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Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

Unreleased​

0.4.0-milestone4 - 2026-01-29​

Added​

  • helios.engine.ecs module with base classes (Component, GameObject, System, Updatable)
  • helios.engine.ecs.query submodule with GameObjectFilter and GameObjectView
  • helios.engine.runtime aggregate module for runtime infrastructure
  • helios.engine.runtime.world submodule with GameWorld, Level, UpdateContext, SystemRegistry, Manager
  • helios.engine.runtime.pooling submodule with GameObjectPool, GameObjectPoolManager, GameObjectPoolRegistry, GameObjectPoolConfig, GameObjectPoolSnapshot
  • helios.engine.runtime.gameloop submodule with GameLoop, Phase, Pass
  • helios.engine.runtime.messaging for commands and events
  • helios.engine.runtime.spawn submodule for spawn infrastructure:
    • SpawnManager for processing spawn/despawn commands
    • SpawnProfile for spawn configuration (pool, placer, initializer)
    • SpawnScheduler abstract base for rule-based spawn scheduling
    • DefaultSpawnScheduler for evaluating all rules each frame
    • CyclicSpawnScheduler<N> for round-robin rule evaluation
    • RuleProcessor and DefaultRuleProcessor for spawn rule processing
    • SpawnRule, SpawnCondition, SpawnRuleState for policy layer
    • SpawnConditionAll for composite AND conditions
    • TimerSpawnCondition for interval-based spawning
    • RequestedAmountIsAvailableCondition for pool availability checks
    • SpawnAmountProvider, FixedSpawnAmount, SpawnAmountByCallback for amount configuration
    • SpawnPlacer, SpawnInitializer interfaces for spawn behaviors
    • RandomSpawnPlacer, EmitterSpawnPlacer, AxisSpawnPlacer, DistributedSpawnPlacer<N> for positioning
    • EmitterInitializer, MoveInitializer, DelayedComponentEnablerInitializer for entity initialization
    • SpawnCommand, DespawnCommand, ScheduledSpawnPlanCommand for command pipeline
    • SpawnCommandDispatcher, DespawnCommandDispatcher, ScheduledSpawnPlanCommandDispatcher
    • SpawnContext, EmitterContext for spawn state
    • SpawnPlanCommandExecutedEvent for frame events
    • SpawnCommandHandler, SpawnCommandHandlerRegistry for handler management
  • helios.engine.mechanics.lifecycle for entity lifecycle management:
    • DelayedComponentEnabler component for deferred activation
    • DelayedComponentEnablerSystem for processing activation timers
  • helios.engine.builder.gameObject.builders.LifecycleBuilder for lifecycle configuration
  • helios.engine.builder.gameObject.builders.configs.LifecycleConfig for deferred enablement
  • GridCollisionDetectionSystem with uniform 3D spatial partitioning
  • HitPolicy enum (OneHit, All) for collision count control
  • helios.engine.mechanics for gameplay-specific systems (bounds, combat, spawn, input)
  • helios.engine.modules for domain-agnostic subsystems (physics, spatial, scene, rendering, pool)
  • SpawnedByProfileComponent for tracking entity spawn origin
  • ProjectileSpawnSystem for combat projectile spawning
  • SpawnProfileId, SpawnRuleId, GameObjectPoolId type-safe identifiers with FNV-1a string hashing
  • helios.core.algorithms module with fnv1a_hash compile-time hash function
  • collision_detection example demonstrating grid collision and spawn patterns
  • enemy_spawn example demonstrating spawn system
  • Core concepts documentation for spawn system, collision detection, and lifecycle management

Changed​

  • BREAKING: Reorganized helios.engine into distinct submodules: core, ecs, runtime, modules, mechanics, tooling
  • BREAKING: Systems are now registered with GameLoop phases/passes instead of GameWorld
  • BREAKING: GameWorld no longer manages System instances - use GameLoop::phase().addPass().addSystem<T>()
  • BREAKING: Spawn infrastructure moved from mechanics/spawn to runtime/spawn
  • BREAKING: Removed GameObjectFactory, GameObjectPoolFacade, PoolRequestHandler, PoolRequestHandlerRegistry
  • Moved ECS base classes from helios.engine.game to helios.engine.ecs
  • Moved world management classes to helios.engine.runtime.world
  • Moved pooling infrastructure to helios.engine.runtime.pooling
  • Moved messaging infrastructure to helios.engine.runtime.messaging
  • helios.engine.game is now a facade module re-exporting common game development types
  • helios.engine._module.ixx updated to export core, ecs, game, runtime, tooling modules
  • All aggregate _module.ixx files now only export their direct submodules (clean hierarchy)
  • SystemRegistry is now internal to the GameLoop pass structure
  • Updated core concepts documentation with spawn system references

0.3.0-milestone3 - 2025-12-25​

Added​

  • ComposeTransformComponent for independent transform management (local/world)
  • ScaleStateComponent for unit-based sizing with dirty flag tracking
  • AabbColliderComponent for world-space bounding boxes
  • ModelAabbComponent for original model AABB storage
  • LevelBoundsBehaviorComponent for configurable boundary reactions (bounce, restitution)
  • Automatic AABB capture from SceneNode meshes via onAttach()
  • Move2DSystem for 2D physics with rotation, velocity integration, and dampening
  • ScaleSystem for applying unit-based scaling from ScaleStateComponent
  • BoundsUpdateSystem for updating AABB colliders from world transforms
  • LevelBoundsBehaviorSystem for boundary collisions with bounce behavior
  • SceneSyncSystem for synchronizing gameplay transforms with scene graph
  • TransformClearSystem for clearing dirty flags at end of frame
  • Level class with configurable world bounds and AABB-based arena boundaries
  • Aim2DComponent for direction tracking and firing frequency
  • ShootComponent for projectile firing with configurable cooldown and speed
  • Ellipse 2D shape primitive for projectile and particle rendering
  • Colors struct with comprehensive color palette as vec4f (RGBA)
  • LogWidget: "None" scope option to completely disable logging (default)
  • GamepadWidget: Settings panel with side-by-side stick configuration
  • spaceship_shooting demo showcasing twin-stick shooter mechanics

Changed​

  • BREAKING: SceneNodeComponent::setSize() removed - use ScaleStateComponent instead
  • BREAKING: GameWorld constructor no longer requires Scene* parameter
  • BREAKING: Move2DComponent::position() removed (transforms managed by ComposeTransformComponent)
  • BREAKING: Move2DComponent::rotationAngle() renamed to currentRotationAngle()
  • SceneNodeComponent::onAttach() now automatically captures AABB from SceneNode mesh
  • Systems must be explicitly registered for game logic

Fixed​

  • Forward declaration conflicts between Component and GameObject modules
  • Circular dependency in module imports resolved via shared headers

0.2.0-milestone2 - 2025-12-16​

Added​

  • FramePacer class for frame rate control with configurable target FPS (#111)
  • FrameStats structure for frame timing information (frame time, idle time, work time)
  • FpsMetrics class for frame rate analysis and statistics
  • Stopwatch high-resolution timer utility
  • CameraSceneNode for camera integration into scene hierarchy
  • TransformType enum for selective transform inheritance (Translation, Rotation, Scale)
  • mat4::decompose() member function for extracting transform components
  • mat4::transpose() member function for matrix transposition
  • lookAt() and lookAtLocal() methods for camera orientation
  • onWorldTransformUpdate() virtual callback for transform change notifications
  • Camera-follows-object pattern via scene graph parenting
  • GameObject base class for game entities with GUID identification
  • GameWorld container for game object management and updates
  • CommandBuffer for deferred command execution pattern
  • InputSnapshot for capturing input state per frame
  • Unit enum (Meter, Centimeter, Seconds, MilliSeconds)
  • GamepadSettings class for per-controller configuration
  • DeadzoneStrategy abstract interface for input normalization
  • RadialDeadzoneStrategy implementation for circular deadzone handling
  • ImGuiBackend abstraction for platform backends
  • ImGuiGlfwOpenGLBackend concrete implementation for GLFW/OpenGL
  • ImGuiOverlay singleton manager with DockSpace support
  • FpsWidget for frame rate display and target FPS control
  • GamepadWidget for real-time gamepad state visualization (#114)
  • LogWidget for scrollable log console with advanced filtering
  • CameraWidget for camera parameter control
  • MainMenuWidget for application settings
  • LogSink abstract interface with self-registering type identifiers
  • ConsoleSink for stdout output
  • ImGuiLogSink for LogWidget integration

Changed​

  • BREAKING: Cameras are now managed via CameraSceneNode instead of standalone Camera objects
  • BREAKING: Viewport now holds CameraSceneNode* instead of Camera*
  • BREAKING: Enum counter entries renamed to size_ (#34)
  • BREAKING: MeshData merged with Mesh (#22)
  • View matrix computed from inverse of CameraSceneNode::worldTransform()
  • Logging system refactored to use self-registering sinks
  • UniformValueMap::float_val return type refactored (#33)
  • Material ownership structure improved (#13)

Fixed​

  • Potential nullptr dereference in MaterialData (#16)

0.1.0-milestone1 - 2025-10-21​

Added​

  • Application layer with event system
  • Input manager for keyboard, mouse, and gamepad
  • Low-level API subsystems integration (GLFW, GLAD)
  • Basic rendering pipeline
  • Scene graph with transform hierarchy
  • Camera system with projection management
  • Material and shader system
  • Mesh and geometry handling
  • Math library (vectors, matrices, transforms)
  • Scoped logger implementation (#8)
  • CMake build system with C++23 modules support
  • Cross-platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS)
  • Unit testing framework with Google Test
  • Example applications (simple cube rendering, game controller input)