Wrapping up this dev log series with something a little different. This post is not about a specific feature but about a cleanup task that turned out to be more significant than expected: tracking down and eliminating every circular dependency in the project.
Circular dependencies in Unreal Engine Blueprints occur when two or more blueprints reference each other in a way that creates a loop. Blueprint A depends on Blueprint B which depends back on Blueprint A, and so on. Unreal Engine has a known behaviour where blueprint variables can get silently reset to their default values as a result of circular dependencies, which can lead to bugs that are difficult to trace back to their actual cause.
I decided to give the Circular Dependencies Detector plugin on Fab a try, and it surfaced roughly 30 circular dependencies in the project, which was enough motivation to work through and resolve every single one of them.
It is worth noting that circular dependencies are easy to accumulate over time without noticing, especially in a Blueprint heavy project where systems reference each other frequently. The plugin made the process much easier and was definitely worth trying. After working through all of them, the project is now completely clear of circular dependencies, as shown in the screenshot below.
Getting to that clean slate was satisfying, and the plugin deserves a lot of credit for making the whole process as painless as it was. Highly recommend giving it a try. It has my full thumbs up.
The Circular Dependencies Detector plugin is available for free on Fab here: https://www.fab.com/listings/591541c7-9eb2-4e2c-bb2f-02c1d3853d4d
That wraps up the dev log series for v3.0 of Tower Defense Starter Kit. If you've been following along, the update is now live on Fab at: https://www.fab.com/listings/2f863db0-a947-4911-adc2-18c83726b92b
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