Imported from thedivergentai/game-dev-agentic-skills (
skills/bevy-game-loop-time-trial/SKILL.md). Install upstream withnpx skills add thedivergentai/game-dev-agentic-skills --skill bevy-game-loop-time-trial. Copyright stays with the author.
Bevy time-trial loop
When to use
Load this when a run records elapsed time, splits, or a finish line.
ECS shape
- Components: a racer marker and a finish volume.
- Resources: the race clock, split list, and best time live on one resource.
- Systems: tick the clock, record a split, then test the finish line, in that order with
.chain(). - Messages: one-shot facts (hit, pickup, quest advance) go through bevy-events-messaging. This file does not add a new event type name.
[package]
name = "time-trial"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"
[dependencies]
bevy = "0.20"
The race clock is one resource. Three systems write it, so they share one chain.
#[derive(Resource)]
struct RaceClock {
elapsed: f32,
splits: Vec<f32>,
finished: bool,
best: f32,
}
#[derive(Component)]
struct Racer;
#[derive(Component)]
struct FinishLine;
fn spawn_course(mut commands: Commands) {
commands.insert_resource(RaceClock {
elapsed: 0.0,
splits: Vec::new(),
finished: false,
best: f32::MAX,
});
commands.spawn((Racer, Transform::from_xyz(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)));
commands.spawn((FinishLine, Transform::from_xyz(10.0, 0.0, 0.0)));
commands.spawn(SplitGate {
at_x: 5.0,
taken: false,
});
}
fn tick_race(time: Res<Time>, mut clock: ResMut<RaceClock>) {
if !clock.finished {
clock.elapsed += time.delta_secs();
}
}
#[derive(Component)]
struct SplitGate {
at_x: f32,
taken: bool,
}
fn record_split(
mut clock: ResMut<RaceClock>,
racers: Query<&Transform, With<Racer>>,
mut gates: Query<&mut SplitGate>,
) {
if clock.finished {
return;
}
let Some(racer) = racers.iter().next() else {
return;
};
for mut gate in &mut gates {
if !gate.taken && racer.translation.x >= gate.at_x {
gate.taken = true;
let elapsed = clock.elapsed;
clock.splits.push(elapsed);
}
}
}
fn cross_finish(
mut clock: ResMut<RaceClock>,
racers: Query<&Transform, With<Racer>>,
lines: Query<&Transform, With<FinishLine>>,
) {
if clock.finished {
return;
}
let Some(racer) = racers.iter().next() else {
return;
};
let Some(line) = lines.iter().next() else {
return;
};
if racer.translation.x >= line.translation.x {
clock.finished = true;
if clock.elapsed < clock.best {
clock.best = clock.elapsed;
}
}
}
pub struct TimeTrialPlugin;
impl Plugin for TimeTrialPlugin {
fn build(&self, app: &mut App) {
app.add_systems(Startup, spawn_course).add_systems(
Update,
(tick_race, record_split, cross_finish).chain(),
);
}
}
A fixed step moves the racer. It does not own the race clock.
#[derive(Component)]
struct Racer;
fn drive(time: Res<Time<Fixed>>, mut racers: Query<&mut Transform, With<Racer>>) {
let step = time.delta_secs() * 8.0;
for mut transform in &mut racers {
transform.translation.x += step;
}
}
pub struct DrivePlugin;
impl Plugin for DrivePlugin {
fn build(&self, app: &mut App) {
app.add_systems(FixedUpdate, drive);
}
}
Race data
| Need | Bevy idiom |
|---|---|
| Race clock | Elapsed on a resource. The fixed clock is a stepper, not a race format. |
| Split | Your own list on that resource, written when the racer passes a SplitGate. |
| Finish | A finished flag on that resource. |
Scope
- Race timer, split, and ghost data are yours to build as components.
- Ghost replay belongs on bevy-save-load.
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 struct that stores every entity's fields |
| 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 linked 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 signal bus for splits or the finish. WHY: the clock resource is shared state; one-shot notices belong in bevy-events-messaging.
-
No node types in Bevy code. WHY: Bevy code stays idiomatic ECS and uses only documented Bevy APIs.
-
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 links stay on the unversioned learn pages.
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-state-machines - Countdown and finish.
- 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.
