Before asking the full question, I acknowledge this guideline
2.6.1.d Plugins can depend on Unreal Engine plugins distributed with the engine, but must not depend on other user-made Unreal Engine plugins.
My question is related to best practices from Epic Games for the following paid for code plugin sale model:
Currently:
- The runtime and blueprint extension modules of the plugin are free and offered as an Open Source solution.
End Goal:
- Offer the open source plugin for runtime and blueprint node extension modules free on the marketplace
- Offer and extension plugin that offers significant editor functionality as a sold product on the marketplace
So my idea is to have the Editor Plugin depend on the runtime plugin for shared data objects. I want to know what process I should take to fit my desires, but stay within the guidelines. From the guideline linked above I think the solution would be the following:
- Release the Runtime (so Gameplay) Plugin as a Free Code Plugin
- Release the Editor (so Gameplay & Editor) Plugin as a Paid Code Plugin, but include the code for the Free Code Plugin
The problem with this is that it could lead to a poor customer experience. The free version and the paid version would have different runtime versions and both would need updates pushed in tandem. Fine from an automation standpoint and painless with my repo setup - but could still be inconsistent.
What I would like to do is (as I think was an old guideline) is release the Free Plugin on marketplace and offer the Paid Plugin for sale on the marketplace and make the Free Plugin a dependency.
May I do the latter? Or do I have to treat them as two separate binary distributions - as the former? Or, option three - release only the paid for version on the marketplace and leave the OSS version on a public repository and have customers pull that if they want to use it for free?