Table of Contents

Influence Maps Overview

Watch this video from Dave Mark describing what influence maps are and examples of using them.

Watch our intro video

Influence maps are a very powerful concept which help you make spatial decisions which are either impossible or very time consuming to take using other approaches. This manual will describe how to take advantage of them.

Getting started

  • Purchase Wise Feline Influence Maps from the unreal marketplace and install the plugin to your engine.
  • After openning a new project or our demos, go to Edit>Plugins window and make sure WiseFelineInfluenceMaps plugin is enabled.
  • Then read this doc on how to use it or download one of our demos or watch a video tutorial.
  • You can drag a WFInfluenceMap actor to a map to create an influence map and name it something relevant.
  • Attach the WFInfluencerAgent component to any actor which needs to put its influence on the map.
  • Then use the WFInfluenceMapsSubsystem to get a map by name and search for your desired values in any blueprint or C++ code to use the map to your AI and game's advantage.
  • You can search maps for values or get the highest/lowest value in an area and ...
  • You can also make maps by doing addition/multiplication and other operations on other maps.

The following parts link to a detailed description of each system.

InfluenceMap Actor

The main actor of the system is called WFInfluenceMap and is used to add an influence map to the level.

Agents/actors can search maps for cells with specific values or values larger/smaller than a number. Agents can also add their influence or the influence of their actions to relevant maps.

InfluencerAgent component

Actors can use this component to add their influence where they are to a map.

InfluenceMap Template

The shape of the influence of each agent can be defined in a template. Templates are not mandatory but InfluencerAgent components use them for performance and unless the shape of an agent is always changing dynamically, you are better off using them.

InfluenceMap Sub-system

There is a sub-system called WFInfluenceMapsSubsystem which you can use to get all the maps or get any map which you know its name.

You can use it both in blueprints and in C++.

Demos

We have a few demos which can be downloaded and learned from.

Debugging

We support Gameplay Debugger to debug influence maps and what values they hold.

Visual Logger

We support Visual Logger to debug influence maps and what values they hold in different frames.

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