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Crafting

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Crafting #

We also have a tutorial in our Udemy course within our survival framework on how to setup a basic version of a simular system from scratch.

Core Principles of Crafting #

Workstation Requirements #

Crafting stations can have activation requirements and states that affect whether they can be used.

On/Off State

Crafting stations can be toggled on/off to enable or disable crafting:

  • Some stations require activation to function
  • Stations can be configured with or without fuel requirements
  • The Crafting Component has built-in fuel system settings

Fuel System

The crafting component includes an integrated fuel system:

  • Toggle Fuel Requirement: Enable/disable fuel consumption in the crafting component
  • Select Fuel Items: Specify which items can be used as fuel
  • Turn On/Off Without Fuel: Stations can be activated without requiring fuel (optional)

When fuel is enabled:

  • Station consumes fuel while active
  • Station becomes inactive when fuel runs out
  • Crafting pauses if station becomes inactive

Crafting Process #

Queue Logic #

The crafting queue processes items in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) manner, with intelligent handling for stacks and failures.

Queue Processing Loop:

  • Check if crafting is active (station active if required, fuel available if needed)
  • Get the first non-empty queue slot
  • Start crafting timer for that item
  • While crafting:
    • Update progress bar
    • Check if station remains active
    • Check if requirements still met
  • When timer completes, finalize the craft
  • Move to next item in queue

Crafting Timer:

Each recipe has a crafting time in seconds. The timer:

  • Starts when crafting begins
  • Updates UI progress bar
  • Can be paused if station becomes inactive
  • Completes and produces item when reaching 100%

Multiple Items in Queue:

If the queue has multiple different items:

  • Craft first item completely
  • Move to second item
  • Craft second item completely
  • Continue until queue is empty or stopped

Stacked Items in Queue:

If a queue slot has a stack (same item, quantity > 1):

  • Craft one item from the stack
  • Reduce stack quantity by 1
  • If quantity > 0, craft next in stack
  • If quantity = 0, slot becomes empty

This allows batch crafting of the same item efficiently.

Pausing and Resuming:

Crafting can pause if:

  • Station becomes inactive (fuel runs out, turned off)
  • Player closes the station (optional, configuration dependent)
  • Materials become unavailable (removed from inventory)

When conditions are met again, crafting resumes from where it paused.

Item Completion #

When a craft completes, the resulting item is added to the appropriate inventory based on the crafting location.

Completion Process

  • Crafting timer reaches 100%
  • Create the result item (as defined in recipe)
  • Add to appropriate inventory:
    • World Crafting Stations: Item added to the station’s own AC_Inventory_Advanced component
    • Player Crafting: Item added directly to player inventory
  • Reduce queue stack by 1
  • Play completion sound/effects
  • Continue to next queue item

World Crafting Station Output

Crafting stations in the world have their own AC_Inventory_Advanced component:

  • Completed items are added to the station’s inventory
  • Players can collect items from the station
  • Station inventory persists until collected

Player Crafting Output

When crafting through personal inventory (no station):

  • Completed items are added directly to player’s inventory
  • No intermediate collection step needed

Material Consumption Timing

Materials are consumed when the recipe starts, not at completion:

  • Player queues a craft
  • System checks for required materials
  • Materials are immediately removed from inventory
  • Crafting timer begins
  • When complete, result item is created

This means if crafting is cancelled, materials are already consumed.

Inventory Management #

The crafting system integrates with the inventory system for material checking and item placement.

Material Checking:

Before adding a craft to the queue:

  • Get all required materials from the recipe
  • Use the inventory component’s “Check if Player Has Items” function
  • This searches all allowed containers (Default, Container types)
  • If all materials found, allow craft
  • If any materials missing, prevent craft and show which are needed

Which Containers Are Checked:

By default, the system checks:

  • Default type containers (main inventory)
  • Container type containers (backpacks)

The system does NOT check:

  • Equipment containers (equipped items not used for crafting)
  • Crafting containers (the queue itself)

This prevents crafting materials you can’t access or creating circular dependencies.

Dynamic Slot Creation:

When the output inventory becomes full:

  • If dynamic slot creation is enabled on the output container
  • New slots are automatically created
  • Crafting continues uninterrupted
  • Prevents crafting from stopping due to full inventory

However, be careful with dynamic slots:

  • Can lead to very large inventories
  • May impact performance
  • Consider setting a maximum slot limit

Inventory Full Handling:

If output inventory is full and dynamic slots disabled:

  • Option 1: Pause crafting
  • Option 2: Cancel current craft, return materials
  • Option 3: Drop items on ground

Choose based on your game’s design goals.

How-To Guides #

How to Create a Recipe #

This guide explains how to add a new crafting recipe to your game.

Step 1: Open Recipe Data Table
Open the crafting recipe data table (DT_Crafting_Recipes or similar).

Step 2: Add New Row
Click “Add” to create a new recipe row. Name it descriptively (e.g., Recipe_WoodenSpear).

Step 3: Configure Result
Set what the recipe creates:

  • Result Item: Select the item from dropdown (references DT_Items)
  • Result Quantity: How many are created (usually 1)

Step 4: Add Required Materials
In the Required Materials array, add each material needed:

  • Click “+” to add a material entry
  • Select the material item
  • Set the quantity required
  • Set whether it’s consumed (usually True)
Example for Wooden Spear:
  • Material 1: Wood, Quantity: 2, Consume: True
  • Material 2: Stone, Quantity: 1, Consume: True
  • Material 3: Fiber, Quantity: 3, Consume: True

Step 5: Set Crafting Time
Set how long the craft takes in seconds:

  • Quick crafts: 1-5 seconds
  • Normal crafts: 5-15 seconds
  • Complex crafts: 15-60 seconds
  • Very complex: 60+ seconds

Balance based on item value and player experience.

Step 6: Configure Crafting Location
Set where this can be crafted:

  • Can Craft Without Workstation: True if craftable anywhere
  • Required Crafting Locations: Array of valid location types
Examples:
  • Basic items: Can Craft Without Workstation = True
  • Weapons: Required Location = Workbench
  • Cooked food: Required Location = Campfire OR Cooking Pot
  • Metal items: Required Location = Forge

Step 7: Set Recipe Category
Assign a category for UI filtering:

  • Weapons
  • Armor
  • Consumables
  • Resources
  • Structures

This helps organize recipes in the crafting UI.

Step 8: Configure Recipe Learning
Set whether the recipe is known by default:

  • Known By Default: True (always available)
  • Known By Default: False (must be learned)

If must be learned, you’ll need to implement recipe learning logic (find recipe book, reach level, complete quest, etc.).

Step 9: Save and Test
Save the data table and test:

  • Open the crafting UI
  • Verify the recipe appears
  • Check that materials are correctly displayed
  • Attempt to craft
  • Verify the result is correct

How to Set Up a Crafting Station #

This guide explains how to create an actor that functions as a crafting station.

Step 1: Create or Open Station Actor
Create a new actor blueprint or open an existing one (workbench, campfire, furnace, etc.).

Step 2: Add Inventory Component
Add the AC_Inventory_Advanced component:

  • This will manage the station’s inventories
  • Place it at the top of the component hierarchy

Step 3: Configure Inventory Containers
In the Inventory Component’s Containers to Spawn, add:

Output Container:

  • Container Type: Storage or Custom
  • Number of Slots: 5-20 (how much output can be stored)
  • Name: “Output” or station name

Fuel Container (if needed):

  • Container Type: Custom
  • Number of Slots: 1-5
  • Allowed Items: Only fuel category items
  • Name: “Fuel”

Step 4: Set Inventory Type
In the Inventory Component:

  • Set Inventory Type to match the station (Workbench, Campfire, Furnace, etc.)

This determines which recipes can be crafted at this station.

Step 5: Add Interaction Component
Add an interaction component so players can open the station:

  • Add Interact_Basic component (or your custom interact component)
  • Configure interaction prompt (“Press E to use Workbench”)

Step 6: Configure Station State (If Needed)
If the station has on/off states:

  • Add a boolean variable “Is Active”
  • Implement activation logic (add fuel, light fire, etc.)
  • Create visual feedback (particle effects for fire, light, etc.)

Step 7: Implement Fuel System (If Needed)
If the station requires fuel:

  • Create a timer that consumes fuel
  • While active, reduce fuel durability/quantity
  • When fuel depletes, set Is Active to False
  • Update visual state
Example Fuel Logic:

Every 1 second while active:

  1. Get fuel container
  2. Get first fuel item
  3. Reduce durability by 1 (or remove if depleted)
  4. If no fuel remains, deactivate station
  5. Update UI to show fuel level

Step 8: Create Station UI
Create a UI widget for the station that shows:

  • Available recipes (filtered by this station type)
  • Crafting queue
  • Output inventory
  • Fuel inventory (if applicable)
  • Station state (active/inactive)

Step 9: Test the Station
Test all functionality:

  • Interact with station to open UI
  • View available recipes
  • Craft items
  • Collect completed items from output
  • Activate/deactivate station (if applicable)
  • Fuel system is already implemented in the crafting component with built-in settings
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