Get Started
Understand the workflow
Grid Toolkit stores gameplay on a logical board. Start with these concepts:
| Concept | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Board | The cells where gameplay happens. |
| Definition | Reusable data describing a kind of structure, including its footprint and rules. |
| Instance | One placed structure with its own ID. Several instances can share a definition. |
| Action | A request to change the live board, such as placing or moving an instance. |
| View and renderer | Observe the board and display committed changes. |
With an authored setup, GridBoardAuthoring creates and owns the live state. Your controller
resolves that state and a definition, constructs an action, checks it with Preview, and commits an
accepted request with Apply. A move keeps the same instance ID. The view refreshes after a commit.
Open Tools > Lost Lily > Grid Toolkit > Start Here for the creation tools and guidance. The package's GridToolkit/Documentation/Getting Started.md explains the same concepts locally without extraction or a web server.
Beginner path
This is the recommended way to learn Grid Toolkit. You create the board with Unity assets, and a scene component keeps its live data available while the scene runs. Grid Toolkit calls this authoring.
- Install Grid Toolkit and confirm the project compiles.
- Create your first board in Unity.
- Place your first structure against that live board.
- Understand your board before moving into the full runtime model.
By the end, you will have a 64-cell board, one placed structure, and a Scene view that updates when the board changes. The last step explains how the board's live data and its scene visuals stay in sync. Use the glossary whenever a Grid Toolkit term is new.
After the four steps, you can optionally explore Samples & Demos to practise the same ideas in ready-made scenes.
Optional: try a Place and Move example
To practise on a connected scene, expand Optional: Place and Move Example in Start Here and select Try the Place and Move Example. The wizard selects Playable Starter for you. Choose an existing folder below Assets, follow Unity's scene-save prompt, and save the new scene. Enter Play Mode and use the Game view's Place, Move, and Reset buttons.
This sample creates an 8 by 8 Square board, a visible cube structure, connected assets and builders, a camera, and lighting. Its controller uses public APIs and requires neither Input System nor URP. The controller is an example you can read and adapt; your game supplies its own input and rules.
Follow Learn with the Playable Starter to inspect ownership, change target cells, predict rejection, trace Preview and Apply, and connect your own controls. Each exercise includes an observable result and an explanation. The local walkthrough covers the same exercises offline.
Supporting references
These pages answer setup and maintenance questions. They are not extra steps in the beginner path.
- Use Choose your scene setup to decide whether the board needs visuals or input and which display option fits the scene.
- Use Update or remove Grid Toolkit when maintaining an existing installation.
- Check compatibility and dependencies before importing or when Unity reports missing packages or compilation errors.
- Serve the offline documentation when you are reading the packaged copy without an internet connection. The online handbook is the primary reading experience.
- Use Create and own a board in code later if project code—not Unity assets—must own the board state and its lifetime.