Mission Systems Lab

Mission Systems Lab is a UE 5.8 C++ gameplay systems demo focused on data-driven mission flow, runtime state management, player-facing objectives, and structured event logging. The current slice implements a small playable scenario where the player follows objective markers, completes a hold step, and interacts with a console through an on-screen HUD.

• Status: P1 playable runtime demo complete
• Engine: Unreal Engine 5.8
• Language: C++
• Focus: Mission / quest runtime systems, gameplay state, HUD feedback, validation, source-controlled Unreal project structure

Demo

ALPHA	HOLD	CONSOLE

Demo Flow

Open the project, press Play, and complete the scenario:

1. Move to ALPHA to complete the reach objective.
2. Move to HOLD and remain in the marker area until the hold timer completes.
3. Move to CONSOLE.
4. Press E when the HUD says Press E to interact with CONSOLE.

The HUD shows the current mission state, objective, instruction, and progress.

Engineering Highlights

• Data-driven mission contract: Scenario phases and objectives are defined from JSON and parsed into Blueprint-visible C++ structs.
• Runtime state machine: UMissionScenarioInstance owns initialization, start, objective completion, reset, failure, and completed-state behavior.
• Playable objective loop: The demo pawn completes objectives through marker proximity, hold timing, and input-gated interaction.
• HUD objective guidance: AMissionScenarioDemoHUD keeps the current objective visible during normal viewport Play.
• Structured event log: Runtime events can be exported as JSON for diagnostics, replay, or debrief-style tooling.
• Plugin-first Unreal architecture: Mission logic lives in Plugins/MissionScenarioRuntime instead of being buried in level-only Blueprint logic.

Project Structure

Path	Purpose
MissionSystemsLab.uproject	UE 5.8 host project.
Content/P1_MissionScenarioRuntime/Maps/P1_DemoScenario.umap	Playable demo map.
Plugins/MissionScenarioRuntime/Source/MissionScenarioRuntime	Runtime mission system plugin.
Config/DefaultEngine.ini	Startup/default map configuration.
Config/DefaultInput.ini	Movement, camera, and E interaction input mappings.
Validation/SCENARIO_PARSE_VALIDATION.txt	Scenario JSON parse proof for quick review.

Key Code

• MissionScenarioTypes.h: scenario data structs and objective type enum.
• MissionScenarioRuntimeLibrary.cpp: JSON parsing and validation entry points.
• MissionScenarioInstance.cpp: mission lifecycle and event log runtime.
• MissionScenarioDemoActor.cpp: placed demo scenario owner.
• MissionScenarioDemoPawn.cpp: movement, marker checks, hold timer, and console interaction.
• MissionScenarioDemoHUD.cpp: screen-space objective panel.
• MissionScenarioDemoGameMode.cpp: demo pawn and HUD wiring.

How to Run

Requirements:

• Unreal Engine 5.8
• Visual Studio 2022 with C++ game development tools
• Git LFS enabled before cloning

Clone:

git lfs install
git clone https://github.com/Zoruahful/MissionSystemsLab.git

Open:

MissionSystemsLab.uproject

Build target:

& 'Path\To\UE_5.8\Engine\Build\BatchFiles\Build.bat' MissionSystemsLabEditor Win64 Development 'Path\To\MissionSystemsLab\MissionSystemsLab.uproject' -WaitMutex -FromMsBuild

Then open /Game/P1_MissionScenarioRuntime/Maps/P1_DemoScenario and press Play.

Scope

This repository is intentionally small. It demonstrates the core runtime and playable mission loop, not a full game. The current implementation focuses on durable C++ systems, clear player feedback, and a simple end-to-end demo path that can be inspected in code and played in editor.