Quickstart

Getting Started with Enemy Masses

Welcome to Enemy Masses! This guide will help you set up the asset and get your first massive crowd running in minutes. Please note: Enemy Masses is still under development. Please contact me if you are looking for a specific feature and I will try my best to implement it.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed in your project:

• Unity 6 LTS or higher.

• GPU Instancer Pro (Required for rendering).

• GPU Instancer Pro - Crowd Animator Addon

• Game Creator 2 (Optional - See Integration Folder).

1. Initial Setup

After importing the Enemy Masses package into your project, the first thing you should do is run the Setup Wizard. This tool is designed to configure your project settings and help you create your first enemy faction without manual setup.

Opening the Setup Wizard

To open the wizard manually:

1. Go to the top menu bar.

2. Select Tools > Enemy Masses > Setup Wizard.

2. Using the Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard will guide you through the following steps:

1. Welcome & Overview: A brief introduction to the core concepts of Enemy Masses.

2. Crowd Type: Choose between different crowd behaviors (e.g., Aggressive, Passive).

3. Animator Workflow: Configure how animations are handled for optimal performance.

4. Faction Creation: Define your first enemy faction (e.g., "Orcs", "Zombies").

5. Combat & RTS Setup: Configure combat styles and RTS-like controls if needed.

6. Prefab Assignment: Assign your enemy prefab models.

7. Scene Setup: Automatically adds necessary managers to your current scene.

3. Critical Step: Patching GPU Instancer Pro

This is a highly recommended step.

Enemy Masses includes a patching system for GPU Instancer Pro to fix known issues and improve compatibility, especially with Unity 6.

Why Patch?

The patch addresses several critical bugs in the original GPU Instancer Pro package:

• Fixes Invisible Agents: Resolves issues where agents would spawn but remain invisible.

• Fixes Index Errors: Prevents ArgumentOutOfRangeException and IndexOutOfRangeException during rapid spawn/despawn cycles.

• Unity 6 Compatibility: Fixes UI Toolkit threading errors related to [HelpURL] attributes in the Inspector.

How to Patch

The Setup Wizard will prompt you to apply these patches. We strongly recommend clicking "Apply Patches" when asked.

If you need to apply them manually later:

1. Go to Tools > Enemy Masses > Debug > Patch GPU Instancer Pro.

2. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Note: These patches modify the source files of the GPU Instancer Pro package in your Packages folder. If you update GPU Instancer Pro, you may need to re-apply these patches.

5. Manual Scene Setup (Advanced)

If you prefer to set up your scene manually or need to integrate Enemy Masses into an existing scene without the wizard, follow these steps.

Core Components (Required for All Types)

Every scene using Enemy Masses requires two main components:

1. EnemyMassesCrowdController:

   • Create a new GameObject named EnemyMassesCrowdController.

   • Add the EnemyMassesCrowdController component.

   • Important: Enable the Register Immediately checkbox.

   • Assign your EnemyCrowd ScriptableObjects to the Enemy Crowds list.

2. GPUIPrefabManager (from GPU Instancer Pro):

   • Create a new GameObject named GPUIPrefabManager (or use the one from GPUI menu).

   • Add the GPUIPrefabManager component.

   • Enable Find Instances At Initialization and Register Immediately.

   • Crucial: Assign a GPUIPrefabProfile (create one if needed) and add your enemy prefabs to the Prototype Settings list.

   • Link this manager to the Prefab Manager field on your EnemyMassesCrowdController.

Setup for Combat Crowds (Action/RPG)

For standard 3rd-person or action games where enemies attack the player:

1. Select your EnemyMassesCrowdController.

2. Assign your Player's Transform to the Player Target field.

3. Ensure your EnemyCrowd assets have Enable Combat System checked.

Setup for RTS / Battle Simulation

For Top-Down strategy games or large scale battle simulations:

1. Controller Settings:

   • On EnemyMassesCrowdController, enable Faction Battle Mode.

   • Add the EnemyMassesRTSController component to the same GameObject.

   • Add the EnemyMassesProjectileSystem component (handles arrows/magic).

2. Camera Setup:

   • Select your Main Camera.

   • Add the GPUICamera component (required for rendering).

   • Add the RTSCameraController component for movement controls.

3. Optional Systems:

   • Fog of War: Create a GameObject with the FogOfWarLite component.

   • Minimap: Requires a dedicated Camera and RTSMinimapController.

Setup for Civil Crowds

For ambient NPCs and city crowds:

1. Controller Settings:

   • Ensure your EnemyCrowd asset has Civil Mode enabled and Combat System disabled.

2. Navigation:

   • Add CivilWaypoint or CivilZone objects to your scene to define where crowds can walk.

   • The EnemyMassesCrowdController will automatically detect these if configured in the Crowd asset.

6. Next Steps

Once the wizard is complete:

1. Open the Demo Scenes to see the system in action.

2. Select the EnemyMassesCrowdController in your scene to tweak spawn rates and limits.

3. Review the EnemyCrowd ScriptableObject created by the wizard to further customize your unit's stats and behavior.

Enjoy creating massive battles!