Lasers, Inc.

A side-scrolling shoot-'em-up inside Neovim

... because why should Emacs have all the fun?

I was in the mood to play a game in my terminal the other day, only to realize that all the fun games are inside Emacs. This project attempts to remedy this horrific situation.

Setup and usage

• Dependencies:
  • python3
  • pip3 packages: pynvim, pygame, pyfxr
• Clone this repo, cd into it, and then run:

nvim -u LasersInc.nvim -c 'nnoremap <C-c> :qa!<CR>'

Press Ctrl-C to exit.

• Edit rplugin/python3/LasersInc.py and change the TARGET_FPS to get a different framerate. The actual framerate will be lower (adjusting for this is on my to-do list).
  • The game area's width and height can also be changed.

Controls

Controls can be configured in /data/game_controls.properties. By default, the ship is controlled via hjkl. Space triggers the main cannon and (uppercase) O and (lowercase) o toggle the top and bottom lasers, respectively.

• Because the game uses vim keyboard inputs, multiple control keys cannot be held down at the same time. Holding down a single key will simply repeat it at the rate of your OS key repeat setting. Just mash the same directional key frantically to accelerate the spaceship reliably. Holding down the spacebar would make sense, though.

Development status

This project is basically in MVP/alpha stage. There's currently sort of an infinite-survival challenge you can play, but the game needs some new enemies, some levels and a game lifecycle (death, gameover, etc.). My end goal is to implement network multiplayer once the game system is more stable.

I originally envisioned a full-scale story mode, perhaps involving a corporation that sells lasers. There's probably also room for some vim-based humor and 4th-wall breaking.

Eventually, the core of the game could potentially be split off into its own vim-based terminal game engine project.