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[Released] Mass Battle Framework – GPU combat and animation for 200,000+ Unity units

Started by mrliuyxxx Aug 27 at 3:35 AM 8 replies 750+ views
Original Post
mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Hi everyone,

I am releasing Mass Battle Framework, a GPU-first large-scale combat and animation framework for Unity 6 URP.

This is not a separate technology demo. It is a focused, reusable distillation of the large-battle technology developed for the game shown in the X post below. The game and the commercial framework share the same technical direction and will continue to evolve together.

In the recorded Castle Siege demo, more than 200,000 units are deployed over the course of the battle, with roughly 182,000 living units at one captured point. The counters remain visible in the video. This is a result from one machine and one test scene, not a universal frame-rate guarantee.

The framework is designed for large formations without creating a GameObject, Animator, Rigidbody, or Canvas for every soldier.

Current features include:

  • GPU targeting, movement, melee combat, ranged combat, and animation sampling

  • Physical non-homing arrows and catapult area damage

  • Four animated LOD levels

  • Shared mesh and animation data, including reusable weapon attachments

  • Terrain height sampling, bases, formations, reinforcements, and battle-speed controls

  • GPU health bars, damage flashes, corpse fading, and death presentation

  • GPU-driven fake-ragdoll reactions: varied impact, collapse, and corpse poses without a full PhysX ragdoll for every unit

  • Public APIs, authoring tools, readable source code, documentation, and two demo scenes

The GPU capacity is configurable up to 1,000,000 entity slots. Practical visible counts and performance depend on hardware, resolution, scene content, models, effects, and project configuration.

Demo video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR08rJ91lq4

Fab listing:
https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

The game whose battle technology is being distilled into this framework:
https://x.com/23DwMeSz0W64139/status/2090466970013757501?s=20

The next planned additions are cavalry charge formations and dragons as fully supported flying combat units. I will continue posting version notes, new benchmark results, and new videos as the framework evolves.

Feedback from developers working on large-scale combat, crowd simulation, bullet-heaven games, RTS projects, or battle sandboxes is very welcome.

mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Cavalry Charges & Flying Dragons Update

Cavalry charge formations and flying dragon units are now integrated into Mass Battle Framework.

Both systems run inside the same GPU-first battle pipeline used by the large-scale battle game I am developing. They are production systems extracted from the game, not isolated showcase scripts.

This update adds GPU-driven cavalry charges, flying units and Ground/Air combat domains, Terrain-relative flight, non-homing Dragon fireballs with bounded AOE, and expanded projectile, impact and fake-ragdoll presentation. The package still includes four animated LOD levels, shared mesh/animation resources, readable source, public APIs, documentation and two demonstration scenes.

The early-supporter base price remains USD 29.99. Regional taxes and local pricing may vary. Existing customers receive future updates to the same product without repurchasing it.

Video: https://youtu.be/1YUmClUGSis

Fab: https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

The framework is a reusable technical distillation of the game I am actively developing. Reusable battle systems completed for the game will continue to be refined, documented and synchronized into the commercial framework.

Recorded results are configuration-specific evidence, not a universal FPS guarantee.

mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Version 1.2.0 — Automatic Cinematic Camera and Large-Battle Update

I have finished the next update to Mass Battle Framework.

New
• Automatic cinematic battle camera
• Clean recording mode with the gameplay UI hidden

Improved
• Large-battle performance and visual stability
• Camera movement, framing and shot transitions
• Demo-scene presentation for very large encounters

Fixed
• Minor camera-transition and presentation issues

The demonstrated result remains 200,000+ active units. Capacity is configurable up to 1,000,000 entity slots, although practical results depend on the project, hardware, models and scene.

The current price remains USD 29.99. Existing customers receive this update through the same product without repurchasing it.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4kOXLdl71o
Fab: https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

Store status:
• Fab version 1.2 is in review.
• Unity Asset Store version 1.1 remains pending its initial review, so I am preserving that queue before sending version 1.2.

mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Version 1.2.0 — Automatic Cinematic Camera and Large-Battle Update

I have finished the next update to Mass Battle Framework.

New
• Automatic cinematic battle camera
• Clean recording mode with the gameplay UI hidden

Improved
• Large-battle performance and visual stability
• Camera movement, framing and shot transitions
• Demo-scene presentation for very large encounters

Fixed
• Minor camera-transition and presentation issues

The demonstrated result remains 200,000+ active units. Capacity is configurable up to 1,000,000 entity slots, although practical results depend on the project, hardware, models and scene.

The current price remains USD 29.99. Existing customers receive this update through the same product without repurchasing it.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4kOXLdl71o
Fab: https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

Store status:
• Fab version 1.2 is in review.
• Unity Asset Store version 1.1 remains pending its initial review, so I am preserving that queue before sending version 1.2.

mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Version 1.3.0 — Human Alliance vs Monster Horde

I wanted to see whether the framework’s existing custom-unit design would still hold up when the demo grew from a few representative units into a complete fantasy roster. So I built a twenty-unit battlefield: ten Human Alliance units and ten Monster Horde units.

The roster includes infantry, ranged units, cavalry, siege units, spellcasters, monsters, demons, a golem and an Elder Dragon. Each unit uses its own combination of model, stats, animation sets, traits, skills, combat role and unit logic, while running through the same GPU-first framework.

Version 1.3 does not introduce custom-unit support from scratch. It refines the workflow that was already there. Unit content, animation and skill configuration, and unit logic are organized more modularly, while the overall authoring and integration flow is more stable. New soldiers, heroes, creatures and siege units can therefore be integrated with less framework-level work.

New

• A complete twenty-unit battlefield featuring ten Human Alliance units and ten Monster Horde units
• Distinct combat styles, animation sets, traits, skills and unit logic across the included roster
• A full mixed-faction Castle Siege demonstration

Improved

• Stability and modularity of the existing custom-unit workflow
• First-battle startup for very large encounters
• Mixed-army setup, battlefield readability, documentation and sample content

Fixed

• Minor setup, migration, compatibility and presentation issues

The new recorded demonstration reaches 400,000+ units in the same battle. Capacity remains configurable up to 1,000,000 entity slots, while practical results depend on hardware, resolution, models, effects and battle composition.

The early-supporter price remains USD 29.99. Existing customers receive version 1.3.0 through the same product without repurchasing it.

Mass Battle Framework is not a one-off showcase package. It is developed alongside the large-scale battle game I am actively building. As my game continues to evolve, I will keep refining, documenting and updating the reusable framework behind it.

Video:
https://youtu.be/zL7vIkue32A

Fab:
https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Version 1.4 — Built-In GPU Effects & Effect Studio

I’ve released another major update to Mass Battle Framework.

The new video shows a battle with more than 400,000 units across 20 distinct unit types. Each type can use its own models, animations, combat behavior, skills, AOE abilities and buffs, so the battlefield feels like a clash between different armies rather than one soldier copied hundreds of thousands of times.

New

• 40 built-in GPU effects used across the included unit roster
• Effect Studio for previewing, playing, scrubbing, editing and creating effects directly inside the Unity Editor

Improved

• A more modular and stable workflow for configuring units, abilities, skills and effects
• A smoother process for bringing compatible custom models and animation clips into the framework
• Expanded examples and documentation for adapting the included content to different projects

Fixed

• Minor Effect Studio preview and Editor presentation issues

The video begins with the 400,000-unit Castle Siege demonstration, then moves into the Effect Studio preview and editing workflow:

https://youtu.be/MqiDVohmH7w

The framework is available on Fab:

https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

The recorded unit count represents this particular demonstration setup; practical results naturally depend on hardware, models, effects, resolution and project settings.

I’m continuing to develop the framework alongside my own large-scale battle game. As the game grows, I’ll keep refining the reusable systems and bringing those improvements back into the same product.

mrliuyxxx
mrliuyxxx

Version 1.5 — GPU Effect Studio 2.0 & Visual Quality Update

Since the previous update, I have focused on turning the first version of Effect Studio into a workflow that is much more practical for everyday authoring.

Effect Studio 2.0 now has a fully interactive 3D viewport. Effects can be inspected with orbit, pan, zoom, free-look, perspective and orthographic views, axis framing, and an adaptive world grid. The same preview is available while creating an effect from a preset, so the result can be inspected before it becomes a project asset.

The framework now includes 42 editable starting presets across melee, projectile, area, aura, movement, heavy-impact, and fantasy categories. Their palette, duration, radius, and intensity can be adjusted, and the generated assets remain fully editable.

I have also refined the supplied effects to give them clearer silhouettes, richer colour progression, stronger motion, and better readability when many different abilities are active at once. Stun, Slow, Burn, Armor Break, and Ward now have distinct Enter, Loop, and Exit presentation, making buffs and debuffs easier to recognise during a crowded battle.

This update also improves smooth unit turning, the directional consistency of attacks and charges, the distant stability of thin effects, and recovery when a charge is completely interrupted.

My next planned direction is a visual Unit Editor inspired by classic RTS editors. The goal is to bring in a compatible character prefab and animation set, then configure actions, attacks, abilities, collision relationships, projectile usage, and related behaviour from one place. I also plan to release a playable large-scale battle demo and continue developing the demo and framework together.

This is the current development direction rather than a promised release date. The attached clip shows the updated Effect Studio 2.0 viewport.

The framework is available on Fab:

https://www.fab.com/listings/0a4bf9b7-0271-4e51-b687-8ae5ab680f2f

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