UE5 | Inventory System - Tutorial - Pt1 - Item Data

[@InkFold]

I looked up 'UE5 inventory tutorial" in an attempt to relocate these videos and it took me 5 minutes of scrolling before I just decided to use YT's history function. It's criminal that the algorithm isn't pushing this series for related searches, because it is the best, most concise one I've found so far. Keep up the good work and thank you so much!

[@mpattym]

Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the series. And yes, I agree, the most common videos that pop up are ones using a structure for items which I'm not a fan off. I think it's much nicer to use custom uobjects.

[@TheSicklyOne]

This is amazing. I love this style of teaching. Not just a simple case of rushing through nodes and copying. Great job.

[@mpattym]

Glad it was helpful!

[@abdoulraoufgambo]

yeah it's Michael again !!! I'm so excited !!

[@DeVaughnDawn]

Can you help me understand more about the flexibility you mentioned at 14:00 regarding UObjects? I know Data Assets can still be edited in bulk using the Property Matrix so I'm trying to understand exactly how the UObject flexibility would achieve bulk editing like the Property Matrix provides and what impacts they have on scalability.

[@mpattym]

@@DeVaughnDawn sure, so if you were to use a data asset for say a wooden bow, you setup all the data but then decide you also want another type of wooden bow that's a slightly buffed version. Everything is the same except the name and damage. Using a data assets would create two assets that aren't linked but using uobjects, you can create a child of the wooden bow meaning if you decide to change the mesh, this would also reflect in the child. (Assuming the child is using the default value) Changing the mesh when using data assets would require you to update the mesh in multiple data assets while the uobject method would be just the parent. Also, when it comes to data assets, if you were to have a wooden bow, they would all be the same. If you changed the name in the data asset, it would be changed for all uses of it. Using uobjects allows use to create individual instances where we can have multiple wooden bows with different data. (Possibly modified at runtime) Now data assets can be great if you don't need this level of flexibility and I would probably recommend them if the only thing that would change is the quantity as this can be stored separately from the data asset. You could even use a uobject/data asset hybrid where all the immutable data (that would never change at runtime) is inside the data asset and the uobject has a ref to the relevant data asset and then it's own mutable variables (what could change). This does add an extra level of complexity to the system but can be a good way to help manage data. Another thing I like about uobjects for items over structures is that they are much easier to work with. The issue with structures is when you have a lot of entries, manipulating the data becomes difficult and sometimes costly. (Having to break out structs, extract data, modify it and then re inject back into the original structure) Adding to this, you can also be left with a lot of redundant data that will never be used for a specific item. Because you can have hierarchy with uobjects, this can help mitigate some of that.

[@dobrx6199]

Nice!

[@driftmirror]

The greatest sin of any tutorial is not showing the final product at the start so your viewers know what they'll be making. Think of this from a viewers perspective: inventory systems can be done in so many different ways, so how do I know if this style will fit what I need? Even if its a multi part series that not finished, showing an example from an existing game will give your viewers at least an idea of where this is headed.

[@mpattym]

Thank you for the feedback. I can certainly agree with your statement but my goal is to teach you how you can make 'any' type of inventory. What I'm currently showing would be applicable to most types. Once you know some of the core concepts of how to make an inventory system it becomes a lot easier to build it how you want. For example, what I'm showing here is the start of two different inventory systems I've made. One that could be compared to Minecraft and another that is similar to Fallout/Skyrim, of which are very different. If there are any specific aspects you'd like me to cover, feel free to let me know. :)

[@jview611anime5]

First:D