Install and run InterfaceForge

The active UIForge redesign targets Unreal Engine 5.8.3 CL58210709, Win64. Its runtime plugin/module/mount name remains InterfaceForge to preserve Blueprint references. The earlier multi-engine packages and acceptance records are historical; they do not contain or verify this redesign. Read current product status. Physical controller testing remains user-deferred.

Run the interfaces

Open C:/UEProjects/ashenforge-plugins/UIForge/Project/UIForge.uproject with UE5.8.3. Build UIForgeEditor Win64 Development using the installed Visual Studio C++ tools if prompted. The plugin is inside this project's Plugins/InterfaceForge. Work in this one project; do not create additional engine/project copies.

Play /Game/ForgeExamples/Maps/ForgeGateway. Choose Emberfall for the MMO-style local encounter or Ironfront for RTS defense. Each opens a proper main menu with Continue, New Game, Load Game, Settings, Example Library and Exit. Continue uses an existing example save; New Game preserves that save until you explicitly save again. In game, Menu opens Pause with Save/Load/Settings/Return. Return and Exit use confirmation dialogs.

Emberfall uses a third-person camera and game-owned Enhanced Input mappings. Move, select/target with mouse or Tab, activate actions and inspect party, target, objective, map and journal displays. Applied bindings override the default keys. The center-origin cooldown is a visual control independent of the encounter's skill rules.

Ironfront supports unit picking, marquee/additive/type selection, groups, contextual and queued orders, formations, recruitment/cancellation and a virtualized roster. Right-click a destination after selecting units; the game adapter owns movement, authority and costs. These local demonstration rules are separate from InterfaceForge. Follow the current playable guide rather than historical scout-example instructions.

Settings now uses the Designer-authored WBP_IFSettingsMenu: Interface, Audio, Controls and Video tabs share one draft and one Apply/Cancel footer. Switching tabs retains edits; Back/Cancel restores previewed preferences and staged keys. Reset this page affects only the current category. Applying a binding updates its Enhanced Input action and prompt. The sample controller registers its context; your game must register its own. Follow Blueprint settings composition to build or replace this menu without project C++. Controller switching is implemented and software-tested, with hardware verification still deferred. Touch/platform compatibility is not inferred from desktop tests.

Edit the new saved Widget Blueprints, profiles and themes in /Game/ForgeExamples/UI. The example actor's UI/art properties choose classes and data-source adapters. Use the same public features described in Blueprint product layouts. The MMO-style example is local; it does not supply an online MMO backend or inventory mechanics.

Historical baseline examples

The routes below preserve earlier assets and evidence. They are not the entry point or visual acceptance for the current redesign.

Open /Game/Maps/ForgeOutpost and Play. Begin expedition opens the RTS HUD. Patrol completes the road objective and adds supplies; Train spends supplies and advances production. Pause opens settings, the journal, and return confirmation. These interactive actions belong to the sample adapter, outside the UI plugin.

From the main menu choose Visit Emberwatch, or open /Game/Maps/ForgePilgrimage in the editor, for the original Emberwatch RPG interface. Accept the keeper's request, Approach, then Kindle the hearth. Ward updates party/status and drives the independently reproduced Sakura center tint over original sigils. It reuses the same menu/settings/dialog flow with another data source. RPG authoring and cooldown controls explain the graphs.

Pause → Field journal → Watchpost survey opens a custom Blueprint screen/entry driven by a Blueprint IFDataSource. Observe ridge advances the survey; four observations complete it. The theme choices demonstrate live customization. Customization shows source, entry, theme, and root replacement without plugin source edits. Choose WBP_ForgeFlowRoot through Create Root or the example controller's Root Class to use the alternative Designer-built root.

Edit saved widgets under /Game/UI/Blueprint in the Designer and graphs. The editor authoring module maintains development assets; packaged runtime does not load it. Users do not need to run authoring tools to customize the assets. DA_ForgeInterfaceAssets cooks the sample's soft UI classes; add your own screens to your project's Asset Manager rules.

World navigation documents the actual menu/provider travel route and Remove Root lifecycle before Open Level. IF7 runtime and visual review covers both genres, clean settings reloads and12world-travel trails. Broader devices/platforms/configurations remain unverified.

Add the plugin to your project

The current rebuild is a source installation for UE5.8.3. The Review/Review2 binary-archive instructions in older evidence describe earlier revisions; do not use those archives as a substitute for this source. The minimal Blueprint-only host check loads the current core without ForgeExamples, MassForge or inventory, but does not certify a newly distributed precompiled plugin archive. Windows C++ build tools are needed to compile the plugin, including Unreal's temporary target for a Blueprint-only project.

1. Copy Plugins/InterfaceForge into your project's Plugins folder, excluding generated Binaries, Intermediate, and Saved. Rebuild for your engine.
2. Enable InterfaceForge, CommonUI, and EnhancedInput. CommonInput comes through CommonUI. The runtime has no example, inventory, MassForge, or game-specific controller dependency.
3. Set Game Viewport Client Class = CommonGameViewportClient. Select IFNavigationInputData in Common Input Settings for default Enter/Escape and generic controller Accept/Back, or retain compatible project input data.
4. Set Common UI Settings → Common Button Accept Key Handling = Trigger Click.
5. From your local PlayerController, get IFLocalPlayerSubsystem, call Create Root with IFRootLayout or your root Blueprint, then Push Screen with an IFScreen Blueprint on Menu or HUD. Set Initial Focus to an enabled control. Quick-start graphs give the actual nodes and expected result.

Call Set Theme to supply project styling. DA_ForgeMineral and DA_ForgeEmber are original sample themes. Menus and timelines, scrolling, and safe areas cover presentation customization.

For remapping, enable Enhanced Input User Settings, register a player-mappable context before opening controls, and use its exact Mapping Name in IFActionPrompt. Controls and glyphs cover capture, validation, applied prompts, and persistence limits. Keep gameplay execution in your controller/provider.

For audio, create a project-owned IFAudioRouting asset with a SoundMix and distinct UI/game SoundClasses, then Set Audio Routing. Settings covers staged editing, Apply/Cancel/defaults, and save failures. Language settings uses Unreal's culture system and localization tools.

Extend and troubleshoot

Use the RTS command, journal/entry, progress, tooltip, notification, loading, and world UI recipes for saved examples with actual node names. The root README and standalone example README give the playable starting routes.

Missing keyboard acceptance: check viewport/input data, enabled controls, and top-screen focus. Missing remapped prompts: check registration and Mapping Name. Call parent Initialize Screen before accessing Screen Data. The current tabbed menu coordinates preferences and remapping under one editing session; underlying SaveGame, Enhanced Input and engine config writes are separate operations and are not an atomic disk transaction. Historical WBP_AshenSettings/WBP_AshenControls examples retain their older separate Apply behavior.

Game Master's visual design is exclusive and is not distributed. The examples use original layouts, art, themes, animations, and audio. Reference captures and deferred inventory work are excluded by DistributionPolicy.json. Inventory mechanics are outside this goal. Optional integration, physical devices, mobile/consoles and split-screen retain the limits in the evidence. The earlier IF1 candidate passed a full UE5.6 Shipping package build. Later standalone revisions have24actual Shipping primary/reload passes and36menu world-travel trails across the three engines; see Shipping verification for the revision and feature limits. Refreshed candidate installation/runtime and final delivery acceptance remain open.