Advanced NPCs is a modular C++ and Blueprint-accessible NPC framework for Unreal Engine 5.7 and 5.8. It helps developers create configurable civilians, enemies, companions, guards, and other NPCs without rebuilding the same AI foundation for every character.

The plugin combines reusable systems for NPC decisions, movement, presentation, spawning, world interaction, and debugging. It works alongside Unreal Engine’s AI Controllers, Character Movement, NavMesh, and animation systems.

• Multiplayer support: NPC decisions, movement, spawning, and modifier effects run on the server. Relevant NPC state and Character appearance are replicated to clients.

• Improved player targeting: Configure target acquisition range, visibility checks, and target retention. Follow and Idle Look At can stay focused on a selected player instead of switching whenever another player moves closer.

• Spawner template scaling: NPCs spawned by a Spawner Volume preserve the template actor’s adjusted scale and supported mesh transforms.

• Modular Brain System: Attributes, Emotion, Personality, Conditions, Capabilities, and higher-level Intents.

• Intent System: Reusable Intent Blueprints with Conditional or Manual activation, Continuous or One Shot execution, priorities, interruption rules, cooldowns, conditions, parameters, and per-NPC overrides.

• Movement Behaviours: Idle, Wander, Follow, Flee, and Patrol with priorities, conditions, movement speeds, runtime control, and navigation support.

• Patrol System: Reusable Patrol Routes and Patrol Points with route modes, waypoint-specific speeds, waiting and facing options, and editor visualization.

• Spawner Volume: Weighted NPC types, variants, presentation and state overrides, placement filters, NavMesh projection, respawning, and population limits.

• Modifier Volume: World-space areas that affect movement, Attributes, and Emotion; evaluate Conditions; filter NPCs by Actor Tags; and act as navigation blockers.

• Presentation System: Reusable assets for Skeletal Meshes, Animation Blueprints, or lightweight Idle/Walk/Run animation setups.

• Built-in Conditions: Attribute Compare, Emotion Compare, Personality Compare, Has Capability, Distance To Player, Can See Player, and Inside Modifier Volume.

• Editor and Debugging Tools: Custom Details panels, validation warnings, configuration controls, and optional overhead displays of live NPC state.

Advanced NPCs is designed around reusable assets and configurable systems. Developers can use individual features or combine them to create more complex NPC behaviour.

• Advanced NPCs Runtime and Editor modules

• Example/demo content

• Blueprint and C++ integration

• Source code

• 218-page documentation for the original core systems

• Unreal Engine 5.7 and 5.8, with a separate package for each version

• Win64 target

Multiplayer note: The plugin replicates its supported NPC state and Character appearance. Game-specific Blueprint effects, custom component appearance, and short-lived cosmetic events may require replication in your own game code.

Documentation: https://github.com/spandan-wagh/advanced-npcs/blob/main/docs/AdvancedNPCs_OfficialDocumentation_v1.0.pdf
Website: https://varointeractive.tech
Support: https://github.com/spandan-wagh/advanced-npcs/issues

Editor dependency: GameplayTagsEditor is an Epic built-in plugin used by the Advanced NPCs Editor module for its Gameplay Tag picker. It is enabled by the plugin descriptor; packaged runtime builds do not depend on it.