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Show HN: I wrote my own RTS game engine in C

github.com Software & code Software projects Computer games Candidate
Screenshot of github.com captured 2026-07-20
Page preview · captured 2026-07-20

Resurfaced independently across 4 calendar years, with breakout response in 3 of them.

submissions
4
submitters
2
observed span
2018–2023
peak thread · 262 comments
1102 pts
latest 20+ return · 2023-04-09
181 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

Very nice code quality. C gets a hard time and this code base highlights some of the modern features C is missing by its use of perfectly clear workarounds. E.g. The prefix “namespacing” done here works just fine, easy to understand. The go-style visibility approach is growing on me lately and it works well here. C does deserve some of the criticism right enough, e.g. the same macros re-defined in a few places - it’d be nice if c had…

Pulled the Everglory demo down on Steam Deck. Because of the small display on the Steam Deck, the text on the menu buttons on the right hand side were nearly indecipherable. I wonder to what degree game devs should be testing their games on a small display like the Steam Deck/Switch.

This appears to be a copy left attempt to build an engine capable of both Age of Empires (especially the 3d ones), Command & Conquer, and Warcraft 3 style games. Interested to see if it ever gets tot he point of running Warcraft 3 custom maps (multiplayer maps with custom code) perhaps through an import script.

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
3

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
1433

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
357

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2018-08-31Show HN: Permafrost Engine – OpenGL 3.3 Real Time Strategy Engine in CFirst breakoutepermyakov14425
2020-06-04Show HN: OpenGL Real-Time Strategy Game Engine in Pure C [38k SLOC C99]epermyakov60
2021-05-12Show HN: I wrote my own RTS game engine in CBest threadepermyakov1102262
2023-04-09Permafrost engine – An OpenGL RTS game engine written in CLatest 20+ point returnrysertio18170