Project Leaf 🌱

Open-source arcade horror garden game Built with Unity 6.3 (LTS) | Steam-enabled | Community-driven

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1. What this project is

Project Leaf is a first-person, low-poly game where players grow plants in a calm daytime garden and survive horror events at night.

The core loop is solo-first, with a shared multiplayer space (EDEN) powered by Steam.

This is an open-source project by the Levelstair community. The goal is learning, collaboration, and shipping something real — not a tech demo.

Want to contribute? Read our CONTRIBUTING.md for how to work on issues, commits, and pull requests the right way.

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2. Core gameplay concept (short & precise)

• Players own a personal garden (solo, offline-capable)

• A shared starter plant grows with the player

• Daytime = calm, growth-focused

• Nighttime = horror phase (enemies, corrupted plants)

• Plants can become large enough to host tree houses

• Players can sell unique plants to other players

• EDEN is a shared Steam multiplayer space where:

  • Each player places one plant
  • Players walk around, explore, and view others’ plants
  • No plant growth or combat happens here

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3. What multiplayer is (and is NOT)

Multiplayer IS:

• Steam-authenticated
• Lobby-based
• Used only in EDEN
• Peer-hosted (no dedicated servers)
• Cosmetic + social only

Multiplayer is NOT:

• MMO
• Persistent world simulation
• Used for plant growth
• Required for solo gameplay

If you try to add real-time multiplayer everywhere, your PR will be rejected.

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4. Tech stack (locked decisions)

These choices are final unless the core maintainers say otherwise.

• Unity 6.3 LTS
• URP (no HDRP)
• UI Toolkit (no uGUI for screens)
• Steamworks.NET (Steam integration)
• Unity Netcode for GameObjects (NGO) for EDEN only
• GitHub for version control & PRs

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5. Project structure (DO NOT IGNORE)

Every folder below has its own Assembly Definition.

Assets/
 ├─ Leaf.Core
 │   └─ Plant data, growth logic, save systems
 │
 ├─ Leaf.Gameplay
 │   └─ Garden, night cycle, enemies, interactions
 │
 ├─ Leaf.Networking
 │   └─ Netcode logic (EDEN only)
 │
 ├─ Leaf.Steam
 │   └─ Steamworks adapter & services
 │
 ├─ Leaf.UI
 │   └─ UI Toolkit screens & controllers
 │
 └─ Leaf.Shared
     └─ Interfaces, utilities, common types

Dependency rules (strict)

• UI ❌ cannot reference Steam directly
• Core ❌ cannot reference Networking
• Steam ❌ cannot reference UI
• Everything ✅ can reference Shared

Break these rules and your PR will be closed.

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6. Steam integration (important)

Steam is used for:

• Player identity (SteamID)
• Lobbies (EDEN)
• Achievements
• Friends & invites

Steam is NOT used for:

• Game logic
• Save files
• Economy calculations

Offline mode exists

The game must run:

• In Unity Editor
• Without Steam running

We use service interfaces like:

• ISocialService
• IMultiplayerService

This allows Steam and Offline implementations to coexist.

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7. Achievements philosophy

Achievements are:

• Simple
• Event-based
• Triggered locally

Examples:

• First plant growth
• First night survived
• First EDEN visit

Achievements are not analytics and not progression gates.

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8. What contributors are expected to do

You are welcome if you:

• Follow the architecture
• Keep PRs focused
• Write readable code
• Respect boundaries

You are not expected to:

• Be a Unity expert
• Know Steamworks deeply
• Implement massive systems alone

Small, clean contributions > big messy ones.

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9. Git workflow (non-negotiable)

• main → stable, playable
• dev → active development
• Feature branches → PR → review

PR rules:

• One system per PR
• Must build without Steam running
• No new packages without discussion
• No refactors “just because”

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10. Current development stage

Early foundation phase

Implemented / in progress:

• Project structure
• Core plant data model
• Day / night cycle prototype

Not started yet:

• EDEN multiplayer
• Selling plants
• Steam achievements
• Monetization cosmetics

If you’re unsure what to work on, ask before coding.

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11. Philosophy (read this once)

This project values:

• Learning over ego
• Shipping over perfection
• Discipline over hype

Open source does not mean chaotic. Fun does not mean sloppy.

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12. Levelstair

Project Leaf is built by the Levelstair community Sri Lanka’s open game development ecosystem.

This repo is a training ground and a real product.

Treat it like both.