The Game Mode System extends the Session Manager with arena-focused game loop functionality: waiting phases, main game timers, win conditions, round handling, player freezing, AI fill, multi-game-type maps, and implemented game mode components.

Use this page after the Session Manager is understood. The Game Mode System inherits session hosting, playlists, level transitions, session settings, and game settings from the Session Manager, then adds match rules and game-specific behavior. For shared setup guidance, see the Migration Guide and Integration Guide. Use the System Atlas to look up functions, variables, events, components, and ownership references.

Related Video

Some videos may have been recorded before V4. The same principles still apply, but asset names, component names, and folder locations may differ. Use this written page and the current V4 names as the source of truth.

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Prerequisites and Related Systems

Session Manager is required. Without it, the Game Mode System cannot host sessions, use playlists, or use the game mode feature flow described here.

1. Set up the Session Manager.
2. Configure session hosting, playlists, game settings, and lobby behavior.
3. Add the Game Mode System component for the specific arena mode.

Core Architecture

The main arena component is AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base. It lives on the GameState, inherits from AC_SessionManager_Base, and adds the arena game loop.

AC_SessionManager_Base
  AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_TeamDeathMatch
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_SearchAndDestroy
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_FreeForAll
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Domination
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_CaptureTheFlag
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_BattleRoyale
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Zombies
    AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Extraction

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base inherits session hosting, level transitions, playlist management, session settings, and game settings from the Session Manager. It adds waiting/main/end phases, player freezing, minimum-player checks, round handling, win condition checks, AI spawning, and actor filtering for multi-game-type maps.

Specific game mode components override or extend game start logic, win condition checks, score calculation, and game-specific mechanics such as bomb planting, flag captures, control point ownership, or Battle Royale zone behavior.

Game Loop

The Game Mode System uses four main phases.

Waiting for Start

The waiting phase starts after the level loads. Players spawn, the system checks Minimum Players to Start, and the countdown begins once enough players are present.

• Waiting for Start Time controls the countdown duration.
• Freeze Players controls whether players can move, shoot, use abilities, or interact during the wait.
• When the countdown reaches zero, the system transitions into the main game phase.

A Call of Duty-style setup might use Minimum Players to Start: 2, Waiting for Start Time: 10 seconds, and Freeze Players: True. A Battle Royale-style spawn island can use a higher minimum player count, a longer countdown, and Freeze Players: False.

Main Game

The main game phase starts active gameplay. The system starts the Main Loop Time, tracks score through the Score Manager, and checks whether the configured score requirement, objective requirement, or time limit has been reached.

• Team Deathmatch: first team to the kill requirement or highest score at time limit.
• Search and Destroy: round winner based on objective completion, elimination, or time.
• Domination: first team to the point requirement or highest score at time limit.

Game End and Rounds

When the game or round ends, the system determines the winner, shows the scoreboard, and either starts another round or ends the match. Round-based games track round wins separately from per-round score.

For a round-based Search and Destroy setup with Rounds to Win: 6, each round determines a winner, increments that team’s round count, then continues until one team reaches six round wins.

Game Settings

Arena settings are stored as F_Game_Setting entries in addition to Session Manager settings. DA_GameMode_Defaults data assets provide defaults per game type, and players or hosts can override settings through the game settings flow where supported.

Default data assets follow the pattern DA_GameMode_Defaults_[GameType], including DA_GameMode_Defaults_TeamDeathmatch, DA_GameMode_Defaults_SearchAndDestroy, DA_GameMode_Defaults_Domination, DA_GameMode_Defaults_CaptureTheFlag, DA_GameMode_Defaults_FreeForAll, DA_GameMode_Defaults_BattleRoyale, DA_GameMode_Defaults_Zombies, and DA_GameMode_Defaults_Extraction.

Example Defaults

Player and AI Management

Player Freezing

Freeze Players prevents movement, shooting, ability use, and interaction during the waiting phase. Use it for fair arena starts. Disable it for spawn island or open-world-style flows where players should move before the match begins.

Minimum Players and Ready State

Minimum Players to Start prevents the countdown from starting too early. Players are considered ready as soon as they join; there is no manual ready-up button in this flow.

• Team Deathmatch: commonly needs at least two players, one per team.
• Battle Royale: commonly needs a higher minimum count for a meaningful game.
• Free for All: commonly needs several competitors.

AI Fill and Replacement

Fill Lobby with AI lets AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base spawn AI to fill empty player slots when the game starts. The system checks current player count, max players from session settings, calculates empty slots, spawns AI, and uses the Team Manager for team assignment.

Example: with Max Players: 16, Fill Lobby with AI: True, and Current Players: 4, the system spawns 12 AI so the game starts with 16 total participants.

If a real player joins a full lobby that contains AI, the system can remove one AI and add the player so AI never blocks real players from joining.

Team Balancing

Team balancing is handled by the Team Manager. When AI is spawned, the Team Manager distributes AI across teams while considering the existing player count. For example, if Team A has three players and Team B has one player, spawning 12 AI can result in five AI on Team A and seven AI on Team B, giving both teams eight total members.

Multi-Game-Type Maps

The system can support multiple game types in one level by filtering game-specific actors through BPI_GameplayTags.

Actors that belong only to specific game types implement BPI_GameplayTags and return a gameplay tag container from GetGameplayTags(). Example tags include GameType.CaptureTheFlag, GameType.SearchAndDestroy, and GameType.Domination.

When the level loads, the current game type is checked against actors that implement the interface. Matching actors remain. Non-matching game-specific actors are destroyed. Actors without the interface, such as static meshes and shared environment actors, remain in the level.

Example: a shared map can contain CTF flags, Search and Destroy bomb sites, and Domination control points. When hosting Domination, the system keeps the Domination points and removes the CTF and Search and Destroy actors.

Create a Multi-Type Map

1. Place shared map content and spawn points.
2. Place game-specific actors such as CTF flags, Search and Destroy bomb sites, and Domination control points.
3. Add BPI_GameplayTags to each game-specific actor.
4. Implement GetGameplayTags().
5. Return the correct tag, such as GameType.CaptureTheFlag, GameType.SearchAndDestroy, or GameType.Domination.
6. Test each game type through its playlist and verify that only relevant actors remain.

Win Conditions and Scoring

Game modes can end when a score requirement is reached, an objective is completed, or the time limit expires. The winner is usually the team or player with the highest score, the completed objective, or the required number of round wins.

The Score Manager provides the detailed score tracking. The Game Mode System uses those scores for win condition checks, round winner determination, and final winner determination.

Score Types

Aggregate scoring is used by modes such as Team Deathmatch and Free for All. Player scores are summed into a team or individual total, and the highest total wins.

Win-based scoring is used by modes such as Domination, Search and Destroy, and Capture the Flag. The game mode adds objective points directly to the team or awards round wins based on the mode rules. Individual kills can still appear on the scoreboard without necessarily adding to the team objective score.

Implemented Game Modes

The system includes six complete arena implementations. Each is a child component of AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base and can be used directly or as a reference for custom modes.

Team Deathmatch

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_TeamDeathMatch is a team-based elimination mode. It uses DA_GameMode_Defaults_TeamDeathmatch, aggregate scoring, respawns, kill score, assist score, death score, and a kill or time-limit win condition.

Search and Destroy

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_SearchAndDestroy is a round-based objective mode where attackers plant and detonate a bomb while defenders prevent or defuse it.

The implementation includes bomb actor Blueprint logic, plant interaction, defuse interaction, timer mechanics, round win logic, and attacker/defender team switching.

Free for All

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_FreeForAll is an individual elimination mode. Every player competes alone, respawns are enabled, individual scores are tracked, and the match ends at the kill limit or time limit.

Domination

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Domination is a team-based control point mode.

Teams capture control points, earn objective points while holding them, and win at the point requirement or time limit. The implementation includes control point actors, capture mechanics, point tracking, team-color visual indicators, and score accumulation.

Capture the Flag

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_CaptureTheFlag is a team-based flag capture mode.

The implementation includes flag actors, pickup/drop mechanics, carrier tracking, flag return mechanics, base capture zones, and visual indicators for flag state and flag carrier.

Battle Royale

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_BattleRoyale is a last-team-or-player-standing mode with high player counts, no respawn, spawn island flow, shrinking zone logic, looting system integration, elimination tracking, and winner determination.

Template Game Modes

Zombies Template

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Zombies is a template component, not a full implementation. It inherits from AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base and is intended as a starting point for a zombies mode.

Expected custom work includes wave logic, zombie spawning, point systems, weapon purchasing, win/loss conditions, and round progression.

Extraction Template

AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Extraction is a template component, not a full implementation. It is intended as a starting point for extraction shooter logic.

Expected custom work includes loot systems, extraction points, raid timers, death consequences, extraction mechanics, and win conditions.

Setup Workflows

Set Up a Game Mode

1. Open the GameState Blueprint.
2. Add one game mode component, such as AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_TeamDeathMatch.
3. Remove other session manager or game mode components that should not be active for this GameState.
4. Configure the Session Manager playlist and session settings.
5. Host a session with the selected playlist.
6. Verify the waiting phase, main game phase, win condition, game end, and playlist transition.

Use one game mode component per GameState. For multiple game types, use playlists and load levels configured for the relevant game mode component.

Configure Game Settings

1. Open the game settings flow in the game menu or editor.
2. Select the game type.
3. Adjust arena settings such as Waiting for Start Time, Main Loop Time, Minimum Players to Start, Freeze Players, and Fill Lobby with AI.
4. Adjust game-type settings such as Kills to Win, Rounds to Win, or Points to Win.
5. Save the configuration to BP_Save_Session_Configuration.

Create a Custom Game Mode

1. Create a new Blueprint component with parent class AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base.
2. Name it using the project pattern, such as AC_SessionManager_Arena_YourMode or AC_SessionManager_Arena_MyMode.
3. Create a matching defaults asset, such as DA_GameMode_Defaults_YourMode or DA_GameMode_Defaults_MyMode.
4. Define default timing, scoring, and win requirement settings.
5. Override game start logic, win condition checks, scoring logic, and game end logic.
6. Create custom actors for objectives, items, or other mechanics if needed.
7. Implement BPI_GameplayTags on game-specific actors when they need multi-game-type filtering.
8. Add the component to a GameState, create a playlist entry, host a session, and test the full loop.

Summary

The Game Mode System builds complete match behavior on top of the Session Manager. AC_GS_SessionManager_Arena_Base provides the shared arena loop, while child components implement Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Free for All, Domination, Capture the Flag, Battle Royale, and template starting points for Zombies and Extraction.

The safest extension path is to keep Session Manager responsibilities separate from game-specific rules: use playlists and settings for session flow, use DA_GameMode_Defaults for defaults, use Score Manager and Team Manager for scoring and teams, and implement custom game logic in the specific arena component.