Bevy wave loop
When to use
Load this when enemies arrive in waves and the wave index advances after a clear.
ECS shape
- Components: a wave index and a remaining-count you define.
- Resources: run-wide tables live in a resource (bevy-data-resources).
- Systems: mutate those components on
Updateor the fixed timestep. Use.chain()when damage must land before death. - Messages: one-shot facts (hit, pickup, quest advance) go through bevy-events-messaging. Wave advance below is a resource, not a new message type.
Examples
[dependencies]
bevy = "0.20"
The wave index and the spawn budget are one resource. Each enemy is an entity. Spawning and clearing share WaveDirector, so those systems are chained.
#[derive(Resource)]
struct WaveDirector {
index: u32,
budget: u32,
intermission: f32,
}
#[derive(Component)]
struct Enemy;
fn boot(mut commands: Commands) {
commands.insert_resource(WaveDirector {
index: 1,
budget: 4,
intermission: 0.0,
});
}
fn spawn_budget(mut commands: Commands, mut wave: ResMut<WaveDirector>) {
if wave.intermission > 0.0 || wave.budget == 0 {
return;
}
for _ in 0..wave.budget {
commands.spawn(Enemy);
}
wave.budget = 0;
}
fn advance_on_clear(
enemies: Query<(), With<Enemy>>,
mut wave: ResMut<WaveDirector>,
time: Res<Time>,
) {
if !enemies.is_empty() {
wave.intermission = 0.0;
return;
}
wave.intermission += time.delta_secs();
if wave.intermission < 2.0 {
return;
}
wave.index += 1;
wave.budget = 3 + wave.index;
wave.intermission = 0.0;
}
fn install(app: &mut App) {
app.add_systems(Startup, boot)
.add_systems(Update, (spawn_budget, advance_on_clear).chain());
}
A fixed step is the right place to tick remaining time on a live enemy. The clear system above stays on Update and only reads Enemy.
#[derive(Component)]
struct Lifetime(f32);
fn age_enemies(
mut commands: Commands,
mut enemies: Query<(Entity, &mut Lifetime)>,
time: Res<Time<Fixed>>,
) {
for (entity, mut life) in &mut enemies {
life.0 -= time.delta_secs();
if life.0 <= 0.0 {
commands.entity(entity).despawn();
}
}
}
fn install_lifetime(app: &mut App) {
app.add_systems(FixedUpdate, age_enemies);
}
Scope
- Wave, spawner, and encounter data are yours to build as components.
- Enemy motion routes to bevy-ai-navigation and bevy-character-movement.
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 |
One mutable blob shared by every entity |
| 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 |
| An API outside the documented set | Read the official Bevy pages | A made-up crate or API |
Load references/ecs-ownership.md for the ownership table.
NEVER
-
Do not pin
/0.20.0/in docs URLs. WHY: links stay onlatest; 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 invented APIs or unnamed third-party crates as the chosen solver. WHY: Bevy code stays idiomatic ECS and uses only documented Bevy APIs.
Reference
The library pin on bevy-master stays 0.20.0. Official pages stay on the unversioned site.
Official Documentation
- Assets - Official asset catalog. No third-party crate was selected.
- Examples - Example tree on the
latestbranch. - ECS -
Component, systems,Query,Startup,Update, and.chain(). - Plugins -
Plugin,DefaultPlugins,MinimalPlugins, andadd_plugins.
Related Skills
Prerequisites
- bevy-master - Hub and schedules.
- bevy-ecs-composition - Components and systems.
- bevy-ai-navigation - What spawned actors do.
- bevy-data-resources - Tables and definitions.
- bevy-events-messaging - One-shot facts.
Complements
- bevy-state-machines - Mode flags.
Downstream / consumers
- None yet.
Master
- bevy-master - Bevy router.
