JZBlock

A personal zombie survival game composed of blocks

🎮 Overview

JZBlock is a top-down zombie survival game where players fight off waves of zombies using laser weapons. Version 0.5 represents a complete architectural rewrite, now featuring dual language implementations in both Java and Zig, giving developers the choice between JVM portability and native performance.

✨ Features

Gameplay (Archived Version)

• 🔫 Laser Combat System - High-tech weaponry with visual effects
• 🧟 Wave-Based Survival - Increasingly difficult zombie hordes
• 🎯 Top-Down Tactical Gameplay - Strategic positioning matters
• 💊 Health & Ammo Management - Resource management mechanics
• 🎮 Game States - Menu, playing, game over, and paused states
• ⚙️ Configurable Controls - Customizable graphics and control settings

Technical Architecture

• ⚡ Dual Language Support - Choose between Zig (performance) or Java (portability)
• 🎨 Raylib Graphics (Zig) - Modern, lightweight graphics framework
• 🖼️ Swing/AWT (Java) - Classic cross-platform windowing
• 🧩 Modular Design - Clean separation of concerns
• 🔄 Cross-Platform - Windows, Linux, and more

🏗️ Architecture

Version 0.5 Rewrite

The current v0.5 branch is a complete rewrite focusing on:

• Building dual Zig and Java implementations side-by-side
• Establishing a clean, modular foundation
• Integrating Raylib for modern graphics (Zig)
• Maintaining backward compatibility with Java

Implementation Comparison

Feature	Zig Implementation	Java Implementation
Graphics	Raylib	Swing/AWT
Performance	Native, zero-cost abstractions	JVM runtime
Memory	Manual management	Automatic GC
Platform	Compiled binaries	Cross-platform JVM
Build	build.zig	Standard Java build

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

For Java Build:

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or later
• Any Java-compatible platform (Windows, Linux, macOS)

For Zig Build:

• Zig Compiler (latest version)
• Raylib (automatically managed by build.zig)

Building the Project

Windows

# Navigate to scripts directory
cd scripts

# Run the Windows build script (interactive menu)
winbuild.bat

The script will prompt you to choose:

1. Java - Build using Java/Swing
2. Zig - Build using Zig/Raylib

Linux

# Navigate to scripts directory
cd scripts

# Make script executable (first time only)
chmod +x lxbuild.sh

# Run the Linux build script (interactive menu)
./lxbuild.sh

The script will prompt you to choose:

1. Java - Build using Java/Swing
2. Zig - Build using Zig/Raylib

Running the Archived Version

To run the original complete game (from archived source):

cd scripts/archived

# Windows
winbuild.bat

# Linux
chmod +x lxbuild.sh
./lxbuild.sh

🎯 Development Roadmap

Version 0.5 (Current - In Progress)

• Set up dual-language architecture
• Implement Zig build system with Raylib
• Create modular Java foundation
• Establish build scripts for both implementations
• Port core game loop to both languages
• Implement entity system in both languages
• Add rendering pipeline (Raylib for Zig, Swing for Java)
• Integrate input handling
• Re-implement player mechanics

Version 0.6 (Planned)

• Zombie AI and spawning
• Laser weapon system
• Wave management
• UI and HUD
• Sound effects and music

Version 1.0 (Future)

• Complete feature parity with archived version
• Performance optimizations
• Additional weapons and enemies
• Level system
• Save/load functionality

🛠️ Technology Stack

Zig Implementation

• Language: Zig
• Graphics: Raylib
• Build System: Zig build system
• Focus: Performance, native execution

Java Implementation

• Language: Java 8+
• Graphics: Swing/AWT
• Build System: Standard Java compilation
• Focus: Cross-platform compatibility, ease of development

Archived Version (Original)

• Language: Pure Java
• Graphics: Custom Swing/AWT rendering
• Features: Complete game with all mechanics

📚 Code Examples

Running the Java Version

// Main entry point - src/main/java/Main.java
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        //...
    }
}

Running the Zig Version

// Main entry point - src/main/zig/src/main.zig
pub fn main() !void {
    //...
}

🤝 Contributing

This is a personal project, but feedback and suggestions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📜 License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

🎮 Game Controls (Archived Version)

Action	Key
Move Up	W
Move Down	S
Move Left	A
Move Right	D
Shoot	Left Mouse Button
Pause	ESC

🐛 Known Issues

• v0.5 is currently in active development - game loop not yet implemented
• Archived version may have platform-specific rendering quirks
• Zig implementation requires manual Raylib setup on some platforms

📧 Contact

Developer: cjRem44x
Repository: github.com/cjRem44x/JZBlock

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Raylib - Amazing graphics library for Zig
• Zig Programming Language - Modern systems programming
• Java Community - For the robust JVM ecosystem

---

Status: 🚧 In Development (v0.5 Rewrite)
Language: Java & Zig
Platform: Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS)
Graphics: Raylib (Zig) | Swing/AWT (Java)

Enjoy playing JZBlock! 🎮🧟‍♂️⚡