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https://github.com/cstoquer/pixelbox

A sandbox framework to fast-prototype tile-based games in HTML5 and JavaScript
https://github.com/cstoquer/pixelbox

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A sandbox framework to fast-prototype tile-based games in HTML5 and JavaScript

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README 

        
![pixelbox](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2462139/77128117-527e4d80-6a92-11ea-9347-ae262e520620.png)



### A sandbox framework to fast-prototype tile-based games



Pixelbox takes inspiration from fantasy consoles like [PICO8](http://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php) and game creation frameworks like Unity3D.



# Install



From version 2, the Pixelbox package no longer includes the editor. Instead, the editor is now a standalone application that can be downloaded [on Itch.io](https://cstoquer.itch.io/pixelbox).



# Use



A Pixelbox project has the following structure:

```

assets/

 ├── tilesheet.png

 ├── palette.png

 └── maps.json

audio/

build/

src/

 └── main.js

tools/

node_modules/

project.pixelbox

package.json

index.html

```



 - `assets/` is where game assets go (images, text files, JSON)

 - `audio/` is where sounds and music go

 - `src/` is the source code folder, and `main.js` is the entry file of the game



# Programming with pixelbox



### Program structure



The game entry point is the `src/main.js` file. If you provide an `exports.update` function, Pixelbox will call it every frame.



Building is done using [browserify](http://browserify.org/) which gives you access to `require` (or `import`) and `exports` to easily modularize your project.



### Assets



Pixelbox automatically loads all assets at startup, before executing the game code. All supported files added inside the `assets/` directory will be available in the `assets` global object. The structure follows the structure of the directory. For instance, the file located in `assets/sprites/player.png` will be accessible with `assets.sprites.player`.



Supported files include:

 - images (`.png`, `.jpg`)

 - JSON formatted data (`.json`)

 - plain text files (`.txt`, `.css`, `.vert`, `.frag`)



You have direct access to the content of JSON files.



Because files are loaded inside the `assets` object and refered wthout their extension, you cannot have a file and a directory with the same name inside the same directory.



# Pixelbox API



Pixelbox exposes the following methods directly on the global scope:



### Drawing graphics



 - `cls()` clear screen with *paper* color

 - `sprite(n, x, y [,flipH [,flipV [, flipR]]])` draw sprite number `n` on screen at pixel position `(x, y)`

 `flipH` and `flipV` can be used to flip sprites horizontally or vertically, `flipR` adds a 90 degree clockwise rotation

 - `draw(image, x, y [,flipH [,flipV [, flipR]]])` draw an *Image*, *Texture* or *TileMap* on screen at pixel position `(x, y)`

 - `tilesheet(image)` change image used as default tilesheet

 - `rect(x, y, w, h)` stroke a rectangle with *pen* color

 - `rectf(x, y, w, h)` fill a rectangle with *paper* color

 - `camera(x, y)` scroll add further drawing by provided position



### Printing text



Pixelbox has a predefined *"minitext"* bitmap font that you can use to print text on screen or in textures. *Minitext* is available by default, but can be disabled in the project settings.



 - `print(text, [x, y])` if x, y is provided, print `text` at pixel position (`x`, `y`);

else print text at cursor current position

 - `println(text)` print `text` and feed new line;

when the cursor reaches the bottom of the screen, vertical scroll is applied

(just like it would happen in a terminal)

 - `locate(i, j)` set cursor position at column `i` line `j`

 - `pen(colorId)` set text color to `colorId` in color palette

 - `paper(colorId)` set paper color to `colorId` in color palette



### User controls



 - `btn` state of the buttons — by default, available buttons are: `up`, `down`, `left`, `right`, `A`, `B` (buttons names and binding can be configured in the project settings)

 - `btnp` whether button has been pressed during current frame

 - `btnr` whether button has been released during current frame



### Playing sound



 - `sfx('sound');` play the sound.mp3 file in `audio/` folder

 - `music('bgm');` play the bgm.mp3 file in loop; if another music is already playing, it will cross fade to the new music; if no `soundId` is provided, music stops



 [AudioManager](https://github.com/Wizcorp/AudioManager) is the module that handles audio

loading and playback. You have access to its instance on `audioManager`.



### Other utility functions



 - `clamp(value, min, max)` clip a value between min and max

 - `chr$(n)` return a character from code `n`

 - `random(n)` return a random **integer** between 0 and n

 - `inherits(Child, Parent)` make class *Child* inherit from class *Parent*



# Pixelbox components



## Texture



Texture is a canvas that can be drawn, and inside which things can be drawn. In Canvas2D mode, it is implemented with a HTML canvas. In WebGL mode, it is implemented with a GLTexture2D.



The main screen (accessible by the global variable `$screen`) is an instance of Texture and most of its methods are accessible from the global scope.



To create new texture, you need to require the `Texture` module:

```javascript

var Texture = require('pixelbox/Texture');

var texture = new Texture(128, 128); // create a new texture of 128 by 128 pixels

```



#### Texture settings



```javascript

texture.resize(width, height);

texture.setPalette(palette);

texture.pen(colorIndex); // set PEN color index from palette (pen is used for text and stroke)

texture.paper(colorIndex); // set PAPER color index from palette (paper is used for fill)

texture.setTilesheet(tilesheet); // set tilesheet used for this texture

```



A tilesheet is an Image containing 256 sprites organized in a 16 x 16 grid (the size of the tilesheet depend of the sprite size you set for your game).



#### Rendering



```javascript

texture.clear(); // clear texture (it becomes transparent)

texture.cls(); // clear screen (the whole texture is filled with the PAPER color)

texture.sprite(sprite, x, y, flipH, flipV, flipR); // draw a sprite from current tilesheet in the texture

texture.draw((img, x, y, flipH, flipV, flipR); // draw an image (or Texture or Map) in the texture

texture.rect(x, y, width, height); // stroke a rectangle

texture.rectf(x, y, width, height); // fill a rectangle

```



#### Printing text



```javascript

texture.locate(i, j); // set text cursor to specified location

texture.print(text, x, y); // print some text

texture.println(text); // print some text and feed a new line

```



## Tile Maps



Pixelbox has a built-in `TileMap` component.

A TileMap consist of:

 - A name

 - A tilesheet — when the tilesheet is changed, the whole map will be redrawn with the new tilesheet

 - A grid of sprites from the tilesheet plus few flags to flip or rotate sprites



Once created, a tile map is rendered in one draw call only.



TileMap can be used to render a level made of sprites, or just to store game data.



You can create tile maps from your game code; But usually, you will be using Pixelbox's tools (see the Tools section below) to create and manage your maps as game assets. A map can then be retrieved by its name with Pixelbox's `getMap` function. The tile map can then be drawn on screen (or in another Texture), modified, copied, pasted, resized, etc.



When stored in assets, the map is compressed to Pixelbox format to reduce file size.



#### Get tile map



```javascript

var map = getMap('mapName'); // get a tile map by its name

```



To create new maps, you need to require the `Map` module:

```javascript

var TileMap = require('pixelbox/TileMap');

var map = new TileMap(16, 16); // create a new tile map of 16 by 16 tiles

```



#### Draw map



```javascript

map.draw(x, y);  // draw map on screen at [x, y] position

draw(map, x, y); // idem, using the global draw function

texture.draw(map, x, y); // draw a map in another texture

map.setTilesheet(tilesheet); // set tilesheet to use for this map

                             // The whole map is redrawn when calling this function

```



#### Access map content



```javascript

map.get(x, y); // returns the Tile at position [x, y]. null if empty

map.set(x, y, tile, flipH, flipV, flipR, flagA, flagB); // add a tile

map.remove(x, y); // remove tile at position [x, y]. (set it to null)

map.find(tile, flagA, flagB); // find all tiles with specified properties

```



#### Modifying maps programatically



```javascript

map.resize(width, height); // resize the map (size unit is tiles)

map.clear(); // Reset the whole map content by setting all its tiles to null

var mapCopy = map.copy(x, y, width, height); // copy this map to a new one

               // x, y, width, height can be specified to copy only a rectangular part of the map

map.paste(mapCopy, x, y, merge); // paste map data in the map at position offset [x, y]

               // if 'merge' flag is set, then null tiles will not overwrite current map tile

```



## Gamepad



The `gamepad` module allows for easy access to gamepads if the browser supports it. When the gamepad feature is enabled in the project settings, you get access to these objects on the global scope:

```javascript

gamepads[id]; // get gamepad state. id is a number in the range [0..4] (4 is computer keyboard)

gamepad; // Merge states of all gamepads and return a global gamepad state.

```



Gamepad state works like keyboard controls: You get the state of each button, button presses and button releases, plus the values of analog controls.



```javascript

var state = gamepads[0]; // get state of gamepad id 0



// buttons:

state.btn.A; // state of A button

state.btn.B; // state of B button

state.btn.X; // state of X button

state.btn.Y; // state of Y button

state.btn.start; // state of 'start' button

state.btn.back;  // state of 'back' button

state.btn.up;    // directionnal pad's up button

state.btn.down;  // directionnal pad's down button

state.btn.left;  // directionnal pad's left button

state.btn.right; // directionnal pad's right button

state.btn.lb; // left bumper button

state.btn.rb; // right bumper button

state.btn.lt; // left trigger button

state.btn.rt; // right trigger button



// button press and release.

// the structure is the same as state.btn but the values are true only

// on button press or release.

state.btnp; // button press

state.btnr; // button release



// analog values

state.x  // x axe value (first stick horizontal)

state.y  // y axe value (first stick vertical)

state.z  // z axe value (second stick horizontal)

state.w  // w axe value (second stick vertical)

state.lt // left trigger analog value

state.rt // right trigger analog value

```



## PataTracker



Pixelbox editor is bundled with a music tracker called *PataTracker*.

The tracker player must be enabled in the project settings. Player allows to directly plays the songs in the `json` formatted tracker files.



PataTracker player is exposed as a `patatracker` global variable.

```js

patatracker.playSong(songNumber);

patatracker.stop();

```



PataTracker automatically loads the project's album data (`assets/patatracker.json`). If you need to load a different album, you can do it with the following API:

```js

patatracker.loadData(data);

```



## Bleeper



Bleeper is the sound effect editor of Pixelbox. Like for PataTracker, it must be enabled in the project settings.

Note that Bleeper depends on the *AudioManager* component.



There are several ways to play Bleeper sounds:



#### Named sounds

If the sound is named, it is accessible on the `assets` global, and automatically added to AudioManager.

```js

// from assets global

assets.bleeper.mySound.play(volume, panoramic, pitch); // all parameters optional



// using audioManager

sfx('mySound', volume, panoramic, pitch); // using default channel

audioManager.playSound('sfx', 'mySound', volume, panoramic, pitch);

```



#### Using bleeper module

The Bleeper module exposes an array of all sounds defined in the program.

```js

var bleeper = require('pixelbox/bleeper');

bleeper.sounds[3].play(volume, panoramic, pitch);

```