general-principles

Instruction file imported from Ethan014/wildRift (.cursor/rules/general-principles.mdc). Copyright stays with the author.

General Principles

Core Values

C# Best Practices in Unity

• Use [SerializeField] instead of public for inspector-exposed fields
• Prefer TryGetComponent<T>() over GetComponent<T>() when the component might not exist
• Use CompareTag("TagName") instead of gameObject.tag == "TagName" (avoids GC allocation)
• Cache component references in Awake() or Start(), never in Update()
• Use readonly for fields that should not change after initialization
• Prefer string.IsNullOrEmpty() over str == null || str == ""

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

// BAD: GetComponent every frame
void Update() {
    GetComponent<Rigidbody>().AddForce(Vector3.up);
}

// GOOD: Cache in Awake
Rigidbody _rb;
void Awake() {
    _rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody>();
}
void Update() {
    _rb.AddForce(Vector3.up);
}

// BAD: String comparison for tags
if (other.gameObject.tag == "Player") { }

// GOOD: CompareTag
if (other.CompareTag("Player")) { }

// BAD: Find at runtime
void Update() {
    var player = GameObject.Find("Player");
}

// GOOD: Reference via inspector or cache
[SerializeField] GameObject player;

File Organization

Assets/
  Scripts/           → Standalone utility scripts
  MOBA Tutorial/     → Game-specific scripts, materials, prefabs
    Minions/         → Minion AI, targeting, prefabs, materials
    MoveIcon/        → Movement indicator prefab and animations
  Scenes/            → Scene files and baked data
  Materials/         → Shared materials (skybox, etc.)
  Settings/          → URP render pipeline settings
  Prefabs/           → Shared prefab assets

Dependencies

• Never reference Editor-only APIs (UnityEditor) outside #if UNITY_EDITOR blocks
• Keep using statements minimal and ordered: Unity namespaces first, then System, then project
• Avoid third-party packages unless absolutely necessary; prefer Unity built-in systems