SDL2 Game Project

Overview

This is a side project built using SDL2 in C, designed as a learning exercise to create a reusable game template. The game, titled F Cubed, features a borderless 1280x720 window with multiple game states (start screen, playing, paused, settings), a player-controlled white cube with a particle trail, collectibles, enemies, and a dynamic pause menu. The project is modular, split across multiple source files for maintainability, and includes logging to log.txt for debugging.

Release - V 1.0.0

Release - Latest

Gameplay

• Navigate a white cube to collect gold collectibles (+10 score each) and green health pickups (+25 HP).
• Avoid the red enemy cube (deals 20 damage/second on contact) and purple line enemies (instant game over on contact).
• Collecting all 5 collectibles spawns a new set, a new line enemy, and a 10% chance for a health pickup.
• Line enemies spawn from a random screen edge, move across the screen, and shrink back after reaching their target.
• The red enemy’s speed increases with your score (150 * (1 + score/500)).
• Particle trails follow the player, turning red during collisions with the red enemy.
• Health and score UI highlights briefly when updated (yellow for score, red for health).

Controls

• Start Screen:
  • ENTER: Start the game.
  • ESC: Quit to desktop.
  • M: Toggle music mute.
• Playing State:
  • WASD or Arrow Keys: Move the player cube (up, down, left, right).
  • ESC: Toggle pause menu.
• Pause Menu:
  • Up/Down Arrows: Navigate options (Resume, Settings, Quit to Main Menu, Quit to Desktop).
  • ENTER: Select the highlighted option.
  • ESC: Resume game.
• Settings Menu:
  • Up/Down Arrows: Navigate options (Music Volume, SFX Volume, Frame Rate, Back).
  • Left/Right Arrows: Adjust volume (0-128 in steps of 8) or frame rate (60 FPS, 120 FPS, Uncapped).
  • ENTER: Select "Back" to return to pause menu.
  • ESC: Return to pause menu.
• Game Over Screen:
  • R: Restart the game.
  • ESC: Return to start screen.
• Notes:
  • Movement momentum is preserved when pausing/resuming mid-motion.
  • Diagonal movement is normalized to maintain consistent speed.

Current Features

• Game States: Start screen, playing, paused, settings, and game over states with smooth transitions.
• Player: A white cube (12x12 pixels) with 300 units/second speed, 100 HP, and screen boundary constraints.
• Particle System: Up to 100 particles (6x6 pixels, 0.8-second lifetime) trail the player, fading from cyan to white (or red shades during collisions).
• Collectibles: 5 gold collectibles (6x6 pixels) spawn randomly, avoiding UI areas. Collecting all triggers respawn and a new line enemy.
• Health Pickups: Green pickups (6x6 pixels, max 3 at a time) restore 25 HP, capped at 100 HP.
• Enemies:
  • Red Cube: A single 12x12 pixel enemy chases the player, dealing 20 damage/second on contact.
  • Line Enemies: Up to 10 purple lines (3 pixels thick) spawn from a random edge, move to a target, then shrink back. Contact triggers instant game over.
• Pause Menu: Four options (Resume, Settings, Quit to Main Menu, Quit to Desktop) with cyan highlight for selected option.
• Settings Menu: Adjust music volume (0-128), SFX volume (0-128), and frame rate (60 FPS, 120 FPS, uncapped).
• UI: Displays score (top-left) and health (top-right), with color changes for low health (<30 HP: red) and recent updates.
• Audio:
  • Background music loop with mute toggle (M).
  • Sound effects for pickup, hit, death, and game start.
  • Configurable music and SFX volumes.
• Visuals:
  • Cyan border (3 pixels) around the 1280x720 window.
  • Semi-transparent grid overlay (12x12 pixel cells).
  • Animated start screen title with sine-wave motion.
• Logging: Debug info (FPS, initialization, menu actions, enemy spawns, collisions) written to log.txt.

Config

• Frame rate: Configurable (60 FPS, 120 FPS, or uncapped), default 120 FPS.
• Window: 1280x720 pixels, borderless with a 3-pixel cyan border.
• Player: 12x12 pixels, 300 units/second speed, 100 max HP.
• Particle System: 100 max particles, 6x6 pixels, 0.8-second lifetime, 100 units/second speed, 0.016-second spawn rate.
• Collectibles: 5 active, 6x6 pixels, +10 score each.
• Health Pickups: Max 3, 6x6 pixels, +25 HP each.
• Enemies:
  • Red Cube: 12x12 pixels, base speed 150 units/second, scales with score.
  • Line Enemies: 3-pixel thickness, 200 units/second speed, max 10 active.
• Audio: Default music volume 16/128, SFX volume 64/128.

Build Prerequisites

• SDL2 development libraries
• SDL2_ttf development libraries
• SDL2_mixer development libraries
• SDL2_image development libraries
• A compiler that supports C (GCC recommended)
• Make (for using the provided Makefile)

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Credits

• Sounds:
  • Ambient Loop
  • Death, Start, Pickup, and Hit Sounds

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Future Improvements

• Settings Menu: Add toggles for particle effects, grid overlay, or other visual options.
• UI Polish: Implement fade transitions, semi-transparent pause/settings menu backgrounds, or additional sound cues.
• Dynamic Particles: Replace fixed particle array with a linked list for better memory management.
• Gameplay Enhancements:
  • Add more enemy types or behaviors.
  • Introduce power-ups beyond health pickups (e.g., speed boosts, shields).
  • Implement high score tracking or leaderboards.
• Visuals: Add animations for collectible pickups or enemy spawns.
• Audio: Support for multiple music tracks or dynamic sound effects based on game state.

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Building the Game

To build the game, ensure you have the prerequisite libraries, then run:

make build