Bevy RTS (thin router)

Genre router. Domain work lives in the Bevy skills below.

When to use

Load this for selection, orders, and groups.

ECS shape

• Components hold the genre's per-entity flags as plain data. This file does not name new engine types.
• Resources hold run-wide counters (score, wave index, seed) via bevy-data-resources.
• Systems read those components on Update or the fixed timestep from bevy-master. Order them with .chain() when a later system must see the result.
• Schedule: gameplay mode changes go through bevy-state-machines. Do not invent a genre plugin.

Routing

• bevy-input-handling - Selection clicks.
• bevy-ai-navigation - Move orders and navigation.
• bevy-combat-system - Attacks.
• bevy-economy-system - Costs.

Scope

Selection, move orders, and control groups are components and one resource. Pathfinding stays on bevy-ai-navigation.

Examples

[package]
name = "rts"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"

[dependencies]
bevy = "0.20"

Selected marks the current group. A move order is a target point. March runs after the order is written.

#[derive(Component)]
struct Selected;

#[derive(Component)]
struct MoveOrder {
    target: Vec3,
}

fn issue_move(keys: Res<ButtonInput<KeyCode>>, mut units: Query<&mut MoveOrder, With<Selected>>) {
    if !keys.just_pressed(KeyCode::KeyM) {
        return;
    }
    for mut order in &mut units {
        order.target = Vec3::new(12.0, 0.0, 6.0);
    }
}

fn march(time: Res<Time<Fixed>>, mut units: Query<(&MoveOrder, &mut Transform)>) {
    let dt = time.delta_secs();
    for (order, mut transform) in &mut units {
        let delta = order.target - transform.translation;
        let step = 6.0 * dt;
        if delta.length() <= step {
            transform.translation = order.target;
        } else {
            transform.translation += delta.normalize_or_zero() * step;
        }
    }
}

pub struct OrderPlugin;

impl Plugin for OrderPlugin {
    fn build(&self, app: &mut App) {
        app.add_systems(FixedUpdate, (issue_move, march).chain());
    }
}

Number keys store the selected entities on a resource. Pressing the key again clears Selected and restores the group.

#[derive(Resource, Default)]
struct ControlGroup {
    members: Vec<Entity>,
}

#[derive(Component)]
struct Selected;

fn bind_group(
    keys: Res<ButtonInput<KeyCode>>,
    selected: Query<Entity, With<Selected>>,
    mut group: ResMut<ControlGroup>,
    mut commands: Commands,
) {
    if keys.just_pressed(KeyCode::Digit1) && keys.pressed(KeyCode::ControlLeft) {
        group.members.clear();
        for entity in &selected {
            group.members.push(entity);
        }
        return;
    }
    if keys.just_pressed(KeyCode::Digit1) {
        for entity in &selected {
            commands.entity(entity).remove::<Selected>();
        }
        for entity in group.members.clone() {
            commands.entity(entity).insert(Selected);
        }
    }
}

Click-select uses a pointer resource filled by another system. Units inside the radius gain Selected.

#[derive(Resource)]
struct PointerWorld(Vec3);

#[derive(Component)]
struct Selectable;

#[derive(Component)]
struct Selected;

fn click_select(
    buttons: Res<ButtonInput<MouseButton>>,
    pointer: Res<PointerWorld>,
    mut commands: Commands,
    units: Query<(Entity, &Transform), With<Selectable>>,
    selected: Query<Entity, With<Selected>>,
) {
    if !buttons.just_pressed(MouseButton::Left) {
        return;
    }
    for entity in &selected {
        commands.entity(entity).remove::<Selected>();
    }
    for (entity, transform) in &units {
        if transform.translation.distance(pointer.0) < 1.5 {
            commands.entity(entity).insert(Selected);
        }
    }
}

fn spawn_units(mut commands: Commands) {
    commands.insert_resource(PointerWorld(Vec3::ZERO));
    for index in 0..4 {
        commands.spawn((
            Selectable,
            MoveOrder {
                target: Vec3::new(index as f32 * 2.0, 0.0, 0.0),
            },
            Transform::from_xyz(index as f32 * 2.0, 0.0, 0.0),
        ));
    }
}

#[derive(Component)]
struct MoveOrder {
    target: Vec3,
}

Expert Knowledge Delta

Target: Bevy 0.20+.

Core ECS types: Component, Resource, Query, Commands, Startup, Update, Fixed / FixedMain (bevy::time), .chain(), Plugin, DefaultPlugins, MinimalPlugins. Messages and observers are an ownership slot. See bevy-events-messaging for their APIs. Systems run in parallel unless .chain() orders the ones that conflict.

Who owns state

Piece	Owner	Who may mutate	Schedule
Data on one entity	Component	One system via Query	Update or FixedMain
One value for the whole app	Resource	One system	Startup to insert, then the schedule that reads it
Spawn	Commands	The spawning system	Startup for the initial world; later schedules for runtime spawn
Order that must not race	.chain()	The chained systems only	Same schedule
Plugin boundary	Plugin	build registers systems and resources	Before the app runs

Borrow rule: two systems that both mutably query the same component must be ordered (.chain()) or split so only one writes. Unrelated systems stay parallel. That is the ECS page rule, not a guess at a system-set API.

Decision

If you need	Do this	Do not
Per-entity data	Component + Query	A scene-tree script
App-wide config or clock	Resource	Copy the value onto every entity
Stable simulation step	FixedMain and the Fixed clock	Tie simulation to raw frame Update
Startup spawn	Commands in Startup	Spawn from a render system
Cross-system notice that is not shared state	Message or observer slot in bevy-events-messaging	A new event type invented in this file
Group orders	Selected plus MoveOrder on each unit, marched in one system	A formation type invented as an engine singleton

Load references/ecs-ownership.md for the ownership table.

NEVER

• Do not pin /0.20.0/ in docs URLs. WHY: links stay on latest; the 0.20 target is stated once in prose.

• Do not mutably query the same component from two unordered systems. WHY: the schedule runs systems in parallel unless .chain() orders them.

• Do not invent a physics, navigation, networking, or XR crate here. WHY: this skill only names documented Bevy crates and modules.

• No scene-tree types in Bevy code. WHY: Bevy code stays idiomatic ECS and uses only documented Bevy APIs.

• No invented genre APIs. WHY: Bevy code stays idiomatic ECS and uses only documented Bevy APIs.

• Do not pick a physics or net crate here. WHY: Bevy code stays idiomatic ECS and uses only documented Bevy APIs.

Reference

The library pin on bevy-master stays 0.20.0. Official links stay on the unversioned learn pages.

Official Documentation

• Assets - Official asset catalog. No third-party crate was selected.
• Examples - Example tree on the latest branch.
• ECS - Component, systems, Query, Startup, Update, and .chain().
• Plugins - Plugin, DefaultPlugins, MinimalPlugins, and add_plugins.

Related Skills

Prerequisites

• bevy-master - ECS ownership and schedules.
• bevy-ecs-composition - Spawn and query shape.

Complements

• bevy-input-handling - Selection clicks.
• bevy-ai-navigation - Move orders and navigation.
• bevy-combat-system - Attacks.
• bevy-economy-system - Costs.

Downstream / consumers

• None. This router does not own a second implementation.

Master

• bevy-master - Bevy router.