Intercepting and Handling Messages from NPCForge Plugin

This guide provides steps to set up message interception from the NPCForge plugin to enable custom handling, such as displaying messages in the game console or on-screen.

Prerequisites

1. Unreal Engine project with NPCForge plugin integrated.

2. Basic knowledge of C++ and Unreal Engine's subsystem management.

Step 1: Add NPCForge Dependency

To access NPCForge's functionalities, add it as a dependency in your project's Build.cs file.

1. Open YourProject.Build.cs.

2. Add "NPCForge" to the list in PublicDependencyModuleNames as shown below:

   PublicDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(new string[] { "Core", "CoreUObject", "Engine", "InputCore", "EnhancedInput", "NPCForge" });

3. Save and rebuild your project to ensure NPCForge is properly included.

Step 2: Include the Message Manager in Your Class

In the class responsible for handling messages, include MessageManager.h:

#include "MessageManager.h"

This gives your class access to the UMessageManager subsystem, which will be used to intercept and handle incoming messages.

Step 3: Setting Up Message Interception

To listen for messages from NPCForge, connect to the NewMessageReceivedEvent event from the UMessageManager. This event triggers whenever a new message arrives. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Check if the UMessageManager subsystem exists in the game world.

2. Bind a custom handler function (e.g., OnMessageReceived) to NewMessageReceivedEvent.

Here’s a code snippet for setting up the event binding:

if (UMessageManager* MessageManager = GetWorld()->GetSubsystem<UMessageManager>())
{
    MessageManager->NewMessageReceivedEvent.AddDynamic(this, &AMessageDisplayActor::OnMessageReceived);
}

In this example:

• AMessageDisplayActor is the class that will handle the intercepted messages.

• OnMessageReceived is a custom function that processes each incoming message.

Step 4: Implement the Message Handler

Define the handler function OnMessageReceived in your actor or class. The function receives an FMessage parameter, which contains the message details such as sender, receiver, and content.

Example implementation:

AMessageDisplayActor::OnMessageReceived(FMessage Message)
{
    // Display the message in the game's console
    UE_LOG(LogTemp, Display, TEXT("FROM GAME: Intercepted Message: Sender=%s, Receiver=%s, Content=%s"),
           *Message.SenderID, *Message.ReceiverID, *Message.Content);
}

Explanation:

• SenderID: Identifies the message sender.

• ReceiverID: Identifies the intended receiver of the message.

• Content: Contains the actual content of the message.

This function logs the message details to the console using UE_LOG, but you can modify it to display the message on-screen or trigger other in-game actions.