The latest articles on DEV Community by Retroboi64 (@retroboi64). https://dev.to/retroboi64 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3554993%2F9e587e33-37bd-460b-b681-e9376cedb196.png https://dev.to/retroboi64 en Retroboi64 Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:22:41 +0000 https://dev.to/retroboi64/building-a-source-inspired-game-engine-from-scratch-in-c-project32-2k93 https://dev.to/retroboi64/building-a-source-inspired-game-engine-from-scratch-in-c-project32-2k93 <h1> 🚀 Introducing Project32 </h1> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fosuztl78wbzd8aojt86p.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fosuztl78wbzd8aojt86p.png" alt=" " width="800" height="340"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fk4qffnnls3m5tip452ys.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fk4qffnnls3m5tip452ys.png" alt=" " width="800" height="399"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgj5e8tn03erf3zkbfg3x.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgj5e8tn03erf3zkbfg3x.png" alt=" " width="800" height="431"></a></p> <p>A compact yet powerful and flexible C++ Game Engine designed for modern development needs with multi-engine and multi-window support.</p> <h2> ⚠️ UNDER CONSTRUCTION </h2> <blockquote> <p><strong>This project is currently under active development.</strong> Many features are incomplete or subject to change. Use at your own risk for production applications.</p> </blockquote> <h2> 🚀 Features </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Multi-Engine Architecture</strong>: Run multiple independent engine instances simultaneously</li> <li> <strong>Multi-Window Support</strong>: Each engine can manage multiple windows with independent rendering contexts</li> <li> <strong>Easy Integration</strong>: Simple API and comprehensive documentation <em>(Work in Progress)</em> </li> <li> <strong>Hot-Reload Ready</strong>: DLL-based architecture enables dynamic loading and reloading</li> <li> <strong>Extensible</strong>: Modular design allows for easy customization</li> <li> <strong>Well-Tested</strong>: Comprehensive test suite ensures reliability</li> <li> <strong>Self-Contained</strong>: All dependencies included in the repository</li> </ul> <h2> 📋 Requirements </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Operating System</strong>: Windows <em>(macOS and Linux support coming soon)</em> </li> <li> <strong>IDE</strong>: Visual Studio 2022 with C++ development tools</li> <li> <strong>C++ Standard</strong>: C++20 or later</li> <li> <strong>Dependencies</strong>: Everything is included in the repository - no external setup required!</li> </ul> <h2> 🎯 Use Cases </h2> <ul> <li>Game Development: Build games with multiple viewport support</li> <li>Editor Tools: Create Unity/Unreal-style multi-window editors</li> <li>Simulation Software: Run multiple simulations simultaneously</li> <li>Debugging Tools: Split game and debug views into separate windows</li> <li>Multi-Monitor Setups: Leverage multiple displays effectively</li> </ul> <h2> 🏗️ Architecture </h2> <p>Multi-Engine System<br> Project32's unique multi-engine architecture allows you to:</p> <p>Run multiple independent engines in the same process<br> Each engine has its own window manager and render context<br> Engines can run simultaneously or be controlled individually<br> Perfect for complex editor scenarios or multi-view applications</p> <h3> API Layers </h3> <ul> <li>C API: Core exported functions for DLL interaction</li> <li>C++ Wrapper: RAII-style P32::Engine namespace for modern C++</li> <li>Instance Classes: EngineInstance and WindowInstance for object-oriented usage</li> </ul> <h2> 📚 Documentation <em>(coming soon)</em> </h2> <p>For detailed documentation, examples, and API reference:</p> <ul> <li>📖 <a href="https://dev.tolink-to-docs">Documentation Site</a> <em>(coming soon)</em> </li> <li>📁 Check the <code>docs/</code> folder in this repository <em>(coming soon)</em> </li> <li>💬 <a href="https://github.com/Retroboi64/Project32/discussions" rel="noopener noreferrer">Join our discussions</a> for community support <em>(coming soon)</em> </li> </ul> <h2> 🤝 Contributing </h2> <p>We welcome contributions! Please see our <a href="//CONTRIBUTING.md">Contributing Guidelines</a> for details on how to:</p> <ul> <li>🐛 Report bugs</li> <li>💡 Suggest new features </li> <li>🔧 Submit pull requests</li> <li>📝 Follow our coding standards</li> </ul> <h2> 👨‍💻 Author </h2> <p><strong>Patrick Reese (Retroboi64)</strong></p> <ul> <li>🐙 GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/Retroboi64" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Retroboi64</a> </li> <li>🚀 Project: <a href="https://github.com/Retroboi64/Project32" rel="noopener noreferrer">Project32</a> </li> </ul> <h2> ⭐ Support the Project </h2> <p>If you find Project32 useful, please consider:</p> <ul> <li>⭐ <strong>Giving it a star</strong> </li> <li>👤 <strong>Following <a href="https://github.com/Retroboi64" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Retroboi64</a></strong> </li> <li>📢 <strong>Sharing it with others</strong> </li> <li>🤝 <strong>Contributing to the project</strong> </li> <li>💬 <strong>Joining the discussion</strong> </li> </ul> <p><em>Made with ❤️ by <a href="https://github.com/Retroboi64" rel="noopener noreferrer">Retroboi64</a></em></p> programming gamedev beginners architecture