Introduction - Mundus: My first shot at game development

Timeline >


Contents

Due for rework

  1. Timeline
  2. User Interface
    1. Main screen
    2. Create new game
    3. Game Window
    4. Map menu
    5. Inventory menu
    6. Crafting menu
  3. Basic Concepts
    1. Tiles
    2. Layers and superlayers
    3. Inventory
    4. Crafting
    5. Event logs

I have been toying with the idea of making a game ever since my first exposure to programming. The earliest piece of code I ever wrote was about replicating a computer boot up sequence from the video game SOMA. I developed it in 2015, solid 3 years before my first proper introduction to software development.

Five years later, in early 2020, I had to make a project for an exam. I (initially) had about a month to complete it and the only requirements were technical: utilize a database with at least x tables, employ a specific design pattern, etc. Fairly quickly I decided upon making a “minecraftian” game: 2D sandbox where you could fight, craft, build, eat and explore.

I called it Mundus and it took me around 3 months to complete and consisted of more than 2000 lines of code. Although these metrics aren’t very impressive in the real world, they were a monumental achievement for me. In the beginning I planned on developing it into a fully fledged game, but that never happened.

Nevertheless, this journey was very important to me, hence writing this multi-page article.

Link to the source code: GitLab

Screenshots

Screenshots are made on Linux Mint Cinnamon with the Mint-Y theme