Getting Started

Whiskey is a framework for data and events, leaning heavily on ScriptableObject to make this possible. If you haven't seen Ryan's talk on ScriptableObject's I recommend watching that first.

Learn more about the following topics in their dedicated sections:

• Boxes - Data instances persisted as Assets
• Tables - Weighted probability tables persisted as Assets
• Events - Events and reactions for when important things occur

Whiskey provides a number of built in constructs as well as base classes that can be quickly extended to for customization. It also provides a set of editor extensions to make working with it's features easier.

If something isn't working, please feel free to Check the Issues and Open a new Issue as needed! Thank you! 🙏

Quickstart

Disclaimer: By nature, Whiskey isn't easy to demonstrate. As such, this may not be as "quick" as you'd expect! 😅

• Right click in the Project Window select: Create, Whiskey, Boxes, Int
• Name the created data instance
• Select the data instance
• Edit the data in the Inspector Window
• Right click in the Project Window select: Create, C# Script
• Name the created script IntTestBehaviour
• Edit the script, adding the following:

using FasterGames.Whiskey.Boxes;
using UnityEngine;

public class IntTestBehaviour : MonoBehaviour
{
    public Ref<int> intRef;

    private void Start()
    {
        Debug.Log(intRef.Value);
    }
}

• Right click in the Hierarchy Window select: Create Empty
• Name the created object
• Select the object in the Hierarchy Window, then in the Inspector Window select Add Component and search for IntTestBehaviour, selecting the first result (which should be the script you created above)
• Note the Int Ref field is displayed, by default it is a Direct reference. A direct reference is effectively a hard coded value.
• Select the Direct dropdown, and change it to Boxed. Note the field changes, allowing you to drag and drop an object reference, and showing an additional dropdown field.
• Ensure the additional dropdown field is set to BoxedInt, which will allow the editor to more accurately assist you in selecting the object.
• Click the object reference field, and select the data instance you created above.
• You have now made your first data reference using Whiskey. Run the code, and note that the value stored in your data instance is logged by the IntTestBehaviour script on Start.

Terminology

This section describes the key terms that Whiskey uses when describing data in a Unity game. It's designed to be a quick reference, not an exhaustive overview.

ScriptableObject

See https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-ScriptableObject.html

Data Instance

A piece of data stored as a ScriptableObject on disk, within the Assets folder of a Unity project.

Box

A wrapper for C# classes and structures that allow it to be stored as a Data Instance, inside a Scriptable Object. This also defines the interfaces for equality, reading, and writing that you'll use to consume data throughout your game.

Table

A probability table used to store weighted values, either as direct constants, or via a reference to some Box. A good overview for how these types of tables work can be found here.

Ref

A reference to data, either as a direct constant, via a reference to a Box, or via a reference to a Table. Ref is a read-only construct, and provides access via both the Read() method, and a Value property with a getter.

MutRef

A reference to data, either as a direct constant, via a reference to a Box. MutRef is mutable, meaning the data supports reading and writing. Access is provided by Read(), Write() and a Value property with both a getter and a setter.

Event

A strongly-typed collection of listeners, that can be raised with Raise() when some action occurs. Listeners can be added with AddListener() and removed with RemoveListener().

EventListener

A MonoBehaviour component that binds an Event to a reaction (described by a UnityEvent). The reaction will occur when the event is raised, if the GameObject the listener is attached to is enabled at that time.

Calls AddListener() and RemoveListener() on the event, to bind itself as a listener.