Get Started

Welcome to this informative page, where you’ll be guided through the initial steps on the fascinating journey of crafting your very own game using GFX.

To be able to use the engine optimally, it is first necessary to download it. This is a straightforward process where you just need to select the latest release on Github. By taking this step, you not only secure access to the latest version of GFX, but also to numerous improvements, bug fixes and new features that are continuously provided by our dedicated development team.

You should also download the project template and add to Visual Studio.

Download the latest Version

Download Project Template

Create the Visual Studio project for the game

After you have successfully downloaded the latest version of GFX and added the project template to your Visual Studio, we will create a new project from these files and add the Genesis.dll as a reference to this project. Please make sure you run the build within the x64 settings.

Create your game

This code is intended to help you understand how the game engine works. The basic principle is quite simple: you have a base class called “Game”, which contains various scenes.

A scene is basically a class in itself. It contains different layers for game elements and can have multiple canvases for user interface elements. As mentioned above, the layers contain game elements such as entities, sprites or 3D models. These elements can be equipped with various scripts, so-called “GameBehaviors”. There are already predefined behaviours, or you can create your own.

For more complex games, it is also possible to inherit directly from the Scene class. This allows you to bring more structure to your project and improve the organisation.

Example Code

using Genesis.Core;
using Genesis.Graphics.RenderDevice;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using Genesis.Math;
using Genesis.Core.GameElements;
using Genesis.Physics;
using Genesis.Core.Behaviors.Physics2D;
using Genesis.Graphics.Physics;
using System.Management.Instrumentation;
using Genesis.Core.Behaviors;
using Genesis.Graphics;

namespace Physics2DTest
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        // Game instance for managing the game loop and scenes
        private Game m_game;

        // Constructor for the main form
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            // Initialize the game and set up rendering and viewport
            m_game = new Game(new GLRenderer(this.Handle), new Genesis.Graphics.Viewport(this.ClientSize.Width, this.ClientSize.Height));
            m_game.TargetFPS = 60;
            m_game.AssetManager.LoadTextures();

            // Create a test scene
            var testScene = new Scene("TestScene");

            // Set up the camera for the test scene
            testScene.Camera = new Genesis.Graphics.Camera(new Genesis.Math.Vec3(0f, 0f), new Genesis.Math.Vec3(this.ClientSize.Width, this.ClientSize.Height), -10, 10);
            testScene.AddLayer("BaseLayer");

            // Set up the physics handler for the scene
            var physicsHandler = new PhysicsHandler2D(0f, -10f);
            testScene.PhysicHandler = physicsHandler;

            // Create a player sprite with physics and animation behavior
            var player = new Sprite("Player", new Vec3(-300, 0), new Vec3(32, 32), m_game.AssetManager.GetTexture("player.png"));
           
            var animationBehavior = player.AddBehavior<AnimationBehavior>(new AnimationBehavior(5, 3, 100, m_game.AssetManager.GetTexture("CharacterAnimations.png")));
            var walkRight = new Animation("MoveRight", 0, 0, 5);
            animationBehavior.AddAnimation(walkRight);
            var walkLeft = new Animation("MoveLeft", 0, 1, 5);
            animationBehavior.AddAnimation(walkLeft);
            var idle = new Animation("Idle", 0, 2, 5);
            animationBehavior.AddAnimation(idle);
            animationBehavior.SelectedAnimation = idle;
    
            var physicsBehavior = player.AddBehavior(new Rigidbody2D());
            physicsBehavior.CreateRigidbody(testScene.PhysicHandler, 1f);
            physicsBehavior.RigidBody.AngularFactor = new Vec3(0f, 0f, 0f).ToBulletVec3();
            testScene.AddGameElement("BaseLayer", player);

            // Event handler for sprite collision
            physicsBehavior.OnCollide += (scene, game, collisionObject) =>
            {
                foreach(GameElement element in scene.GetLayer("BaseLayer").Elements)
                {
                    Rigidbody2D rigidbody2D = (Rigidbody2D) element.GetBehavior<Rigidbody2D>();
                    if(rigidbody2D != null)
                    {
                        if(rigidbody2D.RigidBody == collisionObject)
                        {
                            Console.WriteLine("Collision with " + rigidbody2D.Parent.Name);
                        }
                    }
                }
            };

            // Create and add several block sprites to the scene
            var spacing = 120f;
            for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
            {
                var x = -300 + ((64.0f * i) + i * spacing);
                var colObject = new Sprite("ColObject_" + i, new Vec3(x, -150), new Vec3(64, 64), m_game.AssetManager.GetTexture("block.png"));
                var colPhysicsBehavior = colObject.AddBehavior(new Rigidbody2D());
                colPhysicsBehavior.CreateRigidbody(testScene.PhysicHandler, 0f);
                testScene.AddGameElement("BaseLayer", colObject);
            }

            // Event handler for game initialization
            m_game.OnInit += (game, renderer) =>
            {
                animationBehavior.Play();
                PhysicsHandler2D physicsHandler2D = (PhysicsHandler2D)testScene.PhysicHandler;
                physicsHandler2D.PhysicsWorld.DebugDrawer = new BulletDebugRenderer(m_game.RenderDevice);
            };

            // Event handler for rendering the debug information
            m_game.OnRenderEnd += (game, renderer) =>
            {
                PhysicsHandler2D physicsHandler2D = (PhysicsHandler2D)testScene.PhysicHandler;
                physicsHandler2D.PhysicsWorld.DebugDrawWorld();
                Console.WriteLine(m_game.FPS);
            };

            // Event handler for player movement based on keyboard input
            m_game.OnUpdate += (game, renderer) =>
            {
                float jumpSpeed = (float)game.DeltaTime * 0.3f;
                float moveSpeed = (float)game.DeltaTime * 0.3f;
                if (Input.IsKeyDown(Keys.Space))
                {
                    player.Location.Y += jumpSpeed;
                    physicsBehavior.UpdateRigidBody();
                }
                if (Input.IsKeyDown(Keys.A))
                {
                    player.Location.X -= moveSpeed;
                    physicsBehavior.UpdateRigidBody();
                    if (!animationBehavior.SelectedAnimation.Name.Equals("MoveLeft"))
                    {
                        animationBehavior.LoadAnimation("MoveLeft");
                    }
                    animationBehavior.Play();
                }
                else if (Input.IsKeyDown(Keys.D))
                {
                    player.Location.X += moveSpeed;
                    physicsBehavior.UpdateRigidBody();
                    if (!animationBehavior.SelectedAnimation.Name.Equals("MoveRight"))
                    {
                        animationBehavior.LoadAnimation("MoveRight");
                    }
                    animationBehavior.Play();
                }
                else
                {
                    animationBehavior.Stop();
                }
                testScene.Camera.LookAt(player);
            };

            // Add the test scene to the game, load the scene, and start the game loop
            m_game.AddScene(testScene);
            m_game.LoadScene("TestScene");
            m_game.Start();
        }

        // Placeholder method for form load event
        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {

        }
    }
}

Get the example project

To further enhance your understanding, you also have the option to download a sample project directly from our Github page. This example project serves as a practical demonstration, providing hands-on experience with the concepts discussed. By exploring the code, structure, and functionalities of the example project, you can gain a more tangible grasp of how the Game Engine operates.

Get the example project