A systems-driven logistics strategy prototype built in Unity.
Plan delivery routes across a network of towns and border crossings while managing escalating enforcement pressure, inspection risks, and economic growth. Every delivery alters the state of the world, creating a dynamic risk-reward simulation where expansion increases exposure.
See CHANGELOG.md for full development history.
v0.8.1 — Contract Route Enforcement
Shadow Logistics is currently a vertical gameplay prototype focused on systemic simulation and strategic decision making.
Latest systems include:
- Contract route enforcement
- Persistent regional Heat accumulation
- Dynamic inspection pressure
- Contract tier progression
- Delivery outcome tracking
- Wallet-based economy
- Data-driven systems built using ScriptableObjects
- Select contracts from the board
- Plan a route across connected towns and border crossings
- Dispatch a vehicle to complete the delivery
- Border inspections may occur depending on risk and regional pressure
- Deliveries must reach the correct destination to succeed
- Outcomes affect player money, reputation, and regional Heat
As operations expand, risk exposure grows across the entire map.
Contracts define structured delivery objectives.
Each contract specifies:
- Origin town
- Destination town
- Cargo type
- Risk level
- Reward payout
Routes must begin at the contract origin and end at the contract destination to complete successfully.
A minimal contract HUD displays the active contract route and key information during gameplay.
Players manually construct delivery routes across a graph network.
- Towns and borders are graph nodes
- Routes must follow valid connections
- Player controls each segment of the journey
- Dispatch validation ensures routes start at the correct origin
This system gives players full control over their logistics operations.
Each border crossing can trigger inspections.
Inspections include:
- Detection rolls
- Delay penalties
- Confiscation outcomes
- Severity-based consequences
Inspection probabilities dynamically scale with regional Heat levels.
Every region tracks enforcement pressure over time.
Heat increases from:
- Inspections
- Caught deliveries
- Failed smuggling attempts
Higher Heat results in:
- Increased inspection probability
- Higher severity outcomes
- Greater long-term strategic pressure
Heat decays slowly but never instantly resets, forcing players to manage risk across multiple regions.
Every delivery produces a structured result:
- Success
- Inspection delay
- Confiscation
- Failure
- Wrong-destination delivery
Delivery results update:
- Player wallet
- Regional Heat
- Delivery history logs
This system forms the backbone for the game's evolving world state.
Vehicles define delivery capacity and behavior.
Cargo types include:
- Size classifications
- Configuration data
- Compatibility with vehicle types
Vehicle configuration is driven by ScriptableObject data assets, allowing flexible balancing and expansion.
The project follows a layered system architecture: