# Lockstep Framework for Unity Lockstep Games > Lockstep Framework is an MIT-licensed C# framework for deterministic RTS, TD, and MOBA-style simulations in Unity. It includes lockstep variables, deterministic math, custom 2D physics, pathfinding, behavior systems, and networking integrations, but its documentation says development has stopped and the latest commit targets Unity 2019.1f1. **nibsbin/LockstepFramework** — Framework for lockstep RTS, TD, and MOBA games. - Repository: https://github.com/nibsbin/LockstepFramework - Stars: 1,540 · Forks: 367 - Language: C# - License: MIT - Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/nibsbin-lockstepframework ## What Lockstep Framework Solves Lockstep Framework addresses a specific class of multiplayer game problems: several clients must execute the same simulation and arrive at the same result from the same game inputs. The repository describes its target genres as RTS, TD, and MOBA games, where synchronized units, structures, abilities, and player decisions are central to play. It is for Unity developers who need the simulation foundation rather than a complete game template. The framework is not presented as a general-purpose Unity networking package. Its scope is the deterministic simulation and related game systems. The README lists a deterministic math library and simulation, a custom 2D physics engine on the X-Z plane, individual and global behavior systems, pathfinding, customizable database storage, and lockstep variables. That combination places it below the game-specific layer. A project would still need its own rules, units, scenes, networking rules, and production content. The repository also lists DarkRift and Photon Networking support. Forge Networking support is marked deprecated, and the README asks readers to make contact if that integration is needed. This distinction matters during evaluation. The existence of several networking integrations does not mean the project provides one uniform networking API or that every integration has the same maintenance status. ## Deterministic Simulation and Desync Diagnostics According to the README, the central mechanism is deterministic simulation supported by deterministic math and lockstep variables. Lockstep variables are described as a way to know when and where desynchronizations happen. In a lockstep design, identical simulation state depends on processing the same ordered inputs consistently. The repository's inclusion of desync location information is therefore more useful than a simple synchronized-movement claim: it gives developers a diagnostic point inside the simulation rather than only a failure to converge. The framework includes a custom 2D physics engine that operates on the X-Z plane. That is consistent with top-down game views, but it also establishes a technical boundary. The README does not describe a 3D physics integration, so a Unity game whose authoritative gameplay depends on arbitrary 3D physics would need to examine the source and determine whether the custom engine covers its requirements. Pathfinding is size-based, with the stated purpose of preventing large units from becoming stuck in narrow gaps. The behavior system works at both the individual-agent and global levels. These systems are relevant to unit movement and strategy simulation, but the README does not document their scheduling model, serialization format, supported collider types, or behavior API in detail. Those omissions make the repository's example and wiki more important than the feature list when assessing implementation depth. ## Unity Setup and First Example Run The README does not provide package-manager installation commands, so there is no verified CLI installation step to reproduce here. It directs users to import the framework into a Unity project and open the included example scene. The first-use path is documented through Unity's editor interface. Use the following sequence: 1. Import the repository into a Unity project, then open `Lockstep-Framework/Example/ExampleScene`. 2. Open the database and settings editor with `Control - Shift - L`. 3. In the Settings foldout, select `Load` and choose `Lockstep-Framework/Example/ExampleDatabase/Example_Database.asset`. 4. Enter Play mode. The exact Unity menu sequence is not given as a shell command. The README identifies the scene and database asset paths above, but does not document required Unity package versions, import options, submodules, or whether Unity's package cache is involved. The repository includes `Core`, `Database`, `Example`, `Extra`, `Integration`, `Resources`, and `Settings` directories, with submodules configured through `.gitmodules`, so an importer should preserve the repository structure rather than copy only the Example directory. The documentation explicitly warns that the example shows basic functionality and that comprehensive examples were planned near the end of core development. That warning is material. Opening the scene can confirm that the sample is wired up, but it cannot establish that every subsystem is ready for a new production game. ## Database, Networking, and Integration Boundaries The example depends on a configurable database asset. The README's setup process loads `Example_Database.asset` rather than leaving the user to invent an initial configuration, which lowers the cost of trying the sample. However, the repository does not state whether the database is intended for developer configuration only, whether it is shipped with a game, or how schema changes are versioned. That makes database format and migration behavior an item for source inspection. Networking support is split across integration directories. DarkRift and Photon Networking are listed as supported, while Forge Networking is deprecated. The README does not document connection setup, command serialization, snapshot policy, transport failure handling, or reconnection behavior. It therefore supports the conclusion that the repository contains integrations, not that it supplies a complete turnkey multiplayer stack. This framework is a poor fit for developers seeking a modern engine-agnostic lockstep library. It is explicitly integrated with Unity, and the latest commit targets `2019.1f1`. The repository has no GitHub releases, which means the README and repository layout do not provide a published release sequence for upgrade planning. That absence does not prove instability, but it does remove a clear package-version boundary. ## Alternative Approach for Deterministic Unity Games A real alternative is to build the deterministic simulation around a separately maintained lockstep or rollback networking library and keep physics, pathfinding, and game rules in your own Unity code. The difference in approach is architectural. Lockstep Framework combines deterministic math, simulation variables, a custom X-Z physics engine, pathfinding, behavior systems, a database, and networking integrations in one older Unity-oriented framework. A separate library would typically leave more of those systems under the project's control, although the repository information here does not allow naming or assessing a particular alternative. For an existing team, the choice may be narrower. If the project already uses DarkRift or Photon and has a compatible Unity version, the listed integrations could make this framework more directly relevant. If the team needs current Unity APIs, a 3D physics pipeline, documented production examples, or a newer release process, the framework's documented boundaries are more significant than its feature count. There is another important limitation. The README says LSF is no longer being actively developed, and its latest commit targets Unity 2019.1f1. The last push was on 2026-05-23. The repository is not archived, but that fact should not be confused with a continuing feature roadmap. Maintenance planning must account for compatibility fixes, dependency changes, and engine upgrades that the project may not address. ## MIT License and Upgrade Cost The repository is distributed under the MIT License, with copyright attributed to John Pan and dated 2015. The license text permits use, copying, modification, merging, publication, distribution, sublicensing, and sale, subject to retaining the copyright notice and permission notice in copies or substantial portions. This is a permissive license, but it does not remove the need to preserve the required notice or to review the license text alongside any third-party components used by a game. Upgrade cost is likely to be an engineering decision rather than a simple version bump. The README points to `2019.1f1` as the target of the latest commit, while the repository contains integrations, generated Unity metadata, assets, and submodules. Moving to another Unity version may require changes in imported packages, serialization, editor APIs, networking libraries, or custom physics assumptions. None of those costs can be quantified from the README because it gives no compatibility matrix, release history, or migration guide. The absence of GitHub releases also means the repository documents no release cadence or upgrade path. A team adopting LSF should inspect the Unity project files and integration dependencies directly, especially if the game must move beyond the example scene. ## Conclusion Adopt Lockstep Framework if you are maintaining a Unity project that needs deterministic lockstep simulation and can work with its older Unity target and incomplete examples. Do not choose it as a starting point when you require current Unity support, documented production examples, or evidence of ongoing development. Verify compatibility with your Unity version, the networking integration you need, and your own determinism requirements before committing. ## FAQ ### What is Lockstep Framework used for? It is a C# framework for deterministic lockstep simulations in Unity, aimed primarily at RTS, TD, and MOBA-style games. It includes deterministic math, a custom X-Z 2D physics engine, pathfinding, behavior systems, lockstep variables, a database, and selected networking integrations. ### How do I set up the Lockstep Framework example in Unity? Import the framework into a Unity project and open `Lockstep-Framework/Example/ExampleScene`. Open the database window with `Control - Shift - L`, use `Load` in the Settings foldout, select `Lockstep-Framework/Example/ExampleDatabase/Example_Database.asset`, and enter Play mode. ### Is Lockstep Framework still being developed? The README explicitly says that LSF is no longer being actively developed. It identifies the latest commit as targeting Unity `2019.1f1`, and the repository's last push was on 2026-05-23. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/nibsbin/LockstepFramework/issues) - [License: MIT](https://github.com/nibsbin/LockstepFramework/blob/Master/LICENSE) - [nibsbin/LockstepFramework on GitHub](https://github.com/nibsbin/LockstepFramework) - [README](https://github.com/nibsbin/LockstepFramework/blob/Master/README.md) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/nibsbin-lockstepframework