Installation

Prerequisites

• Unreal Engine 5.4 or later
• C++ project (or a Blueprint project with the plugin pre-compiled)

FWFactionSystem has no external dependencies. It uses only core engine modules (Core, CoreUObject, Engine, AIModule, GameplayTags, NetCore).

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Step 1: Add the Plugin

From SourceFrom Marketplace

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

YourProject/
  Plugins/
    FWFactionSystem/
      FWFactionSystem.uplugin
      Source/
      Content/

Install FWFactionSystem from the Unreal Engine Marketplace. The plugin will appear in your Engine's plugin directory automatically.

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Step 2: Enable the Plugin

Open Edit > Plugins in the Unreal Editor, search for "FW Faction System", and enable it. Restart the editor when prompted.

Alternatively, add it directly to your .uproject file:

{
  "Plugins": [
    {
      "Name": "FWFactionSystem",
      "Enabled": true
    }
  ]
}

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Step 3: Add Module Dependency

If you need to reference FWFactionSystem types from your game module's C++ code, add the module dependency in your Build.cs:

PublicDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(new string[]
{
    "FWFactionSystem"
});

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Step 4: Register the PrimaryAssetType

FWFactionSystem uses Unreal's AssetManager to discover UFWFactionDefinition DataAssets at startup. You need to register the asset type so the subsystem can find your faction definitions.

Open Project Settings > Game > Asset Manager and add a new entry to Primary Asset Types to Scan:

Field	Value
Primary Asset Type	FactionDef
Asset Base Class	FWFactionDefinition
Directories	/Game/Data/Factions/ (or wherever you store them)
Rules > Apply Recursively	Checked

Missing Asset Registration

If you skip this step, UFWFactionSubsystem::GetFactionDefinition() will return nullptr for all factions. The subsystem logs a warning at startup if no faction definitions are found.

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Step 5: Create Your First Faction

1. Right-click in the Content Browser.
2. Select Miscellaneous > Data Asset.
3. Choose FWFactionDefinition as the class.
4. Name it (e.g., DA_Faction_Ironclad).
5. Set the FactionId, DisplayName, TeamId, and other properties.

See Configuration for a detailed walkthrough of each property.

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Verification

After restarting the editor with the plugin enabled:

1. Open Window > Developer Tools > Output Log.
2. Search for LogFWFactionSystem. You should see a log entry confirming the number of faction definitions loaded.
3. Place an actor with a UFWFactionComponent in your level, set its DefaultFactionId, and press Play. The component should register with the subsystem automatically.

Tip

Use the console command FWFaction.ListFactions (non-shipping builds) to verify all definitions loaded correctly.