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Quick Start

This guide gets you into the included Pioneer demos quickly. After completing the Installation Guide, open a sample map, play with the core workflows, and use the working examples as a reference before creating your own content.

Step 1: Enable Plugin Content​

In the Content Browser, enable plugin content if the Pioneer, RTSMassBattle, or TopDownZombieShooter folders are hidden.

The most useful maps are:

  • Pioneer/Core/Maps/L_DemoMap
  • Pioneer/Core/Maps/L_HeightDemoMap
  • RTSMassBattle/Maps/L_MassBattleDemo
  • TopDownZombieShooter/Maps/L_TDZS_DemoMap

Step 2: Choose A Starting Map​

Open Pioneer/Core/Maps/L_DemoMap if you want to see the foundation first: selection, movement, spawning, navigation, avoidance, instanced rendering, and LOD.

Open RTSMassBattle/Maps/L_MassBattleDemo if you want the fastest look at Pioneer as an RTS toolkit: deployment, groups, formations, command cards, melee combat, ranged combat, projectiles, and match UI.

Open TopDownZombieShooter/Maps/L_TDZS_DemoMap if you want to see the Actor-Mass Bridge in action, with detailed Actor operatives fighting Mass enemies.

tip

If you are evaluating the combat update for marketplace review, start with L_MassBattleDemo, then open L_TDZS_DemoMap.

Step 3: Test Basic Controls​

Controls vary slightly by sample, but these workflows are the main ones to test.

Core And RTS Samples​

  • Left-click or drag-select units.
  • Right-click ground to move selected units.
  • Use command hotkeys or command-card buttons in the RTS sample.
  • Queue commands with the queue modifier configured in the sample input setup.
  • Create, recall, merge, and ungroup control groups in the RTS sample.
  • Try attack move, hold position, patrol, follow, retreat, and charge where exposed by the sample UI.

Top Down Zombie Shooter Sample​

  • Control the camera with the sample pan and zoom inputs.
  • Issue context commands to the operative squad.
  • Use face-direction command behavior to orient the squad.
  • Watch Actor operatives fire at Mass zombie enemies through the bridge.
  • Choose run upgrades when the level-up UI appears.

Step 4: Inspect The Setup​

The main Blueprint and content locations are:

  • Pioneer/Core/Game - original core game mode, player controller, and pawn setup
  • Pioneer/Core/Mass - core Mass unit configs and spawner assets
  • Pioneer/Units - combat-ready unit examples such as archer, swordsman, knight, longbowman, peasant, warlord, and catapult
  • RTSMassBattle - RTS sample Blueprints, data, HUD, input, deployment, and map
  • TopDownZombieShooter - top-down shooter sample Blueprints, data, input, UI, zombie configs, and map

Most player-facing behavior is assembled through Player Controller components. The C++ systems provide the runtime logic, while the sample Blueprints show how to wire them into an actual game mode.

Step 5: Create Or Modify Units​

Units are authored as Entity Config Assets. Start by duplicating an included unit config, then adjust traits:

  • Instanced Actor Trait for mesh and rendering
  • Movement Trait for movement behavior
  • Avoidance Trait for crowd separation
  • Selectable Trait for selection
  • LOD Trait for large-count optimization
  • Unit Attributes Trait for health, armor, and melee attack values
  • Ranged Attack Trait for projectile units
  • Unit Animation Trait for Idle, Walk, Run, Charge, Attack, and Death animation states
  • Actor-Mass Bridge Participant Trait when the entity should interact with bridged Actors

See Creating Units.

Step 6: Learn The Systems​

Common First-Time Issues​

Plugin content is missing​

Enable plugin content in the Content Browser view options.

Units do not move​

Build the navigation mesh, confirm the target location is on navmesh, and verify the unit config has Movement Trait.

Units do not attack​

Confirm Unit Attributes Trait is present, team IDs are valid and hostile, and enemies are within engagement range.

Ranged units do not fire​

Confirm Ranged Attack Trait is present. If line of sight is enabled, test with clear sight lines before tuning projectile visuals.

Actor operatives and Mass enemies ignore each other​

Confirm both sides are registered with the Actor-Mass Bridge and have hostile combat profiles.

Getting Help​

If you run into issues:

  1. Review the Installation Guide.
  2. Check the relevant system page.
  3. Ask for help on the Discord server.

Tutorial Video​

This tutorial covers first steps and adding custom meshes:

Tutorial - First Steps and Adding Your Own Meshes