How is epic online services integrated into a game? I have looked at the documentation, but it seems to miss a very fundamental part about setting it up with a game, and the samples are not described very well. Code examples would be very useful. Can anybody help?
UE4 got common interface for network social services called OnlineSubsystem
But there no implementation of that for EOS for some reason. You need to google and download plugin for that oi seen multiple options.
Once you got that setup you can follow Steam tutorials (once without Steam Advance plugin involved) just use EOS OnlineSubsystem insted of Steam one.
Also OnlineSubsystem got very weak support for Blueprint so you may end up need to use C++ or plugin to expose those APIs to blueprint
So EOS has its own online subsystem that offers functionality besides what the basic online subsystem does? Or does EOS provide the ability to have an account on a game on multiple platforms?
“So EOS has its own online subsystem that offers functionality besides what the basic online subsystem does?”
I don’t think there is any extra functions, the service was made for UE4 games in mind and fulfills OnlineSubsystem APIs that UE4 have
“Or does EOS provide the ability to have an account on a game on multiple platforms?”
Any online service that does not use in platform OS library (and EOS is not one of them) will work on any platform or else plugin been deliberately coded to not do so or use some middleware binary code (which is the case with Steam). On any platform networking works the same, any device is capable to connect to any service and talk to it it just matter of software and platform licensing rules.
Thank you for answering again. Does that mean EOS purpose is to allow devices to communicate between whatever platform? It doesn’t change any functionality to the Online subsystem that is already in ue4, it just makes it work?
No EOS most primary purpose for in foremost is to be online game social service (managing friend, sessions and so on), thing is it’s also independent from any platform, so you can associate logins together and EOS has that function build in, by that you can login to EOS with PSN account for example, but in that case PSN is only used to login to EOS, the EOS it self is used as online service, if that you can login with any other game service that EOS support to use EOS services on specific platform, and Epic Games makes it prime selling point of EOS. It kind of create illusion that you can use any service (like PSN, xbox live etc) with you game but in reality you only using EOS, you just login to EOS with other services.
EOS is not only service that can do that Ubisofts’s UPlay or EA Play does the same for example, but those are locked up online services used only by Ubisoft and EA.