Fenix Project
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fenix is the codename for a GNU project to create a free compiler for a scripting language derived from the one created by Hammer Technologies for the game development suite, DIV Games Studio. However, several features have been added which make it not compatible with most games programmed with DIV.
Contents |
[edit] Features
Fenix is an interpreted language focused on 2D video game development. Its main feature, inherited from DIV, is the pseudo-parallel programming similar to Coroutines, i.e. it gives the developer the chance of programming different processes (enemies, characters, etc.) separately, and the engine will synchronize them. This makes video game developing much easier. Most of its features are now based on Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) which makes Fenix a very portable project. Other features include full 2D support (scaling, transparencies, blend ops...), 16 bpp color, sound (.ogg, .mod, .it, .s3m, .wav), joystick support, mode7 and extensions via libraries.
[edit] Supported platforms
Official: Windows, Linux, Mac OS, BSD, BeOS
Unofficial: GP32, GP2X, Dreamcast, PS2
[edit] Status
Its current version is 0.92a (beta). The old 0.84 branch — which happened to be quite unstable — has been recently retaken by SplinterGU, a developer from Argentina and has been cleaned of all known bugs. Also a GNU default Automaker/Autoconf build system, which increases portability, has been implemented, making it very easy to add support for BSD systems in Fenix.
Although SplinterGU has mainly focused on stabilizing the 0.84 branch, he has also added some new capabilities to Fenix, like a better control of the debug console (also making it display more information).
Some of the Fenix 0.8 developers have started a Fenix 2 branch, which should feature a completely rewritten core, on top of which users (game developers) may plug the required libraries, thus increasing flexibility and modularity. However, this second effort seems to be taking a long time, and no ETA for the project has been given by its developers, so it might not be made public soon. SplinterGU has also publicly shown interest in separating the current Fenix core from the rest of the interpreter,[1] taking a similar path.
[edit] Running Fenix
Fenix comes as a console program. There are several IDEs around, being the most popular FBTwo. Many other general-purpose IDEs can be easily adapted to it.
