How to use GetFocusInterface

How would I use this?

GetFocusInterface is the bridge between a FortCharacter and the AI system’s attention management. In UEFN, "Focus" isn't just about looking at something; it's about the AI maintaining a target for behaviors like pathfinding, combat, or dialogue. You reach for this method when you need to:

1. Assign a target for an NPC to look at, follow, or interact with (e.g., MaintainFocus).
2. Retrieve the current focus target to make decisions based on what the NPC is currently paying attention to.
3. Initialize NPC data structures that require a reference to the focus system for later use in state machines.

Typical Call Pattern

The standard pattern involves chaining from an Agent or directly from a FortCharacter to get the focus interface, then calling methods on that interface (like MaintainFocus) or storing the interface reference for later use.

1. Get the Character: Ensure you have a FortCharacter instance.
2. Call GetFocusInterface: Retrieve the focus controller.
3. Use the Interface: Call methods like MaintainFocus(Target) to set attention, or check properties if needed.

Concrete Example

Here is how you would use GetFocusInterface to make an NPC look at a specific target (like a player or an item) within a behavior block. This mirrors the usage in the NpcSystem / Npc Statemachine example, where the NPC maintains focus on a direction or entity.

# Assume 'Character' is a valid FortCharacter instance
# Assume 'Target' is a valid FocusTarget (e.g., another character or location)

# 1. Get the Focus Interface from the Character
FocusInterface := Character.GetFocusInterface[]

# 2. Use the interface to set the NPC's attention
# This tells the AI to look at and prioritize 'Target'
FocusInterface.MaintainFocus(Target)

# Optional: You can also store the interface for later use
# InFocus := FocusInterface

Key Notes

• MaintainFocus: This is the most common method called on the result of GetFocusInterface. It keeps the AI's attention on the specified target.
• Chaining: You can chain GetFocusInterface directly after getting the character, as shown in the statemachine example: InAgent.GetFortCharacter[].GetFocusInterface[].MaintainFocus(PlayerDirection).
• Initialization: In NPC data structures, you often store the result of GetFocusInterface (e.g., InFocus := InCharacter.GetFocusInterface[]) so you can reuse it in state machines without calling the method repeatedly.