rpgCore

Retired on 2026-09-13. rpgCore was the precursor to RFDGameStudio, which continues its work. A snapshot of this repository (commit 02aef64) is archived at RFDGameStudio/archive/rpgCore for reference, refactoring and recovery — see its ARCHIVE.md for a recovery index. This repository keeps the full commit history and is no longer maintained.

Portfolio notes

Status	Retired 2026-09-13 · read-only archive
Built	February – September 2026 · 3,628 commits
Size	835 Python files and 1,264 pytest test functions (outside its own archive/ folder), plus Godot C# and Rust experiments
Successor	RFDGameStudio (snapshot in archive/rpgCore)
Project page	rfditservices.com/projects/rpgcore

What it demonstrates

• One shared engine layer (src/shared/) driving games in four different genres — turn-based strategy, narrative dialogue, management simulation and an action roguelike — through a manifest-driven launcher.
• A "nothing is built twice" rule enforced by architecture: demos consume shared systems instead of re-implementing them.
• Test coverage kept alongside fast iteration, and architecture decisions written down as ADRs.
• A clean retirement: history stays here, and a working snapshot moved into the successor with a recovery index and isolation tests so archived code can never leak into live code.

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One developer. One engine. Four distinct games.

rpgCore is not a framework or a tutorial project—it is a working game engine that powered multiple distinct games from a single, unified codebase. It embraces the "Orange Box" concept: shared core systems natively driving completely different genres of games without repetition.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/rfd62794/rpgCore.git
cd rpgCore
pip install -r requirements.txt
python game.py

One command to see the engine running.

The Demos

rpgCore currently ships with four built-in games testing the limits and flexibility of the shared engine architecture.

Slime Clan Genre: Turn-based faction strategy Status: Playable Build your clan, wage war, and claim territory in this strategic simulation. Proves out the engine's grid simulation, node-based overworlds, and automated battle resolution systems.

Last Appointment Genre: Narrative dialogue Status: Playable You are Death. Your client has questions. A highly atmospheric, narrative-driven experience focusing on dialogue trees, dynamic UI card layouts, and complex state management across conversational nodes.

TurboShells Genre: Management simulation Status: In Development A deep simulation focusing on turtle breeding, racing, genetics, training, and legacy management. Stresses the engine's data-heavy simulation and time progression mechanics.

Asteroids Roguelike Genre: Action roguelike Status: In Development Survive the belt, where every run changes you. A real-time action testbed for the engine's high-performance rendering, collision, and physics capabilities.

Engine Architecture

rpgCore strictly adheres to a domain-driven architectural separation:

• src/shared/: The canonical engine layer. Pure systems, utilities, renderers, and foundation logic.
• src/apps/: Self-contained demo applications that consume the shared systems.
• src/launcher/: Handles the manifest-driven demo registry (demos.json) and the single CLI entry point.

Constitution Law: Nothing is built twice, and demos never reimplement shared engine systems.

Built With

• Python 3.12+
• Pygame (Rendering and Window Management)
• pytest (Test Suite) (Future performance layers are planned in Rust)

Testing

While active, rpgCore kept a protected baseline of passing tests (296 at the time this section was written).

uv run pytest