Custom ZX-Inspired Platform Game Engine with Editor, Portals, Tiles, JSON Tools & MonoGame

A work-in-progress look at my custom retro platform game engine and editor, inspired by the feel of classic ZX Spectrum adventures but built with a modern data-driven toolchain.

The game is running on a custom VB.NET / MonoGame engine with an integrated WinForms editor. Almost everything in the world is driven by JSON metadata: rooms, maps, tiles, structures, portals, enemies, world items, collision, lighting, animation, destructible objects, movement paths and runtime behaviours.

This build shows off several newer engine/editor features:

- Tile-based room and area system
- Runtime structure placement without destructively changing map data
- PNG-to-structure import workflow
- Editable tile metadata and collision types
- Animated portal structures built from tiles
- Type A and Type B portal systems
- Discovered world portals with an in-game destination selector
- Portal wipe transitions and arrival effects
- Player/platform collision using structure tile metadata
- Native MonoGame inventory/map/portal UI overlays
- JSON-driven entities, enemies, world items and special platforms
- Runtime lighting, tile animation, particles and effects
- Editor tools for adding/editing portals, structures, metadata and room content

The goal is to build a proper retro game creation environment where the editor and engine grow together: fast enough to experiment, structured enough to build a full game, and flexible enough that new gameplay objects can be added as metadata rather than hard-coded one-offs.

The current REX graphics are placeholder/test assets while the engine, editor workflow and gameplay systems are being built out.

Still very much in development, but the pieces are starting to feel like a real engine now.

Видео Custom ZX-Inspired Platform Game Engine with Editor, Portals, Tiles, JSON Tools & MonoGame канала dunjenkeepa