The Brick Engine

This version brings several new improvements, namely a new graphics filter (the “soft light” blend mode), SIMD-based pixel renderers for even faster blit operations, a couple of useful new introspection routines, and totally rewritten documentation.

New features include a simple event scheduler and some list iterators. There were also some minor bugfixes and some additional architecture compatibility (a possible bus error on ARM is now solved). The brick public API has been tidied up significantly and the engine is in a good, stable place.

This release is partly for maintenance, partly for improvements. The motion control system, a tiny embedded language designed for creating fantastic particle systems, environmental effects, and so on, has been radically overhauled. Sprites can now be given a sophisticated autonomy by way of their motion control programs. The build process has been made a little bit simpler by removing unnecessary includes from the headers. The brick engine has become even easier to build and to work with.

A bug in the motion control program system, in which sprite collisions weren't being detected properly, has been fixed.

Many new features are now offered by the brick engine. The programmer may now select the display size, which permits, among other things, proper wide-screen support. Pixel-accurate collision detection of map tiles was implemented, which allows for an organic, smooth level design. Adjustable layer viewports were added, which are applicable to split-screen play and easy HUD programming. The brick engine is now much faster, with a great deal of optimization applied throughout.