Gameplay TagsGame Creator 2 Module

#Gameplay Tags Overview

Gameplay Tags are structured labels that describe gameplay meaning. They are best used for questions like:

  • Is this character stunned?
  • Is this object an enemy?
  • Is this attack fire damage?
  • Is this quest completed?
  • Is this object usable?

They make gameplay logic easier to read because tags describe intent directly:

Character.State.Stunned
Damage.Type.Fire
Faction.Enemy
Quest.Main.Completed
Interaction.Usable.Door

#Dot Syntax

Gameplay Tags use dot-separated paths:

Root.Category.Detail

Each segment narrows the meaning.

Damage
Damage.Type
Damage.Type.Fire

Damage is broad. Damage.Type.Fire is specific.

#Hierarchy

The hierarchy is not just visual organization. It also supports parent/child matching.

Example hierarchy:

Character
Character.State
Character.State.Stunned
Character.State.Burning
Character.State.Frozen

A system can check for:

Character.State

and match any child state when using Include Children.

#Matching Modes

Mode Use When Example
Exact You need one specific tag. Damage.Type.Fire matches only Damage.Type.Fire.
Include Children A parent category should match its child tags. Damage.Type matches Damage.Type.Fire.

Example:

Owned tag: Damage.Type.Fire
Query: Damage.Type
Mode: Include Children
Result: Match

With Exact, the same query does not match because the full paths are different.

VideoOpen video ↗
Exact matching compared with Include Children matching.

#Gameplay Tags vs Unity Tags

Unity Tags are useful, but they are limited to one flat tag per GameObject. Gameplay Tags are designed for richer gameplay logic.

Unity Tags Gameplay Tags
One tag per GameObject Multiple tags per object or container
Flat list Hierarchical dot syntax
Useful for simple Unity-level categories Useful for gameplay state and classification
No parent/child matching Exact and parent/child matching
Usually edited in Unity project settings Managed in the plugin's Gameplay Tags database

Use Unity Tags when a Unity feature or existing asset expects them. Use Gameplay Tags for gameplay systems that need scalable classification.

#Gameplay Tags vs Variables

Game Creator Variables store values. Gameplay Tags describe meaning.

Use Variables for:

  • Health, mana, stamina, score, or currency.
  • Timers and cooldowns.
  • Positions, rotations, numbers, and strings.
  • Object references.
  • Quest counters or progress amounts.

Use Gameplay Tags for:

  • State: Character.State.Stunned
  • Faction: Faction.Enemy
  • Damage identity: Damage.Type.Fire
  • Interaction type: Interaction.Usable.Door
  • Quest category or state: Quest.Main.Completed

Rule of thumb
If you need math, use a Variable. If you need classification, use a Gameplay Tag.

#Real-World Examples

#Character States

Character.State.Stunned
Character.State.Burning
Character.State.Invulnerable
Character.State.Silenced
Character.State.Dead

Use these to block movement, disable abilities, drive UI indicators, or change AI behavior.

#Factions

Faction.Player
Faction.Enemy
Faction.Neutral
Faction.Ally

Use these for targeting, combat filtering, dialogue branches, and relationship logic.

#Damage

Damage.Type.Fire
Damage.Type.Ice
Damage.Type.Poison
Damage.Resistance.Fire
Damage.Immunity.Poison

Use tags to describe the kind of damage. Store the amount as a number.

#Quests

Quest.Main.Active
Quest.Main.Completed
Quest.Side.Available
Quest.Side.Completed

Use tags for broad quest state and category checks. Store quest progress values separately.

#Interactions

Interaction.Usable
Interaction.Usable.Door
Interaction.Usable.Chest
Interaction.Locked

Use these for prompts, highlighting, raycasts, and interaction Conditions.