Roadmap & Future

Table of contents

1. Current Status: 0.2.8 released, 0.3.0 in preparation
   1. What shipped since 0.2.8 (on master, headed for 0.3.0)
   2. Still being finished for 0.3.0
2. Completed Features
   1. Core Engine
   2. Grid & Entities
   3. Procedural Generation
   4. Developer Tools
   5. Documentation
3. Version 1.0 Target
   1. Remaining Work
      1. API Stability
      2. Documentation
      3. Polish
   2. Success Criteria
4. Post-v1.0: Deferred Features
5. Not Planned
6. Development Philosophy
   1. Target Audiences
   2. Core Values
   3. Design Principles
7. Project Timeline
8. Contributing

Current Status: 0.2.8 released, 0.3.0 in preparation

What shipped since 0.2.8 (on master, headed for 0.3.0)

• Python 3.15 - CPython 3.15.0 is embedded on Linux, Windows and the web build. mcrfpy refuses to import in subinterpreters, and release builds keep frame pointers so perf and gdb can unwind from Python through the engine.
• Grid type split - GridData (the map: cells, layers, entities, FOV, pathfinding) is now public and separate from GridView (the drawable camera). mcrfpy.Grid is the same type as GridView. entity.grid now returns a GridData.
• Grid input works again - cell callbacks, hover, clickable overlay children, and several views over one map.
• About 33% faster overall than 0.2.8 on the headless Crucible benchmark, with dense grid storage, O(1) grid.entities indexing and idle-view render caching.
• Zero-copy numpy views - with layer.edit() as view: on color and tile layers, and the buffer protocol on DiscreteMap.
• Deterministic headless simulation - mcrfpy.step() is a full simulation frame, mcrfpy.advance(ms) advances simulation time, and mcrfpy.set_random_seed() seeds the engine’s random streams.
• GridData.observe() - snapshot what an observer sees through a field of view (experimental).
• Fixes - DijkstraMap.path_from() no longer returns its path reversed, .parent and find() keep Python subclass identity, and mcrfpy.lock() deadlocks in headless and multi-thread use are gone.
• Docs are tests - the site’s code samples run in the engine’s test suite.

The full list, including breaking changes, is in the 0.3.0 release notes in the engine repository (docs/release-notes-0.3.0.md). Progress is tracked on the 0.3.0 release board.

Still being finished for 0.3.0

• Bug fixes: leaks in position setters and get_metrics(), --exec tracebacks, a flaky audio teardown in the test suite, and project scaffolding for the new Python version.
• Sound.play_varied() will play on a separate voice so the variation is actually heard.
• Timers will catch up across a wide step, so an interval of T over a long span fires the expected number of times.
• clear() will be added to UICollection and EntityCollection.
• VisibilityMask will get value equality and hashing.
• --audio-off / config.audio_enabled will be made to work.

For complete development history, see Project History.

Completed Features

The following major systems are implemented and functional:

Core Engine

• Scene System - mcrfpy.Scene() with children, activation, input handling
• Timer System - mcrfpy.Timer() with (timer, runtime) callbacks
• Animation System - Property animations with easing, callbacks, locking
• Input System - Keyboard/Mouse classes with state queries

Grid & Entities

• Grid Rendering - GridView cameras over a shared GridData, with dirty tracking and RenderTexture caching
• Entity System - SpatialHash for O(1) queries, 5000+ entity benchmarks
• FOV System - Thread-safe field-of-view with configurable algorithms
• Pathfinding API - A* and Dijkstra with HeightMap integration

Procedural Generation

• HeightMap - Terrain generation, noise, thresholds, kernel transforms
• BSP - Binary Space Partitioning for dungeon layouts
• Noise Algorithms - Multiple algorithms with parameter control

Developer Tools

• Debug Console - ImGui-based Python REPL overlay (press `)
• Performance Profiler - F3 overlay with frame timing and metrics
• Headless Mode - mcrfpy.step() for synchronous testing
• Benchmark Logging - Performance analysis system

Documentation

• API Reference - Complete Python API documentation
• Tutorials - Multi-part roguelike tutorial series
• Cookbook - Practical recipes with screenshots

Version 1.0 Target

Remaining Work

API Stability

• Finalize Scene/Timer/Animation APIs (the public surface is already locked behind a snapshot test, and breaking changes are being bundled)
• Complete deprecation of old patterns (camelCase module functions, sprite_number, string enum comparisons removed)
• Comprehensive test coverage (the suite is at 639 tests, up from about 300 at 0.2.8)

Documentation

• All docs using modern API patterns
• Tutorial code verified runnable
• Video tutorials (stretch goal)

Polish

• Example games updated
• Error messages improved
• Edge cases handled

Success Criteria

Per the Strategic Direction:

v1.0 readiness is measured through performance targets, API stability, complete documentation, and tutorial completion—not feature completeness.

Post-v1.0: Deferred Features

These features are intentionally deferred until after v1.0 stabilization:

• Python Wheel Packaging - pip-installable distribution
• Shader Support - Custom GLSL effects
• Particle Systems - Visual effects
• Multi-window Support - Multiple render targets

Not Planned

The following have been evaluated and deemed misaligned with McRogueFace’s beginner-focused mission:

• Living world MMO features
• Full ECS architecture rewrites
• 50,000-tile ecosystem simulations
• Network/multiplayer support (removed from v1.0 scope)

Development Philosophy

Target Audiences

1. Newcomers to game development
2. Game jam participants
3. Researchers using games as environments

Core Values

1. Simplicity First - Easy things should be easy
2. Power When Needed - Complex things should be possible
3. Batteries Included - Useful defaults, removable when needed
4. Open Source Forever - Free as in freedom

Design Principles

• Minimal Boilerplate - Start coding game logic immediately
• Pythonic API - Feels natural to Python developers
• Performance Conscious - Fast by default, optimizable when needed
• Foundation First - Fix core systems before expanding features

Project Timeline

For detailed month-by-month history, see Project History.

Contributing

McRogueFace development happens at:

• Upstream: dev.ffwf.net/forgejo/john/McRogueFace
• GitHub Mirror: github.com/jasons-gh/McRogueFace

We welcome:

• Bug reports and feature requests
• Documentation improvements
• Tutorial contributions
• Example games