Scalability Settings UMG Widget

Graphics menus often stop at a few presets while the editor exposes a deeper set of scalability controls. A packaged build can feel disconnected from those controls. Scalability Settings UMG Widget is a simple UMG widget that brings an editor-style scalability panel into the game, with quality and resolution controls that can be adjusted on the spot.

A UMG Widget That Mirrors the Editor's Scalability UI

The widget's appearance matches the editor's own scalability interface. That visual familiarity matters: players and testers see a layout that already resembles the place where quality settings are tuned, rather than a one-off menu built from scratch. The widget is tagged Script and Blueprint, so it fits into a Blueprint-driven UI workflow.

Its purpose is narrow and practical. It edits scalability settings, and it presents those settings in a UMG container that can be opened from a menu or a diagnostic screen. The controls are not abstract sliders with arbitrary labels; the parameters come from the Scalability Reference and BaseScalability.ini. That origin keeps the widget's options tied to the same scalability concepts used elsewhere in a project.

Quality, Resolution Scale, and the Auto Setting

Quality includes an Auto option. Resolution Scale adds a percentage display, so the current scale is readable as a number rather than only as a slider position. That readout helps when comparing configurations or checking a performance change.

Resolution Scale has a lower limit that depends on ResolutionSize. In settings terms, the lower bound of ResolutionQuality is not a fixed percentage in every situation; it is tied to the resolution size. Anyone using the widget should expect the available range to respond to that value. The percentage display makes the bound easier to see during tuning, especially when moving between different resolution sizes.

Global Illumination and Reflections in the Same Panel

Global Illumination and Reflections settings were added to the widget in the 2022.6.3 update. Those two lighting-related controls now sit with the rest of the scalability options, which means a tester can change them without leaving the widget for a separate console command or settings file. For a performance pass, having GI and reflection controls in the same panel as quality and resolution scale shortens the loop between changing a value and seeing the result.

The widget does not turn those settings into a general lighting tool; it exposes them as scalability parameters. That distinction keeps the panel focused. A developer can use the widget to check how a scene responds when Global Illumination or Reflections are adjusted, then move on to the next quality level.

How Auto Saving Writes to GameUserSettings.ini

When a parameter changes, the widget can save it automatically to GameUserSettings.ini. The save behavior works only after packaging, which is an important pipeline note. In the editor, the automatic write does not behave the same way; in a packaged build, the widget updates the file at \Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\GameUserSettings.ini. That path is specific to the packaged WindowsNoEditor layout.

Automatic saving removes a separate Apply or Save step from the interaction. A player changes a setting, and the value is written to GameUserSettings.ini without an extra confirmation. For a test build, the same behavior makes it easier to hand the project to someone else and have their choices persist. The packaging requirement should be part of the test plan: verify the save path in a packaged build, not only in the editor.

Front-End Menus and Performance Test Builds

The widget can serve as the graphics section of a front-end menu. Its editor-style appearance gives the options screen a familiar structure, and the UMG format means it can be opened from a pause menu, a start screen, or a dedicated settings area. Because it includes Quality, Resolution Scale, Global Illumination, and Reflections, it covers several of the controls a player or tester is likely to look for in one place.

It also fits performance test builds. A developer can open the widget during a review, change scalability values, and let the automatic save record the result in GameUserSettings.ini. The percentage readout on Resolution Scale and the Auto entry under Quality make the panel useful for quick comparisons. This is not a full settings framework with every graphics option; it is a focused scalability widget that mirrors the editor's UI and stays close to the parameters defined in the Scalability Reference and BaseScalability.ini.

For production, the widget works best where a project needs an in-game scalability panel without building one from scratch. It slots into a menu or diagnostic flow, exposes the core quality controls, and writes changes to GameUserSettings.ini once packaged. Teams that want an editor-like interface for scalability tuning have a direct starting point.

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