Using nFringe?

[Sir_Brizz]

How do you set this thing up for UDK? I'm totally failing at this...

[stud]

You should be able to set it up from a custom project then make an Editor.ini file based on your top editor ini to get around an error.

[erwilly]

I'm compiling without problems, but for now it isn't possible use, I think that we need a new project template specifically for UDK, but I'm sure about that...

[SaintVigeous]

I am having a similar issue. I come to this without ever using nFringe with UT3, so I might go back and see how that words.

With UDK, I have set all my paths to the appropriate places. Instead of UT3 as my primary executable, I point it at UDK. I used an empty project and added one file to it (the superfungame.uc test file Epic provvided). This of course added a copy to the solution location. When I compile, it works. I had to set the game executable to UDK to get the "run" option to be available.

But here is where I gets stuck. My .u file gets deployed somewhere way out of the normal UDK tree and when I debug, I get valid debug output so I know I am attached, but I am just running the base UDK (stripped down UT3) Game. Is this something that I would encounter in UT3 and I am just missing an important step? Or is this something new?

[ninjabadger]

Same here - how do I get my game project in and working? Can only seem to create a new blank project. Havent got a clue how to import one...

[SaintVigeous]

Hm. As to the problem I posted above, I suspect I missed a step. The tutorial found here:

http://utforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=620607

shed some light on the topic:

resulting in "-mod=..\BaseTC\Config" being added under "Additional Options".

That seems like what i was missing. I shall have to test it this evening. Sorry for asking noob questions.

[Sir_Brizz]

-mod is for use with UT3. Plus I'm not working on a mod, I'm replacing content in UTGame.

One thing Unity has over UDK right now is that it has a built in script editor. I don't particularly like nFringe, I'd rather use something else, and the fact that it doesn't have very good support for UDK and hasn't been updated since April makes me think it might as well be vaporware.

Is there seriously no other way than nFringe to debug UnrealScript? No UE3 licensee needs UScript debugging????

[erwilly]

If they relase a new project template specifically for UDK is better that nothing.

[SaintVigeous]

Huh. So I got home to mess with this some more. I can definitely get F5 to run the game I want it to run (Load Map at Startup and Start with Specified game type in the Debug Menu), but I don't yet know how to get the debugger to attach to my compile .u file with appropriate symbols and source code bindings. The game type I am running is in a totally different place than the .U compiled from VS/nFring and I am sure all the config files are in totally random places.

Very much flying by the seat of my pants here, so sorry about that. I WILL make this thing bend to my will. Or someone else will figure it out...

[coldcut]

OK, so my group and I have been developing a mod for a month or so now using UT3 patch 5, the editor, and UnrealScript with nFringe in VS2008. So far, so good.

Now this new UDK comes out saying it is the UE3. But after downloading and installing it, it is apparent like someone posted earlier, it is not the actual engine, i.e. source code; just scripting and tools still.

The UDK executable seems very limited compared to what you get with the game. I guess that, other than maybe a few new tools, to me it just doesn't seem very much different or better than what was already available. Still looking into it so maybe it simply isn't apparent to me, yet.

The new tools may well prove useful, I just don't see any huge difference otherwise with this UDK.

P.S.
Saint-Debugging is set in nFringe by specifying the exe on the Debug tab of the project properties. I don't know if it has changed, now, with the UDK.

And creating a custom VS project template is really not that hard. Just search the web for instructions. I'm planning on creating one myself so that I don't have to enter the paths into the project settings everytime.

[neilkevins]

hi there....

I am sure this question has been asked around before, but I haven't seen any official talk on the Pixel Mine forums. I just recently got re-excited about Unreal Development with the release of UDK and in the process of getting back into it (stopped with UT2004), I found this great thing called nFringe. I immediately instealld UDK and nFringe for VS2008.

[erwilly]

well, I open a templates and I have locate where change the paths for compiling in the correct folder:

program files \MSBuild\PixelMine :: UnrealScript.targets

Not test yet.

[Sir_Brizz]

OK, so my group and I have been developing a mod for a month or so now using UT3 patch 5, the editor, and UnrealScript with nFringe in VS2008. So far, so good.

Now this new UDK comes out saying it is the UE3. But after downloading and installing it, it is apparent like someone posted earlier, it is not the actual engine, i.e. source code; just scripting and tools still.

The UDK executable seems very limited compared to what you get with the game. I guess that, other than maybe a few new tools, to me it just doesn't seem very much different or better than what was already available. Still looking into it so maybe it simply isn't apparent to me, yet.

The new tools may well prove useful, I just don't see any huge difference otherwise with this UDK.

P.S.
Saint-Debugging is set in nFringe by specifying the exe on the Debug tab of the project properties. I don't know if it has changed, now, with the UDK.

And creating a custom VS project template is really not that hard. Just search the web for instructions. I'm planning on creating one myself so that I don't have to enter the paths into the project settings everytime.

Have the people making content for your mod use the new UnrealEd and then come back.

[stud]

Go to the project properties.

Try using UnrealEngine 3 as Target Game in "General" tab

In "Build" tab check "manually set UCC output directory" and set it to UTGame\Unpublished\CookedPC\Script

Haven't tested this yet, will test tonight. Should work though.

[SaintVigeous]

This is interesting. I tried "Unreal Engine 3 Licensee" and set that path. Under debug I set the game type as "UcProject1.SuperFunGame"

"UcProject1" being the default name VS gave the project (and hence the .u file)
and "SuperFunGame" being the name of the game type in the sample file.

When I ran it with those parameters, the log complained that it could not find the game type. So I mantually copied UcProject1.u into UTGame/Script and tried again. It ran, found the game type, acted like the game type but wasn't hitting my breakpoints.

As I started experimenting further, I found that it just stopped generating UcProject.u at all. I could delete it, change the file, whatever. Never gets re-generated. Could this have to do with the fact that adding a file to a VS project makes a new copy of the source file and places it in the project tree?

[TOP-Proto]

i had no problems converting to UE3 with nfringe.

i set my target game to custom

and the ucc to C:\UDK\UDK-2009-11\Binaries\Win32\UDK.com

note the win32 and it pointing to udk.com - probably works with .exe too though...

ucc userpath = C:\UDK\UDK-2009-11\UTGame\

[rygoody]

Do you even need to set up nfringe?

Don't you do the compiling through the UnrealFrontend anyways?

[Sir_Brizz]

If UDK would work properly, you could do Script debugging. That's the functionality I need.

Other than that I can just use WOTgreal since it has nice code highlighting and I can just ignore all the broken functionality in there

[stud]

I think I have this figured out. I have not been able to test it fully, so you guys try it out and report back. I am getting proper compiles and my project files are remote to my .uc files.

Here is how I have setup nfringe:

1. Create an "UnrealEngine 3 Mod"
2. Go to the project properties (right click the solution to get there.)
3. In the "General" tab set the UCC path to C:\UDK\UDK-2009-11\Binaries\UDK.exe
4. In this same tab set the "Referenced Source Path" to C:\UDK\UDK-2009-11\Development\Src
5. In the "Build" tab check "Manually set UCC output directory" and set it to C:\UDK\UDK-2009-11\UTGame\Script

The above will set you up to compile. Now a nice way to autoload all of your scripts into your solution is as follows:

1. Open your projects .ucproj folder (in the root dir of the project)
2. Find ItemGroup and replace it with

  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="C:\UDK\UDK-2009-11\Development\Src\MyMod\Classes\*">
      <SubType>Code</SubType>
      <Link>Classes</Link>
    </Compile>
    <Content Include="**\*.uci" />
  </ItemGroup>

Let me know if you have any problems.

[SaintVigeous]

That is pretty much exactly what I have. A little confusion about source location. But intellisense works (mostly). The problem is that I can't actually debug and hit breakpoints.

[ninjabadger]

If UDK would work properly, you could do Script debugging. That's the functionality I need.

Other than that I can just use WOTgreal since it has nice code highlighting and I can just ignore all the broken functionality in there

How do you get WOTGreal to import the existing scripts? I couldnt get the UCC exe part working

[coldcut]

"Unreal Engine 3 Licensee" is for those who have licensed the engine, which is not us, unless you're a millionaire. That's apparently because things are in different locations.

I think the Target Game is supposed to be "Unreal Tournament 3" for mutators, game types, etc that still use the standard game. "Unreal Engine 3 Mod" is apparently for doing a Total Conversion, i.e. your output will not be in the UTGame folder, but in its own folder inside "Documents\My Games\Unreal Tournament 3". With this option (or licensee) selected, you will have the option to override the default output location and specify it manually on the Build tab.

For those having trouble running in Debug mode, I'm not sure, but a few things to check on the Debug tab:

1. Enter the path to your UT3.exe (or UDK) file in the "Start Game Executable" box.
2. Ensure that "Enable unpublished mods" is checked.
3. Be sure the above two were done for the Debug configuration.
4. Be sure Visual Studio is set to build the Debug version.
5. Delete the .u file if it exists from a previous build to ensure it is rebuilt.

Then, after a successful build, click the green arrow button or press F5.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what the problem might be.

Incidentally, I find it also useful to check the option on the Debug tab to run in windowed mode, since fullscreen may require resolution changes which are kind of annoying if you want to break execution and resume often.

[coldcut]

rygoody:
You don't strictly need nFringe, it just makes things a heck of a lot easier, imo. The compiling is actually done by the game executable; the front end is an interface for, among other things, cooking maps and packages. But cooking is mostly for when you have a finished product you would like to distribute. It's unnecessary for when you are still testing things.

The reason I like nFringe is that I get to use VS, which I am already very familiar with and accustomed to using. Besides color-coding, you also have access to all the other advantages of VS such as Intellisense, powerful search, and debug mode including full use of things like the Watch Window and Call Stack. This is assuming, of course, debug mode is working for you. Fortunately, I've had no trouble with it myself.

[SaintVigeous]

I get to use VS, which I am already very familiar with and accustomed to using. Besides color-coding, you also have access to all the other advantages of VS such as Intellisense, powerful search, and debug mode including full use of things like the Watch Window and Call Stack. This is assuming, of course, debug mode is working for you. Fortunately, I've had no trouble with it myself.

Exactly. I spend 8 hours a day with VS and it is a great product. The biggest thing for Unrealscript is the debugging.

Coldcut, you said you got debug working. Is that using UDK or UT3? I haven't actually heard anyone say they are able to debug and hit breakpoints with nFringe and UDK. But if you can do it, I know it's possible and I won't just give up and go to UT3.

[SaintVigeous]

Well. I ran out and grabbed a copy of UT3 and got nFringe working and stopped at a breakpoint in mere minutes. So... Not sure what is going on with UDK.

[coldcut]

That doesn't sound good. I had only tried it with UT3, not UDK yet. So maybe the UDK executable isn't compatible with running in debug mode through VS?

Maybe it will work then to have the paths on the General tab point to UDK stuff for the sake of building, and the path on the debug tab point to UT3.exe strictly for running in debug mode?

Sounds kind of screwy. It would be unfortunate if you need UT3 to debug, but then its only like $12 at GameStop, and probably cheaper elsewhere, too.

[coldcut]

Another thing I wonder about is the collection of script files that come with UDK. WinDiff found many differences between that directory and the one I've been using (UT3ScriptSource 1.5). Presumably, these in UDK would be the most up-to-date and so should be the ones to use, but who knows?

[Sir_Brizz]

PixelMine has specifically written a block in to prevent anything other than UT3.exe starting for debugging.

UT3 debugging is also frustrating because Epic has never released the debug packages for their builds and so you can't step through Epic code.

The project I'm working on that started with UT3, I have been held up because I can't logically filter through what is happening and need to step through some Epic code. I can do that with UDK, if debugging would work.

[schizoslayer]

I got nFringe setup how I want to use it by following the steps below:

Create a new Project
-> Select Project template of UnrealEngine 3 Licensee Project
-> Set Project location to C:\UDK\TestGame\Development\Src (This will depend on where you installed UDK)
-> Untick "Create Directory for Solution"

With the new Project created close Visual Studio.

Explore to the folder you created the project in.

nFringe will have put the Project inside a folder named the same as the Project (despite you telling it not to).

Go into this folder and move the .sln .suo and .ucproj files up a directory so they are in the development/src/ folder.

Reopen the Project.

You should now have a project that has all of the folders for all of the packages (Core, Engine, GameFramework etc) and in those folders will be all of the source class files.

Open the Projects properties and set the UCC Path to C:\UDK\TestGame\Binaries\Win32\UDK.exe (again depends where you installed everything)

Change to the "Build" properties and tick "Manually set UCC output directory" then set the directory here to "C:\UDK\TestGame\UTGame\Script"

Change to the "Debug" properties and set the Start Game Executable to "C:\UDK\TestGame\Binaries\Win32\UDK.exe"

You should now be able to build and run UDK.

To add a new package you need to open up DefaultEngine.ini and add a line like:

+EditPackages=TestGame

to the [UnrealEd.EditorEngine]

Then create a new folder in the project called "TestGame" and then create another new folder under that called "Classes". Create new classes in here and the game should build fine.


On Debugging

You cannot debug UDK unless you have a commercial license. I have one at work but don't have one at home and when I start debugging at home nFringe disconnects from the game once it has started up. On my work machine however I can debug scripts perfectly fine.

I assume there will be a new release of nFringe sometime soon to support the UDK exe and debugging but to be honest I'm probably going to switch back to Wotgreal as the debugger steps through faster and I prefer the class and package views in that tool.

[SaintVigeous]

You cannot debug UDK unless you have a commercial license. I have one at work but don't have one at home and when I start debugging at home nFringe disconnects from the game once it has started up. On my work machine however I can debug scripts perfectly fine.

Gah!

Dammit. Where you you like 10 hours ago?

[schizoslayer]

Just to clarify that's a commercial nFringe license. Not a commercial UDK license.

Seems to be a built-in block on what executables you can debug with a non-commercial nFringe license.

[ninjabadger]

I assume there will be a new release of nFringe sometime soon to support the UDK exe and debugging but to be honest I'm probably going to switch back to Wotgreal as the debugger steps through faster and I prefer the class and package views in that tool.

Any tips on how to get WOTGreal working?

I cant seem to get any classes to appear

[coldcut]

I don't have any familiarity with WOTgreal, but from looking at the website, it doesn't seem like it has been updated since UT2004, which is not much help since so much has changed. So, I would doubt it is compatible with UDK unless the guy makes an update for it.

Just my guess, though.

[Sir_Brizz]

You can use WOTgreal with UDK, but the more useful functionality of the program don't work (like debugging ).

[Sir_Brizz]

Just for information, I've contacted the developer of WOTgreal and he is going to look into UDK and possibly upgrading WOTgreal.

[Blade[UG]]

WOTgreal appears to work just fine, but it's compiling functions are shot. I guess we have the Frontend for that, although that's less than ideal.

[Sir_Brizz]

You can get compiling working in WOTgreal but it doesn't have any of the conveniences (like clicking to go to a line doesn't seem to work).

[Blade[UG]]

hmm. Ctrl-Shift-O doesn't work in WOTgreal, and it doesn't want to give me the log file output...

[marcusmattingly]

Can anyone help with getting WOTGreal set up to work with the UDK (mainly at this point I just want intellisense). I found an old UDN link, but some of the fields described in setting up the GameType don't seem to be on the screen that I am looking at. Is someone willing to post a screenshot of their settings?

Any help appreciated, thanks.

P.S. - I took a look at nFringe...ouch. Super expensive.

[dcalogue]

I'm using nFringe for Intellisense, and nothing else, since I'm not going to pay $3500 for a home project