Basic Concepts

This page introduces the main features of the Character Management System:

Character Types – Defines the core of every character.
Character Templates – Blueprints for creating characters later.
Character Usage – Scripts to load and render characters.
Built-in Modular Characters - Modular characters pre-setup and ready for use.
Character Grouping System - Groups used to store and saved characters.
Character Creator – Modular UI framework for building customizable characters in-game.

Character Types

A Character Type is a Scriptable Object that defines how
a character works. There are two kinds:

Type	Description	Best For
Unified Character Type	A single spritesheet containing a fully assembled character. No runtime customization.	Characters with fixed, pre-set appearances.
Layered Character Type	Multiple spritesheets, each containing one visual layer (body, outfit, hair, etc.).	Customizable player characters, dynamic or randomized NPCs.

Every Character Type contains a Base Spritesheet. This spritesheet contains all animations every character of that type will need to contain.
New characters can then be easily added by simply adding a new spritesheet or multiple spritesheets if using layered characters.

Optionally an Animator Controller can be setup with all animations using sprites from the Base Spritesheet. With this setup only a single Animator Controller is required. No need to create a new Animator Controller or Override Controller for each new character.

Character Templates

A Character Template is a Scriptable Object that acts as a blueprint for creating characters later. Templates are supported for both Unified and Layered Characters.

Character Usage

Character Renderer Components

Once a Unified or Layered Character has been created, it can be used through one the following scripts:

Renderer Component	Purpose
Layered Character Group Renderer	Load and render pre-existing Layered Character from a group.
Layered Character Template Renderer	Create/load and render a Layered Character from a template.
Unified Character Template Renderer	Create/load and render a Unified Character from a template.

Character Shader

Shaders are how the final Unified or Layered Character are rendered. Sprites from the Base Spritesheet defined in the Character Type are used in a renderer component such as a Sprite Renderer.

If a Unified Character is used, the shader takes the single spritesheet of the character and shows that over the Base Spritesheet.
If a Layered Character is used, the shader combines all layers into the final rendered character.

Built-in Characters

Modular characters are included within the BlazerTech Character Management System. They can be freely used inside any project. These characters will also be purchasable separately upon the full release of the Character Management System

The BlazerTech Modular Characters consist of 4 layers:

Body
Outfit
Hairstyle
Accessory

A Layered Character Type for these characters are already included and fully setup. New characters can be created by using a Layered Character Tempate, amongst other ways not listed here.

Additionally a Unified Character Type is setup with a set of pre-made characters made by combining various layer options.

Character Grouping System

Charcter groups are used to sort characters. They're great for organizing characters into meaningful collections, whether that's for a dynamic roster or a fixed group size.

Flexible Group Type

A dynamic list that characters can be added to, removed from, or edited at anytime.

Example Uses:

A roster of playable characters the player can create, edit, and delete.
A collection of background NPCs that will later be randomly selected from.

Fixed Group Type

An immutable list of characters. When the list is created all characters are created immedietely. Characters can then be edited but not removed and new characters cannot be added.