Tile Types

Introduction

If you've gone through the Getting Started section, you should already have a basic understanding of TileType from when we discussed grid population. In this section, we'll explore it in greater detail.

Here are some important facts about tile types:

• Each tile can have only one type.
• Every tile must be assigned a type.
• Types can be defined using data tables.
• Types influence pathfinding behavior.
• Each type has its own properties, such as Movement Cost and Color.
• A tile without a specific type is considered an Empty Tile, which defaults to the Default type.

Adding Custom Types

1. To add a new type, simply navigate to Plugins/MegaGridContent/Data/ and open the DT_TileTypeMapping.

   

2. Here press the Add button to create a new row.

   

3. Modify the row values as needed. Ensure that the Row Name and Tile Type Name are identical.

   

4.That's it! You've successfully created your own tile type. To test it, switch to Tile Editor mode and locate your new type in the Select Type dropdown. You can now use it on your grid.

Note

If you're already in Tile Editor mode, you may need to close and reopen it for the new type to appear.

Deleting Types

Deleting types follows the same process as adding them—simply delete the corresponding row in the data table. If any tiles in the level were using the deleted type, they must be reset to Default by clicking the Remap Tiles button in BP_GridManager. DO NOT delete core types.

Note

If you're already in Tile Editor mode, you may need to close and reopen it for the new type to appear.

Getting Tile Type

You can retrieve a tile's type using the GetTileData() function. This function returns a TileData struct, which can be broken down to access the TileType. Called via BP_GridManager.

Setting Tile Type

You can set a tile's type directly using the SetTileType() function or by overriding its TileData with SetTileData(). The SetTileType() function requires the following parameters:

• TileIndex: The index of the tile to modify.
• Type: The desired tile type.
• Context: Defines whether the operation is for Editor or Runtime (best set to Auto).
• bReloadTile: Determines whether to refresh the tile's visuals immediately after modification.

Called via BP_GridManager.

Note

Previous type is overwritten, keep track when neccessary.

Removing Tile Type

To remove a type from a tile, you can use the RemoveTileType() function. This function takes similar arguments to SetTileType(). Since a tile must have a type, there's no direct way to "remove" a tile type. Instead, when the specified type is removed, the tile is automatically reset to the Default type. Called via BP_GridManager.

Reloading Tiles

Whenever a tile's type or state is modified, you have the option to refresh its visuals immediately. However, it's best to use this feature only when necessary, as excessive calls can quickly add up and impact performance. Here’s an example of when refreshing a tile would be appropriate:

In the example above, the tile is modified using SetTileType(). Since the modification occurs only once within the same call, reloading it is acceptable as there are no unnecessary refreshes.

In this example, both the tile's state and type are modified within the same call. To optimize performance, we only refresh its visuals after the final modification (RemoveTileType()). Since the reload reflects all changes, doing it twice would be redundant.

Core Types

MegaGrid includes several default tile types in the DT_TileTypeMapping data table. It’s crucial that you DO NOT modify these types, as they are essential for the proper functioning of the grid. If you create your own data table, ensure these default types are still included.

Core Types:

• Obstacle
• Default

Custom Tables

You can create and use your own custom data tables if you prefer. Just make sure to include the core types in your table as well. Once you’ve created your custom table, you’ll need to assign it to the relevant actors, which are:

• GridManager

  

• GridVisuals

  

• Pathfinding Component

  

Toggling Type Visibility

You can control the visibility of types using the SetTypeVisibility() function. This will hide all tiles of the specified type, but the type will remain in the data; only the visuals will be toggled. Called via BP_GridManager.

Be sure to call Force Reload Tiles to refresh the visuals immediately. This isn't called by default in the example projects, so please make this adjustment to ensure the function works as intended.