Birds of a Feather Flock together: Unity 2D Flocking Asset Package

Hello! My name is Joshua Kain, and for my individual project of COMP3180, I have developed an Asset Package for use within Unity projects for 2D! This package has been designed to allow the integration of flocking behaviours into your own personal game projects in Unity. 

What is Flocking? 

Flocking, by definition, means to move or come together in numbers. This is a natural method of movement where an individual when in the presence of other . The most common example in explaining this behaviour is with flocking birds, and was the inspiration for the flocking algorithm. Originally simulated by Craig Reynolds in 1986 with his ‘Boids’ model, the flocking algorithm was designed to recreate the three defining behaviours which birds naturally demonstrate, and apply the logic within computer programs and other fields.  The three crucial behaviours involved with congregating specimens are: 

Cohesion - A bird will attempt to move towards the centre of mass of its neighbours.

Separation - A bird will attempt to move away from its neighbours. 

Alignment - A bird will correct its way of facing the average direction of its neighbours.

Purpose of This Package

This package aims to provide developers with tools to utilise flocking behaviours in their own games. While flocking can offer say a more lively backdrop or act as solid filler in a scene's aesthetic, this asset package also offers up more hostile forms of flocking. Using layer filters, members of a flock are able to detect objects other than just flock members, such as a player in a scene. This can create a much more dynamic and interesting flock which directly contributes to gameplay.