Cookbook: UDK set of objects instead of a Pawn

Normally, UDK is mainly a framework for first/third person shooter games. Many things are hardcoded, like necessity to have a Pawn as you main character (or references to UT3 in DefaultEngine.ini). For smaller (indie) projects that is many times not desired. What if you want to be able to control a simple KActor or some set of objects (like chess pieces)? That is not a problem!

insert instances of desired objects into scene (I'm controlling one actor):

collect references to your objects in some early phase:

   1:  var MyActorClass MyActor

   2:   

   3:  simulated event PostBeginPlay()

   4:  {

   5:      super.PostBeginPlay(); //call parent

   6:      

   7:      //iterate through all actors of given class and store them!

   8:      foreach WorldInfo.DynamicActors(class'MyActorClass', MyActor)

   9:      {

  10:          //some additional init?

  11:          Init();

  12:          break; //if interested only in first one

  13:      }

  14:  }

override Pawn dependent behavior in your custom classes to work with your actors (example from custom 3rd person camera):

   1:  class MyCamera extends Camera;

   2:   

   3:  //override, use your actor as the point of interest for camera

   4:  function UpdateViewTarget(out TViewTarget OutVT, float DeltaTime)

   5:  {

   6:      super.UpdateViewTarget(OutVT,DeltaTime);

   7:   

   8:      //add some offset to the target's for 3rd person camera

   9:      OutVT.POV.Location = MyActor.Location + Properties.CamOffset;

  10:   

  11:      // Make the camera point towards the target's location

  12:      OutVT.POV.Rotation = Rotator(MyActor.Location - OutVT.POV.Location);

  13:  }