[WIP] Configurable Survival Game Template

Community Showcase Game Development
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Updated - 25th October 2015

BETA version of template is now released and availabled for a reduced price via gumroad! Much more info and some screens released over on the RELEASED thread over here: [BETA RELEASE] Blueprint Survival Game Template - Game Development - Unreal Engine Forums

Updated - 16th October 2015

Well… this thing has taken me far too long. Sadly not because I’ve spent x many months building it, but, as Dr. Ian Malcolm said in the first Jurassic Park… “Life finds a way…”. In this case, life finds a way of getting in the way of everything I do haha.

Anyways… just uploaded a pretty lengthy demo video on YouTube (about 20 minutes long) showing most of the features and options available in the template as it stands. I’ve just gotta build the demo level and finish off a few tiny features so I am hoping to have a testing version up on Gumroad within 3-5 days. My plan is to put it up on Gumroad for a lower price (not sure if $10 or $15) so that anyone that wants to jump in early and help test can pick it up asap, and as I polish it off (hopefully no longer than 1 week) I’ll submit it to the UE4 marketplace.

CLICK HERE FOR LENGTHY DEMO!]([Singleplayer - OUTDATED] UE4 - Survival Game Template Update - 16th October 2015 - YouTube)

In case you don’t want to watch the video…

What is this template for?

As the title would suggest, the Survival Game Template is a template for making survival games. It’s a collection of common features and systems used in the genre all put into one starting point. It is all user configurable to a large degree, allowing users to disable/enable whatever systems they feel suit their project, as well as alter things such as time delays, drain rates, etc.

But like… what IS it?

It’s a blueprint system that includes the following features:

Dynamic Time of Day / Night System - Allowing the user to control what percentage of the cycle is day or night.
Resource management systems including Hunger, Thirst, Oxygen, Blood and more.
A user torch
A graphical inventory system including pickups
And more! Really, the best thing to do is check out the YouTube video. If it’s too long, give me some time. I’ll be making a more flashy shorter version of it for the marketplace.

Anyways… if anyone has any feedback or anything of the like, feel free to add it :slight_smile: Always looking to make it better!

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Very nice and useful template!

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Thanks :slight_smile: Hopefully it helps some people out - but I’ve learnt heaps in the process of making it so even if not, it’s been a good experience.

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I have now resolved this issue myself :slight_smile: Updates coming soon…

*So to anyone who might ever consider using this template, I have a question on some features.

Basically, as described in the original post, the day/night ratio is configurable. The easiest way to explain this is with an example or two.

Example 1.
*User sets the day/night cycle to 3600 seconds (1 real-world hour), then sets the Day/Night ratio to 0.75
A ratio of 0.75 means that Daytime will occupy 75% of the cycle and Nighttime will occupy the remaining 25%, but time in the world will pass as it should
Long story short, int his example, the sun would rise at 6am in-game time, and take 45 minutes (75% of 3600 seconds) to set again at 6pm. Time will then speed up between 6pm and 6am and it will only take 15 minutes to hit sunrise again.
*
Example 2.
User sets the day/night cycle to 600 seconds, then sets the Day/Night ratio to 0.6
Day will occupy 60%, night 40%.
Sun would rise at 6am in-game time and take 360 seconds (60% of 600) to set at 6pm. Night (from 6pm til 6am) would only take 240 seconds.

Now… Currently I have the hunger/thirst/temperature systems updating based on game seconds. So they update faster or slower during day/night based on the ratio. In example 1, for instance, you will lose 3 times as many hunger points per REAL-WORLD second during night because time is running 3x as fast. This makes sense to me for these systems that will, likely, be set up to run over long periods (1 or more in-game days). It keeps the game ‘real’ and maintains a more survival feel IMO. However, when it comes to poisoning (which is based on the character being in poison volumes and so on), oxygen drain (which is based on players being underwater, etc.)… making this happen at different rates does NOT make sense.

Oxygen, for example, is likely to be something a user is going to set to drain over say 40 seconds, or 2 minutes. In example one, this would speed up and a player would have 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, based on those numbers. That’s not good… So I’ve set these to be based on REAL-WORLD seconds.

**Should I…

a) set all systems to be based on real-world seconds?
b) set all systems to game-time seconds?
c) provide on/off switches for the systems like thirst/hunger that are based on game seconds so that they can match with the others if necessary?**

I’m a little at a loss as to what is best here. So I figured I’d ask those who might use it :slight_smile:

Update on progress - aside from the above stuff, I have all the systems sorted except for the blood system and stamina system - both of which are easy. Just been doing a lot of iterating on it all to get it more efficient and clean. Still have to make pickups, but the functions are all there for them to hook into so that is also easy :slight_smile: Getting close-ish to done.*

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All systems game time seconds, as far as on off switches for systems, of course; the more simple you make it for the user to click buttons and it just work the more sales you will make after it gains momentum. I would def. add as many features as possible and have them broke down into groups even if you do not think you would use them someone else may have a use for them, also make sure to really well comment everything for modding.

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I’ve gone with real-world seconds for the oxygen/blood system etc. as it didn’t really make sense on the world-time as a game mechanic. As for on/off switches for the systems - they all have that. I was referring to on/off for game vs. real world settings :slight_smile: All good though. There will be an update coming very soon with more details on everything.

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Just an update, for anyone who might be interested in this project…

I’ve gotten pretty much everything set up and running, just gotta make the pickups (already made in an older version, but gotta remake them with what I have learnt to make them run a bit better than before). Not sure if I’m going to do one super pickup, that can have multiple properties (food, water, energy, etc.) or just make a separate ‘simple’ pickup for each. Or both (probably both, so that if a dev wanted, tehy could make food that also counted towards thirst). Got some cleaning up to do in the blueprints, and some testing, but the actual working part of the package should be finished very soon (with a new demo vid coming). I am planning on making a very simple level to demonstrate each system in practice, so that is the other thing I need to do before this is complete.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Unreal Engine 4 is being stupid… It’s taken about 12 hours to get to 8% installed (this is after one redownload already)… So I have no idea when I will be able to continue work (goddamnit epic! Why you update so much XD). But once that is done hopefully I’ll have some time to throw at it and it will be completed soon. That’s the plan anyway haha.

When it’s all finished, I’ll probably write up some fairly in-depth documentation to include with the template, explaining how everything works, so anyone who wants to use it as a learning resource, or tell me what I did was wrong (lol - that part scares me) can do so with an informed approach :slight_smile:

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I’ve skimmed the forums for a lil bit and I’ve been trying to create my own survival game for learning purposes. And you’re blueprint looks very complex and beautiful. I literally can’t wait for this to be released as it will ease the learning curve UE4 has to offer. Have you figured how much you may sell it for?

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Apologies for the late reply… it appears that my notifications for the forums have reset so I didn’t get any notification that you posted on here!

I have about 80% of the blueprint complete… but I have been working on a game that has been chewing up all my time… However, I am -hoping- to pull myself away and invest time in finishing this soon. As for the cost… I’m thinking low to be honest :slight_smile: Something in the area of USD $10, but it will depend on how much work the documentation ends up being as well to be honest.

Thanks for the kind words :slight_smile:

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Just an update… I have my own inventory system working and will be making it customisable, at which point the entire thing just needs to undergo some testing and I need to make a bit of a demo level. So there should be a new video up soon as it is almost finished! Long project, but I’ve learnt a LOT and got something pretty cool in the process I think :slight_smile:

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Moar templates!!!

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Hey mate,

Have a look at what I built in C++ as survival game “template” as an Epic Games sample project. Perhaps you can use it in part for your own work.

C++ Survival Sample Game

  • Tom
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Hey Tom. I have kept an eye on your template from the day you announced it haha. Was concerned your work would render my own pointless (as I was already very far into developing my own when you brought this out). Was definitely a good series to follow! Luckily, I think we both offer somewhat different and unique versions of the same concept (beyond just C++ Vs. Blueprint) :slight_smile:

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Quick update… So I’m just putting the final touches into the template at the moment, so hopefully with have a video update soon. The inventory took a lot of work to get the way I wanted it (which may or may not be anything like others want it haha) but it’s all sorted now :slight_smile: I just need to build a demo level and do some testing and it should be good to go/submit to the marketplace :slight_smile: Finally! haha

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I’ve just updated the original post with some new info, as well as a link to a 20 minute demo video. Looking to finish off the template and have it available within 3-4 days all things according to plan!

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This looks awesome! I can’t wait to see more of your great work, you inspire newbies like me!

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Haha thanks for the flattery, but I’m still a bit of a newbie myself :stuck_out_tongue: Been pottering around as a hobbyist for years but I fumble through things as much as the next guy with Learner plates on XD Comments like that make it all worthwhile though :slight_smile:

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Just posting to let anyone interested know that I have just put the beta build up on gumroad for testing purposes at a reduced price! For more info head to the ‘released’ thread I started:

Link: [BETA RELEASE] Blueprint Survival Game Template - Released Projects - Unreal Engine Forums

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It looks really good. I am talking to my partner about trying it out. I will help you test it but I am relatively new to Unreal Engine though I can test software. I am excited to try it out.

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Just bought it! I can’t wait to mess around in here!