Shotgun

Pump-action shotgun in the style of Halo's M90. Fires a spread of 8 pellets per blast. Multi-pellet fire is powered by PelletCount on FSLWeaponFireMode — all existing weapons default to 1 and are unaffected.

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#How Multi-Pellet Fire Works

PelletCount was added to FSLWeaponFireMode (default 1). In USLGameplayAbility_Fire::ExecuteFire:

• Cosmetics, fire cue, and ammo decrement — fire once per trigger pull, outside the pellet loop

• Trace loop — runs PelletCount times; each iteration calls ComputeFireDirection independently, producing a fresh random direction within BulletConeAngleDegrees

• Listen server host — N damage traces, one impact cue execution per pellet that hits

• Remote client — N FSLShotInfo entries queued to Server_ProcessShots; server validates each pellet independently with its sweep radius forgiveness

Single-pellet weapons (PelletCount = 1) are completely unchanged — the loop runs once with identical behaviour to before.

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#Data Asset — DA_SL_Shotgun

Location: Content/SystemLink/Weapons/Shotgun/DA_SL_Shotgun

#Primary Fire Mode

Field	Value	Notes
bEnabled	✓
FireType	Hitscan
FireMode	SingleShot	One blast per trigger press
PelletCount	8	8 independent traces per blast
BulletConeAngleDegrees	5.0	Half-angle — ~10° total spread cone
MaxBulletConeAngleDegrees	6.5	Slight extra spread while moving
MaxBulletSpreadSpeed	400.0	Full extra spread at walking speed
RoundsPerMinute	0	Irrelevant for SingleShot
PostFireDelay	0.8	Ability stays alive 0.8s after the blast — drives pump animation via bIsFiring
MaxAmmo	60	No reload — pickups refill CurrentAmmo directly, clamped to this value
BaseDamage	12.0	Per pellet — 96 max at point blank (8×12)
MaxRange	3000.0	Effective range ~20m; drops off fast
MuzzleSocketName	MuzzleFlash	Match socket name on the shotgun FP mesh
AmmoDecrementEffect	GE_SL_AmmoDecrement	Same GE as the AR — decrements by 1 per blast
FireCueTag	GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.PrimaryFire	Muzzle blast + shell eject
StopFireCueTag	(leave empty)	No looping sound to stop
ImpactCueTag	GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.Impact	Per-pellet impact — sparks, surface mark
RecoilPitchKick	3.5	Heavy upward kick per blast
RecoilYawRange	0.8	Slight random yaw per blast
RecoilRecoverySpeed	5.0	Slower recovery than AR (pump feel)
RecoilMaxAccumulation	10.0

#Equip Fields

Field	Value
EquipAbilityClass	BP_GA_SL_TP_Shotgun_Equip
FPEquipAbilityClass	BP_GA_SL_FP_Shotgun_Equip
EquipCueTag	GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.Equip

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#Pump Delay

PostFireDelay = 0.8 on DA_SL_Shotgun's primary fire mode keeps the fire ability alive for 0.8s after the blast. During that window SLTags.States.Weapon.Firing is on the ASC → bIsFiring is true → the anim blueprint drives the pump animation. The ability ends automatically when the timer expires.

Re-fire is blocked by Activation Blocked Tags = SLTags.States.Weapon.Firing on BP_GA_SL_Shotgun_PrimaryFire — the ability cannot re-activate while the tag is present. No cooldown GE required.

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#Gameplay Tags to Register

Add these in Project Settings → GameplayTags before creating cue Blueprints:

GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.PrimaryFire

GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.Impact

GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.Equip

SLTags.Abilities.Equip.ThirdPerson.Shotgun  ← trigger tag for TP equip ability

SLTags.Abilities.Equip.FirstPerson.Shotgun  ← trigger tag for FP equip ability

All are ini tags (Project Settings → GameplayTags). Same FirstPerson/ThirdPerson pattern as the AR.

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#Assets to Create

Asset	Location	Source	Notes
DA_SL_Shotgun	Content/SystemLink/Weapons/Shotgun/	New data asset (USLWeaponDataAsset)	Fill with values above
BP_WeaponActor_Shotgun	Content/SystemLink/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate BP_WeaponActor_AssaultRifle	Point WeaponData → DA_SL_Shotgun
BP_GA_SL_TP_Shotgun_Equip	Content/SystemLink/AbilitySystem/Abilities/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate BP_GA_SL_TP_AssultRifle_Equip	Trigger tag → SLTags.Abilities.Equip.ThirdPerson.Shotgun (full CDO setup below)
BP_GA_SL_FP_Shotgun_Equip	Content/SystemLink/AbilitySystem/Abilities/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate BP_GA_SL_FP_AssultRifle_Equip	Trigger tag → SLTags.Abilities.Equip.FirstPerson.Shotgun (full CDO setup below)
BP_GA_SL_Shotgun_PrimaryFire	Content/SystemLink/AbilitySystem/Abilities/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate BP_GA_SL_AssualtRifle_PrimaryFire	No cooldown GE — pump delay is driven by PostFireDelay on the data asset. Set Activation Blocked Tags = SLTags.States.Weapon.Firing (full CDO setup below)
GC_SL_Shotgun_PrimaryFire	Content/SystemLink/AbilitySystem/Cues/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate GC_SL_AssaultRifle_PrimaryFire	Tag → GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.PrimaryFire; wide muzzle flash
GC_SL_Shotgun_Impact	Content/SystemLink/AbilitySystem/Cues/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate GC_SL_AssaultRifle_Impact	Tag → GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.Impact
GC_SL_Shotgun_Equip	Content/SystemLink/AbilitySystem/Cues/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate GC_SL_AssaultRifle_Equip	Tag → GameplayCues.Weapon.Shotgun.Equip
BP_SL_WeaponPickup_Shotgun	Content/SystemLink/Pickups/Weapons/Shotgun/	Duplicate AR pickup	Point WeaponActorClass → BP_WeaponActor_Shotgun

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#Equip Ability — Tag Setup

Both equip ability duplicates need their trigger tag updated. The TP ability is the coordinator:

BP_GA_SL_TP_Shotgun_Equip CDO:

AbilityTags            = SLTags.Abilities.Equip.ThirdPerson.Shotgun

ActivationOwnedTags    = SLTags.States.Weapon.Equipping

Triggers[0].TriggerTag = SLTags.Abilities.Equip.ThirdPerson.Shotgun

Triggers[0].Source     = GameplayEvent

BP_GA_SL_FP_Shotgun_Equip CDO:

AbilityTags            = SLTags.Abilities.Equip.FirstPerson.Shotgun

Triggers[0].TriggerTag = SLTags.Abilities.Equip.FirstPerson.Shotgun

Triggers[0].Source     = GameplayEvent

The TP equip ability fires the FP trigger via GetEquipTagFromAbilityClass → SendGameplayEvent (same pattern as the AR equip ability — no changes needed to the internal logic, just the tags).

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#Fire Ability — BP_GA_SL_Shotgun_PrimaryFire

Duplicate BP_GA_SL_AssualtRifle_PrimaryFire. Changes needed:

1. AbilityTags → SLTags.Abilities.PrimaryFire (same as AR — both respond to the same fire event)

1. Activation Owned Tags → SLTags.States.Weapon.Firing

1. Activation Blocked Tags → SLTags.States.Weapon.Firing (blocks refire during the 0.8s pump delay)

1. bIsPrimaryFire = true (inherited default, no change needed)

No cooldown GE needed — pump delay is driven by PostFireDelay = 0.8 on the data asset.

OnLocallyPredictedShotFired — implement to play the blast sound and muzzle flash locally.

OnProjectileHitPredicted — fires once per pellet that hits. For a shotgun that means up to 8 invocations per blast for the local player and up to 8 invocations for the listen-server host (the host has no predicted-impact replication path; this BP event is the only way it sees impact FX). If multiple pellets cluster on the same surface, naive impact decal spawning will pile up — dedupe by impact location, throttle decals, or clamp the per-blast count if you need a cleaner look.

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#Damage Feel — Tuning Notes

• Point blank (all 8 pellets): 8 × 12 = 96 damage — nearly kills a full-health player in one shot

• Mid range (4 pellets hit): 4 × 12 = 48 — solid chip damage

• Long range (1–2 pellets): 12–24 — tickle damage, rewards range management

• Increase BaseDamage to 15 for one-shot-kill potential at close range (120 total); lower to 10 for a more forgiving feel (80 total)

• BulletConeAngleDegrees = 5° is a tight spread — increase to 7–8° for a wider, more forgiving cone

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#Build Order

1. Register gameplay tags

1. Create data asset DA_SL_Shotgun with values above (set PostFireDelay = 0.8)

1. Create weapon actor BP → point to data asset

1. Duplicate and update equip ability BPs (update tags only)

1. Duplicate and update fire ability BP (set Activation Owned Tags + Activation Blocked Tags)

1. Create cue Blueprints (GC_ assets) with correct tags

1. Create pickup BP

1. Place shotgun pickup in TestMap

1. Test: fire blast, count impacts, verify ammo decrements by 1 per blast, verify pump delay blocks rapid fire

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#Test Checklist

#Single-player / gameplay correctness

• [ ] Fire blast → 8 separate impact cues fire on hit surfaces

• [ ] Ammo decrements by 1 per blast (not 8)

• [ ] Pump cooldown prevents firing again for ~0.8s

• [ ] Recoil kicks up noticeably per blast

• [ ] Cycle weapon swaps to/from shotgun correctly with ammo preserved

• [ ] Pickup replaces equipped weapon when inventory full

• [ ] Shotgun drops on death with correct ammo count

#Multiplayer correctness (run Docs/FireAbilityNetworkTesting.md)

• [ ] Test 1 — no OnLocallyPredictedShotFired / OnWeaponFired BP events fire on the server for remote players

• [ ] Test 2 — predicted impacts never spawn through walls (channel parity)

• [ ] Test 3 — one Server_ProcessShots RPC per blast, not 8 (and AR full-auto unchanged)

• [ ] Dying mid-pump cleanly tears down the fire ability (no lingering States.Weapon.Firing tag)

• [ ] Local player hears/sees muzzle flash exactly once per blast (cue BP correctly skips locally-controlled instigator)