DEV Community: Kostia.K

A Simple Way to Build a Top-Down Roguelike in Unity

Kostia.K — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:45:41 +0000

When you build a top-down shooter or roguelike in Unity, things get complicated very fast.

You start with:

a player

a weapon

a few enemies

And then suddenly you need:

different firing patterns

enemy behaviors

drops, chests, shops

visual feedback for hits and interactions

After rebuilding the same systems multiple times, I decided to create a small modular engine to reuse across projects.

This article explains how the engine is structured and why this approach makes development easier.

What Is Top Down - Rogue-like Engine?

Top Down - Rogue-like Engine is a Unity framework for creating top-down shooters and roguelikes.

It’s built around:

Scriptable Objects

simple reusable components

Inspector-based configuration

Unity Asset Store | Documentation | WebGL DEMO

Inspector-Driven Workflow

Most gameplay values are configured in the Inspector:

weapon fire rate

spread and multi-shot

effect durations

AI parameters

This allows fast iteration without constantly changing code.

Scriptable Objects Instead of Hard Logic

Weapons, actions, and AI behavior are defined using Scriptable Objects.
Instead of writing large scripts with conditions, you:

create a data asset

assign it to a character or object

reuse it anywhere

This keeps code smaller and easier to maintain.

Characters Share the Same Base Setup

Both player and enemies use the same core components:

movement

health

weapons

actions

Enemies simply add AI on top of that.

This avoids having separate systems for player and enemies.

Weapons and Shooting

The weapon system supports:

single shot

multi-shot

spread

burst fire

bullet-hell style patterns

All patterns are configurable visually, without changing code.

Who Is This Engine For?

This framework is useful if you:

build top-down shooters or roguelikes

want cleaner project structure

prefer Inspector-based workflows

work solo or in a small team

Building a roguelike in Unity gets complicated very quickly.

Using a modular setup with simple, reusable systems helps keep the project clean and easier to work with. You spend less time fixing structure and more time experimenting with gameplay.

This engine is meant to be a solid starting point, not a finished solution.

AI-Powered Dialogue Generation & Localization in Unity – Using Gemini API

Kostia.K — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:36:14 +0000

Hi Dev Community! 👋

I’d like to introduce my new Unity Asset – Dialog Generate AI!

Dialog Generate AI – a Unity asset that uses Gemini AI API to automatically generate dialogue lines, translate them into multiple languages, and let you test everything directly inside Unity – without writing a single line manually.

Whether you’re building an RPG, a visual novel, or an interactive story, this can save hours (or even days) of work.

📥 Get the Asset
🔗 Unity Asset Store – Dialog Generate AI

🔑 Key Features

AI Integration: Generate dialogue lines automatically from scene context and character settings.
One-Click Localization: Translate into multiple languages instantly, including Japanese, Arabic, Cyrillic, and other non-Latin scripts.
Multi-Character Support: Build conversations with any number of speakers, perfect for RPGs and story-rich games.
In-Editor Preview: Play through dialogue sequences directly in the Unity Editor – no need to hit Play Mode.
Runtime Language Switching: Players can change the dialogue language mid-game, and text updates instantly.
Scriptable Objects Workflow: Create reusable character and location profiles with custom data.

🚀 What’s New in the Latest Version?

✅ Play dialogue preview directly in the editor
✅ Font support for multilingual text (Japanese, Arabic, Cyrillic, etc.)
✅ Dynamic speaker switching in multi-character dialogues
✅ Smart AI suggestions based on scene and previous context
✅ Custom language selection for AI-powered localization

💡 How It Works

Set up characters and locations using Scriptable Objects.
Describe the scene and context for the AI.
Click generate – AI will create natural-sounding dialogue lines.
Preview the conversation directly in Unity.
Export or localize with one click.

Requirements
Gemini API key (external AI service)
Internet connection for AI features

💬 Final Thoughts
As a game developer, I know how repetitive and time-consuming dialogue creation can be – especially when working in multiple languages.

Dialog Generate AI speeds up that process and opens up possibilities for more dynamic, player-reactive conversations.

If you’re building a game with lots of text and want to focus on story instead of manual writing, give it a try and let me know your feedback.

[Unity] UI Animation - Examples

Kostia.K — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 14:05:00 +0000

Asset Store | Documentation

Hello everyone!

I'm back again! Today, I want to show you examples of ready-made animations that are already available in UI Animation. You can simply use them without wasting time creating your own animations.

But if you want, you can always create something unique! I will periodically post new animations here and also add them to the asset as Prefabs, so you can easily use them.

If you're here for the first time, I recommend reading this post first – it explains in detail what this tool is, where to get it, and how to use it.

And now – here are the animation examples:

More examples can be found in the Asset Store. I hope you like the examples. And I hope this tool will help you to create your own UI animations :)

Any questions: tkkoideveloper@gmail.com

[Unity] UI Animation - How does it work?

Kostia.K — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 13:20:00 +0000

In my previous post, I talked about UI Animation — what it is, where to find it, and what it can do. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it out! Post

📖 Learn more about the tool: Documentation | Asset Store

Creating Animations for Buttons and Panels
Today, I’ll show you how easily you can create animations for buttons or panels.

🔹 How to animate buttons?

🔹 How to create an animated panel?

It’s super simple! You don’t even need to write a single line of code. But if needed, you can use the tool’s API to work with animations programmatically.

For a detailed explanation of how animations work, check out the documentation, where everything is clearly described and illustrated with GIF examples.

I hope this tool helps you simplify UI animation creation, making your games more vibrant and dynamic! 🚀

Unity Asset - UI Animation

Kostia.K — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:52:28 +0000

Asset Store Page

Discord Support | Documentation

UIAnimation is the ultimate tool for creating dynamic and engaging UI animations effortlessly. By using the UIAButton and UIAPanel components, you can bring your interface to life with just a few clicks. Simply choose the interaction type (such as Hover , Click , Open , Close , etc.), select the animation type, and apply it to the desired object. That’s it! No coding required.

Key Features:

No Coding Needed: Create complex animations without writing any code.
Component-Based System: Use UIAButton and UIAPanel components to easily add animations to your UI elements.
35 Ready-to-Use Prefabs: Save time with prefabs that are fully configured and ready to be dropped into your scene.
Flexible Customization: Customize animations using Scriptable Objects with a wide range of parameters, including duration, easing, and randomization.
Multiple Animation Types: Choose from Rotate, Scale, Translate, Color, FillAmount, Sprite, Canvas Group, and Animator animations.
Demo Scene Included: Explore the demo scene to see all 35 animation templates in action.

How It Works:

Add a Component: Attach the UIAButton or UIAPanel component to your UI element.
Choose Interaction Type: Select how the animation will be triggered (e.g., Hover, Click, Open, Close).
Select Animation Type: Choose from a variety of animation types, such as Rotate, Scale, Translate, etc.
Customize Parameters: Adjust the animation settings using Scriptable Objects to fit your needs.
Play & Enjoy: Run your game and watch your UI come to life with smooth, professional animations.

Requirements:

DOTWeen

This is my first major Asset for the Unity Asset Store. And I want to keep developing on it to make creating animations even easier :)