Invaders is a clone of the classic arcade game Space Invaders, built to run in a command-line terminal. It is written in C++ and utilizes the ncurses library for rendering and input. The game recreates the original's core mechanics, featuring a player-controlled ship, descending waves of alien enemies, and projectile-based combat, with all graphics rendered using ASCII art.
Controls are intuitive and designed for quick, responsive gameplay:
- Move Left:
j - Move Right:
; - Shoot:
Spacebar - Quit Game:
q
To get it running, you'll need a C++17 compatible compiler, the ncurses library, and xmake for building.
git clone https://github.com/nynepebbles/invaders
cd invaders
The game relies on an environment variable to locate its sprite files. Run this command from the project's root:
export INVADERS_SPRITE_PATH=$(pwd)/sprites
Use xmake to compile and launch the game:
xmake run
(If you use Nix, simply run nix-shell first to set up your environment automatically.)
For those curious about the implementation, key components include:
Program: Manages the main game loop, state, rendering, and input.Entity: A base class for all in-game objects (ship, aliens, bullets) with position, velocity, and health.Sprite: Handles loading and rendering of ASCII art.CollisionBuffer: A grid-based system for detecting in-game collisions.