The AI settings asset¶

Everything you can tune on an AI lives in one Data Asset: its faction, its behavior tree, its senses, what it does when nothing is happening, how it picks a target, its melee ranges, and for a human, the gun it spawns with.

You point a pawn at one of these assets and that is the whole configuration. Change a value in the asset and every AI using it changes.

The assets live in Content/TheLastTemplate/Blueprints/DataAssets/AI/.

Three classes, one for each kind of AI¶

Class	What it adds	Used by
`BP_AIDataAsset`	The base. 39 fields every AI needs: faction, tree, senses, idle, targeting, melee.	Nothing directly. It is the parent of the other two.
`BP_NPCDataAsset`	The base plus 13 fields only a human uses: weapon, ammo, ranged movement, melee defence level.	`BP_NPCCharacter`
`BP_ZombieDataAsset`	The base plus 3 fields only the infected use: `Attack Montage`, `Attack Damage`, `Strike Bone`.	`BP_ZombieCharacter`

The slot on the pawn is called Data NPC on both, and it is typed as the base class, so it accepts a preset of either kind. BP_ZombieCharacter carries a second slot, Zombie Data.

A zombie dragged into a level is half configured

BP_ZombieCharacter ships with Data NPC set to DA_Zombie_Roaming but Zombie Data left empty. Fill it in before you play, or make a child class that has it filled. Add an AI to your level covers the placement.

The five presets that ship¶

They are all in Content/TheLastTemplate/Blueprints/DataAssets/AI/Childs/.

Preset	What it is	What makes it different
`DA_NPC_Roaming`	Armed human that wanders around where it was placed.	The baseline. `Idle Pattern` is `Roaming`, `Default Weapon Class` is `BP_Weapon_Pistol_01`, `Melee Defense Level` is `Level_01`.
`DA_NPC_Melee_Roaming`	The same human with no gun.	`Default Weapon Class` is empty and `Melee Defense Level` is `Level_02`.
`DA_NPC_Path`	Human that walks a patrol path.	`Idle Pattern` is `Path` and `Path Id` is `Path_01`. Also the only preset with `Strike Range` at 150 and `Strike Stop Margin` at 20.
`DA_NPC_Stand`	Human that holds a position.	`Idle Pattern` is `StandPoint`, `Stand Point Id` is `Stand_01`, and `Move Delay` and `Move Delay Jitter` are both 0 because it does not wander. This is the default on `BP_NPCCharacter`.
`DA_Zombie_Roaming`	Infected.	`Behavior Tree` is `BT_Zombie`, `Faction` is `DA_Faction_Infected`, `Idle Overlay` is `Zombie`, `First Attack Delay` drops from 2 to 0.3, `Strike Range` is 100 and `Lose Target Distance` is 3000.

The four human presets are the same numbers with three or four fields moved. That is the point: most of what makes an enemy feel different is a handful of values, not a new class.

There is no "melee only" switch. An unarmed human is a preset with Default Weapon Class cleared.

Make your own preset¶

In Content/TheLastTemplate/Blueprints/DataAssets/AI/Childs/, right click the preset closest to what you want and choose Duplicate.
Name it, for example DA_NPC_Sniper.
Open it and change the values you care about.
Select the AI in your level, or open your own child class, and set Data NPC to your new asset.
Save.

To start from nothing instead, right click in the Content Browser, then Miscellaneous, then Data Asset, and pick BP_NPCDataAsset or BP_ZombieDataAsset as the class. Duplicating is usually faster, because every field starts at a value that already works.

Identity¶

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Faction`	The side this AI belongs to. Points at a faction Data Asset, which lists who it is hostile to.	`DA_Faction_Hunters` on the humans, `DA_Faction_Infected` on the zombie
`Behavior Tree`	The tree the controller runs.	`BT_NPC` on the humans, `BT_Zombie` on the zombie
`Idle Overlay`	The animation overlay the character wears outside combat.	`Base` on the humans, `Zombie` on the zombie

Who attacks who is decided by the faction asset, not by the AI. See Factions and who fights who.

Senses and alert¶

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Use Sight`	Whether this AI sees at all.	true
`Use Hearing`	Whether this AI hears at all.	true
`Lost Sight Grace`	Seconds of lost line of sight before the AI treats the target as lost.	2
`Search Give Up Time`	Seconds spent searching before it gives up and goes back to idle.	8
`Alert Turn Time`	Seconds spent turning toward what alerted it.	1.5
`React To Damage`	Whether being hurt puts it on alert.	true
`Damage Investigate Distance`	How far, in centimetres, it will travel to investigate the source of damage.	900

The cones, the ranges and the hearing radius are not in this asset. They are on the perception component. How the AI sees, hears and reacts covers those, and Noise, and how to use it covers what makes a sound in the first place.

Idle and roaming¶

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Idle Pattern`	What the AI does with no target: `None`, `Path`, `Roaming` or `StandPoint`.	`Roaming`, except `Path` and `StandPoint` on their presets
`Path Id`	Name of the patrol path to follow, when `Idle Pattern` is `Path`.	`Path_01` on `DA_NPC_Path`, empty elsewhere
`Stand Point Id`	Name of the stand point to hold, when `Idle Pattern` is `StandPoint`.	`Stand_01`
`Roam Zone Id`	Name of the roam zone to stay inside. Empty means it roams around where it stands.	empty on all five
`Roam Min Radius`	Closest a roam destination can be picked, in centimetres.	300
`Roam Max Radius`	Furthest a roam destination can be picked.	1200
`Roam Separation`	Distance kept between two AI roaming in the same place.	600
`Move Delay`	Seconds waited at a destination before moving again.	2, and 0 on `DA_NPC_Stand`
`Move Delay Jitter`	Random seconds added to `Move Delay`, so a group does not move in step.	3, and 0 on `DA_NPC_Stand`

The three id fields are plain text matched against actors you place in the level, so adding a patrol is placing an actor and typing its name here. Patrol paths, roam zones and stand points has the actors and the naming.

Choosing a target¶

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Target Stickiness`	How much the target it already has is favoured over a new one, so it does not swap every second.	400
`Lose Target Distance`	Distance at which the current target is dropped.	3300, and 3000 on the zombie
`Retaliation Window`	Seconds during which whoever last hurt it counts as a fresh attacker.	5
`Retaliation Bonus`	How strongly that attacker is favoured during the window.	1500

Melee ranges and timing¶

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Melee Enter Range`	Distance at which it switches into melee.	200
`Melee Exit Range`	Distance at which it drops back out of melee. Larger than the enter range on purpose, so it does not flicker between the two.	280
`Strike Range`	Distance at which a strike is thrown.	130, 150 on `DA_NPC_Path`, 100 on the zombie
`Strike Stop Margin`	Extra distance kept when stopping to strike.	15, 20 on `DA_NPC_Path` and the zombie
`Melee Cooldown`	Seconds between two attacks.	1.25
`Combo Min` / `Combo Max`	Fewest and most strikes in one combo.	2 and 3
`Combo Delay`	Seconds between two strikes inside a combo.	0.35
`First Attack Delay`	Seconds before the first attack after entering melee.	2, and 0.3 on the zombie
`Face Target On Attack`	Whether it turns to face the target before striking.	true
`Face Turn Interp Speed`	How fast that turn is.	8
`Melee Run Distance`	Beyond this distance it runs to close in instead of walking.	450
`Run Away Speed Threshold`	Target speed above which it is treated as running away.	300
`Run Away Dot Threshold`	How far the target must be facing away to count as running away.	-0.35
`Finisher Range`	Distance at which a stealth finisher on this AI is allowed.	170
`Finisher Facing Dot`	How much the AI must have its back turned for the finisher to be allowed.	-0.7

First Attack Delay is the field that decides whether an enemy reads as human or as infected. Two seconds gives you time to react. The zombie's 0.3 does not.

Tune how the AI fights up close goes through these with the animation side attached.

Ranged fighting, humans only¶

These are on BP_NPCDataAsset. A zombie preset does not have them.

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Aim Settle Time`	Seconds spent settling the aim before firing.	0.35
`Strafe Distance`	How far a strafe move goes.	250
`Strafe Repick Interval`	Seconds before a new strafe destination is picked.	1.6
`Strafe Repick Jitter`	Random seconds added to that interval.	0.8
`Ring Strafe Distance`	How far a move goes when circling a close target.	120
`Ring Repick Interval`	Seconds before a new circling destination is picked.	1.2
`Ring Repick Jitter`	Random seconds added to that interval.	0.6
`Ring Snap Distance`	Distance under which it circles instead of strafing.	250
`Retreat Distance`	How far it backs off when the target is too close.	700
`Retreat Repath Interval`	Seconds between two retreat paths.	0.5

The two jitter fields exist so that several humans fighting you at once do not move as one block. Set them to 0 and a squad turns into a chorus line.

Weapon, ammo and defence level, humans only¶

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Default Weapon Class`	The weapon the AI spawns holding. Leave it empty for an unarmed enemy.	`BP_Weapon_Pistol_01`, empty on `DA_NPC_Melee_Roaming`
`Starting Reserve Ammo`	Rounds carried beyond the loaded magazine.	12
`Melee Defense Level`	How well this AI defends itself in melee: `Level_01` to `Level_04`.	`Level_01`, and `Level_02` on `DA_NPC_Melee_Roaming` and `DA_NPC_Stand`

Giving an AI a different gun is this one field. Give an AI a gun and upgrades covers the rest of it.

The infected fields¶

These three are on BP_ZombieDataAsset only.

Field	What it does	Shipped
`Attack Montage`	Montage slot for the strike.	empty on `DA_Zombie_Roaming`
`Attack Damage`	Damage one strike deals.	12
`Strike Bone`	The bone name the strike uses.	`spine_02`

Which class owns a field, and why you should care¶

If you add a field of your own, put it on the class that needs it. A field on BP_AIDataAsset shows up on every preset, human and infected. A field on BP_NPCDataAsset shows up only on the human presets.

The same rule explains why a zombie preset has no weapon field. It is not hidden, it does not exist on that class, so nothing in the zombie can read it by accident.

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