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Cardinal Fall by Metahusk | Community Project
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### **Download Source:** [Direct Download](https://metahusk.com/cardinal-fall-project-downloads/)  
The lighting and binaries are prebuilt on the direct download. 
> *The download will be slightly out of date from the current build.* Those who submit an accepted content contribution will be given repository access. Instructions for cloning the repository are at the bottom of this document.

This project was built Using: [Unreal 5 Engine](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/unreal-engine-5) which was developed by [Epic Games, Inc.](https://epicgames.com) 

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About This Project
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Cardinal Fall is a: nonprofit, community-developed, story-driven, 3d side-view, single to four player multiplayer, survival-horror, co-op videogame set within an original far-future dystopian sci-fi universe.

Set in the year 2742, you play as a clone—known as an Echo—located on a faraway research planet, where catastrophic events are unfolding. In the game, the player will explore a series of sprawling locations while planning a way to escape their eventual fate. Having multiple outcomes, Cardinal Fall will test the player and their friends as they navigate, learn, and survive the hostile environment they find themselves trapped within. 

Shepherded by Metahusk, a US based IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Cardinal Fall is being developed for free by volunteers. This design document is the early prototype of a larger first-person version of the game we plan to produce in the future. In the first-person re-release of the title, the focus will be placed on the immersion, horror, and atmospheric elements of the game.

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How To Contribute
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For up to date information on how to help, please visit our  [forums](https://community.metahusk.com).

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How To Open This Project Using The Epic Launcher 
(This method is easier, but it's possible you may encounter problems. If this doesn't work, try building the engine from source following the instructions in the next seciton.)
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1. Create a Project Directory folder in your Unreal 5 Projects Directory.
> **Example Structure:** C:\Users\User\Documents\Unreal Projects\Directory_Name

2. Download the project to your Unreal 5 Projects Directory using the website's direct download. 

>  This git repo is reserved for contributors.

>  **Direct Download:** [https://metahusk.com/cardinal-fall-project-downloads](https://metahusk.com/cardinal-fall-project-downloads)

>  *CAUTION: The direct download will be out of date.  If you intend to eventually push/commit into the project, the direct download will probably be fine if you're an artist making maps, materials, sounds, meshes, or animations when the content you create doesn't touch already existing files. But if you're looking to modify any already existing files, such as the core blueprints, you'll need to be promoted to a "committer" first, pull the current commits from the repository, and communicate your intent with us so things can be coordinated. If you're building something that doesn't touch any pre-existing files, you should be good to push them at a later date when you finish your contribution.*

> **If you will be making commits, see the git repository instructions below.

3. Download and install Unreal Engine 5.1 from the Epic Launcher by following these instructions.

> Instructions On How To [Install Unreal Engine 5.1 From Epic Launcher](https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/installing-unreal-engine?application_version=5.1). 

> You may need to click "Launch" on the editor in the Epic Games Launcher to make sure the .uproject files are associated with the editor and the prerequisites are installed.

> You should be able to open the project without Visual Studio, but in order to build it, you will need to have Visual Studio installed. [Unreal Engine 5.1 Visual Studio Setup](https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.1/en-US/ProductionPipelines/DevelopmentSetup/VisualStudioSetup/)

4. Execute cardinal.uproject by double clicking on it. (If the .uproject file is not associated with the editor, you may need to launch the editor within the Epic Games Launcher first.)

> If you see a popup saying "Missing Cardinal Modules" "..." "Would you like to rebuild them now?", then you will need to make sure you have Visual Studio installed from using the instrucitons below, and then press "Yes" to rebuild. 

> Download and Install Microsoft's Visual Studio Community 2022 following these instructions.

>   [Unreal Engine 5.1 Visual Studio Setup](https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.1/en-US/ProductionPipelines/DevelopmentSetup/VisualStudioSetup/)

> If it still doesn't work, try building the project in Visual Studio by first right clicking on the .uproject file (in Windows 11, click "Show more options"), click "Generate Visual Studio Project Files, then open Cardinal.sln and on the top "solution configurations" bar selecting Development Editor, Win64, and Cardinal. After that in your "solution explorer" to the right, right click on "games" and select "build from source".

> And if that still doesn't work, try the "Using Unreal 5 Built From Source" instructions in the next section.

5. Enjoy :)

***NOTE1:*** To build the project, you will have to install Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code. Visual Studio Code requires more work to get it to work. 
[Unreal Engine 5.1 Visual Studio Setup](https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.1/en-US/ProductionPipelines/DevelopmentSetup/VisualStudioSetup/)

***NOTE2:*** To use Steam, you must launch a packaged build with Steam running.

***BUG:*** There's an issue where playing as a "Standalone Game" in the editor doesn't work correctly.

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How To Open This Project Using Unreal 5 Built From Source
(This method is more reliable, but the setup time is more work. We recommend trying the Epic Launcher version if you're just looking.) 
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> **Note:** *Before you begin, be prepared for this to take many hours. Compiling code, shaders, and building lighting isn't a task that finishes quickly. The direct download, which we recommend, will be faster since it comes with pre-compiled lighting and binaries.*

1. Create a Project Directory folder in your Unreal 5 Projects Directory.
> **Example Structure:** C:\Users\User\Documents\Unreal Projects\Directory_Name

2. Download the project directly or, if you're a contributor and have a git account with us, Clone the development files to your Unreal 5 Projects Directory using the instructions above. 

>  This git repo is reserved for contributors.

>  **Direct Download:** [https://metahusk.com/cardinal-fall-project-downloads](https://metahusk.com/cardinal-fall-project-downloads)

>  *CAUTION: The direct download will be out of date.  If you intend to eventually push/commit into the project, the direct download will probably be fine if you're an artist making maps, materials, sounds, meshes, or animations when the content you create doesn't touch already existing files. But if you're looking to modify any already existing files, such as the core blueprints, you'll need to be promoted to a "committer" first, pull the current commits from the repository, and communicate your intent with us so things can be coordinated. If you're building something that doesn't touch any pre-existing files, you should be good to push them at a later date when you finish your contribution.*

> **If you will be making commits, see the git repository instructions below.

3. Download and Install Microsoft's Visual Studio Community 2022 following these instructions.

 >   [Unreal Engine 5.1 Visual Studio Setup](https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.1/en-US/ProductionPipelines/DevelopmentSetup/VisualStudioSetup/)

4. Download and install Unreal Engine 5.1 **from source** by following these instructions.
> [Build Unreal Engine 5.1 From Source](https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/building-unreal-engine-from-source?application_version=5.1). Note: Be prepared for this to take hours.

5. Navigate to \Your_Directory\Plugins and extract the most recent version of each plugin into the folder. Example for VictoryPlugin: Extract VictoryPlugin(newest-version).zip to the plugins directory into a folder called VictoryPlugin.

>  **Plugins Directory Structure:** \Your_Directory\Plugins\VictoryPlugin\"plugin files"

6. Right click on cardinal.uproject, if on Windows 11 click "Show more options", then click on "Switch Unreal Engine Version...", and select your UE5.1 version that was built from source.
7. Execute cardinal.uproject by double clicking on it. Then press **Yes** to Recompile Project Modules.
8. If that fails, open Cardinal.sln and on the top "solution configurations" bar select Development Editor, Win64, and Cardinal. Then in your "solution explorer" to the right, right click on "games" and select "build from source".
> This may take a while depending on the speed of your computer. If it doesn't work, try building the entire solution.
9. If you downloaded the project **from the repository** and you have time to let the computer run, go ahead and build the lighting so the editor runs at a much higher framerate. 
> This is done through the "Build" button at the top center of the screen. You can build the lighting later if you wish. The direct download version contains the lighting data, so this step isn't needed unless you heavily modified the maps.
10. Enjoy :)

***NOTE:*** To use Steam, you must launch a packaged build with Steam running.

***BUG:*** There's an issue where playing as a "Standalone Game" in the editor doesn't work correctly.

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How To Spawn In Debug Mode
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1. Open the "World Outliner" by clicking -> Window -> World Outliner.

2. Either search or browse to the "MasterObjects" folder and find "BP_DebugGameSettings" 
 
3. Click on  "BP_DebugGameSettings"  and look for "IsGameDebug?" in your "Details" panel. 
 
> **Note:** If you can't find your details panel, go to Window -> Details
 
4. Set/check "IsGameDebug?" to "True" in order to enable spawning the player at the blueprints called "BP_DebugSpawnLocation" instead of starting the game as normal.
 
> **Note:** You can also find this blueprint located inside the Persistent Level map located near the map's first spawn starting location. It has big red text that says "BP_DebugSpawnLocation". 

5. To change your spawn location, click on the "BP_DebugSpawnLocation" that you're currently spawning at and  set/uncheck "IsActive?" to "False". Then go to the "BP_DebugSpawnLocation" that you wish to use, and set/check "IsActive?" to "True". You will now spawn at this location instead.

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How To Donate
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We are an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit. (Nonprofit Videogame Development Group, Inc EIN 26-3655804) 
If your tax jurisdiction is in the United States, you may be able to write-off your donation. 
Please consult a tax professional for accounting advice. We are not tax professionals.
We will provide written (emailed) donor acknowledgment letters to those who donate $250 or more to our organization. 

Thank you,
[Donate Here](https://metahusk.com/donations/)


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License Information
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Cardinal Fall: ©2016 Nonprofit Videogame Development Group, Inc.  All rights reserved.

Cardinal Fall uses Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere.

Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 – 2026, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

To discourage asset flippers and because this project is under active development, you do not have permission to re-release or redistribute this project nor do you have permission to modify and release your own version. You are allowed to look at this project and create your own that is similar and based on what we've done, though. The intent of this project is for learning.

You DO have permission to use the menu system. 
> The menu was originally released as the [Cardinal Menu System](https://community.metahusk.com/topic/26/community-project-cardinal-menu-system-instructions-and-help) in the past. 
> The Menu System is still licensed under the MIT License. This project has updated the menu system to Unreal 5.1.

If an asset in question is one that you have created and subsequently have let us use, you can distribute it with any license and use it in any way you wish, even after you've uploaded it to our repositories. But if it's uploaded to us, we also retain the right to use your contribution as we see fit.

A large portion of the content in this project is available for others to use under a different license. For more information on what is licensed differently and what you can use or cannot use, see the Credits.md file.

If want to use an aspect of this project in your own project, feel free to reach out. We want to help the legitimate and well intentioned members of the community while discouraging those who only desire to flip assets.

If this project goes stale, becomes irrelevant, or is finished, we will change the license to fully open source.

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How To Clone Over SSH And Setup The Repository On Windows
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You can browse the repositories, but repository account creation is only allowed after you complete [these steps](https://community.metahusk.com/topic/167/help-wanted-how-to-be-a-part-of-metahusk-instructions). 
*This is to reduce bot traffic.*

### Install Git For Windows and make sure it installs Git Bash. (On install, use "Bundled SSH" if you don't know what you want.)
The download is [here](https://gitforwindows.org/)

### Open git bash.
Press start, type "git bash" and open Git Bash

### Create a directory for the repository. ("c" is your drive letter.)
mkdir /c/path/to/repo

### Go to the new directory.
cd /c/path/to/repo

### Create an ssh key. (Change "your_email@example.com" and rename the key file name "your_key_name")
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com" -f ~/.ssh/your_key_name

### Add your ssh key to your ssh config.
cat >> ~/.ssh/config << EOF
#SSH key for git
Host *.metahusk.com
User your_repository_username
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/your_key_name
EOF

### Add your ssh public key to the repository website.
Log into git.metahusk.com, go to the drop down arrow on the top right of the screen then Settings -> SSH / GPG Keys -> Add Key

### Now paste the contents of your_key_name.pub into the content and add a key name.
Your public key is in ~/.ssh/ in bash or %USERPROFILE%/.ssh/ in windows. Open the .pub file in a text editor and copy and paste its contents into the website.

### Now clone the repository. (The trailing . puts the files in the directory you are in.)
git clone ssh://git@git.metahusk.com/metahusk/cardinal-fall_ue5.git .

### Make sure you have git lfs installed by running this.
git lfs install

### Now make sure you pulled all the lfs files by running this command.
git lfs pull

### If you want a gui, download and install one like Github Desktop. (Works well with Git LFS.)
Install [Github Desktop](https://github.com/apps/desktop) and click "Skip this step" when it asks you to sign into github. (You don't need to unless you want to.)

### When the repository is done cloning, add it to Github Desktop
Go to File -> Add local repository in Github Desktop and select the folder where you cloned the repository.

### Initialize Git LFS
It will popup asking to Initialize Git LFS. Select Initialize Git LFS.

### Test Your Credentials
It should work. Press "Fetch orgin" on the top bar to test it. If it fails, check these steps again. You can now use Github Desktop or Git Bash.