____  ____________________        _________ ___ ___ ___________________
/_   |/   _____/\__    ___/       /   _____//   X   \\_      \__    ___/
 |   |\_____  \   |    |  ______  \_____  \/   _|_   \/  _|_  \|    |   
 |   |/        \  |    | /_____/  /        \    |    /    |    \    |   
 |___/_______  /  |____|         /_______  /\___X_  /\_______  /____|   
             \/                          \/       \/         \/         

Next-Level Terminal Bullet Hell — powered by movy

1ST-SHOT is my first attempt at building a visually rich, animated game inside the terminal — powered entirely by my rendering engine "movy".
After Zigtoberfest 2025, I wanted to make this version public so others can play with it, study it, and modify it.
It’s not a finished game — it's a playable demo and learning project (See the Release Notes for more background.)

Highlights

• Renders PNG sprites in 24-bit color, slicing animations from spritesheets
• Implements subpixel movement for smooth motion
• Steady 71 FPS! (new)
• Generates authentic C64 SID music on a dedicated audio thread, mixing PCM in real time

What's New

• Upgraded to Zig 0.15.2
• Constant FPS rendering: gameplay now runs at a stable frame rate across all terminals — 71 silky-smooth and consistent FPS no matter your window size! (When font is too small, it will slow down though, no frame is skipped ;) )

Quick Start

Requirements

• Zig 0.15.2
• SDL2 (for audio)
• Terminal with 24-bit color support (most modern terminals)

Install

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/M64GitHub/1st-shot.git
cd 1st-shot

# Build (optimized for ReleaseFast)
zig build

# Run the game
zig build run-1st-shot

Controls

Check the source for the cheat codes ;) !

How to Play

Survive the onslaught!

Destroy enemies and asteroids to earn points. Collect power-ups to upgrade your ship. Avoid collision to survive.

Enemy Types

SingleEnemy (250 pts)

• Simple but deadly
• Two movement patterns: Straight or Zigzag
• Unlocked from start
• Health: 5 hits

SwarmEnemy (500 pts)

• Snake-like formations
• Grows longer the longer you survive (up to 17 segments!)
• Graduated amplitude creates mesmerizing wave patterns
• Unlocks at 1000 frames (~16 seconds)
• Health: 15 hits (hit the head!)

ShooterEnemy (350 pts)

• Simple "intelligence" with state machine
• Fires two tracking projectiles at your position
• Danger: When destroyed, attached bullets become orphans and fall!
• Unlocks at 2000 frames (~33 seconds)
• Health: 3 hits (shoot the bullets for instant kill!)

Power-Ups

• Ammo: Refills spread weapon
• Shield: Temporary invincibility
• Extra Life: Gain 1 life
• Score Bonus: Instant points

Dropstacles

The blue round objects. Shoot these to collect rewards (but don't touch them!):

• ShieldDrop (25%)
• LifeDrop (20%)
• AmmoDrop (40%)
• Jackpot (5%): Shield + Life + 100 Ammo!

They all look the same, the actual reward will be a surprise.
(numbers in brackets are the chance for the reward type)

Score Milestones

Reach these scores to auto-unlock bonuses:

• 3,000: Ammo bonus
• 5,000: Shield bonus
• 10,000: Extra life

Dependencies

Zig Libraries

• movy - Terminal rendering engine

• zigreSID - MOS 6581/8580 SID chip emulator

  • MixingDumpPlayer for WAV mixing
  • SDL2 audio output

System Dependencies

• SDL2 - Audio output and WAV loading
• Zig 0.15.2 - Build system and language

License

MIT. Hack it, spread it!

Join the Terminal Revolution!

The revolution isn’t about this game — it’s about what comes next. If 1ST-SHOT sparks your curiosity, grab Zig, explore the code, and start shaping your own terminal world. Whether it’s a small demo, a new effect, or a full game — build something that glows in the terminal.

"The limitations aren't in the medium — they're in our imagination."

Made with 💜 and Zig