Getting Started

SeinARTS is a deterministic lockstep RTS framework for Unreal Engine 5. Its C++ layer provides deterministic primitives and infrastructure; designers assemble game-specific behavior in Blueprint.

Pre-release documentation

SeinARTS is undergoing production-readiness qualification. Versioned installation, compatibility, and migration instructions will be published with the first public package. This guide currently covers the stable architecture and authoring model without promising an unreleased distribution workflow.

1. Start with the framework

Every SeinARTS project uses SeinARTSFramework. It owns the simulation core, entities, abilities, effects, navigation, base movement and steering, fog of war, networking, editor tooling, UI, and gameplay shell.

The framework does not depend on any SeinARTS extension. Removing every optional extension leaves a valid core plugin.

2. Select optional capabilities

Enable only the extensions your game needs:

• Squad for persistent squads, formation dispatch, and reinforcement.
• Cover for cover providers, cover geometry, cover-aware dispatch, and formation preview.
• Cover + Squad only when both parent extensions are present and need to integrate.
• Movement+ for infantry, wheeled, tracked, hover, and flight movement modes.
• Online Services for provider-neutral account, party, matchmaking, results, saves, replay evidence, and telemetry contracts.

See Plugin Ecosystem for the dependency map.

3. Author units as Blueprints

A unit type is a Blueprint subclass of ASeinActor. Its USeinEntityBridgeComponent carries the deterministic component payloads. Add native or Blueprint-authored SeinARTS data components through the Components panel; the bridge bakes their authored values into ComponentData for injection into simulation storage at spawn.

Components remain pure data. Behavior belongs in abilities, effects, AI controllers, command brokers, and simulation systems.

4. Compose commands as abilities

Move, attack, harvest, build, patrol, garrison, and reinforce all use the same ability model. C++ supplies deterministic operations and lifecycle plumbing; Blueprint graphs compose the game-specific command flow.

Continue with Units, Components, and Abilities.

5. Preserve the simulation boundary

Authoritative simulation code uses fixed-point types, entity handles, and the deterministic random generator. Unreal actors, floating-point vectors, and presentation-only systems stay outside simulation state.

Read Deterministic Simulation before extending the simulation layer.

Build the demo from a blank project

Start with Create the Demo Project. The walkthrough begins with plugin installation and project settings. You create the gameplay assets yourself.

The complete sequence builds a Soldier, movement and combat, mineral income, a HUD, Barracks and Factory production, a research unlock, a transport Truck, fog and minimap, and a two-player lobby. It ends with packaging and gameplay verification. The transport chapter includes the small game-side C++ authoring components it needs; the gameplay graphs are authored in Blueprint.