Getting Started

T

tomlucient

New member
Hello, I’ve been spinning my wheels a bit getting started with UCC V3 on a project I’m working on. I used the V2 system in the past for a different project, and the videos and documentation got me going quickly then with no problems. Once you have something working, it’s easier to expand. Now with the V3 system, the videos are out of date. The documentation has also seemed inaccurate. With fairly simple things to just get something working, I’m running into a number of errors. I know I’m being general, but I don’t want to work through each issue here - instead the reason I’m posting is to ask for a good tutorial on getting started. What advice/resources do you have in getting started with V3 (also as feedback the videos for V2 need to be updated - that’s really what I need). Thx
 
I am still working my way through remaking the video tutorials, but in general the steps are the same as in v2 except the new modular item system. There have been videos on creating the new shootable and melee weapons though. If you notice anything outdated within the documentation let me know and I'll update it.

What are you stuck on?
 
Thx for the response. When one is first starting, and you don't really know how and why the system works. Even when it is generally the same from V2 to V3, it doesn't seem it from a beginner's perspective since the UI in the editor is different and has different slots. A couple years ago, I had a great experience with the product, as I followed videos and got stuff going quickly for what I needed. Then I focused on my game rather than the character. It's all stuff one can figure out, but when you watch a video step by step and the same fields aren't there, you try something, it doesn't work, try something else, doesn't work, etc. Seems like a good product still, but is slow going for me right now. Each step something doesn't work, and I have to spend an hour figuring out why. The last one I ran into, as an example, is I added a new gun to the character. I didn't have the character set up for FPS, only Third Person, and when it started I got a null reference error. It wasn't easy to track in the code what that error referred to without spending hours really understanding the code. I didn't know why I was getting the error. Through a bunch of trial and error, I saw the error go away when I removed FPS for the item being added. I had been thinking that I would like to have FPS in the future, so why not enable it for now, for the future. If, instead, I had a starting point I knew worked (by following a video), then I could adjust off that, and more quickly realize why something isn't working. The working demo is a starting point, but it's a little cumbersome to switch back and forth just to compare, and with the emphasis on the Editor UI as a tool for creating your own things, the working demo is limited in figuring out problems.

Overall, UCC is clearly a powerful application, and getting used to it and really understanding what is going on over time I think will pay off vs creating my own from scratch. With all of the functionality innately comes complexity, and with complexity there is a steeper learning curve. The videos reduced frustration on that learning curve, as I was able to get something going quickly in the past, so for what it's worth, I think getting new videos out should be a priority, so that new users have a better experience, don't return the product, etc. For me, I'll keep working through it, and post back here if I get stuck on anything that I can't figure out in a reasonable timeframe.

thx
 
Thanks for the details!

tomlucient said:
The last one I ran into, as an example, is I added a new gun to the character. I didn't have the character set up for FPS, only Third Person, and when it started I got a null reference error.
Click to expand...
You shouldn't be getting a null reference error for something like that. So you created a third person character, but had the weapon setup for both a first and third person perspective?

tomlucient said:
Overall, UCC is clearly a powerful application, and getting used to it and really understanding what is going on over time I think will pay off vs creating my own from scratch. With all of the functionality innately comes complexity, and with complexity there is a steeper learning curve. The videos reduced frustration on that learning curve, as I was able to get something going quickly in the past, so for what it's worth, I think getting new videos out should be a priority, so that new users have a better experience, don't return the product, etc. For me, I'll keep working through it, and post back here if I get stuck on anything that I can't figure out in a reasonable timeframe.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Yeah I'm getting close to being done with the add-ons/integrations from version 2 and then I will be able to focus more on the videos. If in the meantime you have any questions definitely feel free to ask!
 
Thanks for your help. I've run into an issue I can't figure out. I created a new Item Type (I called it Block Rifle). I point the prefab field in Block Rifle to a prefab in Assets.

Situation A
I use Block Rifle as the Item Definition when creating a new item. When I'm done creating it, I get this error when it tries to load it in the default loadout.
The Character Item prefab at index 0 is null for Block Rifle.
it comes from this line of code in InventoryBase.cs
Debug.LogError($"The Character Item prefab at index {i} is null for {itemIdentifier}.");

Situation B
The only thing I do different is use an existing Item Definition, such as Shotgun

I do not get the error in Situation B, only in A. Seems that I cannot create and use my own Item Definitions.

Any thoughts on how to fix this issue? thanks for any insights.
 
It sounds like you have a mismatch in ItemDefinitions/ItemCollections. Make sure your ItemSetManager is using the same ItemCollection that the ItemType belongs to on your weapon. In the tutorials I do create a new ItemCollection in this video:


This Item Collection is used throughout all of the item videos.
 
Hi, I had previously watched that video. That's helpful to know that is where the problem likely lies - I copied the demoitemcollection over to my own folder, renamed it, and was using it. I wanted an initial item collection that had all of the items you start with in the demo item collection - I'm planning to use many of them. I could start from scratch and recreate all of the items like in the video. Is there a way, though, to use the demoitemcollection items?
 
tomlucient said:
Is there a way, though, to use the demoitemcollection items?
Click to expand...
Yes, there is. From your error though it sounds like there is an ItemType prefab mismatch between the ItemCollection that you are using. When just getting started though I recommend following the videos exactly just so you'll understand the workflow and get the same results.
 
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