Installation

This guide covers enabling FWAISystem in your Unreal Engine 5 project and configuring its optional dependencies.

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Prerequisites

• Unreal Engine 5.4 or later
• C++ project (Blueprint-only projects are not supported for plugin development)
• AIModule enabled (default in most project templates)

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Step 1: Enable the Plugin

Copy the FWAISystem folder into your project's Plugins/ directory:

YourProject/
  Plugins/
    FWAISystem/
      FWAISystem.uplugin
      Source/
        FWAISystem/
          ...

Open your project in the Unreal Editor. Navigate to Edit > Plugins, search for "FW AI System", and verify it is enabled. Restart the editor if prompted.

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Step 2: Add Module Dependencies

Add FWAISystem to your game module's Build.cs file:

Public DependencyPrivate Dependency

YourGame.Build.cs

PublicDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(new string[]
{
    "Core",
    "CoreUObject",
    "Engine",
    "FWAISystem"  // Add this
});

YourGame.Build.cs

PrivateDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(new string[]
{
    "FWAISystem"  // Add this if only using in .cpp files
});

Public vs Private

Use a public dependency if you expose FWAISystem types in your game module's header files. Use private if you only reference FWAISystem in .cpp files.

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Step 3: Optional -- FWFactionSystem Integration

FWAISystem optionally integrates with FWFactionSystem to provide faction-based aggro gating through the FWBTDecorator_FactionAttitude behavior tree decorator.

To enable this integration:

1. Ensure the FWFactionSystem plugin is in your Plugins/ directory.
2. No additional configuration is needed -- the build system auto-detects FWFactionSystem at compile time.

The build system checks for the presence of the FWFactionSystem directory adjacent to FWAISystem and defines WITH_FWFACTIONSYSTEM=1 when found.

FWAISystem.Build.cs (auto-detection)

string FWFactionSystemPath = Path.Combine(PluginDirectory, "..", "FWFactionSystem");
if (Directory.Exists(FWFactionSystemPath))
{
    PublicDependencyModuleNames.Add("FWFactionSystem");
    PublicDefinitions.Add("WITH_FWFACTIONSYSTEM=1");
}
else
{
    PublicDefinitions.Add("WITH_FWFACTIONSYSTEM=0");
}

Without FWFactionSystem

When FWFactionSystem is not present, FWBTDecorator_FactionAttitude falls back to Unreal's built-in IGenericTeamAgentInterface for attitude checks.

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Step 4: Optional -- FWGASSystem Integration

FWAISystem optionally integrates with FWGASSystem (Gameplay Ability System) to provide:

• FWBTTask_PlayAbility -- Activate GAS abilities on NPCs via gameplay tags
• ApplyScalingToNpc -- Automatically modify GAS attributes (MaxHealth, AttackPower) during scaling

To enable:

1. Ensure the FWGASSystem plugin is in your Plugins/ directory.
2. Auto-detection handles the rest.

FWAISystem.Build.cs (auto-detection)

string FWGASSystemPath = Path.Combine(PluginDirectory, "..", "FWGASSystem");
if (Directory.Exists(FWGASSystemPath))
{
    PublicDependencyModuleNames.Add("FWGASSystem");
    PublicDefinitions.Add("WITH_FWGASSYSTEM=1");
}
else
{
    PublicDefinitions.Add("WITH_FWGASSYSTEM=0");
}

Without FWGASSystem

When FWGASSystem is not present, FWBTTask_PlayAbility returns EBTNodeResult::Failed gracefully, and ApplyScalingToNpc stores scaling data on the actor for manual application instead of modifying GAS attributes directly.

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Step 5: Include Headers

After adding the module dependency, include the headers you need:

#include "FWAITypes.h"                         // Enums, structs, delegates
#include "Components/FWThreatComponent.h"       // Threat table
#include "Components/FWLeashComponent.h"        // Leash mechanics
#include "DataAssets/FWNpcDefinition.h"         // NPC data asset
#include "DataAssets/FWSpawnTable.h"            // Spawn table data asset
#include "Scaling/FWInstanceScaling.h"          // Scaling library
#include "Spawning/FWNpcSpawnPoint.h"           // Point spawner
#include "Spawning/FWNpcSpawnVolume.h"          // Volume spawner

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Verification

To verify the plugin is correctly installed:

1. Open the Unreal Editor.
2. Open the Output Log (Window > Developer Tools > Output Log).
3. Search for FWAISystem -- you should see the module loading without errors.
4. In the Content Browser, navigate to a Blueprint and search for "FW" in the component list -- you should see FWThreatComponent and FWLeashComponent.

Compile Errors

If you see unresolved symbol errors related to FWAISYSTEM_API, ensure FWAISystem is listed in your Build.cs dependencies and regenerate project files (right-click your .uproject > Generate Visual Studio project files).

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Full Module Dependencies

For reference, FWAISystem itself depends on the following Unreal modules:

Module	Type	Purpose
Core	Public	Core UE types
CoreUObject	Public	UObject system
Engine	Public	Engine framework
AIModule	Public	Behavior trees, AI perception
GameplayTags	Public	Gameplay tag containers
GameplayAbilities	Public	GAS integration
GameplayTasks	Public	Async gameplay tasks
NavigationSystem	Public	Navmesh queries for patrol and spawning
NetCore	Public	Network core types
DeveloperSettings	Private	Developer settings classes