# Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with AP Cooldown Suite in minutes.

Support: discord.gg/n5HxmrkpC4

# 1. Installation

Copy the AfterPrimeCooldownSuite/ folder into your project's Plugins/ directory.
Open your project in UE5.
Go to Edit → Plugins, search for CooldownSuite, and enable it under the Gameplay category.
Restart the editor when prompted.
Recompile if prompted after restart.

# 2. Add the Component

Open your Character Blueprint in the Blueprint editor.
Click Add Component in the Components panel.
Search for AP_CooldownSuite and select UAP_CooldownSuiteComponent.
The component appears as AP_CooldownSuite in the hierarchy.

That's it

Your character can now manage, track, and replicate cooldown state.

# 3. Set Up the Player Controller

The plugin ships with BP_AP_PlayerController — a ready-to-use Player Controller that handles HUD initialization and UI mode toggling.

Open your map's World Settings.
Set Player Controller Class → BP_AP_PlayerController.
Set HUD Class → BP_AP_CooldownHUD.

Tab Toggle

Press Tab at runtime to toggle UI edit mode. In UI mode the mouse cursor appears and cooldown bars become draggable. Press Tab again to return to game input.

# 4. Create a Cooldown Definition Data Asset

Cooldowns are defined as Data Assets — no code required.

In the Content Browser, right-click in your desired folder.
Choose Miscellaneous → Data Asset.
Select AP_CooldownDefinition as the class.
Name it with the CDA_ prefix (e.g., CDA_Fireball).
Open it and configure:

Property	Description
CooldownTag	Gameplay Tag identifying this cooldown (e.g., `Cooldown.Ability.Fireball`)
BaseDuration	Base cooldown time in seconds before modifiers. Minimum `0.1`.
MaxStacks	Number of charges. `1` = single use, `3` = three charges.
StackReplenishMode	`Sequential` — one charge per interval, or `AllAtOnce` — all charges return together
DefaultModifiers	Optional modifiers applied automatically when this cooldown starts
ButtonIcon	Texture displayed on the cooldown button
InputKeyText	Key label displayed on the button (e.g., `Q`, `E`, `1`)

# 5. Build Your HUD — No Graph Setup Required

AP Cooldown Suite is designed so you never need to touch the Blueprint graph. Everything is configured in the Widget Designer.

# Step 1 — Open WBP_HUDRoot

Navigate to Plugins/APCooldownSuite/UI/ and open WBP_HUDRoot.

# Step 2 — Add Cooldown Bars

In the Hierarchy panel you will see a Canvas Panel as the root.
From the Content Browser, drag BP_CooldownBar onto the Canvas Panel in the hierarchy.
Position it visually in the Designer canvas.
Repeat for as many bars as you need.

# Step 3 — Add Cooldown Buttons to Each Bar

Expand your BP_CooldownBar instance in the hierarchy.
Expand ButtonSlot (ButtonContainer).
Drag a Horizontal Box (or Vertical Box for a vertical layout) into the ButtonSlot.
Drag BP_CooldownButton instances from the Content Browser into the Horizontal/Vertical Box.
For each button, set its Cooldown Definition in the Details panel to your CDA_ Data Asset.

No graph work required

At runtime, bars automatically discover your Character's AP_CooldownSuiteComponent and each button self-initializes using its assigned Cooldown Definition.

# Step 4 — Play

Hit Play. Your cooldown bars appear at the positions you set in the Designer. Trigger your abilities — the bars update automatically.

# 6. Horizontal vs Vertical Bars

Horizontal bar — standard ability bar layout:

Add a Horizontal Box into the ButtonSlot
Drag buttons in left to right

Vertical bar — side panel / utility bar layout:

Add a Vertical Box into the ButtonSlot instead
Drag buttons in top to bottom

Both layouts work identically at runtime. Mix and match in the same HUD.

# 7. Runtime Bar Repositioning

Players can reposition cooldown bars at runtime:

Press Tab to enter UI edit mode (cursor appears).
Click and drag any cooldown bar to a new position.
Release to drop — the position saves automatically.
Press Tab again to return to game input.

Bar positions persist between sessions via the built-in save system. Positions are stored per bar name in a Save Game slot (CooldownLayout).

Bar Naming

Name your bars clearly in the Designer hierarchy (e.g., CooldownBar_Abilities, CooldownBar_Items) — these names are used as save keys. Renaming a bar after players have saved positions will reset that bar to its Designer default position.

# 8. Start a Cooldown

Drag off your component reference in the Event Graph.
Search for Start Cooldown From Definition.
Connect your UAP_CooldownDefinition Data Asset reference.
Returns true on success, false if the definition is null or all stacks are consumed.

Drag off your component reference.
Search for Start Cooldown.
Connect a Gameplay Tag and a float duration.
Returns true if the cooldown started, false if all stacks are already consumed.

Server Authority Required

StartCooldown and StartCooldownFromDefinition require server authority. If triggering from a client (e.g., local input), use the Server RPC variants instead — ServerStartCooldown and ServerStartCooldownFromDefinition. The server processes the request and replicates state back to all clients automatically.

# 9. Cancel a Cooldown

Call Cancel Cooldown on the component with the tag to cancel. Fires OnCooldownCancelled with the remaining time. Requires server authority — use ServerCancelCooldown from clients.

# 10. Query Cooldown State

All query functions are BlueprintPure — no execution pin, safe to call on any machine.

Function	Returns	Use Case
`IsOnCooldown(Tag)`	`bool`	Check if all stacks are consumed
`GetRemainingTime(Tag)`	`float`	Countdown display
`GetProgress(Tag)`	`float` 0.0–1.0	Drive a progress bar
`GetCurrentStacks(Tag)`	`int32`	Available charge count
`GetMaxStacks(Tag)`	`int32`	Maximum charge count
`GetTotalDuration(Tag)`	`float`	Effective duration after modifiers
`GetAllActiveCooldownTags()`	Tag Array	All tracked cooldowns

Client Accuracy

GetRemainingTime and GetProgress use a client-side snapshot pattern — clients record the time the replication delta arrived and compute elapsed time locally. This means accurate cooldown display without server round-trips or network lag artifacts.

# 11. Bind Delegates

The component provides 4 delegates to bind in Blueprint:

Delegate	Fires When	Parameters
OnCooldownStarted	All stacks consumed, cooldown begins	`Tag`, `Duration`, `CurrentStacks`, `MaxStacks`
OnCooldownFinished	Cooldown expires naturally	`Tag`, `Duration`
OnCooldownCancelled	Cooldown cancelled early	`Tag`, `RemainingTime`
OnCooldownStackChanged	Stack consumed or replenished	`Tag`, `NewStackCount`, `MaxStacks`

# Binding in Blueprint

Select the AP_CooldownSuite component in the Components panel.
In the Details panel scroll to the Events section.
Click + next to any delegate to create a bound event node.

Right-click in the Event Graph and search Assign On Cooldown Started — the binding node is created automatically.

Multiplayer Binding

Delegates fire on whichever machine the event originates on — directly on the server after state mutation, and from FastArray replication callbacks on clients. Bind on both server and client if you need the event everywhere. Do not gate bindings behind HasAuthority.

# 12. Modifier System

Modifiers reduce or increase cooldown durations at start time. They are server-only and do not retroactively affect running cooldowns.

# Adding a Modifier

Call Add Modifier on the component with an FAP_CooldownModifier:

Field	Description
`ModifierTag`	Unique identifier — used to remove this modifier later
`TargetCooldownTag`	Leave empty for global (all cooldowns), or set a specific tag
`ModifierType`	`Multiplier` or `FlatOffset`
`Value`	`0.8` = 20% reduction (Multiplier) · `-2.0` = 2s shorter (FlatOffset)

# Duration Formula

EffectiveDuration = (BaseDuration × all Multipliers) + sum of FlatOffsets
EffectiveDuration = max(EffectiveDuration, MinimumCooldownDuration)

# Removing a Modifier

Call Remove Modifier with the ModifierTag you used when adding it. Call Clear All Modifiers to remove everything at once.

Modifier Timing

Modifiers only affect new cooldowns started after they are added. They do not change the duration of cooldowns already running.

# 13. Gameplay Tag Setup

The plugin ships with demo tags registered automatically at startup:

Tag	Use
`Cooldown.Ability.Antidote`	Healer — cleanse ability
`Cooldown.Ability.ArcaneIntellect`	Mage — intellect buff
`Cooldown.Ability.Burning`	Mage — fire DoT
`Cooldown.Ability.Confusion`	Mage — crowd control
`Cooldown.Ability.Dash`	Warrior — movement ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Fear`	Utility — crowd control
`Cooldown.Ability.Fireball`	Mage — damage ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Fortify`	Utility — defense buff
`Cooldown.Ability.Frozen`	Mage — crowd control
`Cooldown.Ability.Innervate`	Healer — mana restore
`Cooldown.Ability.Poison`	Rogue — DoT ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Regen`	Healer — health regen
`Cooldown.Ability.Renew`	Healer — HoT ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Reveal`	Rogue — detection ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Shield`	Warrior — defensive ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Silence`	Utility — interrupt
`Cooldown.Ability.Sleep`	Utility — crowd control
`Cooldown.Ability.Slow`	Utility — movement debuff
`Cooldown.Ability.Speed`	Rogue — movement buff
`Cooldown.Ability.Stealth`	Rogue — stealth ability
`Cooldown.Ability.Strength`	Warrior — damage buff
`Cooldown.Ability.Stun`	Warrior — crowd control
`Cooldown.Ability.Thorns`	Warrior — reflect damage
`Cooldown.Item.HealthPotion`	Demo item cooldown
`Modifier.Haste`	Demo global modifier
`Modifier.Talent.FireballCDR`	Demo targeted modifier

Adding Your Own Tags

Add your own tags in your project's Config/DefaultGameplayTags.ini. Do not modify the plugin's .ini file directly — it will be overwritten on plugin updates.

# 14. Multiplayer Checklist

Configure PIE: Edit → Editor Preferences → Level Editor → Play → set Number of Players to 2, enable Run Dedicated Server
Client-initiated cooldowns use ServerStartCooldown or ServerStartCooldownFromDefinition — not the direct functions
Cooldown state replicates automatically server → clients via FastArray
Delegates are bound on both server and client — not gated behind HasAuthority
GetRemainingTime and GetProgress are called freely on clients — snapshot pattern handles accuracy

# Next Steps

API Reference — complete class, function, delegate, enum, and struct documentation
Changelog — version history

AfterPrime Systems — Building the Gameplay Foundation