats just typical, i am on my only vacation this year and suddenly the marketplace opens up :slight_smile:

So, most of the functionality has already been migrated to Blueprints, so on the weekend (when i return from my vacation) i will submit my first screenshots for the Trello voting board.

Just as a sidenote, as soon as Epic supports C++ projects on the marketplace i will add all the functionality as a C++ too.

Cheers,

9

Hi indygoof,

What features are you planning to include on your package?

Can you list them please.

Thanks.

10

Hi,

for now everything will be Blueprint only.

Camera is done through PlayerCameraManager and will have the following features:

  • Zooming in and out
  • smooth zooming yes/no
  • smooth zoom factor
  • rotation through i.e. middle mouse button in all directions (pitch/yaw)
  • clamping of rotation to min and max values (pitch and yaw)
  • snapback of camera rotation to. original settings yes/no
  • snapback smoothing factor
  • possibility to set a different target to view than the current player from outside (i.e. playercontroller, level blueprint, etc)
  • configurable camera lag

Sample PlayerController containing the following features:

  • click to move
  • highlighting of enemies on mouseover (through rendercustomdepth)
  • highlighting of player if behind a wall or anything that blocks sight
  • target click coordinate detection based on a virtual plane on height of the player (instead of tracing the first hit, so a click into “nothing” is also supported)

Basic EnemyController utilizing a behaviourtree with the following settings:

  • aggroRange
  • isMelee
  • meleeRange
  • isRanged
  • maxRangedRange
  • minRangedRange
  • shouldChasePlayer

Everything that is utilized in the BehaviourTree will be inside a Function Library for easier customizing of your own BehaviourTree.

Also there will be 2 or more sample levels to demonstrate the usage of everything, e.g. Enemies at follow you and try to kill you (so yes, basic health / damage stuff will be in).

There will be a basic implementation of some skills (i.e. throw a fireball to damage an enemy), but nothing that resembles a real skillsystem for now; This is planned for the first update i will deliver, along with any additional requests from customers that come in.

As for my initial post, any feedback for additional features is welcome and will be incorporated into future releases if feasible.

Cheers,

11

Submitted for Review. Hope i get through to the Trello Board soon :slight_smile:

Cheers,

12

Let us know when it hits the Trello, would be happy to see this made available on the marketplace! :wink:

13

Indeed. I made the camera work in similar fashion as you have but the added features are very interesting. :smiley:

14

I think the camera is the most useful part of the package, since you can just plug it into your playercontroller, do some minimal configuration and it works. And i made sure that there are enough comments to understand what i did in there :slight_smile:
Things like the Behaviour Tree for the BaseEnemy are more for learning, since for a full game you will like to customize that with more detail. Though, the functions already in the package may come in handy for custom BehaviourTrees, and you can see how the BT / Anim-Blueprint / PlayerController work together.

If there is any interest in additional features for the camera, just tell me, i still got time to get something in until i have to submit the whole package to Epic :wink:

I also already thought of doing a smaller package with just camera implementations / samples, like TopDownCamera focused on the Player, RTS-style camera with movement when the cursor hits the screen edges, a third-person camera which “evades” obstacles, a zoomable shouldercam, etc.
If there is enough interest for that, i would be happy to provide such a package too.

Cheers,

15

I think there’s always going to be a demand for such things. If it’s already made and available in the marketplace, allowing me to purchase it and have a working prototype up and running in a matter of minutes, that’s going to be worthwhile.

16

I would be highly interested in an “Advanced Top-Down Template” with player controller and enemy ai units with ranged (firearms, bows and arrows) and melee (fists, crowbars, swords) attacks.

17

This is a great idea. Can’t wait to see some more information on it.

18

indygoof do you have a Unity top-down asset for sale? Or is there a comparable Unity top-down asset that yours can be compared to?

19

Hi,

not really. Its the first asset that i actually sell, and its just not comparable between Unity Marketplace and here.

I will put up a video in the next days, showcasing some features that made it in.

Cheers,

20

Finally :slight_smile:

TopDown Toolkit is on the Trello Board now, please voteif you want to see it on the Marketplace!

Added a quick video of one of the sample levels to the first post, showing some of the functionality. Please dont judge me for the animations, they will be replaced by better looking ones in the final product :wink:
Also, Screenshots on the board are outdated now, but i already sent the new ones…

Cheers,