Experience Pipeline

The experience pipeline is how CrimsonCore connects a data asset to a running match. It replaces hardcoded GameMode logic with a data-driven, async-loaded composition layer.

Boot sequence

Step	Who	What happens
1	`UCrimsonAssetManager`	`StartInitialLoading` - cue manager init + GameData load
2	`ACrimsonGameMode::InitGame`	Schedules `HandleMatchAssignmentIfNotExpectingOne` next frame
3	`ACrimsonGameMode`	Resolves experience ID from: CLI -> options string -> DeveloperSettings -> WorldSettings
4	`UCrimsonExperienceManagerComponent`	`SetCurrentExperience` - replicates to clients, starts load state machine
5	Both server and client	Unloaded -> Loading -> LoadingGameFeatures -> ExecutingActions -> Loaded
6	`UCrimsonExperienceManagerComponent`	Broadcasts `OnExperienceLoaded` (high-priority, standard, low-priority tiers)
7	`ACrimsonGameMode`	Receives `OnExperienceLoaded` (standard priority) -> calls `RestartPlayer` for each waiting PC
8	`ACrimsonGameMode`	`GetDefaultPawnClassForController` uses `PawnData.PawnClass`; pawn spawned with PawnData injected
9	`UCrimsonPawnExtensionComponent`	Init-state machine: Spawned -> DataAvailable -> DataInitialized -> GameplayReady
10	`UCrimsonHeroComponent`	On GameplayReady: binds input from `PawnData.InputConfig`, activates `PawnData.DefaultCameraMode`

UCrimsonExperienceDefinition

Primary data asset that defines an entire game session. Referenced by ACrimsonWorldSettings and UCrimsonDeveloperSettings.

Property	Description
`GameFeaturesToEnable`	List of GameFeature plugin URLs to activate when this experience loads.
`DefaultPawnData`	Fallback `UCrimsonPawnData` used when no player-state-level PawnData is set.
`Actions`	Array of `UGameFeatureAction`s executed after all plugins are active.
`ActionSets`	Array of `UCrimsonExperienceActionSet` references - reusable action bundles shared across experiences.
`LoadingScreen`	How loading screens look while this experience is current - `bShowCharacterShowcase`, `Background`, `Widget`, `TipCategory`. Installed when the experience finishes loading and kept until another experience replaces it.

Two assets carry the loading screen block

FCrimsonExperienceLoadingScreen is authored on both experience assets and they answer different questions. On UCrimsonUserFacingExperienceDefinition it styles the travel into an experience, applied by the machine that starts the travel. On UCrimsonExperienceDefinition it styles every load that leaves it, installed by UCrimsonExperienceManagerComponent once the experience is loaded - which is what covers in-game travels, ServerTravel, and clients that joined a session already in progress, since OnRep_CurrentExperience brings clients down the same path.

bShowCharacterShowcase is a request, not a guarantee: the showcase also needs a character registered with the loading screen manager and falls back to the normal background when there is none. See CrimsonLoadingScreen -> How-To: Control the Screen Per Load (optional).

Waiting for the experience in C++

cpp

void UMyComponent::BeginPlay()
{
    Super::BeginPlay();

    if (ACrimsonGameState* GS = GetWorld()->GetGameState<ACrimsonGameState>())
    {
        if (UCrimsonExperienceManagerComponent* ExpMgr =
            GS->FindComponentByClass<UCrimsonExperienceManagerComponent>())
        {
            ExpMgr->CallOrRegister_OnExperienceLoaded(
                FOnCrimsonExperienceLoaded::FDelegate::CreateUObject(
                    this, &UMyComponent::OnExperienceReady));
        }
    }
}

UAsyncAction_ExperienceReady

In Blueprint, use the Wait for Experience Ready async action node. It fires the On Ready pin on both the server and client once the experience is fully loaded and all GameFeatureActions have executed.