Record Keeper

Image showing the Record Keeper component with its unique variables and inherited Saver properties, as seen in the Entity Inspector.

Overview

The Record Keeper is a companion component that provides a simple key-value store for tracking progression, switch states, quest stages, or any other data that doesn’t require a complex Saver implementation. Each record is a SaveRecord — a name/value pair of recordName (string) and recordProgress (integer).

Because it extends GS_SaverComponent, the Record Keeper saves and loads automatically with the rest of the save system. No custom serialization code needed.

How It Works

1. The Record Keeper lives on your Save Manager prefab entity (recommended) or any entity with save system access.
2. Game systems call SetRecord, GetRecord, HasRecord, and DeleteRecord via the RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus.
3. On each call to SetRecord, the Record Keeper broadcasts RecordChanged on the RecordKeeperOutgoingEventBus so listeners can react.
4. When a global save event fires (OnSaveAll), the Record Keeper serializes all its records into the save file automatically.
5. On load, it deserializes its records and makes them available immediately.

SaveRecord Data Structure

struct SaveRecord
{
    AZStd::string recordName;    // Unique key (e.g., "quest_village_rescue", "switch_bridge_01")
    AZ::s32       recordProgress; // Integer value (progression stage, state, count, etc.)
};

TypeId: {F6F4F258-819A-468A-B015-CAF51D8289BF}

Setup

1. Open your Save Manager prefab in prefab edit mode.
2. Add the RecordKeeperComponent to the Save Manager entity.
3. Set the Record Keeper Name — this drives unique save/load identification and allows multiple Record Keepers if needed.
4. Enable the Saver booleans as needed:
   • Load On Activate — automatically loads records when the component activates (recommended: on).
   • Save On Destroy — automatically saves records when the component is destroyed (recommended: on).

Inspector Properties

API Reference

Request Bus: RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus

The primary interface for reading and writing records.

Notification Bus: RecordKeeperOutgoingEventBus

Connect to this bus to react when records change.

Usage Examples

Setting a Progression Record

#include <GS_Core/GS_CoreBus.h>

// Mark quest stage 2 as complete
GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::Broadcast(
    &GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::Events::SetRecord,
    "quest_village_rescue",
    2
);

Reading a Record

#include <GS_Core/GS_CoreBus.h>

AZ::s32 questStage = 0;
GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::BroadcastResult(
    questStage,
    &GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::Events::GetRecord,
    "quest_village_rescue"
);

if (questStage >= 2)
{
    // The player has completed stage 2 — unlock the bridge
}

Checking if a Record Exists

#include <GS_Core/GS_CoreBus.h>

bool exists = false;
GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::BroadcastResult(
    exists,
    &GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::Events::HasRecord,
    "switch_bridge_01"
);

if (!exists)
{
    // First time encountering this switch — initialize it
    GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::Broadcast(
        &GS_Core::RecordKeeperIncomingEventBus::Events::SetRecord,
        "switch_bridge_01",
        0
    );
}

Listening for Record Changes

#include <GS_Core/GS_CoreBus.h>

// In your component header:
class MyQuestTrackerComponent
    : public AZ::Component
    , protected GS_Core::RecordKeeperOutgoingEventBus::Handler
{
protected:
    void Activate() override
    {
        GS_Core::RecordKeeperOutgoingEventBus::Handler::BusConnect();
    }

    void Deactivate() override
    {
        GS_Core::RecordKeeperOutgoingEventBus::Handler::BusDisconnect();
    }

    // RecordKeeperOutgoingEventBus
    void RecordChanged(const AZStd::string& recordName, AZ::s32 recordValue) override
    {
        if (recordName == "quest_village_rescue" && recordValue >= 3)
        {
            // Quest complete — trigger reward
        }
    }
};

Extending the Record Keeper

See Also

• Save Manager — Central save/load controller
• Savers — Entity-level save handlers for complex data
• List of Savers — Pre-built saver components