Monopoly Game

A learning project implementing Monopoly using Pilot Light as the graphics engine.

Project Goals

This project serves as a hands-on learning experience for:

• C programming fundamentals - memory management, structs, pointers, and proper C idioms
• Graphics programming - working with a graphics engine, rendering pipelines, and 2D drawing
• Game architecture - state machines, game loops, and event-driven programming
• Software engineering practices - code organization, documentation, and version control

Features

• Full monopoly board with property management
• 2-6 player support
• Property trading system
• Auction system for unpurchased properties
• Mortgage/unmortgage mechanics
• House and hotel building
• Chance and Community Chest cards
• Jail mechanics with multiple escape options

Build Instructions

Prerequisites

First, clone and build Pilot Light (assumed to be adjacent to this repo).

Windows

# clone & build pilot light
git clone https://github.com/PilotLightTech/pilotlight
cd pilotlight/src
build_win32.bat

# clone & build monopoly
cd ..
git clone https://github.com/cdarcey/monopoly
cd monopoly/scripts
python setup.py
python gen_build.py
cd ../src
build.bat

Linux

# clone & build pilot light
git clone https://github.com/PilotLightTech/pilotlight
cd pilotlight/src
chmod +x build_linux.sh
./build_linux.sh

# clone & build monopoly
cd ..
git clone https://github.com/cdarcey/monopoly
cd monopoly/scripts
python3 setup.py
python3 gen_build.py
cd ../src
chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

MacOS

# clone & build pilot light
git clone https://github.com/PilotLightTech/pilotlight
cd pilotlight/src
chmod +x build_linux.sh
./build_linux.sh

# clone & build monopoly
cd ..
git clone https://github.com/cdarcey/monopoly
cd monopoly/scripts
python3 setup.py
python3 gen_build.py
cd ../src
chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

Binaries will be in pilotlight/out/.

Running

# windows
pilot_light.exe -a monopoly_app

# linux/macos
./pilot_light -a monopoly_app

Or press F5 if using VSCode.

Technical Implementation

Architecture

• Game state management - custom state machine handling turn phases (pre-roll, post-roll, jail, trading, auction)
• UI system - immediate mode GUI for game menus and overlays
• Rendering - 2D sprite rendering with custom shaders and texture management
• Data structures - efficient property ownership tracking and player state management

Key Components

• monopoly.h - core game logic and data structures
• monopoly_init.h - board initialization and property definitions
• app.c - main application, rendering, and UI integration

Graphics Pipeline

• Vulkan-backed rendering via Pilot Light
• Custom texture loading and bind group management
• 2D draw list system for dynamic UI elements

What I Learned

• Memory management - proper allocation/deallocation patterns in C, avoiding leaks
• Low-level graphics - working with GPU buffers, shaders, and render passes
• Complex state management - handling turn-based game flow with multiple interactive phases
• UI/UX design - creating intuitive menus for complex game mechanics
• Debugging - using tools and techniques to track down issues in C code

Todo

Current Priorities

• Handle "Get Out of Jail Free" card storage/return
• Property array cleanup utilities
• Player elimination handling
• Winner screen and game statistics

Future Enhancements (maybe?? not sure howfar this will go)

• AI opponents with difficulty levels
• Network multiplayer support
• Save/load game state
• Animated dice rolls and token movement
• Sound effects and background music