Project Aurora Zeta

Wave survival ARPG • C++20 • SDL2 • ECS • Netcode

Survivor-style, wave-based ARPG built in C++20 with a lightweight in-house engine. The codebase is split cleanly into /engine and /game so systems stay reusable and fast to iterate.

Overview Current Build Systems Archetypes Controls Data-Driven Build Layout

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OverviewGame

Aurora Zeta is a top-down, survivor-style wave ARPG: pick an archetype, drop in, chase rotating hotzones, survive escalating waves, and spend your run currency on shops, items, and upgrades.

Co-op ready.
Host/client multiplayer with lobby sync (hero, difficulty, max players, chat) and ~20Hz match snapshots. Default port: 37015.

Fast feel.
Auto-fire primaries, tuned damage types, and a snappy dash: 3.5× move speed for 0.18s, 2.5s cooldown, full i-frames.

In-house engine /engine + /game split Data-driven tuning Wave director

Key ArtIcon

Current repo icon (as referenced in the README).

Current Build Includes

What’s playable today (and what the code already supports).

Core LoopPrototype

Character & difficulty select

Solo • Host • Join

Wave director + intermissions

Shop • pacing

Rotating hotzones

XP • copper • flux

Mini-events every 5 waves

Escort • bounty • spires

Milestone bosses

From wave 20 • every 20

Tech StackC++

SDL2 rendering + input

fast iteration

ECS core

tags • AABB • animation

AI / buffs / status effects

DoT • blind • stun • slow

HUD

mini-map • toasts • status icons

Lightweight netcode

lobbies • snapshots

Systems Snapshot

A quick tour of the mechanics that make the chaos feel “designed.”

Wave Director • Hotzones • Events

Waves, Scaling, & HotzonesGameplay

Enemies spawn around the hero every interval+grace (2.5s + 1.0s). Enemy HP & shields scale +8% per wave, speed +1% per wave. Hotzones rotate every 30s and grant: Xp Surge (+25% XP), Danger-Pay (+50% copper), or Warp Flux (+20% damage, +15% fire rate).

Bounty elites every 5 waves Bosses from wave 20 Warp Flux can surge elites

Combat

Combat FeelAction

Auto-fire primaries, tuned damage types (plasma/melee/thorns), lifesteal and attack-speed buffs, and collision-based damage that respects hotzone multipliers.

Economy

Shop & CurrencyProgression

Copper fuels in-run shops and items; gold unlocks the Traveling Shop after you kill a boss, then banks into the vault for meta upgrades.

Hero Archetypes

Current menu presets (HP / DMG / Speed multipliers + playstyle notes).

Archetype Roster10

A compact list you can scan fast. (Full details live in data/menu_presets.json.)

Knight (tank)

Melee • 1.35 / 0.90 / 0.90 — Durable frontline bruiser.

Tank

Healer (healer)

Ranged • 1.05 / 0.95 / 1.00 — Sustain/support, lighter offense.

Support

Militia (damage)

Melee↔Ranged swap • 0.95 / 1.15 / 1.05 — Flexible DPS stance-switcher.

DPS

Assassin (assassin)

Melee • 0.85 / 1.20 / 1.25 — Fast, bursty, fragile.

Burst

Builder (builder)

Builder • 1.10 / 0.90 / 0.95 — Structures & mini-unit commander.

Units

Dragoon (support)

Melee • 1.00 / 1.00 / 1.00 — Polearm support, balanced.

Balanced

Crusader (special)

Melee • 1.10 / 1.05 / 1.05 — Experimental all-rounder.

Hybrid

Summoner (summoner)

Ranged • 0.95 / 0.90 / 1.00 — Fragile; relies on companions.

Summons

Druid (druid)

Ranged (forms become melee) • 1.10 / 1.00 / 1.00 — Shapeshift forms.

Forms

Wizard (wizard)

Ranged • 0.85 / 1.10 / 1.05 — Element cycling + spells.

Spells

Controls & Hotkeys

Defaults loaded from data/input_bindings.json (fully remappable via file override).

Movement & CombatDefault

Move

WASD

Dash

Space

Abilities

1 2 3 (Ultimate 4)

Use item

Q • Cycle usable Tab

Hotbar slots

R / F

Swap weapon / stance / element

Left Alt

UI & UtilityHandy

Interact / talk / use

E

Toggle shop

B

Build menu (builder)

V

Character screen

I

Talent tree

N

Pause

Esc

Movement modes: Modern (WASD moves hero, camera follow) and RTS-like (RMB move + WASD pans camera; follow disabled by default).

Data-Driven Tuning

Where the knobs live (so balancing isn’t a “recompile to feel” situation).

Primary TunablesJSON

data/gameplay.json

stats • pacing • rewards • dash • events • hotzones

data/enemies.json

enemy archetypes • behaviors • multipliers

data/abilities.json

names • cooldowns • costs • types

data/menu_presets.json

archetypes • difficulties • colors • descriptions

data/input_bindings.json

controls • remaps

RPG LayerOptional

The repo includes an RPG loot system with item level scaling, templates, affixes, and regeneration scripts. Rarity tiers include a Unique (cyan) above Legendary.

data/rpg/loot.json

templates • affixes • icon coords

scripts/gen_rpg_loot.py

regenerate loot tables

data/rpg/consumables.json

potions • food • scrolls (+ descriptions)

Build & Run

Quickstart snippets lifted straight from the README.

LinuxNative

sudo apt install -y build-essential cmake \
  libsdl2-dev libsdl2-ttf-dev libsdl2-image-dev libsdl2-mixer-dev

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

./build/"Project Aurora Zeta"

Windows (VS2022)vcpkg

Install VS2022 + CMake tools, then use vcpkg for SDL deps and set the toolchain in CMake.

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg
.\vcpkg\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
.\vcpkg\vcpkg install sdl2 sdl2-image sdl2-ttf sdl2-mixer

# Set toolchain:
C:\Users\<you>\vcpkg\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake

Project Layout

How the repo stays sane as it grows.

FoldersRepo

engine/

platform/renderer/input abstractions, ECS, logging, time, assets

game/

menus, systems (combat, buffs, AI, events, hotzones, shop, meta)

game/net/

lobby/session config, snapshots, host/client flow

data/

gameplay, presets, abilities, bindings, units

assets/

sprites, tiles, VFX, GUI art, fonts

docs/

design notes & specs

src/

main() entry + platform glue

LinksQuick

Everything important in one place.

Repository ↗ Back to top ↑ All projects →

Gameplay LoopFlow

1) Menu

Solo or Host/Join

2) Select

Archetype + Difficulty

3) Drop-in

Chase rotating hotzones

4) Waves

Batches + scaling

5) Intermission

Shop (B), buy stats/items

6) Events/Bosses

Every 5 / every 20

7) End

Bank gold → vault upgrades