Atmospheric Starship Controller

Veridian Atmospheric Starship is a production-grade flight framework engineered for arcade-style combat and atmospheric exploration in Unity’s Universal Render Pipeline (URP).

Designed with modularity as a priority, it provides a complete gameplay loop—from physics-based aerodynamics and input handling to a robust Utility AI system—without the overhead of rigid, monolithic scripts. Whether you are building a "Rogue Squadron" style shooter, a racing game, or an open-world sandbox, this asset offers the foundational architecture required to get ships flying immediately.

A Note from the Developer:

Thank you for checking out the Veridian Atmospheric Starship framework! I am providing this asset to the Unity community completely for free out of my own generosity. I make no profit from this release, and my hope is that you can learn from the codebase, dissect the architecture, and potentially use it as a strong foundation for your own projects.

Because this is a free asset, please understand that I cannot reasonably answer every support question or provide custom tutorials to make this framework fit into everyone’s specific game design. However, I am committed to maintaining the core codebase and fixing genuine errors. If you find a bug, I definitely want to know about it!

I highly appreciate your feedback. If you find this asset useful, educational, or fun to play with, please consider taking a moment to leave a review. I am also always open to hearing your suggestions for features, improvements, or changes.

Finally, I plan on releasing an expanded, highly optimized, and feature-rich paid version of this asset within the next few months. That premium version will come with dedicated, in-depth support. If you enjoy this free preview, please consider checking out the full release when it launches!

Physics-Driven Flight Dynamics

The core of the framework is the AtmosphericStarshipController, a Rigidbody-driven system that balances realistic laws of motion with the responsiveness required for arcade gameplay. It moves beyond simple transform translation, calculating forces to simulate weight, drag, and propulsion.

• Advanced Aerodynamics: Implements a custom drag model that calculates linear and quadratic drag based on velocity, simulating atmospheric density. It features directional drag (allowing for drift mechanics) and ground effects that create a "cushion" of lift when flying low.
• G-Force Simulation: Includes a G-Force governor that limits turn rates at high speeds to prevent unrealistic maneuvers, adding weight and consequence to pilot inputs.
• Scalable Fidelity (Physics vs. LERP): Engineered for scale, the controller features a dual-mode system. While the player and nearby enemies use full physics simulation, distant AI agents automatically switch to a low-cost Kinematic LERP mode to maintain high frame rates in large-scale battles.
• Modern Input Integration: Built entirely on Unity’s New Input System, complete with rebindable action maps for Mouse/Keyboard and Gamepad support.

Modular Utility AI System

The asset features a decentralized AI architecture that separates high-level decision-making from low-level flight execution. This "Brain vs. Hands" approach allows for complex, non-cheating AI behavior that adheres to the same physics limitations as the player.

• The Pilot & The Brain: The AiBrain handles strategic decisions (Targeting, State Switching), while the SimpleAiPilot handles the execution, using PID controllers to fly the ship toward navigation goals. This ensures AI pilots actually "fly" the ship rather than sliding along a rail.
• ScriptableObject Behaviors: AI behaviors are modular and data-driven. You can create and tune complex behaviors—such as Patrol, Dogfight, Interceptor, and Sentry—entirely through ScriptableObject profiles, allowing for rapid iteration of enemy personalities without recompiling code.
• Squadron & Faction Logic: A centralized FactionManager handles team rosters, differentiating between Leaders and Wingmen. The AI utilizes this tactical data to form squads, execute coordinated attacks, and respect engagement/disengagement zones.

Integrated Combat Suite

The asset includes a fully operational combat layer managed by the ShipWeaponController and HealthComponent, designed to support diverse weapon types and damage models.

• Multi-Role Weaponry: Support for primary energy weapons (Lasers with accuracy falloff), secondary ballistics (Unguided Rockets and Guided Missiles with target locking), and heavy bombardment payloads (Gravity Bombs).
• Predictive Targeting: The AI leverages a first-order interception calculator to lead targets based on projectile speed and enemy velocity, ensuring capable and dangerous opponents rather than static turrets.
• Gimbal & Turret Logic: Weapons feature configurable gimbal constraints, allowing hardpoints to rotate and track targets independently of the ship’s nose, within defined arcs.
• Lifecycle Management: A robust health and shield system handles damage mitigation, shield regeneration, and death sequences, including automated respawning via the Faction Manager.

Massive Sandbox Environment

To demonstrate the scalability of the framework, the package includes a massive, production-ready demo scene (1024km² playable area) built for the Universal Render Pipeline (URP).

• Open World Architecture: The scene features 5 distinct 64km² islands, each populated with unique biomes, alien flora, and rocky terrain.
• Live Faction Warfare: The environment is populated by two opposing factions with distinct "Home Bases." You will encounter AI squads flying patrol routes, engaging in dogfights, and defending strategic locations with ground-based turrets.
• Free Art Assets: Includes a library of production-ready assets, including Starship prefabs (Player and Enemy variants), modular buildings, turrets, and environmental assets (alien trees, rocks).

Architecture & Configuration

The system emphasizes a Profile-First Workflow, utilizing ScriptableObjects to decouple configuration from code. This ensures that designers can tweak the "feel" of the game without modifying scripts.

• Data-Driven Profiles: Define ship handling (StarshipProfileSO), AI personalities (FlightPersonalitySO), and weapon statistics (WeaponStats) as reusable assets.
• Decoupled FX & UI: Core logic broadcasts state changes via C# Events. The included StarshipFXController and StarshipHUDManager listen for these events to handle visual effects (thruster particles, muzzle flashes) and UI updates, keeping the core physics loop clean.

Ecosystem & Roadmap

Veridian Atmospheric Starship [Lite] is a free preview of the upcoming full Atmospheric Starship Controller. It serves as both a standalone framework and a demonstration of the Veridian performance ecosystem:

• Integration with BurstLOD: This controller is the foundation for the [BurstLOD] runtime demo. When paired with BurstLOD, the ships in this kit support runtime mesh sculpting—allowing lasers to carve holes in armor and rockets to physically dent hulls in real-time.
• Optimized by VeridianImpostors: The massive density of the demo environment is made possible by [VeridianImpostors], which handles the high-performance rendering of the distant alien forests and background infrastructure.