Source Engine-Inspired Level Scripting Tool For Unreal Engine 5 Released In Beta

For the past few months, we've been closely following the development of a level scripting tool for Unreal Engine 5 that incorporates an input/output system similar to the one used in Valve Software's Source Engine. This tool, called Actor I/O, is now available in beta for free on GitHub, with documentation arriving soon.

At its core, Actor I/O is an event-binding system that triggers actions in response to specific events. Using the Unreal Engine's C++ reflection system, it can react to any dynamic delegate, whether it's C++ or Blueprint, and essentially invoke any function by name with parameters. You might be asking, why choose this over Blueprint interfaces?

Although the system may appear similar to regular interfaces, they are fundamentally different behind the scenes. As Roland "STRiFE" Balogh, the creator of Actor I/O, explained, this tool is more aligned with event binding than with interfaces. While using interfaces to connect game logic isn't wrong, it often demands a fairly robust system to provide the flexibility needed.

The main advantage of this approach is reduced memory usage, as the I/O system eliminates the need for Blueprint casting. This can significantly decrease memory consumption since casting in Unreal Engine 5 causes the selected class to be loaded into memory alongside the Blueprint. In larger projects, this can quickly become overwhelming if not managed correctly. The I/O system helps minimize the need for Cast nodes by using the C++ reflection system to access class members without requiring a cast.

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