Chapter 0: Welcome

This wiki matches Activerse v1.4.2, the current public engine. The window title is Activerse Instance v1.4.2. Tutorials here describe the source tree in the Activerse project: two packages, a properties file, and a Main class you run to start a world.

What Activerse is

Activerse is a Java 2D game, simulation, and physics engine. You subclass Actor and World, then start the instance with Activerse.start(yourWorld). The engine supplies movement, collision, images, sound, a camera helper, config loading, and a growing utils package. You can stay on the public API or edit the engine itself.

It is closer to a customizable library than a boxed editor. Simple games are straightforward; larger simulations need more Java. AP Computer Science A or equivalent is a solid baseline.

How to run it

  1. Download the latest source from GitHub Releases (v1.4.2).
  2. Open the project in IntelliJ, Eclipse, VS Code, or BlueJ.
  3. Always run Main.java. In the current template, Activerse.start(...) is commented out until you pass your world.
  4. Engine settings live in Activerse.properties (capital A), loaded from the classpath.
import ActiverseEngine.*;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Activerse.start(new MyWorld());
    }
}

In the shipped Activerse.properties, show_debug=true. A Debug button appears on the world. Logging is off (logging=false) and the target frame rate is 60. See Chapter 2.

Project layout (v1.4.2)

Path Role
Main.java Entry point. Call Activerse.start(new YourWorld()).
Activerse.properties Engine keys: fps, show_debug, logging, dynamicLighting.
ActiverseEngine/ Core: Activerse, World, Actor, images, sound, input, camera, config.
ActiverseUtils/ Helpers: paths, physics, UI, particles, world save/load, ACEHS logging, and more.

Import the engine with import ActiverseEngine.*;. Pull utils explicitly when you need them, for example import ActiverseUtils.ResourcePaths;.

Wiki map

Beginner path (in this order):

When you need them:

JavaDoc for the public API is at /Activerse/. Site home is knivier.com/activerse.html.

License and contributing

Activerse is licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: attribution, non-commercial, share-alike. Fork the repo and build a game, or open a GitHub issue for bugs and features. Financial support, if offered, is through the repository funding file.

The engine still moves. Check release notes before you upgrade; backward compatibility is not guaranteed. Prefer the latest release over an old snapshot.

Extra reading