Athena Crisis Is Now Open Source - Thanks, Nakazawa Tech!
In an exciting move for the game development community, Nakazawa Tech has open-sourced the engine behind their modern retro turn-based strategy game, Athena Crisis. This initiative, led by Christoph Nakazawa, aims to inspire a new generation of developers to embrace web technologies for game creation.
A Bold Step Towards Open Web Game Development
Nakazawa Tech's decision to open-source the core technology of Athena Crisis under the MIT License reflects their commitment to the open-source ethos. The game, built using JavaScript, React, and CSS, demonstrates the potential of web technologies as a robust platform for game development. By making the game's core code available on GitHub, they hope to encourage developers to contribute, innovate, and expand the capabilities of web-based games.
Check out the open-source repository here: nkzw-tech/athena-crisis on GitHub.
What's Included in the Open Source Release
The open-source release of Athena Crisis includes the game's core data structures, algorithms, game engine, rendering, AI, and the map editor. This extensive collection, encompassing almost 100,000 lines of code, represents around 75% of the game's total codebase. It's the same code that powers the production version at app.athenacrisis.com.
However, certain aspects of the game remain proprietary. The single-player campaign, multiplayer features, art, music, content, and backend implementations like user management and server configurations are not part of the open-source release. To fully experience Athena Crisis, including its rich storyline and polished gameplay, you can purchase it on Steam.
Why Open Source?
Christoph Nakazawa's long-standing involvement with open source drives this initiative. Nakazawa believes in the web's potential as a game development platform, despite the challenges it presents. By open-sourcing Athena Crisis, they aim to foster a collaborative environment where developers can build foundational tools, infrastructure, and games using web technologies.
In Nakazawa's words, "The web’s greatest strength has always been its openness, and I want to help push it forward."
Contribution Opportunities and Bounties
To kickstart contributions, Nakazawa Tech, in collaboration with Polar, is funding $10,000 worth of improvements towards the game. Developers are encouraged to participate in various challenges and bounties, such as building the best AI, creating a WebGL renderer, or improving core algorithm performance.
Explore the contribution opportunities and bounties on Polar: Athena Crisis bounties.
Get Involved
Developers and fans can dive into the code, offer improvements, or even create their own JavaScript-based web games. The Athena Crisis Open Source website provides guides, technical overviews, and access to the map editor and AI playground.
A Bright Future for Games with Web Technologies
Athena Crisis is not just a game; it's an excellent example of what can be achieved with web technologies in game development. Nakazawa Tech's open-source initiative is a call to arms for developers to explore the potential of JavaScript, React, and CSS in creating high-quality, engaging games.
The future of web-based game development looks promising. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a curious newcomer, now is the perfect time to get involved and make your mark on the world of games.
Enjoy the full game by purchasing it on Steam and supporting its ongoing development:
First published May 15, 2024