Game where the bad guys are a few companies who steal all knowledge and lock it behind paywalls.

by Carter Smith · raised 0 credits · spent 0 credits · pool 0 credits

awaiting funding
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The prompt

You are an expert C++ game developer. Build a complete playable 2D game using C++17 and Raylib only. Do not use C#, Unity, Unreal, Godot, SDL, SFML, external engines, external assets, package managers, or non-Raylib dependencies. The output should be a self-contained Raylib C++ project. Game concept: A dystopian action/strategy game where a few mega-corporations have stolen all public knowledge, locked it behind paywalls, DRM, subscriptions, patents, and private archives. The player is a rogue archivist trying to liberate knowledge and return it to the public. Tone: Cyberpunk / anti-corporate / hacker-underground aesthetic Fast, stylish, readable, arcade-like Not a boring demo. Make it feel like a real small game. It should be “fuckin dope”: juicy feedback, particles, screenshake, neon visuals, satisfying combat, clear progression. Core gameplay: Top-down 2D action game. Player moves around a map collecting “knowledge fragments.” Enemy companies control zones with guards, drones, paywall gates, and data vaults. The player must break into vaults, collect knowledge, and upload it to public nodes. Each liberated node weakens corporate control. Win condition: liberate all public knowledge by destroying or hacking every corporate vault. Lose condition: player health reaches zero. Required mechanics: Player movement with WASD. Mouse aiming. Left click shoots. Right click or Space triggers a short dash. Enemies chase and attack. Ranged corporate drones shoot projectiles. Paywall gates block parts of the map until nearby vaults are hacked/destroyed. Knowledge fragments are collectible. Public upload nodes accept fragments and convert them into “Liberation %.” The game has a clear HUD showing: Health Fragments carried Liberation % Current objective There should be multiple enemy company factions, for example: LexiCorp: owns textbooks and academic papers Mediavault: owns art, music, and culture Patentum: owns tools, medicine, and invention Each faction should have a different color theme and slightly different enemy behavior. Implementation requirements: Use Raylib. Use C++17. Keep the code understandable and organized. Prefer a single-file implementation if possible, but structure it cleanly with structs/classes. Include comments where useful. Include all compile/run instructions. Use procedural shapes only: rectangles, circles, lines, generated particles. No external image/audio assets. The game must compile and run without missing files. Use delta time properly. Include collision detection. Include simple particle effects. Include screen shake. Include basic camera behavior. Include a title screen and game over / win screen. Include restart support. Use raymath.h if helpful. Visual style: Dark background grid. Neon corporate zones. Glowing data vaults. Knowledge fragments should look like small bright pages, glyphs, or data shards. Upload nodes should pulse. Corporate gates should look like red/orange paywall barriers. Enemies should have clear silhouettes. Projectiles should be bright and readable. Game feel: Shooting should feel responsive. Hits should create particles. Vault destruction should create a larger burst. Uploading fragments should visibly increase liberation. Dash should have afterimages or particles. Enemies should flash or react when hit. Balance: Make the game playable immediately. Map should be large enough to explore but not huge. Include at least 3 vaults and several gates. Include at least 15 enemies total. Include fragments scattered around vault zones. Player should not die instantly. The game should be challenging but fair. Deliverables: Full source code. Build instructions for macOS/Linux/Windows. Any notes about Raylib installation. A short explanation of the game loop and main systems. Important: Do not give a vague architecture sketch. Do not say “you can implement this.” Actually implement the game. The code should be complete enough that I can paste it into main.cpp, compile it with Raylib, and play. Avoid placeholder TODOs. No C#. No engine boilerplate. C++ and Raylib only. Make the final game feel like a polished prototype, not a tutorial rectangle demo.

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Public build log (live, every credit traceable)

2026-06-11 22:21Approved by review. Project is live.
2026-06-11 22:07Project submitted for review. It goes live — and can spend — only after approval.