Engine Features

NEXO Engine provides a comprehensive set of features for modern game development.

Entity Component System (ECS)

The heart of NEXO Engine is its efficient Entity Component System implementation.

Core Benefits

• Performance: Cache-friendly data layout for optimal CPU utilization
• Flexibility: Mix and match components to create any game object
• Maintainability: Clear separation between data and logic

Example Usage

// Create an entity
Entity player = coordinator.CreateEntity();

// Add components
coordinator.AddComponent<Transform>(player, {0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f});
coordinator.AddComponent<Velocity>(player, {1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f});
coordinator.AddComponent<Health>(player, {100});

// Register a movement system
auto movementSystem = coordinator.RegisterSystem<MovementSystem>();
Signature signature;
signature.set(coordinator.GetComponentType<Transform>());
signature.set(coordinator.GetComponentType<Velocity>());
coordinator.SetSystemSignature<MovementSystem>(signature);

Rendering System

2D Rendering

• Sprite Batching: Efficient rendering of thousands of sprites
• Texture Atlas Support: Reduced texture switching
• Transform Hierarchy: Parent-child relationships
• Animation System: Sprite sheet animations

3D Rendering

• Model Loading: Support for common 3D formats
• Material System: PBR materials (planned)
• Lighting: Directional and point lights
• Shadow Mapping: Real-time shadows (planned)

graph TD
    A[3D Scene] --> B[Frustum Culling]
    B --> C[Batch Manager]
    C --> D[Draw Call Optimization]
    D --> E[GPU Submission]
    E --> F[Frame Buffer]

Integrated Editor

The NEXO Editor provides a complete development environment:

Features

• Scene View: Real-time scene preview and editing
• Hierarchy Panel: Organize game objects
• Properties Inspector: Component editing
• Asset Browser: Manage game resources
• Console: Debug output and commands

Workflow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Dev as Developer
    participant Editor
    participant Engine
    participant Scene
    
    Dev->>Editor: Create Entity
    Editor->>Engine: CreateEntity()
    Engine->>Scene: Add to Scene
    Dev->>Editor: Add Components
    Editor->>Engine: AddComponent()
    Dev->>Editor: Play Scene
    Editor->>Engine: StartSimulation()
    Engine->>Scene: Update Loop

C# Scripting

Extend your game logic with C# scripts:

using Nexo.Engine;

public class PlayerController : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float speed = 5.0f;
    private Transform transform;
    
    void Start()
    {
        transform = GetComponent<Transform>();
    }
    
    void Update()
    {
        float horizontal = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        float vertical = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");
        
        Vector3 movement = new Vector3(horizontal, 0, vertical);
        transform.position += movement * speed * Time.deltaTime;
    }
}

Scripting Features

• Hot Reload: Modify scripts without restarting
• .NET 9.0: Latest C# language features
• Engine API: Full access to engine systems
• Visual Studio Integration: IntelliSense support

Physics Engine

Advanced physics simulation capabilities:

• Rigid Body Dynamics: Realistic object movement
• Collision Detection: Broad and narrow phase
• Constraints: Joints and motors
• Triggers: Volume-based events

Networking

Built-in networking for multiplayer games:

Architecture

graph LR
    A[Client 1] --> D[Game Server]
    B[Client 2] --> D
    C[Client N] --> D
    D --> E[Game State]
    D --> F[State Sync]
    F --> A
    F --> B
    F --> C

Features

• Client-Server Architecture: Authoritative server
• State Synchronization: Automatic replication
• Lag Compensation: Client-side prediction
• Network Optimization: Delta compression

Asset Pipeline

Efficient asset management system:

• Hot Reloading: Update assets without restart
• Asset Compression: Optimized file sizes
• Texture Streaming: Load textures on demand
• Audio System: 3D spatial audio

Platform Support

Desktop Platforms

• Windows: Full support with MSVC
• Linux: GCC/Clang support
• macOS: Native Metal support (planned)

VR Support

• OpenXR: Cross-platform VR
• Hand Tracking: Natural interactions
• Room-Scale: Full movement support

Performance Tools

Profiling

• CPU Profiler: Identify bottlenecks
• GPU Profiler: Render timing
• Memory Profiler: Track allocations

Debug Visualization

• Collision Shapes: Visual debugging
• Performance Graphs: Real-time metrics
• Component Inspector: Runtime inspection

Future Roadmap

Planned Features

• Vulkan Renderer: Modern graphics API
• Mobile Support: iOS and Android
• Cloud Saves: Cross-platform progression
• Mod Support: User-generated content
• AI Navigation: Pathfinding system
• Particle System: Visual effects

Community Features

• Workshop Integration: Share creations
• Multiplayer Lobby: Matchmaking
• Leaderboards: Global rankings