Installation & Setup

Welcome to Aegis Save. This guide walks you through system requirements, installing the plugin into your Unreal Engine project, and verifying that the runtime module is operational.

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1. System & Engine Requirements

Aegis Save is built from first principles for modern Unreal Engine versions and follows a strict contiguous engine verification matrix (C-1):

Specification	Supported Standard
Supported Unreal Engine Range	UE 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8 (Contiguous support range)
Supported Target Platforms (1.0)	Windows 64-bit (Win64) (FO-28)
Supported Development Platforms	Windows 64-bit (Win64)
Build Target Types	Editor, Development Game, Shipping Game
Network Architecture	Single-Player / Server-Authoritative World Persistence

Win64 Platform Scope (FO-28)

Aegis 1.0 officially supports and guarantees Windows (Win64). The plugin contains no platform-specific code and uses standard engine abstractions; additional platforms (Linux, Mac, Android/Quest) will be formally added to PlatformAllowList in 1.x updates only after passing the full native test matrix on those devices.

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2. Installation Methods

Method A: Project Plugins Directory (Recommended for Source Control)

1. In your project root, create a Plugins folder if one does not already exist.
2. Unzip or copy the AegisSave folder into your Plugins/ folder:

   YourProject/
   ├── Config/
   ├── Content/
   ├── Plugins/
   │   └── AegisSave/
   │       ├── AegisSave.uplugin
   │       ├── Config/
   │       ├── Corpus/
   │       ├── Resources/
   │       └── Source/
   ├── Source/
   └── YourProject.uproject

3. Right-click YourProject.uproject and select Generate Visual Studio project files.
4. Open your IDE or project solution and compile your project in Development Editor configuration.

Method B: Epic Games Fab Marketplace / Vault

1. Open the Epic Games Launcher or Fab library.
2. Locate Aegis Save and select Install to Engine for your targeted engine version (UE 5.5 – 5.8).
3. Open your project in Unreal Editor.
4. Navigate to Edit → Plugins, search for Aegis Save, and toggle the checkbox to Enabled.
5. Restart Unreal Editor when prompted.

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3. Verifying Installation

To ensure that Aegis Save is properly loaded and initialized:

1. Check Output Log

Open Unreal Editor and look at the Output Log window. You should observe the Aegis module startup banner:

LogAegis: Display: AegisSaveModule initialized. Version 1.0.0

2. Verify Blueprint Node Availability

1. Open any Actor Blueprint or Level Blueprint.
2. Right-click the graph to open the context menu.
3. Type Aegis. You should see categories including Aegis | Slots, Aegis | Identity, and Aegis | Diagnostics.

3. Check Project Settings

1. Navigate to Edit → Project Settings.
2. Scroll down to the Plugins category and select Aegis Save.
3. Verify that the settings panel appears displaying configuration options such as Default Save Directory, Frame Budget Milliseconds (default 1.0 ms), and Default Snapshot Mode.

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4. Module Architecture Overview

Aegis Save cleanly separates runtime execution from editor tools and automated testing:

Plugins/AegisSave/
├── Source/
│   ├── AegisSave/                [Runtime Module]
│   │   ├── Public/               Minimal public API (UAegisSubsystem, UAegisPersistenceComponent)
│   │   └── Private/              Container, Archive, Scheduler, Storage engine (Zero UnrealEd dependencies)
│   ├── AegisSaveTests/           [DeveloperTool Module]
│   │   └── Tests/                Automation test suite (Excluded automatically from Shipping builds)
│   ├── AegisSaveBenchmark/       [DeveloperTool Module]
│   │   └── Benchmark/            Console commands (Aegis.Benchmark.Run, Aegis.HandPlaced.Probe)
│   └── AegisSaveBenchmarkEditor/ [Editor Module]
│       └── Commandlets/          External actor world generation tools (AegisPlaceBenchmarkActors)

Shipping Build Safety

The AegisSaveTests and AegisSaveBenchmark modules are declared as DeveloperTool types and are automatically stripped by UnrealBuildTool from Shipping game builds. Only the lightweight AegisSave runtime module ships to your players.

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Next Steps

Now that Aegis Save is installed and verified:

• Head over to the 10-Minute Quick Start to persist your first actor in 3 easy steps.
• Read The First-Save Characteristic to understand how initial saves differ from incremental autosaves.