PONG

Remake of the 80s classic game PONG using OpenGL and C++.

Local multiplayer supported.

Gameplay video

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Dependencies
• Controls
• pkEngine
• Future Improvements

Introduction

This project is a modern remake of the iconic 80s game PONG, developed as a hands-on learning experience to explore OpenGL techniques and fundamental game development concepts. Through this project, I gained practical knowledge in:

• Rendering: Drawing 2D graphics using OpenGL;
• Shaders: Writing and managing GLSL shaders for rendering effects;
• Collisions handling: Implementing collision detection and response;
• Engine design: Building a lightweight 2D game engine from scratch

Dependencies

• GLFW - Handles window creation and OpenGL context management
• GLM - Provides vector and matrix operations for 3D math
• STB - Used for loading and decoding image files
• FreeType - Enables rendering of TrueType fonts
• FMOD - For sound effects and music

Controls

• Space: Start a new match
• W-S: Control left paddle
• KeyUp/KeyDown: Control right paddle
• Esc: Close game

pkEngine

pkEngine is a lightweight 2D game engine developed during the creation of this project. While still in its early stages, it provides a robust framework for 2D game development, offering essential tools and utilities.

Features

Rendering

pkEngine includes classes for rendering 2D sprites and text efficiently:

• Shader: Manages vertex and fragment shaders, compiling and linking them into a shader program;
• Texture: Loads image files and creates OpenGL textures for rendering;
• Font: Loads TrueType fonts (TTF) and renders text as textures;
• Renderer: A manager class responsible for rendering sprites and text on the screen;

Miscellaneous

pkEngine provides utility classes to simplify common tasks:

• Window: Handles the lifecycle of a GLFW window and provides utility functions for window handling;
• AssetManager: Loads and stores game assets (textures, fonts, sounds) to avoid redundant loading;
• SoundEngine: Integrates FMOD for audio playback, supporting WAV and other formats. Includes jukebox functions for volume and pitch control;

Game

pkEngine includes classes to handle gameplay and visual effects:

• GameActor: The base class for all game objects. It represents a 2D movable sprite with a transform, texture, and collision detection using AABB;
• Emitter: Renders textures as particles, supporting various patterns for dynamic effects;
• EmitterPattern: Define the behaviour of a particle
  • LinearPattern: Particles move in a linear direction, opposite to the attached actor;
  • BouncePattern: Simulates an explosion by spawning particles in multiple directions based on collision;

Future improvements

• Advanced Shaders: Implement more complex shaders for post-processing effects;
• UI Enhancements: Improve the user interface with a proper main menu and settings;
• Improve engine: Extend the engine to support more type of collisions detection, batch rendering and so on;