Hi, I would like to know how to store players items in servers, or… anyway to allow people to keep their stuff and not lose them when they install the game in another PC, same as Fortnite does, but I haven’t find a video tutorial for it.
Thanks
You need to have a web server integration to offload/save to DB. There’s quite a few plugins on the market place.
Cool, but do you know a tutorial for this?
thanks
Hi let us know please, we need it too 
DraxFX do you know a good plugin even in BluePrint?
You need backend infrastructure for this: webserver, database, API. The data is stored in a database and the user communicates with the web server via API.
This requires a lot of experience to make a secure and reliable system. Also, you need to write code for API which requires knowledge of certain programming languages like node.js (javascript), php, python or similiar.
You can take a look plugins like VaRest or Websockets…
You need to develop your Web API first, then create your integration classes for UE4. Connection, Authentication, Requests, Responses, Call Backs.
I highly recommend looking at PHP/MySQL for the Web backend. At least as a starting point. I’d go with a REST API architecture.
I would also make sure that only the server can make requests to the backend (security).
Long story short it’s a pain in the ■■■ and lot of work. There are service providers with ue4 integrations that you can use to ease your pain in exchange for another cut to income (I know of Playfab and Xsolla but pretty sure there are more).
I understand, but that’s how it was long ago, just to learn how to use Blueprints, niagara, etc, until suddenly tutorials started appearing and now it’s easy to use and understand, same with the Server and login etc, the problem is not that this process is hard, the problem is that nobody is doing video tutorials, I don’t really understand C++, but I can make you a whole game with Blueprints, that’s how important it is to have tutorials, It sure is complicated, but just imagine how many views is going to have, the first channel that creates a full process of how to create an Inventory for a game on Steam and how to use a server to store people assets, ufff… Thats the next level that just a few indie developers are reaching today. Not necessarily a Fortnite game, but for any type of game.
Sure if the process only needed to use one tool but it doesn’t. You need know how to set up a database. Then backend programming, front end scripting and markup etc. That’s not just one language, here’s a 20 minute tutorial boom your done.
- Database options: Oracle, MySQL, SQL, PostgreSQL, IBM DB2, Amazon RDS, SQL Lite and another 25 or so.
- Backend Programming: PhP, ASP, .Net, JAVA, RUBY, ColdFusion, Python, C++, C#, C, Lucee … and another gazillion.
- Frontend: HTML, JavaScript minimums
The combinations are almost endless. I’ve been doing full stack web development for about 25 years and there’s no way in hell I could do a reasonable length tutorial on creating a secure database backend with API support. You need to go check out Web Development tutorials. There’s millions of them. Pick a DB and programming language (MySQLi & Php), then hit Stack Overflow and the tens of thousands of other help/support/tutorial sites and learn.
Once you learn those two bare minimums it’s a cakewalk to run queries from the game to web backend.
It’s nobodies job here to write web development tutorials.
edit …
I’m not trying to be ■■■■. Web development is what you’re looking for and it’s thoroughly covered in its own domain.
MySQL Tutorials for beginners
MySQL Docs
Php Tutorials for beginners
Php Docs
Stick with OOP and MySQLi (MySQL Improved)
Ok, maybe I was confused about the actual process because nobody had explained it well in the past, for example I had no idea that I had to create a website… for me it has nothing to do with it, for me a server is a host like Hostgator, and maybe you have to create something in there which holds the user items… but, that was my idea for a “general” game, I remember Steam does have an Item library system, and you do not need code to make it work, also there is a way for players not to loose their stuff by saving their SaveGame files inside Steam, ad I belive that system is 100% free, I can do a website in 1 day, maybe less If I copy an old script or use a website system but for a game, not sure how or why, this is getting confusing, because I though Steam already had a practical way to do this, and I think there is bits of information and tutorials around, but not an entire process, I know some Php, I have set MySQl about 5 years ago, but I though that was more like, to create a trashy facebook site, never though it had anything to do to a videogame, I thought the server was just going to store data or something, and maybe there was an standard process at this point. nice to know.
I built a plugin that generates SQLite statements from Blueprints without programming (see here and here) to be integrated with Unreal’s Dedicated Servers (we just tick ‘Save Game’ checkbox and property is recorded to a SQLite.db)… but it’s just touching the surface, actual backend development is an entirely different universe indeed.
if you plan to make a complex online infrastructure then the Unreal game is actually the easy part to be built.
I just want people not to loose their items, once they change from one computer to the other, more likely on Steam at this point, since making it work for a console and PC will require such impossible random abilities to create a real server… LOL, but, I have seen silly weird low quality games, using servers, accounts, etc. at least on Steam, that I thought Unreal being so powerful, also had an easy way to make this work, since so many low quality and even free games use servers… I though, maybe this is easy LOL.
Use Steam cloud saves, then!
I’m not a fan of Steam, because they deceive indie developers and their log is totally against them not to mention their terrible piracy, but… on the other hand, the Epic Store is not Indie friendly, I thought that the new “publishing tools” were finally the competition of Steam, but it seems that it only applies to companies and it is mostly a way for Epic to process projects faster…LOL… it is not for indie developers to release their games, the “Everyone can publish on the Epic Store” commercial, does have small letters… only companies… even the appllication is called “organizations” from my understanding, but correct me if wrong, since that’s the sad data that other developers are comenting in Discord and other places, so even when Stem is not a good store for indies, it’s an easy… super easy option with tons of active players, we do not really have a choice, or the other smaller stores, I wish Epic to be more open to solo developers, like I said, correct me if wrong.
Anyway, I just wanted to know the cloud process to understand it and know how to work a project intelligently, just In case, it seems fairly complex, but it is ccool to share ideas about it, and have a cool overall look to it.
If you think the overhead of “starting a company” is a barrier, then the overhead of “develop a game that’s actually fun and people would pay for” seems like it would be an even worse barrier.
“Starting a company” is not a particularly big hurdle in comparison.