The v2.25 update has gone live on the Marketplace.
Change Log:
I. Added a new custom AI Controller and Behavior Tree setup for the Friendly AI (both heroes & reinforcement units). All of the AI-related logic has been moved from the base Friendly AI class into the controller and BT. Just as with the previous update which did the same for Enemy AI, this new Behavior Tree setup should be easier to grasp for those new to the toolkit since you can pretty much see the entire execution flow in one glance.
The left branch of the behavior tree focuses on move orders issued by the player (overrides all other behaviors).
The middle branch focuses on locking enemy units in combat, moving in, and attacking them.
Finally, the right branch focuses on just returning back to the guard location while commencing the search for new nearby threats.
II. Added a new parent AI Controller class that handles all features common to both enemy and friendly AI units.
One of my primary reasons behind moving all the AI execution logic from the enemy/friendly character classes over to the controllers & BTs was to ensure that the AI units don’t remain restricted to the default character class. So for example, if you want to add units that are directly derived from the pawn class and not the character class (like say for a tank vehicle), it should be much easier now to set that up since there is very little logic within those blueprints.
III. Removed the Threat Response component and interface since the Behavior Trees can handle the same logic in a much easier-to-understand manner.
Additional Notes: I’ve been busy with some freelance projects lately and haven’t had much time to work on marketplace products for a while outside of dealing with support requests. But I have more time on my hands now and so the toolkit will be back to getting a steady stream of updates like it used to.