Its development started 4 years ago as a hobby project. I quickly became interested in almost every programming topic involved. I decided that the project will not have libraries. Why you might ask?
Well, in my previous efforts to build a game, on frameworks very quickly I realized that most of my efforts did not go towards actual programming , but in figuring out why the template library functions gave erroneous errors, or how to hook one API to another, got down into the depth of complicated classes with virtualization and inheritance, which in the end turned out to be complete waste of time.
However, there is also this other edge of the blade where you have to make absolutely everything by yourself, which is very daunting and sometimes nearly impossible, so I finally decided that if I am to include a library in the project I must be able to see and change its code. Proprietary or not.
There are currently only one and a half libraries. MeowHash and part of Sean Barrett’s .ttf rasterizer. MeowHash just makes hashing of strings and files much easier and it is extremely fast. And to be honest I don’t understand the intricate mathematical part of hashing to be able to make a decent Level 3 one. Thanks to Sean, I was able to understand quickly the absolute nightmare of the .ttf format so that I could at least get a single letter on the screen (that was huge effort by itself).
In this engine I follow specific guidelines. They are gathered from very experienced programmers in the field. Casey Muratori and Jonathan Blow are one of the very few who really want to help novice programmers. They share their knowledge and experience without expecting anything in return and I am really really glad that I was lucky enough to find them on the web and have enough time to invest and learn the tips and tricks in game engine development!
Up to now, I am the only one who develops this software further. Currently there are no artist on the project, because it is too early. Most tools are not ready for them to use, yet. Some of tools created are specifically targeted to help me investigate issues with the game. Issues might include memory abuse or leaks, performance problems as well as pathfinding issues.
Let’s talk about the game, because what is an engine without any strong game concepts.
It is a real time strategy game that focuses over single player campaign and generated worlds. Waves of difficult bosses will approach you, but you must manage to fight while resisting the terrible weather and the lack of resources. You start as an ant trying to build secure defenses, before the first wave of termites goes into your territory trying to devastate every building and eventually kill your queen. It is a top-down view of your colony.
That’s it for now folks. The game and the tools around it are still very very deep in development, so I cannot give any further details. Even if I do there is a strong possibility that things will not remain the same!
Happy coding to the readers of my blog! If want to receive notifications for my new blogs you can subscribe to my newsletter!