Space Invaders (C & SDL2) 👾

A clone of the famous retro arcade game Space Invaders, developed in C using the SDL2 graphics library.

Features

• Smooth ship movement (with collision detection and screen boundaries).
• Alien swarms with progression and animation systems.
• Shooting mechanics (player missiles and enemy bombs).
• Destructible shields.
• Damage and destruction animations.
• Gamepad (Plug & Play) and keyboard support.
• Victory and Game Over screens with an interactive menu.

Prerequisites and Installation

This project is designed to be compiled in a Linux environment. It requires the gcc compiler, make, and the SDL2 development libraries.

Installing dependencies:

Arch Linux / Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S base-devel sdl2 sdl2_ttf

Debian / Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential libsdl2-dev libsdl2-ttf-dev

Compilation and Execution

From the root of the project directory, run:

make clean && make

🎮 Controls

The game is playable with both a keyboard and a controller (automatically detected at launch).

Action	Keyboard	Controller (feature)
Move left	Q	Left Joystick
Move right	D	Right Joystick
Shoot	P	-
Start game	S	-
Main Menu	M	-
Quit	W	-

Roadmap (Future Improvements)

This project is open to customization. Here are the planned improvements:

• Add support for popular controllers (PlayStation, Xbox, etc.).
• Add activatable power-ups via drops (e.g., falling from defeated invaders).
• Create an interactive menu with viewable game statistics.
• Create a portable .AppImage for Linux.
• Cross-compile a .exe version for Windows.
• Add sound effects and background music (via SDL_mixer).
• Add a scoring system with a saved High Score accessible from the menu.
• Add different enemy types and a final boss.

📝 License

This project was developed in an academic context. Feel free to fork the repository, explore the code, and submit Pull Requests for improvements.