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id: intro title: Getting Started sidebar_position: 1​

Getting Started

Welcome to the official documentation of R-TYPE J.A.M.E.S. This guide explains the purpose of the project, how it works, and how to install and run it on your machine.

🎯 Project Goal​

R-TYPE J.A.M.E.S. is a modern C++ recreation of the iconic arcade game R-Type, redesigned to work as a networked multiplayer game.

The objective of the project is twofold:

1. For Players​

Provide a simple and enjoyable way to play a multiplayer R-Type experience, where several players can connect together, fight enemies, and progress through the game.

2. For Developers​

Offer a clean, modern, and modular codebase that showcases:

  • A fully custom client–server architecture
  • A lightweight game engine developed from scratch
  • An Entity Component System (ECS) for scalable game logic
  • Modern C++ development practices (CMake, package managers, documentation)
  • A clear, documented binary UDP protocol for real-time gameplay

This documentation helps both players and developers understand how to use, compile, and extend the project.

🚀 What You Can Do With R-TYPE J.A.M.E.S.​

With this project, you can:

  • Launch a dedicated game server
  • Connect one or more clients to play together
  • Control your spaceship, fight enemies, shoot missiles, and survive waves of Bydos
  • Observe real-time synchronized multiplayer gameplay
  • Modify or extend the engine if you are a developer

This documentation will guide you through all these steps.

📦 Prerequisites​

To build and run the project, you will need:

  • CMake version 3.20 or higher
  • A C++17-compatible compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)
  • Git
  • A dependency package manager (Conan, vcpkg, or CMake CPM) depending on your setup

⚙️ Installation & Build​

1. Clone the Repository​

git clone https://github.com/MatthieuGA/R_TYPE_J.A.M.E.S.git
cd R_TYPE_J.A.M.E.S.

2. Build the Project​

./build.sh
or
./build.bat

🎮 Running the Game​

Start the Server​

The server hosts the entire game logic. Run it first:

./build/server/r-type_server

Start the Client​

Each client represents one player and displays the game:

./build/client/r-type_client

You can launch multiple clients on the same machine or across the network.

🧪 Running the Test Suite​

To execute unit and integration tests:

cd build && ctest --output-on-failure

📚 Next Steps​

To continue exploring the project:

  • Learn how the game engine is structured
  • Understand the network protocol between server and clients
  • Read tutorials on how to extend or modify the engine
  • Explore the API documentation for developers