repository·develop·Indexed 26 days ago
https://github.com/movingblocks/terasologyAn open-source voxel-based game platform and engine built on a modular architecture. Documentation covers installation via launcher or direct download, system requirements, development environment setup using JDK 17, and the distinction between Modules and Subsystems. Includes technical guides on the Terasology CLI, Gradle run tasks, the TypeHandlerLibrary for serialization, GameScheduler for work scheduling, and Linux-specific memory management flags.
Terasology block shapes are defined in .shape files, which are JSON files (using GSON) that provide rendering mesh data, physics collision data, and mouse collision data for voxel blocks.
There are two versions of the specification:
front, back, top) and requires vertices, normals, and texcoords arrays to be of identical length.author or collision). It allows vertices, normals, and texcoords to have different lengths and supports an optional sides parameter to define rendering directions.The Terasology engine operates through three primary states: MainMenu, Loading, and InGame. Understanding these states is essential for determining when specific systems (like Input, Rendering, or World Generation) are active and how data flows through the engine.
Used for user interaction before a game session begins.
InputSystem.NUIManager $\rightarrow$ EventSystem $\rightarrow$ StorageServiceWorker.NUIManager.A transitional state that executes a complex sequence of initialization steps. The loading process includes:
netMode.isServer to start the server, checking netMode.hasLocalClient to setup the local player, and awaiting character spawn.The active gameplay state.
InputSystem.EventSystem $\rightarrow$ UpdateSubscriberSystems $\rightarrow$ WorldRenderer $\rightarrow$ StorageManager $\rightarrow$ NUIManager $\rightarrow$ StorageServiceWorker.DisplayDevice prepares to render, followed by NUIManager and WorldRenderer updates.A marker component represents a single binary piece of information. It marks an entity as having a specific property or state. Systems use the presence or absence of this component to determine which actions to take.
Key characteristics:
BlockDamagedComponent indicates a block is in a damaged state).The Terasology codebase is split across two primary GitHub organizations:
Reactor Core, Reactor Extra, and Reactor Test. Developers can use Flux and Mono to define and schedule asynchronous operations more effectively than the standard Java API. For detailed usage of these operators, refer to the Project Reactor Reference Guide.Several specialized libraries and tools support the Terasology ecosystem:
Terasology is built using a layered architecture:
gestalt (entity system and module management) and TeraNUI (UI library).For deeper technical details, refer to the following documentation:
Terasology provides several online services for discussion, server discovery, and information:
Terasology uses a modular system where content, gameplay mechanics, and engine extensions are stored in "modules". These are smaller building blocks that can be combined.
help command.A block shape defines the visual geometry of a block. A single shape can be used by multiple blocks with different textures. A shape consists of up to 7 parts:
Each side can be a full side (fills the entire side and obscures adjacent blocks) or a partial side (does not obscure adjacent blocks).
| Sub-block | Direction | Axis |
|---|---|---|
| Center | - | - |
| Top | +Y axis | |
| Bottom | -Y axis | |
| Front | -Z axis | |
| Back | +Z axis | |
| Left | -X axis | |
| Right | +X axis |
A configuration component stores settings or parameters that can be modified by the player or the game engine. Systems use these components to apply specific settings to the in-game representation of an entity.
Key characteristics:
DisplayNameComponent (for non-technical names) or PlaySoundActionComponent (for interaction sounds).