Skip to content

Introduction

Welcome to the documentation for the Sports Commentary plugin!

About the tool

Sports Commentary is an Unreal Engine 5.6 plugin for creating commentary systems in sports games. It allows you to specify and script voiceline events, and in turn narrate gameplay based on set priorities. The tool works with your pre-recorded audio and subtitle text but also supports interchangeable content such as names of competitors.

About this site

This documentation explains how to use the plugin to develop your own sports commentary systems. If you are new to the tool, start with the Overview which explains some key concepts, followed by pages under Usage (Setup, Adding Content, and Scripting).

For extending functionality and integrating with other systems, you can read about the plugin’s Advanced Features: Custom Sequences, Custom Outputs, and Interruptions.

Finally, there is an addendum for setting up Localization and optionally using the plugin with C++.

Tip: Easy navigation

You can browse the pages in their intended order by clicking the “Next →” button in the footer or by pressing the N key on your keyboard. To go back, click “← Previous” or press P.

Target audience

The tool and its documentation are intended for a wide range of users, but primarily target game designers (or general developers). Depending on your team’s structure, it is likely the plugin will also be used by:

  • writers and audio editors – you can learn how to input your text and audio in Adding content
  • gameplay programmers – if you would like to use or extend the system in C++, consult the Using C++ page

Some prior Unreal Engine experience (such as working with Data Tables) is expected. Furthermore, use of the plugin’s advanced features requires intermediate blueprinting.

Writing and recording

Commentary systems feature complex content. This documentation explains how to use the tool, but assumes you already know how to write and record commentaries.

If you are not familiar with the topic, I suggest first reading the freely available article by Adams (2009)1. For commentaries featuring interchangeable content, I can highly recommend the comprehensive book chapter also written by Adams (2021)2.

  1. Adams, E. (2009, September 29). The Designer’s Notebook: How to Write Sports Commentary. Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/the-designer-s-notebook-how-to-write-sports-commentary ↩

  2. Adams, E. (2021). Interchangeable Dialogue Content. In C. Bateman (Ed.), Game Writing. Bloomsbury Academic. ↩