https://blog.jonmikeys.com/categories/engineering/ Recent content in Engineering on Coyote Time Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/octrees-for-faster-3d-pathfinding/ Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/octrees-for-faster-3d-pathfinding/ Build a smaller 3D navigation graph by giving open space large octree cells and reserving fine detail for obstacles, then run A* over the free leaves. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/cullinggroup-for-smarter-object-management/ Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/cullinggroup-for-smarter-object-management/ Use Unity’s CullingGroup API to turn camera visibility and distance bands into practical simulation budgets for crowds, effects, spawn points, and world objects. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/r3-reactive-programming-in-unity/ Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/r3-reactive-programming-in-unity/ A practical look at using R3-style reactive streams in Unity without turning every button click, timer, and gameplay signal into architecture theater. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/unity-cli-github-actions-edit-mode-tests/ Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/unity-cli-github-actions-edit-mode-tests/ A practical Unity CI starter: install the Unity CLI, add a tiny Edit Mode smoke test, run it locally, then wire the same command into GitHub Actions. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/memory-arenas-in-game-code/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/memory-arenas-in-game-code/ How I use arena allocators for frame-local scratch data, why they beat per-object frees, and why they are not a replacement for pooling or the GC. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/api-programming-through-http/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/api-programming-through-http/ A practical guide to calling HTTP APIs from game code without making retries, auth, or failure handling a mess. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/zero-allocation-linq-in-unity/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/zero-allocation-linq-in-unity/ A practical look at LINQ in Unity, where the allocations come from, and when a zero-allocation alternative like ZLinq is worth using. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/native-collections-and-burst-for-gc-heavy-projects/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/native-collections-and-burst-for-gc-heavy-projects/ A practical way to move hot data off the managed heap with NativeArray, NativeList, jobs, and Burst without turning the project into DOTS cosplay. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/event-buses-in-unity-architecture/ Sun, 02 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/event-buses-in-unity-architecture/ A practical way to use event buses in Unity without turning them into hidden global state, leaky subscriptions, or another way to avoid design decisions. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/hierarchical-state-machines-in-unity/ Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/hierarchical-state-machines-in-unity/ A practical way to keep Unity state machines readable when several states share the same rules. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/raycasting/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/raycasting/ A practical rewrite of Lode’s raycasting tutorial, with the same core ideas and images explained in cleaner prose. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/cancellation-tokens-in-unity/ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/cancellation-tokens-in-unity/ A practical follow-up to async in Unity: how cancellation tokens keep loading flows, delays, and background work from hanging around after the object is gone. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/mirror-multiplayer-part-1-authority-first-rpcs-second/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/mirror-multiplayer-part-1-authority-first-rpcs-second/ A practical way to structure Mirror games so the server owns the rules, clients send intent, and state sync stays boring. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/async-in-unity-with-unitask/ Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/async-in-unity-with-unitask/ A practical way to use async and await in Unity without falling back to callback soup, extra GC churn, or tangled loading code. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/benchmarking-csharp-in-unity/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/benchmarking-csharp-in-unity/ A practical way to benchmark Unity C# code without confusing profiling, frame time, and microbenchmarks. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/modular-game-ui-systems/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/modular-game-ui-systems/ A practical UI structure for games: keep screens, views, and game logic separate so menus do not turn into a knot. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/code-smells-and-how-to-fix-em/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/code-smells-and-how-to-fix-em/ A practical look at common code smells and the small changes that keep game code easier to read and maintain. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/dependency-injection-in-unity/ Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/dependency-injection-in-unity/ A practical way to make game code easier to test, refactor, and reason about. https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/observer-pattern-in-games/ Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.jonmikeys.com/posts/observer-pattern-in-games/ A practical look at the observer pattern, event buses, and why game objects should communicate without dragging the whole scene graph into the conversation.