Hi, I’m following the tutorial in the documentation here. The game works as-expected in the editor, but if I launch the game using Platforms → Quick Launch the game crashes with a null pointer reference. I’ve tracked it down to the FirstPersonDefaultAnim variable being null when the game is launched standalone but not in the editor. Could anyone help with this?
Relevant logs:
ogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.24:448][ 0]LogLoad: Game class is 'BP_AdventureGameMode_C'
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.24:453][ 0]LogWorld: Bringing World /Game/FirstPerson/Lvl_FirstPerson.Lvl_FirstPerson up for play (max tick rate 0) at 2025.09.04-23.56.24
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.24:453][ 0]LogWorld: Bringing up level for play took: 0.005608
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.24:459][ 0]LogTemp: 1
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.24:459][ 0]LogTemp: 2
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.24:459][ 0]LogTemp: FirstPersonMeshComponent: 000002418E754450, FirstPersonDefaultAnim: 0000000000000000
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Could not start crash report client using ../../../Engine/Binaries/Win64/CrashReportClient-Win64-Debug.exe
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogMemory: Platform Memory Stats for Windows
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogMemory: Process Physical Memory: 912.20 MB used, 948.97 MB peak
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogMemory: Process Virtual Memory: 1167.39 MB used, 1208.25 MB peak
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogMemory: Physical Memory: 21246.47 MB used, 10648.36 MB free, 31894.83 MB total
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogMemory: Virtual Memory: 39291.93 MB used, 29466.90 MB free, 68758.83 MB total
LogPlayLevel: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]Message dialog closed, result: Ok, title: The UE-AdventureGame2 Game has crashed and will close, text: Fatal error!
LogPlayLevel: UAT:
LogPlayLevel: UAT:
LogPlayLevel: UAT:
LogPlayLevel: UAT:
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: begin: stack for UAT
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: === Critical error: ===
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error:
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: Fatal error!
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error:
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x0000000000000030
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error:
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7267c3d6e AdventureGame2.exe!AAdventureCharacter::BeginPlay() [C:\Users\mymindstorm\Documents\Unreal Projects\AdventureGame2\Source\AdventureGame2\AdventureCharacter.cpp:57]
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7249db0ab AdventureGame2.exe!AActor::DispatchBeginPlay() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff72643edc1 AdventureGame2.exe!AWorldSettings::NotifyBeginPlay() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7253e34b1 AdventureGame2.exe!AGameStateBase::HandleBeginPlay() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7267c56e9 AdventureGame2.exe!AAdventureGameMode::StartPlay() [C:\Users\mymindstorm\Documents\Unreal Projects\AdventureGame2\Source\AdventureGame2\AdventureGameMode.cpp:10]
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff726309ffd AdventureGame2.exe!UWorld::BeginPlay() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7264bab0e AdventureGame2.exe!UEngine::LoadMap() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7264710ed AdventureGame2.exe!UEngine::Browse() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff725377796 AdventureGame2.exe!UGameInstance::StartGameInstance() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff7253771c8 AdventureGame2.exe!UGameEngine::Start() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff726737474 AdventureGame2.exe!FEngineLoop::Init() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff72674f95f AdventureGame2.exe!GuardedMain() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff72674fb0a AdventureGame2.exe!GuardedMainWrapper() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff726752938 AdventureGame2.exe!LaunchWindowsStartup() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff72675ff34 AdventureGame2.exe!WinMain() []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff72afa908a AdventureGame2.exe!__scrt_common_main_seh() [D:\a\_work\1\s\src\vctools\crt\vcstartup\src\startup\exe_common.inl:288]
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: [Callstack] 0x00007ff95c94259d KERNEL32.DLL!UnknownFunction []
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error:
LogPlayLevel: Error: UAT: [2025.09.05-04.56.27:444][ 0]LogWindows: Error: end: stack for UAT