Configuration¶

This page covers all configurable settings for FWPartySystem, from party defaults to beacon networking parameters.

Party Settings¶

Party behavior is configured through FFWPartySettings, which can be set in C++, Blueprints, or via DefaultGame.ini.

FFWPartySettings Properties¶

Property	Type	Default	Description
`DefaultMaxMembers`	`int32`	`4`	Maximum members allowed per party
`DefaultPrivacy`	`EFWPartyPrivacy`	`Open`	Default privacy mode for new parties
`InvitationExpirySeconds`	`float`	`120.0`	How long invitations remain valid
`DisconnectGracePeriod`	`float`	`60.0`	Seconds before disconnected members are removed
`bAllowMemberInvites`	`bool`	`true`	Whether non-leader members can send invitations

Setting via DefaultGame.ini¶

[/Script/FWPartySystem.FWPartySettings]
DefaultMaxMembers=6
DefaultPrivacy=InviteOnly
InvitationExpirySeconds=180.0
DisconnectGracePeriod=90.0
bAllowMemberInvites=false

Setting at Runtime¶

C++Blueprint

FFWPartySettings Settings;
Settings.DefaultMaxMembers = 6;
Settings.DefaultPrivacy = EFWPartyPrivacy::InviteOnly;
Settings.InvitationExpirySeconds = 180.0f;
Settings.DisconnectGracePeriod = 90.0f;
Settings.bAllowMemberInvites = false;

// Apply to the beacon host (server-side only)
BeaconHost->SetPartySettings(Settings);

Set the Party Settings struct on the Party Beacon Host actor in your GameMode or server initialization logic.

Beacon Configuration¶

Beacon Port¶

The beacon host listens on a separate port from the game server. Configure this in DefaultEngine.ini:

[/Script/FWPartySystem.FWPartyBeaconHost]
BeaconPort=15000

Firewall

Ensure the beacon port is open in your firewall and any cloud provider security groups. The beacon uses a separate connection from the game port and will fail silently if blocked.

Connection Settings¶

Property	Type	Default	Description
`BeaconPort`	`int32`	`15000`	Port the beacon host listens on
`ConnectionTimeout`	`float`	`30.0`	Seconds before a beacon connection attempt times out
`HeartbeatInterval`	`float`	`10.0`	Seconds between client heartbeat pings
`MaxReconnectAttempts`	`int32`	`3`	Maximum reconnection attempts after connection loss
`ReconnectDelay`	`float`	`5.0`	Seconds between reconnection attempts

[/Script/FWPartySystem.FWPartyBeaconHost]
BeaconPort=15000
ConnectionTimeout=30.0
HeartbeatInterval=10.0

[/Script/FWPartySystem.FWPartyBeaconClient]
MaxReconnectAttempts=3
ReconnectDelay=5.0

Party Size Limits¶

The DefaultMaxMembers setting controls the global default, but individual parties can override this at creation time:

// Create a party with a custom max size
FFWPartyInfo CustomParty;
CustomParty.MaxMembers = 8;
PartyManager->CreatePartyWithSettings(CustomParty);

Hard Limit

The absolute maximum party size is capped at 16 regardless of configuration. This limit is enforced server-side in AFWPartyBeaconHost and cannot be overridden.

Join Code Settings¶

Property	Type	Default	Description
`JoinCodeLength`	`int32`	`6`	Number of characters in generated join codes
`JoinCodeCharSet`	`FString`	`ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZ23456789`	Characters used in join codes

[/Script/FWPartySystem.FWPartyBeaconHost]
JoinCodeLength=6

The character set intentionally excludes 0, O, 1, I, and L to prevent visual ambiguity.

Chat Integration Settings¶

When FWChatSystem is present, party chat channels are created automatically. Configure this behavior:

Property	Type	Default	Description
`bAutoCreateChatChannel`	`bool`	`true`	Whether to create a chat channel when a party forms
`ChatChannelPrefix`	`FString`	`party_`	Prefix for party chat channel names

[/Script/FWPartySystem.FWPartyManagerComponent]
bAutoCreateChatChannel=true
ChatChannelPrefix=party_

Channel Lifecycle

Party chat channels are created when the party is formed and destroyed when the party disbands. Members are automatically added to and removed from the channel as they join and leave the party.

Logging¶

FWPartySystem uses the LogFWParty log category. To enable verbose logging for debugging:

[Core.Log]
LogFWParty=Verbose

Log levels:

Level	What is logged
`Error`	Failed operations, connection failures, validation errors
`Warning`	Rejected requests (full party, invalid code), reconnection attempts
`Log`	Party lifecycle events (create, join, leave, disband)
`Verbose`	Beacon message traffic, heartbeats, state replication details

Development and Testing¶

OnlineSubsystemNull Configuration¶

For local development without platform services:

[OnlineSubsystem]
DefaultPlatformService=Null

[OnlineSubsystemNull]
bEnabled=true

Multiple PIE Clients

When testing with multiple Play-In-Editor clients, each PIE instance gets a unique OnlineSubsystemNull identity. This allows you to test party creation, joining, and member management without needing Steam or EOS running.

Listen Server vs Dedicated Server¶

Mode	Beacon Host Location	Notes
Dedicated Server	Spawned by GameMode on server start	Beacon host and game server share the process
Listen Server	Spawned by GameMode on the host player's machine	Host player is both beacon host and beacon client
Standalone Beacon	Separate process running only the beacon host	Used for large-scale deployments where party state is isolated

Next Steps¶

See Beacon Architecture for details on how configuration affects beacon behavior.
See Tutorial for a complete implementation walkthrough.