Josh Parnell released the source code for Limit Theory, one of those Kickstarter-backed game projects that kind of imploded on a combo of complexity and high expectations.
Limit Theory Update 54: Source Code Release
At long last, it’s time for the source code release that I promised years ago. Today I’ll be releasing four open-source repositories on GitHub, representing three different times in LT’s development history.
The repos:
- Limit Theory Protoype
- a binary installer of the initial demo for Windows
- Limit Theory Old
- phase 1 of the project, written 2012-2015 in C++ with a custom scripting language
- “While this code is dated compared to the newer C/Lua LT, it is arguably meatier in gameplay implementation.”
- LibPHX
- A game engine focusing on core 3D game support, with you writing your actual game in Lua
- “The engine’s C interface, combined with LuaJIT’s FFI technology, allows for scripts to make zero-overhead calls into the engine, thus allowing the majority of game logic and control to remain in script.”
- Limit Theory
- The 2015-2018 game code, written in Lua to hook into LibPHX
All released under the Unlicense — an explicitly public domain license.
Over 5,000 people pledged nearly $188,000 total. I put in $75. Parnell took the Kickstarter success personally, worked his butt off, couldn’t get the game where he wanted it, and burned out bad. Big Ambitious Space Games have a lot of fiddly bits, no matter how many developers or how much money you have. Just ask Frontier, Hello, and Chris Roberts.
I feel bad for him — Parnell, not Roberts — and I’m grateful he released the source code. I hope he gets some kind of closure from this. He deserves it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go learn some more Lua.
Backlinks
Added to vault 2024-01-15. Updated on 2024-01-26