chem - html5 game engine optimized for rapid development
Usage
# install chem
sudo apt-get install libcairo2-dev
sudo npm install -g chem
# create a new project
chem init <your_project_name>
# run a development server which will automatically recompile your code,
# generate your spritesheets, and serve your assets
chem dev
# see more commands
chem
Synopsis
See the demo in action.
Layout
Source files
./chemfile.js
./src/main.js
./public/index.html
./assets/img/ship.png
./assets/img/explosion/01.png
...
./assets/img/explosion/12.png
Generated files
./public/main.js
./public/spritesheet.png
./public/animations.json
Note
You do not have to use JavaScript. A mixture of any of these languages
is supported and will be automatically compiled into your final script
package. JavaScript files get a top-level closure inserted around them.
- JavaScript
- coco
- coffee-script
- LiveScript
- iced-coffee-script
./src/main.js
var Vec2d = Chem.Vec2d;
Chem.onReady(function () {
var canvas = document.getElementById("game");
var engine = new Chem.Engine(canvas);
var batch = new Chem.Batch();
var boom = new Chem.Sound('sfx/boom.ogg');
var ship = new Chem.Sprite('ship', {
batch: batch,
pos: new Vec2d(200, 200),
rotation: Math.PI / 2
});
var ship_vel = new Vec2d();
var rotation_speed = Math.PI * 0.04;
var thrust_amt = 0.1;
engine.on('update', function (dt, dx) {
ship.pos.add(ship_vel);
if (engine.buttonState(Chem.Button.Key_Left)) {
ship.rotation -= rotation_speed * dx;
}
if (engine.buttonState(Chem.Button.Key_Right)) {
ship.rotation += rotation_speed * dx;
}
var thrust = new Vec2d(Math.cos(ship.rotation), Math.sin(ship.rotation));
if (engine.buttonState(Chem.Button.Key_Up)) {
ship_vel.add(thrust.scaled(thrust_amt * dx));
}
if (engine.buttonState(Chem.Button.Key_Down)) {
ship_vel.sub(thrust.scaled(thrust_amt * dx));
}
if (engine.buttonJustPressed(Chem.Button.Key_Space)) {
boom.play();
ship.setAnimationName('boom');
ship.setFrameIndex(0);
ship.on('animation_end', function() {
ship.delete();
});
}
});
engine.on('draw', function (context) {
context.fillStyle = '#000000'
context.fillRect(0, 0, engine.size.x, engine.size.y);
engine.draw(batch);
context.fillStyle = '#ffffff'
engine.drawFps();
});
engine.start();
canvas.focus();
});
./chemfile.js
exports.libs = [];
exports.main = 'src/main';
exports.spritesheet = {
defaults: {
delay: 0.05,
loop: false,
anchor: "center"
},
animations: {
boom: {
frames: "explosion"
},
ship: {}
}
};
./public/index.html
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Chem Example</title>
</head>
<body style="text-align: center">
<canvas id="game" width="853" height="480"></canvas>
<p>Use the arrow keys to move around and space to destroy yourself.</p>
<script type="text/javascript" src="main.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
See the demo in action.
See also Meteor Attack demo
Documentation
Developing With Chem
Chemfile
Start by looking at your chemfile
. This file contains all the instructions
on how to build your game.
This file, like every other source file in your game, can be in any compile-
to-JavaScript language (including JavaScript itself) that you choose.
-
main
- this is the entry point into your game. Chem will use
jspackage with this as the
input file. Often this is set to src/main
.
-
libs
- additional search paths for source code. Often this is used for
a ./public/vendor/
directory so you can depend on third party packages.
Within your code, you can use these directives:
#depend "path/to/source"
- declares that the file must be included before
the current file in the final package.#depend "some_other_file" bare
- does not include a top-level function
wrapper in the included file.//depend "../another"
- you can do this in JavaScript too. Just use
whatever one-line commenting syntax your language supports.
See jspackage for additional
information.
-
spritesheet
defaults
- for each animation, these are the default values that will
be used if you do not specify one.animations
- these will be available when you create a sprite.
anchor
- the "center of gravity" point. pos
is centered here, and
a sprite's rotation
rotates around this point. Use a Vec2d instance
for this value.frames
- frames can be a list of filenames or a string to match the
beginning of files with. if you leave it out entirely, it defaults to
the animation name.delay
- number of seconds between frames.loop
- whether an animation should start over when it ends. You can
override this in individual sprites.
Bootstrapping
The simplest way to bootstrap is to depend on "chem":
Chem.onReady(function() {
});
However, you can choose to depend
only on the parts of chem that you need,
which will prevent unnecessary components from being included in your package.
For example, this would only include the Vecd2
class in your source package:
console.log((new Chem.Vec2d()).toString());
However, if you don't depend
on "chem", you will need to call bootstrap
manually, otherwise the onReady
event will never be fired:
Chem.bootstrap();
Chem.onReady(function() {
});
Vec2d Convention
As a convention, any Vec2d
instances you get from Chem are not clones. That
is, pay careful attention not to perform destructive behavior on the Vec2d
instances returned from the API.
Not Using a Spritesheet
If you omit the spritesheet object in your chemfile, no spritesheet files will
be generated. Be sure to set Chem.use_spritesheet = false
in your app code to
avoiding attempting to load the missing resources.
Reference
Batch
//depend "chem/batch"
A Batch
is a set of sprites which you can conveniently draw using the
Engine::draw(batch)
method.
Batch::add(sprite)
:
Adds a sprite to the batch. If called multiple times for the same sprite,
the sprite is only added once.
Batch::remove(sprite)
:
Removes a sprite from the batch. OK to call multiple times.
Button
//depend "chem/button"
Enumeration to get the button that a person is activating. Keyboard buttons
start with Key_
and mouse buttons start with Mouse_
.
For example, the left mouse button is Chem.Button.Mouse_Left
and the
right arrow key is Chem.Button.Key_Right
.
See also:
Engine::buttonState
Engine::buttonJustPressed
Engine:: 'buttondown' event (button)
Engine:: 'buttonup' event (button)
See src/client/chem/button.co
for the full listing.
Engine
//depend "chem/engine"
methods
Engine::new(canvas)
Create an instance of the engine and bind it to a canvas:
var engine = new Chem.Engine(document.getElementById("the-canvas"));
Engine::setSize(size)
Resize the game.
Engine::start()
Call this to start the main loop and start listening to events.
Engine::setMinFps(min_fps)
If the FPS drops below this value, your engine will lag instead of trying
to compensate with a larger dt/dx sent to `update`
Defaults to 20.
See also `Engine:: 'update' event(dt, dx)`
Engine::stop()
Call this to stop the main loop and stop listening to events.
Engine::buttonState(button)
Check if `button` is currently pressed. See also `Button`.
Engine::buttonJustPressed(button)
Call from the `update` event. It returns true if `button` is pressed,
but then returns false for subsequent calls until `button` is released
and pressed again.
See also `Button`.
Engine::draw(batch)
Call from the `draw` event and pass in the `Batch` that you want to draw.
All of the sprites will be drawn with the correct rotations, offsets,
scaling, `z_order`, and animation applied.
Engine::drawFps()
Draws the current frames per second in the corner of your game with
whatever fillColor and font are currently set.
properties
Engine::size
Read only. `Vec2d` instance. Use `Engine::setSize` if you want to update
the size.
Engine::fps
Read only. Contains an up to date value for the current frames per second.
Engine::canvas
Read only. The canvas element that the engine is using.
Engine::mouse_pos
Read only. `Vec2d` instance representing the current mouse position
relative to the canvas.
events
These are events that you can subscribe to. See EventEmitter
on how to
subscribe to events.
Engine:: 'update' event (dt, dx)
Fired as often as possible, capping at about 60 FPS. Use it to compute
the next frame in your game.
`dt` is the "delta time" - the amount of time in seconds that has passed
since `update` was last fired.
`dx` is a multiplier intended to adjust your physics. If your game is
running perfectly smoothly at 60 FPS, `dx` will be exactly 1. If your game
is running half as fast as it should, at 30 FPS, `dx` will be 2. `dx` is
equal to `dt` * 60.
Engine:: 'draw' event (context)
You should perform all canvas drawing based on your game state in response
to this event.
See also:
* `Engine::draw`
Engine:: 'mousemove' event (pos, button)
Fired when the mouse moves.
`pos`: a `Vec2d` instance.
`button`: an enum from `Button`.
See also:
* `Engine::mousePos()`
Engine:: 'buttondown' event (button)
Engine:: 'buttonup' event (button)
Fired when the player presses a button down or up, respectively.
`button`: an enum from `Button`.
EventEmitter
//depend "chem/event_emitter"
public
EventEmitter::on(event_name, handler)
:
`handler` will now be called when `event_name` is fired.
EventEmitter::removeListener(event_name, handler)
:
`handler` is the one you registered with `on`. It will no longer be called
when `event_name` is fired.
protected
EventEmitter::emit(event_name, ...args)
Fires an `event_name` event with `args`. Listeners will be notified.
Sound
//depend "chem/sound"
Sound::new(url)
Example:
var sound = new Chem.Sound('url/to/sound.ogg');
Sound::play()
Plays the sound. If the sound is already playing, it will play another
instance at the same time.
Returns the HTML5 Audio object that is generating the sound, which has these
methods: pause(), play()
And these properties: currentTime, duration
Sprite
//depend "chem/sprite"
methods
Sprite::new(animation_name, params)
Example:
var sprite = new Chem.Sprite('some_animation_name', {
pos: new Vec2d(0, 0),
scale: new Vec2d(1, 1),
z_order: 0,
batch: some_batch,
rotation: 0,
visible: true,
frame_index: 0,
loop: true
});
All the params are optional.
Sprite::setAnimationName(animation_name)
Changes the sprite's animation to the one indexed by `animation_name`.
Note that you probably also want to call `setFrameIndex(0)` if you want
the new animation to start from the beginning.
Sprite::setAnimation(animation)
Changes the sprite's animation to `animation`.
Note that you probably also want to call `setFrameIndex(0)` if you want
the new animation to start from the beginning.
Sprite::getSize()
Like `Sprite::size` but takes scale and current frame into account.
Sprite::getAnchor()
Convenience method to get a `Vec2d` representing the anchor position.
Takes into account scale.
Does not take into account rotation.
Sprite::getTopLeft()
Sprite::getBottomRight()
Convenience methods returning a `Vec2d` instance of corners of the sprite.
Takes into account scale and current frame.
Does not take into account rotation.
Sprite::getTop()
Sprite::getLeft()
Sprite::getBottom()
Sprite::getRight()
Convenience methods returning the location of edges of the sprite.
Takes into account scale and current frame.
Does not take into account rotation.
Sprite::setLeft(x)
Sprite::setRight(x)
Sprite::setTop(y)
Sprite::setBottom(y)
Convenience methods to set the location of edges of the sprite.
Takes into account scale and current frame.
Does not take into account rotation.
Sprite::isTouching(sprite)
Returns boolean of whether the sprite is colliding with another.
Takes into account scale and current frame.
Does not take into account rotation.
Sprite::setVisible(visible)
Hides the sprite but keeps it ready to display again.
See also `Sprite::delete()`.
Sprite::setZOrder(z_order)
Use to layer sprites the way you want to. Start with 0 as the bottom layer.
When you want to put something on top, use 1 for the z_order, 2 for
something on top of that, and so on.
See also `Sprite::z_order`
Sprite::setFrameIndex(frame_index)
Set the frame to show when the sprite is rendered. Animation will continue
from this frame as usual. To find out the frame count, use
`sprite.animation.frames.length`.
Sprite::setLoop(loop)
This value overrides the animation's loop property. If set to `null`,
it will fall back to the animation's loop property.
See also `Sprite::loop`.
Sprite::setAnimationStartDate(animation_start_date)
Does the same thing as `Sprite::setFrameIndex(frame_index)` except you
specify a date instead of a frame index.
Sprite::getFrameIndex()
Returns the index of the current frame. See also
`Sprite::setFrameIndex(frame_index)`
Sprite::delete()
Indicates that the sprite should release all resources and no longer
display on the canvas.
See also `Sprite::setVisible(visible)`.
properties
Sprite::pos
`Vec2d`. Get or set the position in the canvas this sprite is drawn.
Sprite::size
Read only. `Vec2d` width and height of the first frame, not taking into
account `scale` or current frame.
Sprite::scale
`Vec2d`. Get or set the scale with which the sprite is drawn.
Sprite::z_order
Read only. Use `Sprite::setZOrder` to change the `z_order` of a sprite.
Sprite::batch
Read only. Use `Batch::add(sprite)` and `Batch::remove(sprite)` to
change this value.
Sprite::rotation
Get or set the angle of the sprite, in radians. Going over 2 * pi is OK.
Sprite::loop
Read only. Use `Sprite::setLoop(loop)` to set this value.
Sprite::id
Read only. Uniquely identifies this `Sprite` among others.
Sprite::animation
Read only. The current animation of the sprite. Properties of `animation`
are:
* `anchor` - `Vec2d` instance
* `delay` - seconds
* `loop` - boolean
* `frames` - `[{size, pos}]` - both `size` and `pos` here are `Vec2d`s.
Sprite::animation_name
Read only.
events
These are events that you can subscribe to. See EventEmitter
on how to
subscribe to events.
Sprite:: 'animation_end' event
Fired when the animation completes. If `loop` is true, this will be at a
regular interval. If `loop` is false, this will fire only once, until you
reset the frame index.
See also:
* `Sprite::setFrameIndex(frame_index)`
Vec2d
//depend "chem/vec2d"
This is straightforward. You are better off just looking at the source than
reading documentation:
class Vec2d
(x_or_pair, y) ->
if y?
@x = x_or_pair
@y = y
else if x_or_pair?
if x_or_pair instanceof Array
@x = x_or_pair[0]
@y = x_or_pair[1]
else
@x = x_or_pair.x
@y = x_or_pair.y
else
@x = 0
@y = 0
offset: (dx, dy) -> new Vec2d(@x + dx, @y + dy)
add: (other) ->
@x += other.x
@y += other.y
this
sub: (other) ->
@x -= other.x
@y -= other.y
this
plus: (other) -> @clone().add(other)
minus: (other) -> @clone().sub(other)
neg: ->
@x = -@x
@y = -@y
this
mult: (other) ->
@x *= other.x
@y *= other.y
this
times: (other) -> @clone().mult(other)
scale: (scalar) ->
@x *= scalar
@y *= scalar
this
scaled: (scalar) -> @clone().scale(scalar)
clone: -> new Vec2d(@x, @y)
apply: (func) ->
@x = func(@x)
@y = func(@y)
this
applied: (func) -> @clone().apply(func)
distanceTo: (other) ->
dx = other.x - @x
dy = other.y - @y
Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy)
equals: (other) -> @x is other.x and @y is other.y
toString: -> "(#{@x}, #{@y})"
lengthSqrd: -> @x * @x + @y * @y
length: -> Math.sqrt(@lengthSqrd())
angle: -> if @lengthSqrd() is 0 then 0 else Math.atan2(@y, @x)
normalize: ->
const length = @length()
if length is 0
this
else
@scale(1 / length)
normalized: -> @clone().normalize()
boundMin: (other) ->
if @x < other.x then @x = other.x
if @y < other.y then @y = other.y
boundMax: (other) ->
if @x > other.x then @x = other.x
if @y > other.y then @y = other.y
floor: -> @apply(Math.floor)
floored: -> @applied(Math.floor)
project: (other) ->
@scale(@dot(other) / other.lengthSqrd())
this
dot: (other) -> @x * other.x + @y * other.y
rotate: (other) ->
@x = @x * other.x - @y * other.y
@y = @x * other.y + @y * other.x
this
distanceSqrd: (other) -> Math.pow(@x - other.x, 2) + Math.pow(@y - other.y, 2)
distance: (other) -> Math.sqrt(@distanceSqrd(other))
Developing chem
# set up dev environment for chem itself:
sudo apt-get install libcairo2-dev
sudo npm link
# while developing:
npm run dev