ConsoleGameEngine

C# Graphics Library for drawing graphics in Windows Command Prompt

Olle Logdahl, 24 November 2018

ConsoleGameEngine is a C# library that wraps around the System.Console class, adding enhanced functionality for displaying graphics. Implements a new ConsoleGame abstract, a custom buffer, custom color palette, fullscreen capabilites, input handling and more.

Installation / Getting Started

• Download Lastest Build
• Clone git repo and build yourself

git clone https://github.com/ollelogdahl/ConsoleGameEngine.git

After installing you'll have to:

1. Import ConsoleGameEngine.dll to project.
2. Reference the namespace using ConsoleGameEngine;

Why?

I created this Library to make graphics more available for beginners and hobbyists alike. The first programs you create are usually made in the console, but when users want to migrate to actual graphics there is a steep learning curve. My ambition with this library is to depricate the need for psuedo-graphics in the console, usually done by moving the cursor, writing a short string and clearing the actual screen. Not only is that solution unintuitive in the long run, but also highly inefficient.

Uses

• retro-terminal-styled games and applications
• easy-to-use graphics library for basic and advanced graphics in games and applications
• Creating heavy 3D graphics running in 4K

Does the last apply to you? Then sorry, this is not the library you are looking for.

Usage / Features

Library contains two main classes, ConsoleEngine and ConsoleGame

• Custom character screen buffer, allows clearing and blitting to console window
• Console colors with full rgb capabilities
• Custom & premade Palettes, used for changing console window palette
• Accessing and setting pixels individually
• Functions to draw basic shapes and primitives (Triangles, Rectangles, Lines etc.)
• Writing characters to screen using plain-text and FIGlet fonts
• Multiple game loops, including fixed framerate and deltatime settings
• Point and Vector class, for int and float positions
• Setting console window settings, changing window size and running console borderless
• Input handling

ConsoleEngine

Is used to draw to the screen, replacement for the System.Console class (kind of)

using ConsoleGameEngine;
...
Engine = new ConsoleEngine(windowWidth, windowHeight, fontWidth, fontHeight);

Engine.SetPixel(new Point(8, 8), ConsoleCharacter.Full, 15);

ConsoleGame

Keeps an instance of the ConsoleEngine and implements game loops.

Note Not neccessary, you could use the ConsoleEngine as is

using ConsoleGameEngine;
...

new AppName.Construct(windowWidth, windowHeight, fontWidth, fontHeight, FramerateMode.Unlimited);
class AppName : ConsoleGame {
  public override void Create() {
  }
  
  public override void Update() {
  }
  
  public override void Render() {
  }
}

Try out some example games over here

Notes

• Color palette limited to 16 colors in a single session (this is an internal limitation, see MDSN)
• Only ONE reference to a ConsoleEngine is allowed per session
• Press Delete Key to close application if running in borderless

Links

• Repository
• For reporting errors, visit Issue Tracker!
• Related Projects:
  • olcConsoleGameEngine (c++) by Javidx9
  • ColorfulConsole (C#) by Tom Akita
• Special Thanks to:
  • pinvoke.net by Redgate Software, for windows api documentation
  • ScreenToGif by Nicke Manarin, for making screen-gif capturing easy :)

Licensing

This project, and all code it contains, is licensed under The Unlicense and can be read here.