Independent Unity tools & games
Green Cloak GamesTile Tick tools, game projects & developer notes

Making an old-school RPG.
Sharing the tools along the way.

Core RPG handbook · Development build / version notes

Documentation / Tile Tick Core RPG / Programmer

Programmer Guide

Architecture and extension points for developers working directly with Tile Tick Core RPG source.

Designer GuideProgrammer Guide

This guide is for developers changing or extending the framework itself. The Designer Guide explains how to configure existing systems. This section explains where the code boundaries are, what owns authority, and where your own code should plug in.

Start with architecture, not class names. Core RPG deliberately separates authoritative gameplay, transport bridges, persistence, content definitions, and client presentation. Most extension mistakes happen when code is added to the wrong layer.

Authoritative gameplay#

Movement, interactions, combat, inventory, quests, banking, travel, death, and saves resolve on the server.

Thin network bridges#

NGO components validate ownership and requests, then delegate to transport-agnostic rules and services instead of duplicating gameplay logic.

Data-driven content#

Stable string IDs and ScriptableObject definitions are the normal identity boundary for items, actions, spells, quests, travel, audio, and other authored content.

Presentation-only clients#

Camera, UI, input, interpolation, animation, VFX, audio, and transitions react to replicated state rather than deciding gameplay outcomes.

  1. Architecture & Runtime Flow
  2. Networking & Readiness
  3. Interaction Pipeline
  4. Persistence & Save Modules
  5. Developer API Reference

Golden rules#

  • Do not create a second single-player implementation. Host mode is the local gameplay path.
  • Do not let UI or clients mutate authoritative models directly.
  • Do not use display names or array indexes as persistent/network identity. Use stable IDs.
  • Do not run gameplay from Update() when it belongs on the RPG tick.
  • Do not save after despawn. Capture authoritative state while the player still exists.
  • Do not load player travel scenes outside NetworkLocationSession.
  • Prefer new definitions, handlers, modules, and interfaces over editing central services.
Architecture & Runtime Flow →