Unreal Engine 5 Team System - Team Assignment and Spawn Issues

Development Programming & Scripting Blueprint
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Unreal Engine 5 Team System Issues - Team Assignment and Spawn Problems

Hello Unreal Engine Community,

I have been working on a team-based game in Unreal Engine 5, but I’m facing several issues related to team selection, spawn logic, and maintaining team balance. I would greatly appreciate your help and guidance.

Game Structure

  1. Team System:
  • Players are assigned to one of two teams: Team A or Team B.
  • Players choose their team, or if they don’t, they are automatically assigned based on team balance.
  • Team balance is defined by a MaxDifference variable:
    • One team cannot have more than 2 players more than the other.
  1. Spawn Logic:
  • After a player’s team is selected, they spawn as a unique character depending on their team:
    • Team A: One type of character.
    • Team B: Another type of character.
  1. Counters and Validation:
  • Each team’s player count is stored in GameState:
    • TeamACount
    • TeamBCount
  • These counters are used to validate whether a player can join a specific team.
  1. Replication:
  • All counters are replicated to ensure clients receive the correct information about team states.

Current Implementation

  • Logic in Controller:
    All key logic is implemented in the PlayerController, which calls GameMode functions using Run on Server events. These functions are executed in the Event BeginPlay of the Controller.
  • Team Selection Logic:
    The Call Bind on Event setup is used to bind the team selection event (with Run on Server enabled). This ensures that the player’s input is processed on the server and updates team information accordingly.

Issues I’m Facing

  1. Spawn Logic Doesn’t Respect Conditions:
  • I’ve implemented a check to prevent players from spawning if their team exceeds the MaxDifference rule.
    For example:
If (TeamACount >= TeamBCount + MaxDifference) → Prevent spawn

However, the spawn logic still executes, even when the condition should block it.
2. Screen Effects Affecting All Players:

  • When a player joins a team, screen effects (e.g., a fade effect) are triggered. These effects should only affect the player joining the team, but:
    • If the server triggers the effect, it only works for the server player.
    • If a client joins Team A, the screen effect is incorrectly triggered for the server player.
  1. Team Balance Issues:
  • Even though I’ve set a MaxDifference rule, team balance is not maintained consistently.
    Manual team selection can allow players to join a team even when it exceeds the MaxDifference.
  1. Replication Problems:
  • Team counters (TeamACount and TeamBCount) sometimes appear incorrect or delayed for clients.
    This creates mismatches between what the client sees and what the server processes.

Current Blueprint Implementation

1. Team Selection Logic

  • PlayerController:
    On team selection, the Controller calls ValidateTeamSelection in GameMode.
Custom Event: OnTeamSelect (Run on Server)
    Input: TeamID
    ↓
Call ValidateTeamSelection (GameMode)
    ↓
Branch: IsValid
    True → Call SpawnCharacter
    False → Print String ("Team Full")
  • ValidateTeamSelection (GameMode):
Custom Event: ValidateTeamSelection (Run on Server)
    Input: TeamID
    Output: IsValid (Boolean)
    ↓
Get TeamACount, TeamBCount
    ↓
Switch On TeamID
    Case 0 → Branch: TeamACount < TeamBCount + MaxDifference
    Case 1 → Branch: TeamBCount < TeamACount + MaxDifference
    ↓
Return IsValid

2. Spawn Logic

  • GameMode:
    Spawns a character based on the selected team.
Custom Event: SpawnCharacter (Run on Server)
    Input: PlayerController, TeamID
    ↓
Switch On TeamID
    Case 0 → Spawn Team A Character
    Case 1 → Spawn Team B Character

3. Counter Updates

  • GameMode:
    Updates the team counters and replicates them to GameState.
Custom Event: UpdateTeamCount (Run on Server)
    Input: TeamID
    ↓
Switch On TeamID
    Case 0 → Increment TeamACount
    Case 1 → Increment TeamBCount
    ↓
Set GameState Variables

What I Want to Achieve

  1. Proper Spawn Control:
  • Players should only spawn if their team’s count respects the MaxDifference rule.
  • If the condition fails, the spawn should be blocked, and an appropriate message should be shown.
  1. Isolated Effects:
  • Effects like screen fades should only impact the player triggering them.
  • Server-client logic should ensure these effects are not globally applied.
  1. Team Balance Maintenance:
  • Even with manual team selection, the MaxDifference rule should always be enforced.
  1. Accurate Replication:
  • Team counters must always reflect the correct state on both server and clients.

Questions

  1. Spawn Logic and Conditions:
  • How can I enforce spawn conditions (MaxDifference) effectively?
  • What is the best way to integrate team validation and spawn logic without bypassing these checks?
  1. Server and Client Synchronization:
  • How can I ensure that effects like screen fades are only triggered for the relevant player?
  • Are there specific replication tips I should follow for managing team states and player effects?
  1. Team Balance:
  • How can I maintain team balance dynamically while respecting the MaxDifference rule, even with manual selection?
  1. General Advice:
  • Are there better structural approaches for implementing a robust team-based system in Unreal Engine 5?

Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions! :blush:

2

What’s your chain logic for calling events/functions on the GM?
GM only resides on the server. Clients do not get a copy of it.

Proper flow from client controller is as follows.
Client PC → Server PC → Game Mode

The way I’d handle teams etc is to use On Post Login → Assign Team. I’d set credentials in the Player State. Use those credentials to assign the Mesh/Class for character.

For switching teams I’d reference the Teamcounts vars in the GS on the Client first. If the swap is valid RPC up the chain to the GM to switch. Have the GM validate.

I typically store specific team data in the player state to help handle UI and other dependencies.