The C++ Game Development Templates Library

What is it?

The Game Development Templates (GDT) is a minimal game development toolkit written mostly as a set of generic modern C++ templates.

Built for freedom

GDT is designed to allow easy switching between different libraries for graphics, audio physics and other game backends. While still being work-in-progress, GDT currently supports GLFW or SDL, OpenGL, OpenAL and Bullet, physics. Vulkan and Newton support is coming soon, followed by the yet to be chosen network backends.

Here’s how you specify a GDT application with a set of changable backends:

using my_game = gdt::application<
    gdt::platform::sdl::backend_for_opengl,
    gdt::graphics::opengl::backend,
    gdt::audio::openal::backend,
    gdt::physics::bullet::backend,
    gdt::no_networking,
    gdt::context
>;

Soon you would be able to change this set completely, without changing other parts of your game code.

Built for coding

In GDT, your C++ code is your main game modeling environment. Any other tools are considered peripherial. You will use standard C++ constructs to model your game assets, materials, scenes and animations. You choose your editor or IDE, you choose your project structure and everything is visible and controllable:

struct zombie {
    my_game::model model;
    my_game::shader::material material;
    my_game::animation walk,
                       attack,
                       die;
};

GDT also prefers structuring things in compile time rather than runtime. This is done through using templates, static polymorphism, CRTP and other nasty tricks. The general idea is that it’s faster to parse through a compiler’s error message (even ones involving templates) than debugging a misbehavior in runtime.

Built for tomorrow

GDT is using modern C++, applying smart (cough, arsed, cough..) techniques where it makes sense, while holding back from over-using the language where it isn’t.

Built for you

GDT prefers your code readability on the expense of its inner complexity. Game developers should be able to read their code easily, without parsing through forced and obscured code constructs. GDT tries to follow this guideline as much as possible.

For example, here’s how you use a shader pipeline to render stuff:

deferred_shader.use(ctx)
    .set_pov(_camera)
    .set_lights(_lights_rig)
    .draw(_graveyard)
    .draw(_zombie)
    .draw(_hero);

Call for help

GDT is far from being ready. It needs people like you who share the vision of having templates-based C++ game engine and who can submit pull requests with cool new features, sample code or documentation improvements. No contribution is too small!