Skip to content

roadmap.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
350 lines (278 loc) · 9.74 KB

roadmap.md

File metadata and controls

350 lines (278 loc) · 9.74 KB

ZEngine Development Roadmap

Overview

Timeline: 12+ month development cycle
Target: Production-ready game engine for indie developers
Performance Goal: 144+ FPS on high-end hardware, 60+ FPS on mid-range

Phase 1: Foundation (Months 1-3)

Core Focus: Prove compile-time optimization concept works

Month 1: Core Architecture

Week 1-2: Project Foundation

  • Zig Project Setup

    • Initialize project with proper build.zig configuration
    • Set up root.zig/main.zig architecture pattern
    • Create basic module structure for 5 subsystems
    • Establish unit testing framework
    • Set up CI/CD pipeline

  • Hardware Detection System

    • Implement compile-time CPU core detection
    • Add cache size detection (L1, L2, L3)
    • Create GPU capability detection
    • Build system memory analysis
    • Add hardware tier classification system

Week 3-4: Memory & Entity Systems

  • Compile-Time Analysis Framework

    • Build AST analyzer for Zig source code
    • Create resource requirement calculator
    • Implement memory footprint analyzer
    • Add entity usage pattern detection

  • Entity System Foundation

    • Structure-of-Arrays memory layout implementation
    • Cache-aligned allocation system
    • Type-safe entity handle system
    • Component storage optimization

Month 2: Threading & Jobs

Week 5-6: Job System Core

  • Threading Architecture

    • Work-stealing job queue implementation
    • Lock-free inter-thread communication
    • Dependency graph analyzer
    • Thread-local memory pools

  • Job Scheduler

    • Compile-time execution plan generation
    • Runtime job distribution system
    • Thread affinity optimization
    • Load balancing algorithms

Week 7-8: Basic Subsystems

  • Input System

    • Low-latency input processing
    • Event queue implementation
    • Input mapping system
    • Multi-device support

  • Minimal Render System

    • Basic sprite rendering
    • Batch optimization
    • Shader compilation system
    • GPU command buffer management

Month 3: Integration & Testing

Week 9-10: Physics Foundation

  • Physics System Core
    • Spatial partitioning (grid/tree)
    • Basic collision detection
    • Integration algorithms
    • Constraint solving basics

Week 11-12: First Game Demo

  • Integration Testing
    • Create simple 2D platformer demo
    • Performance measurement suite
    • Memory usage analysis tools
    • Frame rate consistency testing

Phase 1 Success Criteria:

  • ✅ Simple 2D game runs at 144+ FPS consistently
  • ✅ Zero dynamic allocation during gameplay
  • ✅ Multi-core CPU utilization demonstrated
  • ✅ Cache-friendly memory layout proven

Phase 2: Subsystem Implementation (Months 4-8)

Core Focus: Complete all 5 subsystems with full optimization

Month 4: Advanced Rendering

Week 13-14: Render Pipeline

  • Advanced Rendering Features
    • Texture management system
    • Shader variant generation
    • Render pass optimization
    • GPU memory management

Week 15-16: Graphics Optimization

  • Rendering Performance
    • Frustum culling implementation
    • Occlusion culling basics
    • Level-of-detail (LOD) system
    • Instanced rendering support

Month 5: Audio System

Week 17-18: Audio Core

  • Audio Architecture
    • Low-latency audio pipeline
    • Multi-channel mixing
    • Audio memory pools
    • Format conversion system

Week 19-20: Audio Effects

  • DSP Implementation
    • Basic audio effects (reverb, delay, filters)
    • Real-time audio processing
    • Audio streaming system
    • 3D positional audio

Month 6: Physics System

Week 21-22: Advanced Physics

  • Physics Optimization
    • Parallel collision detection
    • Constraint solver optimization
    • Continuous collision detection
    • Physics material system

Week 23-24: Physics Integration

  • Physics Polish
    • Trigger volume system
    • Physics debugging tools
    • Performance profiling
    • Stability improvements

Month 7: Logic System

Week 25-26: Component Architecture

  • Entity-Component System
    • Component registration system
    • System scheduling optimization
    • Component dependency analysis
    • Hot-reload support for development

Week 27-28: Scripting Integration

  • Game Logic Framework
    • State machine implementation
    • Event system integration
    • Scene management
    • Asset reference system

Month 8: System Integration

Week 29-30: Performance Optimization

  • Cross-System Optimization
    • Inter-system communication optimization
    • Memory usage optimization
    • Cache performance analysis
    • SIMD instruction utilization

Week 31-32: Testing & Validation

  • Comprehensive Testing
    • Create multiple demo games
    • Stress testing under various loads
    • Memory leak detection
    • Performance regression testing

Phase 2 Success Criteria:

  • ✅ Complete 2D game with all subsystems working
  • ✅ Consistent performance under varied loads
  • ✅ All subsystems demonstrate multi-threading
  • ✅ Resource usage within compile-time predictions

Phase 3: API Refinement (Months 9-11)

Core Focus: Developer experience and production readiness

Month 9: Developer Experience

Week 33-34: API Polish

  • API Refinement
    • Simplify common use cases
    • Improve error messages
    • Add compile-time validation
    • Create API consistency guidelines

Week 35-36: Documentation

  • Documentation System
    • Comprehensive API documentation
    • Tutorial creation (beginner to advanced)
    • Example game implementations
    • Performance optimization guides

Month 10: Advanced Features

Week 37-38: Advanced Graphics

  • Enhanced Rendering
    • Lighting system implementation
    • Shadow mapping
    • Post-processing pipeline
    • Particle system

Week 39-40: Platform Support

  • Cross-Platform Implementation
    • Windows platform layer
    • Linux platform layer
    • macOS platform layer
    • Platform abstraction testing

Month 11: Production Polish

Week 41-42: Build System

  • Build System Integration
    • Seamless zig build integration
    • Asset pipeline implementation
    • Hot-reload development workflow
    • Distribution/packaging system

Week 43-44: Debugging Tools

  • Development Tools
    • Performance profiler integration
    • Memory usage visualizer
    • Frame time analyzer
    • Debug rendering system

Phase 3 Success Criteria:

  • ✅ External developers can create games easily
  • ✅ Performance competitive with existing engines
  • ✅ Stable API suitable for production
  • ✅ Comprehensive documentation and examples

Phase 4: Ecosystem & Community (Months 12+)

Core Focus: Community building and ecosystem growth

Month 12: Public Release

Week 45-46: Release Preparation

  • Release Engineering
    • Version 1.0 feature freeze
    • Comprehensive testing suite
    • Performance benchmarking
    • Security audit

Week 47-48: Community Launch

  • Community Building
    • Public repository launch
    • Community forum setup
    • Discord/communication channels
    • Initial marketing and outreach

Ongoing: Ecosystem Development

Continuous Development

  • Asset Pipeline Tools

    • Texture compression tools
    • Audio format converters
    • Model importers
    • Animation systems

  • Community Support

    • Regular releases and updates
    • Community tutorial creation
    • Plugin/extension system
    • Package manager integration

  • Advanced Features

    • 3D rendering pipeline
    • Network/multiplayer support
    • VR/AR capabilities
    • Mobile platform support

Phase 4 Success Criteria:

  • ✅ Active developer community (100+ users)
  • ✅ Production games shipped (5+ titles)
  • ✅ Performance leadership demonstrated
  • ✅ Sustainable development model

Critical Path & Dependencies

Immediate Blockers (Next 4 Weeks)

  1. Zig Language Stability - Ensure Zig version compatibility
  2. Hardware Detection - Must work reliably across platforms
  3. Memory Layout - Core to all optimization strategies
  4. Job System - Foundation for all multi-threading

Key Milestones

  • Month 1: First compiled executable with basic functionality
  • Month 3: First playable game demo
  • Month 6: All 5 subsystems operational
  • Month 9: External developer testing begins
  • Month 12: Public v1.0 release

Risk Mitigation

  • Weekly progress reviews to catch issues early
  • Parallel development tracks to avoid blocking dependencies
  • Community engagement from Month 6 onward for feedback
  • Performance benchmarking at every major milestone

Resource Requirements

  • Development Time: 1-2 full-time developers minimum
  • Testing Hardware: Range of hardware tiers for validation
  • Community Infrastructure: Forums, documentation hosting, CI/CD

Success Metrics by Phase

Phase 1 Metrics

  • Frame rate: 144+ FPS on target hardware
  • Memory: <1MB dynamic allocation during gameplay
  • Threading: >50% multi-core utilization
  • Cache: >80% L1 cache hit rate

Phase 2 Metrics

  • Feature completion: All 5 subsystems operational
  • Performance: Maintain 144+ FPS with full feature set
  • Stability: 8+ hour continuous runtime without issues
  • Memory: Resource usage within 10% of predictions

Phase 3 Metrics

  • Developer onboarding: Productive within 4 hours
  • API simplicity: Core game logic <200 lines
  • Build speed: Full optimization build <60 seconds
  • Documentation: 90%+ API coverage

Phase 4 Metrics

  • Community: 100+ active developers
  • Production: 5+ shipped games
  • Performance: Benchmarks vs Unity/Godot
  • Ecosystem: 20+ community tutorials/resources

This roadmap provides a structured path from concept to production-ready game engine, with clear milestones, dependencies, and success criteria at every phase.